How to Write a Summary of an Article? | FreebookSummary (2023)

Table of Contents

  1. What is the Purpose of Summary?
  2. How do you write a summary?
  3. Summary essay outline or how to determine the main elements of an essay?
  4. 1.
  5. 2. How to write the main body of summary essay?
  6. 3.
  7. Summary essay examples

What is the Purpose of Summary?

One of the most popular tasks for modern students is writing a summary paper.

(Video) How to Write an Article Summary - Step by Step

A summary is the condensed version of a text. It reduces this text to its core and reproduces its structure by presenting its main ideas in the same order and proportion. It strictly contains information that is provided in the original text—it does not add information that is provided in related texts.

The article summary comes right after the title. It`s an important element of an article because it can assist in leading the reader to read the rest of the article.How to Write a Summary of an Article? | FreebookSummary (1)The summary is indispensable in preparing for and writing an argumentative essay. The summary contains only the most important information of the original. It does not have to follow the organization or order of the original.

As a condensed version of the source material, it can range anywhere from a couple of sentences to a short collage summaryarticle, depending on the length of the source and your purposes for writing.In writing a summary, you need to select the most important points of the source text and report on (vs. react to) them using your own words. You can combine several important points from the source into a brief general statement, or go more in depth and relate minor points as well, again depending on the purpose of your professional summary.

How do you write a summary?

To write a good summary,it is important to understand the material you are working with thoroughly.

It should focus on the central idea and indicate all the main points in the passage that support the central idea, as well as the relationship between the ideas, including their order and emphasis. Three techniques – selection and deletion, note taking, and miniaturizing – can help you shorten the material.Here are some tentativesteps in writing a summary.

  • Read, think about, and understand the text. Review the material to make sure you know it well. Use a dictionary or context clues to figure out the meaning of any important words that you don’t know.
  • Take notes.

    Write down or underline the one-two sentences that convey the main ideas and important details of the article.

    (Video) How to Write a Summary

  • Write a thesis statement (the idea in your own words). In a single sentence, state the main idea of the article.

    The thesis statement should mention the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details. Ask yourself, “what is the most important idea the author wants us to know and remember?”

  • Organize and outline ideas. Once you have identified the main points, create an outline or concept map to organize the main idea and major supporting points visually. Be sure to paraphrase these points by using your annotations. Write down the important details you need to include in the summary. Put them in a logical order.
  • Using your outline or concept write your summary.

    Include one sentence to put the main idea of the entire passage in your own words, followed by one sentence for each of the major details using transition words to make the summary flow and read clearly.

Here are some tips in order to make your writing easier:

  • Your summary should be about one-third of the length of the original article.
  • Focus on the main point of the article and the most important details.
  • Avoid plagiarism as it will destroy the uniqueness of the paper. Try to use your thoughts.
  • Use transition words to connect the sentences and the paragraphs.
  • Avoid technical language. Write in simple and understandable English.
  • It must be objective.
  • Replace long phrases with single words and use practical clauses instead of full clauses.
  • Proofread and revise. Try to brush up the paper and make it perfect without mistakes and misspellings.
  • Write your draft. Use blue or black ink. Skip lines. Write on one side of the paper only. Include a title on the top line.
  • Read your summary one last time before you turn it in. Look for careless spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors, especially omitted words or letters. Cross out errors neatly with a single line and write the correction above.

Summary essay outline or how to determine the main elements of an essay?

There are several essential elements to any successful summary essay. This handout will define those elements and show you how to put them together using an outline.

What is the outline? If to speak briefly, it is the type of the skeleton for the paper. It means that you create the steps that you will follow in order not to miss the essential facts. It will help you to organize your thoughts.

Introduction

(Video) summary schreiben - einfach erklärt | Einfach Englisch

An introduction is an extremely important part of any speech. If you interest the listeners in the beginning, they will listen to carefully further words. It should state the problem, as in summary but with more background information. You can indicate here your basic method of approach to the problem, stating in English what you plan to share with the client. In other words, it is a brief comment leading to the subject matter.

