What Is a Summary?

A summary is a shortened, rephrased version of original source material. It provides readers

with an overall understanding of the original work through a shortened version that includes
just the main ideas of a passage, book, movie, etc. In short, a summary informs readers by
answering more factual-type questions (such as who/what/when/where) about the original
piece.

What a summary does

briefly restates information from the source by presenting only main points or key ideas

maintains a neutral/objective tone

normally uses third-person point of view (e.g., the author, they, he, she, researchers…)

o What a summary doesn’t do

doesn’t include your opinion or evaluation

doesn’t include minor details

Writing a Summary
1) Firstly, skim the text you are going to summarize and divide it into sections. Focus on any
headings and subheadings. Also look at any bold-faced terms and make sure you understand
them before you read.

2) Read the to get a feel for the author’s tone, style, and main idea

3) Write in a direct, objective style, using your own words. Use few, if any, direct quotations,
probably none in a one-paragraph summary.

4) Begin with a reference to the writer (full name), year published, and the title of the work.
Then state the writer’s thesis. This is the key to any well-written summary. Create a thesis
statement in a sentence that clearly communicates what the entire text was trying to achieve –
in this sentence you should write what you think the overall main idea of the article or text is.

5) You can use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence of your summary, and your
other sentences can make up the body. Make sure that they are in order. Add some
appropriate transition words (such as then, however, also, moreover) that help with the overall
structure and flow of the summary.
 6) Do not include specific examples, illustrations, or background sections. do not include things
like statistics and examples in a summary, so avoid including all that detail.

7) Select precise, accurate verbs to show the author’s relationship to ideas. Write “Jones
argues,” “Jones asserts,” “Jones believes.” Do not use vague verbs that provide only a list of
disconnected ideas. Do not write “Jones talks about,” “Jones goes on to say,” or “the article . . .”

8) Do not make any judgments about the writer’s style or ideas. Do not include your personal
reaction to the work

Some Purposes and Uses of Summaries:

• preparing for exams

• taking notes on your readings

• collecting and condensing information for research papers

• integrating sources into your writing