Write a Summary: “how to” in 4 steps
What is a Summary
A summary is a concise restatement of the main points and key details of a text, document, or any other source of information.
It distils the essence of the original material into a shorter form, capturing the core ideas and arguments without the accompanying examples, elaborations, or subsidiary details.
The goal of a summary is to provide a clear and succinct overview of the source, making it easier to understand and remember the fundamental content.
How to create a Summary
To be successful at summarising, you must be familiar with the topic, and understand the main ideas so you can then apply your knowledge to new situations.
In other words, it’s not just a memory technique but rather part of the critical thinking process.
There are four steps to create a summary:
1. Read the source
2. Focus on the core information
3. Reflect the author’s intention
4. Note the bibliographic information
For each summary you create, you should think about the purpose of the summary and how you will use it.
A good summary is a clear, concise representation of your topic, showing the "big picture" of the source and showing you understand the subject of the article or book, and how it can apply to your own research.
Your summary will condense a large amount of information into a few sentences that need to make sense when you refer back to them in a few weeks or months.
Your summary can be written as a one-page summary, as a short paragraph, or in whatever format is most appropriate.
Step 1 - Read & Write in Short Sprints
When you finish reading a section of a book or journal take a few minutes to write two or three sentences explaining the main points from the section you’ve just finished.
If you break down writing your summary into short sprints and write a few sentences at the end of every section, it will make the whole process much easier.
You will be able to capture the most relevant and important information from the previous section while it is fresh in your mind.
Step 2 - Key Points Only
Concentrate your efforts on only the most important information.
Identify the key points, ideas, and arguments that the author makes and summarise these. Try to be clear about what is presented in the source as fact and what is the author’s view of the results.
Part of the value of creating summaries of the texts you have read is that they can provide a quick snapshot of the author’s original research.
When you have written each summary take a moment to review your summary against the original source and check you’ve accurately represented the key points.
Step 3 - Capture the Writer’s Intent
A good summary needs to be clear and reflect the original intent of the article.
But remember to keep your opinion separate from your summary of the source.
Your opportunity to present your opinions on the source is in your own research.
If you mix your opinion with the summary, it will be difficult to identify and remember which is your view and which was the author’s.
So, it's important to make sure you don't add your own opinions to the summary or provide your interpretation mixed into the source summary.
Try to keep the summary of the article and your opinions separate in your notes.
Step 4 - Cite & Reference
Citations and references are a necessary part of academic writing. As always when making notes about someone else's work it is essential that you document the full bibliographic citation.
You will need the full bibliographic information for your Reference List or Bibliography so you can cite the source if you use it in any of your academic work.
When you include the full bibliographic information for each source it makes it much easier to find the source in the future if you need to revisit the original text.
It may be plagiarism if you fail to cite and reference sources you use and can result in instances of Academic Misconduct.
When to create a summary
University students should create summaries in various contexts during their academic journey, where distilling complex information into concise forms is beneficial. Here are key situations when summarizing is particularly valuable:
Research: When gathering information for a research project or paper, students should summarize each source they plan to use. This helps in understanding the main arguments, methodologies, and findings of each source, making it easier to compare them and integrate them into their own work.
Literature Reviews: In preparing literature reviews, summarizing the key points of each article or book is essential. It enables students to present an overview of the current research landscape on a topic, identify trends, and highlight gaps in the literature.
Class Notes: Summarizing lecture content or reading assignments helps in retaining important concepts and theories. It’s an effective study technique that condenses material into manageable portions for review before exams.
Group Discussions: Before participating in group discussions or study sessions, creating summaries of the discussion material can facilitate a more productive and focused conversation, allowing students to reference key points and share insights more effectively.
Writing Papers: When writing essays, reports, or any academic papers, students should summarize background information, theoretical frameworks, and supporting evidence from their sources. This practice ensures that their argument is grounded in a clear and concise presentation of existing knowledge.
Presentations: For presentations, summarizing research findings, case studies, or theoretical concepts is crucial to convey information clearly and keep the audience engaged. A well-crafted summary can make complex information accessible and understandable to listeners.
Exam Preparation: Summarizing course material is a highly effective study strategy for exams. It helps in organizing the key information from lectures, readings, and discussions, making it easier to memorize and apply during tests.
Article or Book Reviews: When tasked with writing reviews, students should start by summarizing the main arguments, themes, and contributions of the work. This sets the foundation for a critical evaluation and discussion.
