Summary Writing

What is a Summary?
• A summary is a condensed and focused restatement of the
main ideas and essential information of a longer piece of work
in one’s own words.

• According to Cambridge Online Dictionary, a summary is, ‘ a

short, clear description that gives the main facts or ideas about
something.’
What is a Summary? (Continued)
A summary (also known as précis) usually should be around one
quarter to one third of the length of the original piece, depending
on the length and complexity of the original text and purpose. 
 Why do we Summarize?
• A summary benefits the reader as it offers a concise, general and a
quick version of the original information.

• Summaries show readers (e.g. your teachers) that you have understood
the general point of a text, and in this way, it demonstrates your
comprehension and knowledge.

• Summaries allow writers to apply critical thinking skills such as

analyzing, evaluating and creating.
Characteristics of an Effective Summary
• It is brief, much shorter than the original text, but complete. It does
not change the central idea of the original text.

• It is objective so when you summarize, you do use your own words

but do not add your own ideas, opinions or interpretations.

• It should be able to stand on its own, that is, it should be clear to

someone who has not seen the original text.
Writing Concisely for Summaries
Writing concisely is fundamental for summaries and involves the
following key techniques:

• Making Notes

• Paraphrasing
Effective Note-Making
• Effective summarizing essentially requires students to retain
important information by jotting down notes (key points) of the
text and then subsequently rewriting the notes into complete
sentences using their own words.

• All good notes should include relevant matter to help identify

the key topics, key points, names and ideas that can later be
simply organized to draft a good summary.
Paraphrasing
• Paraphrasing means restating the ideas of the author using
your own words while keeping the original meaning intact. It
should be used most essentially to avoid plagiarism.

• Paraphrasing is done using three techniques:

⮚ Using synonyms
⮚ Using a different word class of the key words
⮚ Changing the structure of the original sentence
Paraphrasing
Use of Synonyms
• Make sure that the synonym you choose represents the
meaning of the original word in its particular context.
Example
Kindly don’t be insolent.
Or
Please don’t be disrespectful.
Paraphrasing
Changes in the Word Order
Changing the word order also allows us to effectively paraphrase a
sentence; you may have to add or subtract a word, or change the
form of the word. However, this must be done carefully as this
affects the grammar of the sentence. 
Example
As languages such as Spanish, Chinese and English become more
widely used, there is a fear that many minority languages may die
out.

Paraphrased by changing word order: 

There is a fear that many minority languages may die out, as

languages such as Spanish, Chinese and English become more
widely used.
Paraphrasing
Changes in the word forms

There are many different forms of words including nouns, verbs,

adjectives and adverbs. Changing the form of a word allows you
to change the grammar of a sentence.

● For instance the word analyze, has different forms like

analysis, analyst analytical and analytically that may be used
to paraphrase the text effectively.
Paraphrasing
Words that need not be changed (it will not be plagiarism):

• nouns / noun phrases that we all use for specific things, e.g.
hospital, passport, processed food, residential area, chemical
reaction

• specialized words within particular disciplines, e.g. cash,

budget, catalyst, relative humidity
Steps for Writing an Effective Summary
• Read the original text carefully till you understand it.

• Pay attention to the title / headings /subheadings ( these can help

us determine the subject matter of the text)

• Identify the main idea from the main topic sentence or the thesis
statement
Steps for Writing an Effective Summary
• Select and simplify significant information keeping in mind
the basic signal words:
who, what, where, when, why, how

• Make notes of the main points and supporting points (not

supporting examples or details).
Include the key points and terms.
Steps for Writing an Effective Summary
• In general, evaluate the information, omit unimportant
information and disregard minor details as well as examples,
including dates, facts or statistics given.

• You should then shorten the text’s main ideas by combining

your notes and paraphrasing.
Steps for Writing an Effective Summary
• When writing a summary, remember that it should be in the form
of a paragraph. Usually a summary is written in simple present
tense but sometimes other tenses may be used depending on the
text.

• Use conjunctions, linking words and adverbs such as therefore,

however, similarly, firstly, although and since, to show the
connections between the ideas.
Steps for Writing an Effective Summary
• If you must include certain words or phrases from the original
text, then you must quote and paraphrase accurately with
appropriate citations to acknowledge the author’s work.

• Write a concluding sentence to end your summary with a simple

rephrasing of the main point.

• Once you are certain that your summary is accurate, you should
proofread it for style, grammar, and punctuation.
Effective Summary Writing
In a nutshell, the key to writing an effective summary is combining
the material (notes) you choose to include into concise, coherent
sentences and paragraphs in your own words with accuracy and
objectivity without changing the meaning of the original text.