ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

TOPIC: SUMMARIZING ACADEMIC TEXTS

What is Summarizing?
According to Buckley (2004), in her popular writing text Fit to Print, defines summarizing as reducing text to one-third
or one- quarter its original size, clearly articulating the author’s meaning, and retaining main ideas. A summary is a
short retelling of a longer passage, containing the author’s most important ideas. Summarizing helps improve both your
reading and writing skills. To summarize, you must read a passage closely, finding the main ideas and supporting ideas.
Then, you must briefly write down those ideasin a few sentences or a paragraph.
It is important to understand the difference between a summary and a paraphrase. A paraphrase is simply a rewriting of a
passage in your own words. A summary, on the other hand, contains only the main idea and the supporting ideas of a
passage. A summary will be much shorter than a paraphrase.
The purpose of summarizing is to briefly present the key points of a theory or work in order to provide context for your
argument/thesis.
Summarizing is useful in many types of writing and at different points in the writing process. Summarizing is used to
support an argument, provide context for a paper’s thesis, literature reviews, and annotate a bibliography. The benefit of
summarizing lies in showing the “big picture,” which allows the reader to contextualize what you are saying. In addition to
the advantages of summarizing for the reader, as a writer you gain a better sense of where you are going with your writing ,
which parts need elaboration, and whether you have comprehended the information you have collected.
Basic Rules:
1.Erase things that don’t matter. Delete unimportant details that are
unnecessary for one’s understanding.
2.Only write down important points. If it is not something that will help you understand or remember, then don’t write it
down. Think of it this way . . . If you had to pay money for every word you write down, which words would you choose to
include in your notes?
3.Erase things that repeat. Delete redundant material. In note taking, time and space are precious. If a word or phrase says
basically the same thing you have already written down, then don’t write it again!
4.Trade, general terms for specific names. Substitute superordinate terms for lists (e.g., flowers for daisies, tulips for
roses). Focus on the big picture. Long, technical lists are hard to remember. If one word will give you the meaning, then less
is more.
5.Use your own words to write the summary. Do not just copy the sentences from the original text. However, do not inject
your opinion in your summary.

SUMMARIZING STRATEGIES
1.Somebody Wanted But So Then
“Somebody Wanted But So Then” is an excellent summarizing strategy for stories. Each word represents a key question
related to the story's essential elements:
• Somebody: Who is the main character?
• Wanted: What does the main charter want?
• But: Identify a problem that the main character encountered.
• So: How does the main character solve the problem?
• Then: Tell how the story ends.
After answering the questions, combine the answers to form a summary:

2. SAAC METHOD
The SAAC method is another useful technique for summarizing any kind of text (such as a story, an article, or a speech).
SAAC is an acronym for "State, Assign, Action, Complete." Each word in the acronym refers to a specific element that
should be included in the summary.
• State: the name of the article, book, or story
 • Assign: the name of the author
• Action: what the author is doing (example: tells, explains)
• Complete: complete the sentence or summary with keywords and important details
This method is particularly helpful for students who are learning the format of a summary and need reminders to
include the title and author's name. However, SAAC does not include clear guidance about what details to include, which
some students might find tricky. If you use SAAC, be reminded of the types of details that belong in a summary before
you will do summarizing.
3. 5 Ws, 1 H
The Five Ws, One H strategy relies on six crucial questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. These questions make
it easy to identify the main character, important details, and main idea.
• Who is the main character of the story?
• What did they do?
• When did the action take place?
• Where did the story happen?
• Why did the main character do what she/he did?
• How did the main character do what she/he did?

Then, use the answers to the Five Ws and One H to write a summary.
4. FIRST THEN FINALLY
The "First Then Finally" technique helps students summarize events in chronological order. The three words represent the
beginning, main action, and conclusion of a story, respectively:
• First: What happened first? Include the main character and main event/action.
• Then: What key details took place during the event/action?
• Finally: What were the results of the event/action?

5. Give Me the Gist/ Outlining

When someone asks for "the gist" of a story, they want to know what the story is about. In other words, they want a summary
—not a retelling of every detail.
An outline is a map of your essay. It shows what information each section or paragraph will contain and in what order.
I.Main Idea
A. Supporting Details
B. Supporting Details
II. Main Idea
A. Supporting Details
B. Supporting Details