2. How to write the main body of summary essay?

After writing your introduction, you need to discuss the main points that you will cover to answer the essay question. This section is a chain of paragraphs, and each paragraph is dedicated to one point that you make. A good rule of thumb is to have at least three points to support each topic sentence. An effective essay of your opinionwill show the connection between paragraphs with transitions. These can be the final sentence of each body paragraph or can be integrated into the next topic sentence with transition words.

Conclusion

A conclusion is a part of the article where the writer can summarize all his ideas concerning the topic. The conclusion looks back over the experiment and analysis and can serve as a springboard for questions and suggestions about the future investigation. You can end your summary in many different ways. On the one hand, you can finish your creation with the interesting quotation or funny statement. It will be the type of the attractive ending. On the other hand, you can use your imagination and analytical skills and add

some your assumption regarding the controversial issue.We also recommend you to try to use some predictions and state the hypothesis about the possible development of the central question.

If you correctly determine your focus and then scan and read your research articles, you can manage to write and edit your summary paper in a greatway that will come nothing short of perfection.

(Video) How to write a summary - BEST guide!

Summary essay examples

It is rather complicated to submit the summary of the paper in order to clarify its peculiarity. The writer should use the analytical skills and compare two writings and find the differences.

Especially, those things will be the distinguishing feature of the summary. Surfing the Internet, you can come across various examples that will inspire you. We are intended to set the right direction for your writing because the bigger part of the work is your duty.We induce you to cast a glance at the plan of the summary that will convey the main thoughts of the original paper.Part 1: Submit the name of author and title of the original source.

You can use the direct quotations from the biography, but do not forget to cite in order to avoid plagiarism. Your task is also to attract the reader’s attention that is why we highly recommend you to grab their time with the interesting statement or rhetorical question. The winning introduction should be interesting and informative at the same time.Part 2: Your main body should contain the statements. Nevertheless, each fact should be proved with the quotation from the primary writing. Do not confuse the reader with extra and new facts. Try to divide the main part into some sections in order to make the structure clear and concise.

The summary is such type of paper that should be understandable; it means that it is the lite version of the complicated composition. That is why make an effort and help your target audience find the answers to the questions after the first reading.Part 3: The final part is the conclusion. Make the brief overview of the submitted material and help the readers recollect all the necessary information. The biggest mistake is to make the conclusion too wordy; such feature will distract the readers’ attention.

The third part of the summary is your assumptions about the topic and issue. That is why your task is to estimate the original text and do a logical thesis. It is always more interesting to read the personal thoughts rather than the copied one.Now you know everything about the summary. Believe in your skills and surprise your supervisor. Good luck!

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

(Video) Article Writing - How to Write a Summary For an Article

FAQs

How do you start a summary of an article? ›

A summary begins with an introductory sentence that states the text's title, author and main point of the text as you see it. A summary is written in your own words. A summary contains only the ideas of the original text. Do not insert any of your own opinions, interpretations, deductions or comments into a summary.

What are the 5 steps of summary writing? ›

Follow the five steps outlined below to write a good summary.
  • Step 1: Read the text. ...
  • Step 2: Break the text down into sections. ...
  • Step 3: Identify the key points in each section. ...
  • Step 4: Write the summary. ...
  • Step 5: Check the summary against the article.
23 Nov 2020

How do you write a good summary? ›

Use these six steps to write a summary.
  1. Identify the sections of the text. Find the text's thesis and main ideas. ...
  2. Distinguish between major and minor details. ...
  3. Remove minor details and examples. ...
  4. Pay attention to transition words. ...
  5. Re-order the ideas as needed. ...
  6. Reserve your opinions.

What are the 7 steps in writing a summary? ›

To do this effectively, consider following these steps:
  • Reread the original text. ...
  • Make a list of key points. ...
  • Note supporting evidence. ...
  • Start with a context sentence. ...
  • Describe the key concept of the text. ...
  • Follow up with supporting evidence. ...
  • Write a thesis statement.