In each of these contexts, the act of summarizing not only aids in comprehension and retention but also in the synthesis of information, critical evaluation of ideas, and effective communication. By practicing summarization, students enhance their learning efficiency and academic performance across various disciplines.
Benefits of summarizing
For university students engaged in research, creating summaries offers several significant benefits:
Enhances Comprehension: The process of summarizing forces students to identify the main ideas and understand the connections between them, which improves their grasp of the subject matter. By focusing on the essence of the text, students can better appreciate the author's arguments and intentions.
Facilitates Note-taking: Summaries serve as an efficient form of note-taking, allowing students to consolidate large volumes of information into digestible, manageable parts. This makes it easier to review key concepts and retrieve information when needed, such as during exam preparation or when writing papers.
Improves Critical Thinking: Summarizing requires discernment to distinguish between central and peripheral information. This exercise strengthens critical thinking skills, as students must evaluate the significance of different parts of the text and decide what to include in their summary.
Aids in Research Organization: When conducting research, students encounter a plethora of sources. Summaries help organize this information, providing a quick reference to the main points of each source. This organization is invaluable for drawing connections between sources, identifying gaps in the research, and structuring arguments in academic writing.
Supports Academic Writing: Summaries are often integrated into academic papers to present background information, contextualize arguments, or review literature. Crafting summaries teaches students how to succinctly convey information, a skill that enhances clarity and persuasiveness in their writing.
Prevents Plagiarism: By summarizing content in their own words, students naturally avoid copying text directly from sources. This practice, coupled with proper citation, helps uphold academic integrity and avoid plagiarism.
In essence, summarizing is not merely a mechanical skill but a critical academic practice that deepens understanding, sharpens analytical abilities, and supports effective communication. For university students, the ability to create clear and accurate summaries is indispensable for successful research, learning, and writing.
Challenges of summarizing
Creating summaries poses several challenges for students, reflecting the complexities of distilling information into concise forms without losing essential content or misinterpreting the original message. Here are some of the key challenges they might encounter:
Identifying Key Points: One of the primary difficulties is discerning which details are crucial to the overall argument or narrative and which are supplementary. Students may struggle to distinguish between main ideas and supporting information, especially in dense or complex texts.
Maintaining Original Meaning: Ensuring that the summary accurately reflects the original text’s intentions and nuances without altering its meaning is challenging. There's a risk of oversimplification or misinterpretation, particularly with complex concepts or nuanced arguments.
Brevity vs. Completeness: Striking the right balance between conciseness and comprehensiveness is tough. Students must learn to be succinct while still providing a complete overview of the text, ensuring that all critical elements are included.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Summarizing requires restating ideas in one’s own words, which can inadvertently lead to plagiarism if not done carefully. Students must understand how to paraphrase effectively and cite sources appropriately to avoid academic integrity issues.
Language Proficiency: Effective summarization requires a good command of language to paraphrase complex ideas accurately and clearly. For students, especially those for whom English is a second language, this can be a significant barrier.
Bias and Subjectivity: Students may inadvertently introduce their own biases or interpretations into the summary, which can skew the representation of the original text. Maintaining objectivity and fidelity to the source material is a critical yet challenging aspect of summarization.
Time Management: Summarizing efficiently takes time and practice. Students often under or overestimate the amount of time needed to produce a quality summary, which can affect their overall workload management, especially when juggling multiple assignments.
Adapting to Different Formats: Summaries can vary significantly depending on their purpose (e.g., for a literature review versus class notes) and the discipline (e.g., humanities versus sciences). Students may find it challenging to adapt their summarization techniques to different contexts and expectations.
Overcoming these challenges requires practice, careful reading, and a strategic approach to writing. Developing summarization skills is an iterative process that benefits greatly from feedback, allowing students to refine their ability to condense information effectively while maintaining accuracy and integrity.
Summary
The purpose of a summary is to help you quickly understand the main ideas or arguments of a longer text without having to read the entire document.
A good summary should be brief, clear, and accurate. It should focus on the most important ideas or arguments of the original text while omitting minor details or examples.
Summaries should be written in your own words and should not include direct quotes or paraphrasing from the original text, except in cases where the exact wording is essential.
In academic writing, it is important to use proper citations when using a summary of someone else's work. This helps to avoid plagiarism and gives credit to the original author.
