SUMMARIZING

Summary is a synthesis of the key ideas of a piece of writing, restated in your own
words – i.e., paraphrased. You may write a summary as a stand-alone assignment or as
part of a longer paper. Whenever you summarize, you must be careful not to copy the
exact wording of the original source.

Why use summarizing?

 It helps students learn to determine essential ideas and consolidate important
details that support them.
 It enables students to focus on key words and phrases of an assigned text that are
worth noting and remembering.
 It teaches students how to take a large selection of text and reduce it to the main
points for more concise understanding.

Do’s:
 Utilize your own particular words.
 Note the most critical focuses, utilizing catchphrases and expressions.
 Read the first content numerous times, guaranteeing you don’t miss any basic
focuses.
 Guarantee a rundown is much shorter than the first source.
 Incorporate the first source in the references for a composed report.
 Read generally and attempt to build up an outline or the article/book in your mind
as you read.
 Use one word substitutes instead of long phrases.

Don’ts:
 Incorporate pointless subtle elements, cases or supporting data.
 Incorporate your own feelings or considerations.
 Rehash phrases word for word - this is not good.

FIVE KEYS TO WRITING EFFECTIVE SUMMARIES:

An effective summary condenses a passage into a much shorter form, communicating
only the essential facts of the original. Summarizing is not the same as paraphrasing,
however: when you summarize something, you are not merely translating it word for
word using synonyms and a thesaurus, but rather reworking the text into a condensed
form for later reference. Effective summarizing is necessary to both research and writing,
because it can save a lot of time and paper, and it will allow you to review your research
quickly.
After reading articles during the research phase of your writing process, consider
employing the following strategies:
1. Use summaries to communicate the main points of a text. In order to identify the main
points, think of your summary as the lead paragraph in a newspaper article: it ought to
answer the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how in a general way: Who
wrote the article; what the article concerns; where and when it takes place; why the
author has written about it; and how the author communicates his or her ideas. In other
words, don’t include a lot of specific facts and data from the passage to be summarized
unless you intend to cite them in your paper.
2. Use your own words. This will help you to understand the text better. Quotations
should be employed sparingly, and only in instances where you need to communicate
specific phrases used in the original. For example, you might quote words and phrases
coined by the author, or sentences you intend to cite word-for-word in your paper.
3. Keep it short. Of course the length of a summary depends on what you’re
summarizing, but in general summaries should be a lot shorter than their originals,
particularly when incorporated into a paper. Keep them short when doing research as well
in order to make the most of your time.
4. Write objectively. Summaries should not report your opinion on the matter, but should
accurately reflect the author’s ideas and style. Nevertheless, make note of your evaluative
comments and opinions outside of the summary because they may prove useful when
writing your paper.
5. Document the publishing information for later reference. You will need it if you wish
to cite your summarized research in papers. Otherwise, much of your research will come
to nothing. Moreover, remember that paraphrases must be cited just as you would cite
quotations. Anytime you present specific ideas that are neither your own nor general
knowledge, you should include a citation for them.

EXAMPLE OF SUMMARIZING A PARAGRAPH:

CITATION:
Inge, M. Thomas. “Peanuts and American Culture.” Comics as Culture. Jackson, MS:
UP of Mississippi, 1990. 104-106.

ORIGINAL PASSAGE:
Just as Peanuts seems to have absorbed so much of the popular culture which preceded it,
the comic strip has had a profound influence on the society and culture of its own time.
Peanuts affects and inspires our daily lives, and not simply because we can open our daily
newspapers and find it there without fail (for over 14,000 days now without interruption
—one of the few certainties in a world beset by unsettling changes). Peanuts has become
an integral part of the history of American culture through its influence in so many areas
of our life and society.

SUMMARY:
According to M. Thomas Inge, the comic strip, Peanuts, has a great influence on our
present-day culture (104).
 ENG101
(TTh; 8:30-10:00)

(GROUP 1)
Members:
Shariff B. Alberto
Ophelia S. Iringan
Jamaica O. Pattung
John Paul E. Relon
Mark Sedtreb G. Tayag