What is an example of a summary? ›

A brief statement or account covering the substance or main points; digest; abridgment; compendium. Summary is defined as a quick or short review of what happened. An example of summary is the explanation of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" told in under two minutes.

What is a good sentence to start a summary? ›

Begin the summary by acknowledging the source. For instance, you could begin with a sentence such as: "This is a summary of the article XXXX written by XXXX published in XXXX." 3. Next, write a topic sentence that conveys the main idea of the text.

What 3 things should a summary include? ›

A good summary has three basic characteristics: conciseness, accuracy, and objectivity. Conciseness: unlike paraphrase, summary condenses information. The degree of density can vary: while you can summarize a two-hundred page book in fifty words, you can also summarize a twenty-five-page article in five hundred words.

How do you summarize for beginners? ›

4 Tips for Writing a Good Summary
  1. Find the main idea. A useful summary distills the source material down to its most important point to inform the reader. ...
  2. Keep it brief. A summary is not a rewrite—it's a short summation of the original piece. ...
  3. Write without judgment. ...
  4. Make sure it flows.
7 Jun 2021

How many sentences are in a summary? ›

How many sentences in a summary? The average number of sentences in an article or essay summary if between 5 and 8 sentences. Academic and science papers will have longer summaries with longer sentences, although the summary should still target under 8 sentences.

What are key points summary? ›

The key point summary involves a full accounting and complete representation of the author's entire set of ideas. One reason to use this sort of summary would be if the writer intended to respond to the author's argument using an agree/disagree response model.

How many paragraphs are in a summary? ›

Limit your summary to one paragraph. (As a general rule, a summary should not be longer than ¼ the length of the essay.)

How long is a summary? ›

A summary is always much shorter than the original text. The length of a summary can range from just a few sentences to several paragraphs; it depends on the length of the article you're summarizing, and on the purpose of the summary.

What are the 8 important guidelines in writing a summary? ›

Learning to write a summary is a simple process that you can master just by following simple steps.
  • Read the Text Carefully. ...
  • Understand the Focus of the Text. ...
  • List Down the Important Points. ...
  • Don't List Down Irrelevant Details. ...
  • Write the Summary. ...
  • Don't Provide Your Interpretation. ...
  • Use Appropriate Language.

How do you summarize an academic article? ›

Summarize the main question(s) and thesis or findings. Skim subheadings and topic sentences to understand the organization; make notes in the margins about each section. Read each paragraph within a section; make short notes about the main idea or purpose of each paragraph.

What is the hardest thing about writing a summary? ›

One of the hardest parts about summarizing someone else's writing is avoiding plagiarism.

How do you summarize an article without plagiarizing? ›

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules: Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author's ideas. Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

How do you start a summary of a chapter? ›

Start your summary with a sentence or two about the main characters and how the chapter is set up. The main characters are what history is all about. In most of the chapters, they play, feel, and talk. If the chapter has both a protagonist and an antagonist, give details about them.

How do you write a formal summary? ›

Using your outline or concept: write your summary. Include one sentence to put the main idea of the entire passage in your own words, followed by one sentence for each of the major details using transition words to make the summary flow and read clearly.

How do you conclude a summary? ›

There are many ways to end your summary. One way is to point toward the future. Another way is to say why this article was so important. Another is to repeat what you said earlier.

What is a summary outline? ›

A summary outline is an efficient way to familiarize yourself with a paper's main purpose and flow and to organize all its relevant information in a clear, logical format so its there at a glance anytime you need it.

How does a good summary look like? ›

A good summary should give an objective outline of the whole piece of writing. It should answer basic questions about the original text such as "Who did what, where, and when?", or "What is the main idea of the text?", "What are the main supporting points?", "What are the major pieces of evidence?".

What is an effective summary? ›

An effective summary condenses a passage into a much shorter form, communicating only the essential facts of the original.

