How to Write a Summary of an Article - Udemy Blog (2023)

When you’re writing your own article, an essay, or even a school paper, you will probably be faced with writing a summary of an article. Creating a summary of an article means quickly telling the reader what the article is about. This summarization can be a few words or it can be an entire paragraph dedicated to the article.

How you summarize an article is dependent on a few factors. If the article is important to what you’re writing, you may want to summarize it with a bit more detail. If the article has a small connection to your work though, you can get away with summarizing a small piece of it.

Knowing how to summarize an article is an important aspect of writing. For many writers, there’s always the possibility that they will need to use other sources in their work. A summary is a great alternative to a simple paraphrase or quote when referencing a piece of work.

Being able to summarize an article is important, especially when you’re in college. It’s a part of college writing that practically every student will have to learn. If you want to learn how to summarize articles and use references for your work, check out the course in Udemy College Writing Essentials.

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Reading the Article

When you want to summarize an article, of course you will have to read it. Before you actually read the article entire though, you should scan through it. Highlight some of the important points of the article. Make sure that you identify the thesis statement and the supporting points throughout. Try to get a good understanding of what the article is discussing.

After you’ve scanned through it and made your marks, read the article and look for the more specific details. If you find a particular section that looks important or is more difficult than the others, then you should read it over a few more times and note of there is anything there that you should put in your summary.

Ask yourself a few questions about the article. Make sure that you believe the article makes sense and that it seems credible. Even if you write a great summary about an article, it does no good as a reference if it isn’t written properly.

Writing in Your Own Words

As you read through the article and write down certain facts and pieces of information, try to put it in your own words. Don’t just change a few words around or rearrange them either. Use entirely new text to write what you’re reading. It’s important to keep things in your own words in order to prevent yourself from plagiarizing. In the world of writing, plagiarizing unacceptable. Plagiarism is defined as directly copying the work of another without giving them credit.

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If you have trouble putting things into your own words, don’t worry. You can use dictionaries to help you come up with synonymous terms. You can also try to write a small phrase or two instead of a complete sentence.

Writing things in your own words is a key tool. Try the Advanced Writing Strategies for Immediate Improvement course in Udemy. This course will help you improve upon your writing so that you can better summarize articles and put things into your own words with much more ease.

Properly Summarize Each Section of the Article

As you go through the article, you may notice it is broken up into different sections. Take the time to summarize each of these sections before moving on to summarize the next. Also keep in mind as you are summarizing that you should try to include as much information as possible about the content through paraphrasing without actively copying the work. This will ensure that you are giving credit to the original author while still actively avoiding plagiarizing the article.

Techniques to Remember as You Write

When summarizing an article or creating your own work, it is important to remember the writing process. As you write your summary, you should keep in mind certain techniques that will make your writing process smoother, and allow the reader to quickly understand where your article is going and what it is about.

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For example, if you’re writing a summary of an article for your own personal notes, then you should write more. This way you can refer back to a wealth of information. On the other hand, if you’re writing a summary for an essay then you should focus on only including the important details. Most importantly, summarize the article so that it coincides with your essay and avoid writing information that isn’t necessary.

Even though you are writing a summary, you should still provide some sort of bibliographic information. The bibliography you write will depend on the style of writing that you’re using, but to be on the safe side you should always mention the full title of the article, the author’s name, and the date of publication. If you can’t find a way to bring up this information in the article itself, you can still at least mention it in your references page.

Writing a summary of an article is a part of paragraph and essay writing that can take a bit of time to learn. It can seem simple at first, but doing it yourself may not be as easy as you may think. There’re tools out there to help you though.

The Udemy course Quality Paragraph and Essay Writing is focused on teaching you how to write in a concise and easy to read manner that isn’t just good for school, but great in the professional world as well.

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Breaking Down Your Summary

The first thing you want to do in your summary is make the connection between your essay and the article that you’re summarizing. You can do this by including the thesis of the article and explaining how it helps support your essay or the similarities that it has with your essay.

After you’ve done this, you can add the details from the article that supports the claim. Try to mention all of the crucial points in the article, but only the ones that are relevant to your essay as well.

The final thing that you should do is provide the conclusions of the article in your summary. After you’ve completed the summary, you can move on in your essay and explain how this conclusion has an effect on your own work.

Important Things to Remember

As you continue to write the summary of your work, you should try to remind the reader that what you’re writing comes from a different source. One way to do this is to refer to the author and say certain phrases, such as “the author believed this” or “The author concluded…” to emphasize the fact that this isn’t your own words.

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Another thing to avoid is making direct quotes. A summary should be in your own words. You should never use quotes in a summary unless you are unable to rephrase the work in any other way.

Becoming a Great Writer

Knowing how to summarize an article is just one aspect of writing, but you will use it a lot either academically or professionally. If you become really skilled at summarizing articles, then you may be able to write your own for a career.

