How to Write a Summary of an Article
VirginiaLynne
has been a University English instructor for over 20 years. She specializes in
helping people write essays faster and easier.
When to Summarize?
·
To show how an
author's ideas support your argument.
·
To argue
against the author's ideas
·
To condense a
lot of information in a short space.
Good Summaries:
1.
Tell the main
idea clearly.
2.
Are written in
your own style.
3.
Are shorter
than the original document.
4.
Explain all of
the important notions/arguments.
5.
Condense a lot
of information.
1. Find Main Idea
In a summary, you want to identify
the main idea of the article and put this information in your own words. Plan
to read the article several times. In the first reading you want to get the
general notion of the essay. Write that down after you finish reading. That
will be the thesis of your summary. Include the author's first and last name
and the title of the article.
To figure out the central idea, you
should ask yourself why this essay was written and published. Clues to help
determine this are:
1.
The title.
2.
The place it
was published (which can help you determine the intended audience).
3.
The date of
publication.
4.
The type of
essay.
5.
The tone of the
piece.
6.
Notions which
seem to be repeated throughout.
Example: In "Bypass Cure," James Johnson argues that
new research suggests that the best cure for diabetes is the surgical solution
of a Gastric Bypass.
Think of the thesis of your summary
as a caption on a picture. Example: In
spite of having lost most of the season due to an injury, Jim Johnson beat his
own record and won the meet, qualifying him for the state finals.
2. Identify Important Arguments
Now you want to do a second reading.
This time, read more carefully to get the other important arguments. Here is
how to do that:
1.
Read on a paper
copy or use a computer program that lets you annotate.
2.
Underline the
topic sentence of each paragraph. If no one sentence tells the main concept,
then write a summary of the main point in the margin.
3.
Write that
sentence in your own words on the side of the page or on another piece of
paper.
4.
When you finish
the article, read all the topic sentences you marked or wrote down.
5.
In your own
words, rewrite those main ideas.
6.
Use complete
sentences with good transition words.
7.
Be sure you
don't use the same words, phrases, or sentence structure of the original.
8.
You may find
you need to leave out some of the unimportant details.
9.
Your summary
should be as short and concise as possible.
3. Write Your Summary
1. Your
summary should start with the author’s name and the title of the work. Here are
several ways to do this correctly:
·
In "Cats
Don't Dance," John Wood explains...
·
John Wood, in
"Cats Don't Dance," explains...
·
According to
John Wood in "Cats Don't Dance"...
·
As John Wood
vividly elucidates in his ironic story "Cats Don't Dance"...
·
John Wood
claims in his ironic story "Cats Don't Dance" that...
2. Look
for the thesis sentence or write out a thesis sentence that summarizes the main
idea. Underline a topic sentence for each paragraph or write a sentence in the
margins or on notebook paper for each paragraph. Combine that thesis with the
title and author into your first sentence of the summary.
Example first sentence: In "Cats Don't Dance," John Wood explains
that in spite of the fact that cats are popular pets who seem to like us, felines
are not really good at any activities that require cooperation with someone
else, whether that is dancing or sharing.
3. The
rest of your summary should tell some of the central concepts that are used to
support the thesis. Be sure to restate these ideas in your own words. Make your
summary as short and concise as possible. Condense sentences and leave out
unimportant details and examples. Stick to the important points.
Using Author Tags
In writing your summary, you need to
clearly state the name of the author and the name of the article, essay, book,
or another source.
Example: According to Mary Johnson in her essay, "Cats
Make Good Pets," the feline domestic companion is far superior to the
canine one.
You also need to continue to make it
clear to the reader when you are still talking about the ideas in that author's
work. To do this, use "author tags," which is either the last name of
the author or a pronoun (he or she) to show you are still discussing that
person's ideas.
Author Tags Verb List
|
said
|
explain
|
comments
|
|
persuades
|
suggests
|
understands
|
|
argues
|
reminds
|
helps us
understand
|
|
elucidates
|
presents
|
intimates
|
|
concludes
|
presents
the idea
|
creates
the impression
|
|
criticizes
|
defines
|
highlights
|
|
concedes
|
shows
|
states
|
|
thinks
|
admits
|
lists
|
|
notes
|
analyzes
|
disagrees
|
|
observes
|
points out
|
emphasizes
|
|
discusses
|
identifies
|
implies
|
|
insists
|
responds
|
shows
|
|
proves
|
rejects
|
suggests
|
Tips and Examples
1. When
you refer to the author after the first time, you always use the last name.
·
Johnson
comments...
·
According to
Wood's perspective...
·
As Jones
implies in the story about...
·
Toller
criticizes...
·
In conclusion,
Kessler elaborates about...
2. Use
different verbs and adverbs. Your choice of author tag verbs and adverbs can
contribute to the way you analyze the article. Certain words will create a
specific tone. See the tables for a selection of different word choices.
3. You
don't need to use an author's title (Dr., Professor, or Mr. and Mrs.) but it
does help to add their credentials to show they are an authoritative source.
Examples:
In "Global Warming isn't
Real," Steven Collins, a professor at the University of Michigan, claims
that...
New York Times critic Johann Bachman
argues in "Global Warming is the Next Best Thing for the Earth"
that...
4. You always
need to make it clear when you are discussing the ideas of the author. Here are
some ways to do that:
·
Use author
tags.
·
Use mentions of
"the article" or "the text."
·
Add the page
number that the information is found on in parenthesis at the end of the sentence.
Adverbs to Use with Author Tags
|
conclusively
|
expressively
|
realistically
|
|
tightly
|
angrily
|
radically
|
|
clearly
|
dutifuly
|
evenly
|
|
occasionally
|
quickly
|
ironically
|
|
honestly
|
eagerly
|
elegantly
|
|
sharply
|
rarely
|
loosely
|
|
exactly
|
happily
|
hastily
|
|
perfectly
|
sternly
|
unexpectedly
|
|
sometimes
|
never
|
justly
|
|
devotedly
|
finally
|
warily
|
|
wearily
|
completely
|
fully
|
|
doggedly
|
iconically
|
sarcastically
|
|
seriously
|
carefully
|
politely
|
Summary Template
1. Start
with an author tag that includes the first and last name of the author and the
title of the text. Examples:
·
In “My Favorite Shoe,” Treyvon Jones
explains...
·
Treyvon Jones in his article “My Favorite Shoe” explains....
2. Finish
the sentence with the main point of this article. Answer the question,
"What is this essay mostly about?" Think: "What does the author
want you to say/do/believe after reading this article?"
3. Next,
talk about the main reasons the author believes this and give a few brief
examples.
Example Paragraph
In "My Favorite Shoe,"
Treyvon Jones explains that Nike shoes are the best brand of running shoe for
serious track athletes. Jones supports this view by pointing out that Nike
shoes are more comfortable, last longer, and provide more cushioning for the
feet. He notes that the statistics from sales and scientific evidence of how
Nike shoes are better for the feet support his claim. In addition, Jones points
out that most professional runners use Nike and he tells his own story of how
he won the 100-meter men's competition after switching to Nike shoes.
https://owlcation.com/academia/How-to-Write-a-Summary
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