Where do you base your summary? ›

You will almost always begin a summary with an introduction to the author, article, and publication so the reader knows what we are about to read. This information will appear again in your bibliography, but is also useful here so the reader can follow the conversation happening in your paper.

How do you summarize a paragraph in one sentence? ›

Explore this article
  1. Read Actively.
  2. Read the paragraph once.
  3. Re-read the paragraph.
  4. Underline the paragraph's first sentence.
  5. Cross.
  6. Write the Summary.
  7. Write one sentence that describes.
  8. Add one or two supporting sentences.
27 Jun 2018

What does a summary not include? ›

A summary is a brief restatement of the contents of an essay, chapter, book, or any other written work. It should focus on the central idea of the passage, and its organization will reflect the organization of the original piece. A summary should exclude minor details and personal opinions.

How can I start a sentence? ›

10 Tips for Starting a Sentence
  1. Consider your central theme. Before you get started constructing a sentence, consider what your essential point is. ...
  2. Examine the previous sentence. ...
  3. Use transition words. ...
  4. Use a preposition. ...
  5. Try a subject opener. ...
  6. Try a clausal opener. ...
  7. Use an “ing” word. ...
  8. Use an “ed” word.
7 Sept 2021

What are the 4 R's of paraphrasing? ›

Review the graphic below that explains the 4 R's: Read, Restate, Recheck, and Repair and use the attached graphic organizer to help you practice paraphrasing by using this strategy.

How do you summarize a source? ›

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

How do you summarize anything? ›

Summarizing Tips
  1. use your own words.
  2. only note the most important points, using key words and phrases.
  3. read the original text multiple times, ensuring you don't miss any critical points.
  4. ensure a summary is much shorter than the original source.
  5. include the original source in the references for a written document.
12 Jun 2022

Can a summary be 3 sentences? ›

CLASS. Writing a three sentence summary is a difficult task. A summary needs to be able to digest, condense, and present to the reader the essence of a text or a story. Writing summaries is a valuable educational device for high school or college students or for readers in general.

Can a summary be one sentence? ›

What it does: A one-sentence summary takes your complex book with multiple characters and plotlines and boils it down into a simple statement that can be quickly conveyed and understood, and generates interest in the book.

Does a summary need a thesis? ›

A summary begins with an introductory sentence that states the article's title and author. 2. A summary must contain the main thesis or standpoint of the text, restated in your own words. (To do this, first find the thesis statement in the original text.)

Why do we write a summary? ›

Summarizing should give consideration to the following information: To summarize or to write a summary means to shorten a piece of writing and give the main ideas of a piece of writing. They can be in sentence or paragraph form. There is a helpful process that writers can follow to create a summary.

How can I write a good sentence? ›

6 Tips for Writing Good Sentences
  1. Keep it simple. Long sentences or overly complex sentences don't necessarily make sophisticated sentence writing. ...
  2. Use concrete rhetoric. ...
  3. Employ parallelism. ...
  4. Mind your grammar. ...
  5. Properly punctuate. ...
  6. Practice writing.
28 Jan 2022

How do you write a critical summary of a journal article? ›

Be concise, but make sure you don't inadvertently remove something essential or distort the meaning of the original paper. Read the article, noting the thesis, key issues surrounding it, and what is used to support the argument. Write brief summary notes of key sections in the margins as you go.

What is a journal article summary? ›

Summarizing a journal article is the process of presenting a focused overview of a completed research study that is published in a peer-reviewed, scholarly source. A journal article summary provides potential readers with a short descriptive commentary, giving them some insight into the article's focus.

How do you start a summary of a chapter? ›

Start your summary with a sentence or two about the main characters and how the chapter is set up. The main characters are what history is all about. In most of the chapters, they play, feel, and talk. If the chapter has both a protagonist and an antagonist, give details about them.

What is a good summary? ›

A good summary should be comprehensive, concise, coherent, and independent. These qualities are explained below: A summary must be comprehensive: You should isolate all the important points in the original passage and note them down in a list.

