WRITING CENTER "INFORMATION PICK-UP"  (S.S.C.C.)

 

WRITING SUMMARIES:

•   WHAT IS A SUMMARY?

•   HOW DOES A PERSON BEGIN TO WRITE A SUMMARY?

•   WHAT INFORMATION DOES A PERSON NEED TO WRITE A SUMMARY?

 

•   WHAT IS A SUMMARY?

 

            To read well implies bringing together many higher level thinking skills.  Reading well demands the ability to understand written information AND the ability to recreate that information in one's own words. 

 

            Reading well demands logic, critical reading and analytical skills, making inferences,  and forming informed opinions.

 

            A summary--according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary," a comprehensive and usually brief abstract, recapitulation or compendium of things previously stated"--is useful for reader understanding of a text, essay exams and student papers.  Professionally, summaries appear in memos, reports, business letters, paragraphing and other forms of writing.

 

            Synonyms of summary include brief, digest, and synopsis.

 

            For our purposes, summarizing is a more complex, drawn-out form of paraphrasing and "active reading" for comprehension. 

 

            The difference between a SUMMARY and an ANALYSIS OR CRITIQUE is that a summary strives only to represent, not to take a stand on whether a piece of writing is good or bad, convincing or not, stylish or drab, intriguing or boring, topical or scattered, timely or out-of-sync with happenings.

 

 

•   HOW DOES A PERSON BEGIN TO WRITE A SUMMARY?

 

 

A SEVEN-STEP PROCESS FOR WRITING SUMMARIES:

 

1)  READ:  Read the passage carefully for meaning, style, pace, author purpose, and structure.

 

2)  RE-READ.  During this run-through, divide the passage into sections or "stages of thought".  Underline the key ideas and terms within each part.

 

3)  WRITE OUT SUMMARIES.  Write out the one-sentence summaries on a separate sheet of paper, of each stage of thought, or, if appropriate, of each paragraph.  This will be ordered according to the development of the essay.

 

4)  IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PASSAGE:  Write a topic sentence--a one-sentence summary of the entire passage.  The topic sentence should express the central idea of the passage, as you have determined it from the above steps.  You may find it useful to keep in mind the information contained in the lead sentence or paragraph of most newspaper articles--the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the matter. 

 

            In the case of descriptive passages, indicate the subject of the description and its main features, in the order in which they were brought up.

 

            In narration passages, follow the chronological plot line of the action.  What happens?  What conclusion does the author come to from the described experience(s)?

 

            In process or "how to" passages, look at the author's main purpose in explaining the method of how to do something.  Then, review the main steps suggested by the author. 

            Some process passages show readers how something was done as a form of informative writing (without the expectation that the reader will necessarily learn the process or go through it themselves, as in process writing on how a shark attack was survivable or how Mount Everest was climbed.  You need to identify the writer's main motivation as well in a process passage.

 

            In the case of comparison and contrast writing, first identify what things, ideas, places, people or styles are being compared.  Explain what points the author uses to compare or contrast.  Then explain the author's final conclusion.

 

            For cause and effect writing, explain the relationship between the "cause" and the "effect" as identified by the author.  Explain what "linkages" connect the cause and the effect.

 

            For definition and classification, identify what is being defined or classified, and explain how the author achieves this.  You may need to outline the main criteria for each categorization.

 

            In the case of an argument and persuasive passage, summarize in a sentence the author's perspective, the general "argument," and the conclusion, usually with the author's main supports.

 

5)  WRITE A DRAFT OF YOUR SUMMARY:  Write the first draft of your summary by combining the topic sentence with the information from Step 3. 

 

6)  REVISE.  Eliminate repetition (wordiness) and combine sentences for a smooth and logical flow of ideas.  Omit any personal judgments or emotional language.

 

7)  EDIT:  Check for mechanical, spelling, syntax, vocabulary or other mistakes. 

 

 

 

 

•   WHAT INFORMATION DOES A PERSON NEED TO WRITE A SUMMARY?

 

 

            At its simplest, a one-sentence summary should cover:  who, what, when, where, why, and how, much as the first or second paragraphs of a news story will do.  These basics are usually referred to as the 5 Ws and 1 H.

 

            Always include the title of the essay in the first paragraph of the summary so readers can understand clearly what it is you are writing about.  Essay titles are always placed in quotes.  (Book titles should be italicized  or underlined.)

 

            Also, include the author's name, so that credit is given where it is due.  Remember that your first paragraph should give readers a sense of what will follow, of what is being dealt with, the general range of information coverage, and the substance of discussion.

 

 

PROJECTED RATIO OF SUMMARY TO ORIGINAL PRINTED MATERIAL:

 

            According to some educators, the length ratio of summary to the original text should be 1:4 or 1 to 4 parts.  This is not a set ratio, but it makes sense not to overwhelm a text with a same-length paraphrase of itself.  Brevity is the key.

 

Source: 

Ellis, Grace.  The Rinehart Reader Companion.  Fort Worth:  Holt,

            Rinehart, Winston, 1989/1993.

(Revised 1998)