TECHNIQUES IN

SUMMARIZING ACADEMIC
TEXTS
 SUMMARIZING
• Reducing Text To A One-third Or One Quarter Its
Original Size, Clearly Articualting the author’s original
ideas
• Purpose is to briefly present the key points of a theory
or a work in order to provide context for your
argument/thesis. Buckley (2004)
• An Important skill in reading, summarizing, is often used to
determine the essentials on the book, chapter, an article or parts of an
article
• essential skills ideas include the gist or the main idea , use
information or keywords and phrases that would help you meet your
reading purpose.
• Summarizing is generally done after reading. However, it can be
done as well, while reading the text.
 SUMMARIZING IS AN IMPORTANT SKILL
BECAUSE IT HELPS YOU :

• Deepen your understanding of the text.

• Learn to identify relevant information or key ideas.
• Combine details or examples that support th main idea/s;
• Concentrate on the gist or main idea and key words presented on the
text; and
• Capture key ideas in the text and put them together clearly and
concisely.
 WHAT IS NOT SUMMARIZING

• You are not summarizing when you:

• Write down everything
• Write down ideas from the text word for word
• Write down incoherent and irrelevant ideas
• Write down ideas that are not stated in the text: or
• Write down a summary that has the same length or is no longer than
the original text.
 WHY DO WE NEED TO SUMMARIZE

• As a reading strategy, is highly a valuable in terms of

original meaning grasping
• A summary is a more condensed form of any piece of
writing which purpose is to deliver the essence of the
original a short way, leaving out unessential details.
 HOW TO SUM UP YOUR SOURCE
EFFECTIVELY?

• Read the information source several times. In fact, read as many

times as needed for you to fully understand.
• Look for unfamiliar words and then if they’re too difficult for
understanding, you may rephrase them with your own words.
• Construct the sentences clearly , don’t forget to include the main
points you want to deliver, for this , jot down on the pieces of paper
the main concept.
• Keep it brief: don’t lose the original essence but try to make it look
more iaconic, reduce and delete ruthlessly all the unessential
sentences.
• In the paragraph, don’t be tempted by the desire to stick your own
interpretation, draw the distinct like betweeen your opinion and
someone’s thoughts.
• Don’t bore your readers, vary the introduction of your sources, e.G. “
According to” next time can be substituted by” some authors or
sources conclude that… and other variants”
 SUMMARIZING STRATEGIES

• 3-2-1 STRATEGIES- GROUP 7

• SOMEBODY WANTED BUT SO TACTIC- GROUP 6
• JIGSAW- GROUP 5
• BALL TYPE- GROUP 4
• THE GIST- GROUP 3
• GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS- GROUP 2
• THE CORNELL METHOD- GROUP 1