How do you write a formal summary? ›

Using your outline or concept: write your summary. Include one sentence to put the main idea of the entire passage in your own words, followed by one sentence for each of the major details using transition words to make the summary flow and read clearly.

How do you summarize an article for college? ›

DO:
  1. Report the overall topic right away.
  2. Begin with the name of the essay and the author.
  3. Write in present tense.
  4. Describe the main points covered in the text.
  5. Include supporting details as needed depending upon the length and depth of the summary desired.
  6. Mention any important conclusions drawn.

Do and don'ts of summary writing? ›

Don't worry about over citing: It's important to avoid plagiarism of any kind ▪ Don't replace words with synonyms or antonyms: Write it in your own words ▪ Do use citations: whenever you paraphrase or summarize literature always give credit to the author ▪ Do embrace the freedom to think on your own and write in a way ...

Is a summary long or short? ›

A summary is always shorter than the original text, often about 1/3 as long as the original. It is the ultimate “fat-free” writing. An article or paper may be summarized in a few sentences or a couple of paragraphs. A book may be summarized in an article or a short paper.

How long is a short summary? ›

A brief summary, such as an abstract or an epitome, is shorter than the traditional summary as the name suggests. These may vary in size from a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs and should not exceed one page in length. They are most often no more than 200-400 words.

What 3 things should a summary include? ›

A good summary has three basic characteristics: conciseness, accuracy, and objectivity. Conciseness: unlike paraphrase, summary condenses information. The degree of density can vary: while you can summarize a two-hundred page book in fifty words, you can also summarize a twenty-five-page article in five hundred words.

How does a good summary look like? ›

A good summary should give an objective outline of the whole piece of writing. It should answer basic questions about the original text such as "Who did what, where, and when?", or "What is the main idea of the text?", "What are the main supporting points?", "What are the major pieces of evidence?".

How many sentences are in a summary? ›

A summary is not a rewrite—it's a short summation of the original piece. A summary paragraph is usually around five to eight sentences. Keep it short and to the point.

How do you summarize an article without plagiarizing? ›

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules: Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author's ideas. Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

What do you title an article summary? ›

Question: What do I title my article summary? Answer: A simple title is just "Summary of "Article Title."

How do you end an article summary? ›

There are many ways to end your summary. One way is to point toward the future. Another way is to say why this article was so important. Another is to repeat what you said earlier.

Where do you base your summary? ›

You will almost always begin a summary with an introduction to the author, article, and publication so the reader knows what we are about to read. This information will appear again in your bibliography, but is also useful here so the reader can follow the conversation happening in your paper.

How do you summarize a paragraph in one sentence? ›

Explore this article
  1. Read Actively.
  2. Read the paragraph once.
  3. Re-read the paragraph.
  4. Underline the paragraph's first sentence.
  5. Cross.
  6. Write the Summary.
  7. Write one sentence that describes.
  8. Add one or two supporting sentences.
27 Jun 2018

Videos

1. How to Write a Summary from an Article
(Eileen MacPherson)
2. The Simple Summary
(Holly Bullock)
3. Writing Tips & Teaching Strategies : How to Write a Good Article Summary
(eHow)
4. Analyzing the Example Summary Response essay
(jessitravelsalot)
5. How to Write Research Paper Summary l How to Write Article Summary l How to Write a Research Summary
(Murad Learners Academy)
6. ProfBTV: The Summary/Response Essay
(Dan Beugnet)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Last Updated: 03/03/2023

Views: 5944

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (46 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Birthday: 2001-01-17

Address: Suite 769 2454 Marsha Coves, Debbieton, MS 95002

Phone: +813077629322

Job: Real-Estate Executive

Hobby: Archery, Metal detecting, Kitesurfing, Genealogy, Kitesurfing, Calligraphy, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Gov. Deandrea McKenzie, I am a spotless, clean, glamorous, sparkling, adventurous, nice, brainy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.