SummarizingMostly Borrowed from

A Sequence for Academic Writing byBehrens, Rosen and Beedles

Definition of “Summarize”

To make a brief statement, in your own words, of the content of a passage – paragraph, article, book – focusing on the central idea.

Length? Depends.

Some summaries are a couple of sentences and only articulate the central point.

Some summaries are longer and more complicated. They articulate the central idea, indicate the main points that support or explain that idea, reflect the order in which those points are presented and may include examples from the passage.

They do NOT include minor details, repeat points for emphasis, discuss or call attention to personal opinion or conclusions.

The qualities of a good summary are brevity, completeness and objectivity.

Objectivity?

We all know, of course, that perfect objectivity is impossible. We’re all biased by our backgrounds, experiences, beliefs.

But, it is possible to screen your writing for your own biases and work to expunge them from your summaries.

Uses of the Summary

Academic Writing Critiques Synthesis Analysis Research Literature Reviews Argument Essay Exams

Workplace Writing Policy briefs Business plans Memos, letters and

reports Medical Charts Legal Briefs

Reading to Summarize Examine the context:

Note credentials, occupation, publications of author. (In our case, what do you know about Shakespeare?)

Identify source the piece appeared in. (Where would the piece have been performed? For whom?)

Find out about the period in which the piece was written. What’s going on around the author that might influence his or her thinking.

Think about the author’s reputation. How has he or she been received? What have others said about her or him?

Reading to Summarize

Note titles and subtitles: What topic is being addressed? What is the author’s attitude toward the topic? How is the title metaphorical or symbolic? What are the divisions of the topic?

If there are no subtitles, create some to help you think about what’s going on. How would you subtitle the different acts of the play, for

example? How would you subtitle different paragraphs of an essay?

Reading to Summarize

Identify the main point: Read to determine the author’s main idea.

Identify the subordinate points: How does the author use smaller points to arrive at her or his “big” statement?

Distinguish between points, examples, and counterpoints: When the writer quotes someone else, they are using an

example. That is not something that you need to refer to in your summary, generally.

Sometimes, writers will refer to those who disagree with them in order to answer criticisms of their ideas. These counterarguments, also, are, in general, not necessary to your summary of the writer’s ideas.

Reading to Summarize

Watch for transitions within and between paragraphs: Look for “On the other hand,” or “In comparison,” or “In support of,” or “It is unlikely that,”

Read actively and recursively: Read as if you were in dialogue with the writer. Ask

questions, take notes, underline key ideas. Read circularly rather than linearly. Stop to sum up, circle

back to reread, keep checking to make you understand and can fit all the pieces together.

Writing Summaries

Read carefully: Look for structure Identify purpose in order to help you determine what’s

critical and what’s minor in the argument Take notes to keep involved, keep yourself clear and

focused, note questions. REREAD:

Divide the passage into sections or stages Label passages with subtitles Write one sentence summaries of each stage or section

Writing Summaries

Write a Thesis – A one or two sentence summary of the entire piece Maybe try the who, what, when, where, why and

how approach Think about what the author was trying to

persuade you to believe or do Check to see if there is a thesis statement in the

original piece that you can quote or paraphrase

Writing Summaries

The First Draft: Combine the thesis with your list of one sentence summaries. Or, combine the thesis with one sentence summaries plus

significant details from the text Check your summary against the original:

Have you contained your biases? Is it an objective report? Have you forgotten any significant points? Have you included minor details, examples, counterarguments

that aren’t necessary? Revise:

to insert transitional words and phrases To combine sentences for a smooth, logical flow of ideas To ensure grammatical correctness, punctuation and spelling

The Tempest and Summarizing There are several thematic elements that could

control your summary of the Tempest. The political/postcolonial Sleep/dream, reality/fantasy Loyalty/conspiracy, ruler/ruled

Slavery/freedom Order of the universe/Great Chain of Being

Tempest Earth/air

Strange/Wondrous world Music/noise Earth/air Real/magic

Paraphrasing

Recasting a passage into your own words Usually used with short passages Implies a thorough understanding of the passage to

be paraphrased Works by substituting your words for those of the

source; get out your thesaurus; brush up on synonyms

No need to structure your text like the original. Work for smooth, comprehensive, cohesive style.

For example . . . The original

I have read and listened, and I think now that I can convincingly crystallize the thoughts chasing about in the minds of, first, those whose concern with AIDS victims is based primarily on a concern for them, and for the maintenance of the most rigid standards of civil liberties and personal privacy, and second, those whose anxiety to protect the public impels them to give subordinate attention to the civil amenities of those who suffer from AIDS and primary attention to the safety of those who do not.

William Buckley “Identify All Carriers”

The paraphrase

Buckley finds two opposing sides in the AIDS debate: those concerned primarily with the civil liberties and the privacy of AIDS victims, and those concerned primarily with the safety of the public.

Behrens, Rosen, Beedles A Sequence for Academic Writing

The Original

We have found out that the distortion in dreams which hinders our understanding of them is due to the activities of a censorship, directed against the unacceptable, unconscious wish-impulses.

Sigmund Freud, Tenth Lecture General Introduction to Psychoanalysis

The paraphrase

It is difficult to understand dreams because they contain distortions. Freud believed that these distortions arise from our internal censor, which attempts to suppress unconscious and forbidden desires.

Behrens, Rosen, and Beedles, A Sequence for Academic Writing

Quoting Poetry/Drama

..\..\..\My Documents\112\Fall 00\lectures.doc – p. 19

Let’s try a paraphrase:

Look at and investigate the meaning of Prospero’s last speech.

Write a paraphrase of Prospero’s last speech, including a short quotation.

Write a paraphrase of Prospero’s last speech, but include a quotation of three lines or more.

Use ellipses when you leave words out. (. . .) Use brackets when you add words. ([ ])

Practice Summarizing:

½ = Postcolonialist Professor (p. 93-94) ½ = Traditionalist Professor (p. 94-96) Read and write a summary. In small groups, compare your summaries.

Organization and Completeness Selection of events focused on a theme or unifying idea Tone Control of bias Proper level of detail

Produce one summary that combines the best aspects from all group members.

Share.