The Udemy course, Break into Freelance Writing with No Experience will help you become a professional writer in no time.

FAQs

How do you summarize a blog article? ›

Steps for Writing an Effective Summary
  1. Read the article at least twice. To grasp the arguments and the article's topic, you should first read the article thoroughly. ...
  2. State the main idea. ...
  3. Start taking notes. ...
  4. Write it down. ...
  5. Think about the structure.
26 Jul 2022

How do you write a summary of an article? ›

State the main ideas of the article. Identify the most important details that support the main ideas. Write your summary in your own words; avoid copying phrases and sentences from the article unless they're direct quotations. Express the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.

What are 5 key features of a summary? ›

There are five key steps that can help you to write a summary:
  • Read the text.
  • Break it down into sections.
  • Identify the key points in each section.
  • Write the summary.
  • Check the summary against the article.
23 Nov 2020

What is a blog summary? ›

Blogging: Brief summary

A blog or weblog is an online platform publishing so-called blog content. A blog may be the work of a single person or jointly operated by a group of people, and bloggers tend to use content managament systems or blog software such as WordPress, Blogger, or Joomla.

What is an article summary? ›

An article summary is a short, focused paper about one scholarly article that is informed by a critical reading of that article.

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 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.

How do you start a summary paragraph? ›

The first line of the summary paragraph should include a strong reporting verb, such as "argue," "claim," "contend," "maintain," or "insist." You can also use verbs like "explain," "discuss," "illustrate," "present," and "state." This will make the introduction of the summary paragraph clear and concise.

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.

What are the 3 main requirements for 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.

What are the 3 types of summaries? ›

The main types of informative summaries are: outlines, abstracts, and synopses.

How do you write a conclusion for a blog? ›

How to Conclude a Blog Post: A Formula With Examples
  1. Step 1: Remind Them of the Post's Main Point. ...
  2. Step 2: Remind Them of What Information You Shared to Support Your Main Point. ...
  3. Step 3: Include a “Now That You Know This, ________” Statement. ...
  4. Step 4: Add a Call to Action. ...
  5. Let's Put It All Together.

What is blog give example? ›

A blog is a website or page that is a part of a larger website. Typically, it features articles written in a conversational style with accompanying pictures or videos. Blogging is a fun and flexible way for self-expression and social connection, so it is no wonder blogs have become very popular.

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 a research article? ›

State the research question and explain why it is interesting. State the hypotheses tested. Briefly describe the methods (design, participants, materials, procedure, what was manipulated [independent variables], what was measured [dependent variables], how data were analyzed. Describe the results.

How do you summarize an article for a literature review? ›

Introduction
  1. Tip 1: provide detailed information about frameworks and methods. ...
  2. Tip 2: include strengths and limitations for each article. ...
  3. Tip 3: write conceptual contribution of each reviewed article. ...
  4. Tip 4: compose potential themes from each article during summary writing.

What should you avoid when summarizing? ›

Avoid copying: Set the original aside, and write one or two sentences with the main point of the original on a note card or in a notes document. Connect: Jot down a few words below your summary to remind you later how you envision using this material.

What are you going to avoid when you do summarizing? ›

Avoid writing opinions or personal responses in your summaries (save these for active reading responses or tutorial discussions). Be careful not to plagiarize the author's words. If you do use even a few of the author's words, they must appear in quotation marks.

How long should a summary be for an article? ›

The length of an article summary will depend on the length of the article you are writing about. If the article is long (say, 10-12 pages) then your summary should be about four pages. If the article is shorter, your summary should be about one to two pages. Sometimes, an article summary can be less than one page.

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 are the six things a summary must include? ›

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

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 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.)

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 write a summary outline? ›

Here are five steps to a strong outline:
  1. Choose Your Topic and Establish Your Purpose. A lot of writers struggle to define the initial focus for their paper. ...
  2. Create A List Of Main Ideas. This is the brainstorming part of the writing process. ...
  3. Organize Your Main Ideas. ...
  4. Flush Out Your Main Points. ...
  5. Review and Adjust.

Which one is a strategy for summarizing? ›

Try these steps for writing summaries: Select a short passage (about one to four sentences) that supports an idea in your paper. Read the passage carefully to fully understand it. Take notes about the main idea and supporting points you think you should include in your summary.

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.

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 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.

What two words can be used to describe a summary? ›

Frequently Asked Questions About summary

Some common synonyms of summary are compendious, concise, laconic, pithy, succinct, and terse. While all these words mean "very brief in statement or expression," summary suggests the statement of main points with no elaboration or explanation.

What are the characteristics of a summary? ›

Key Characteristics of a Summary

Summaries begin with a lead that includes the title, author, and text type. book, the central idea of the text may also be included. Summaries are written in chronological order and mirror how the text itself unfolds. Summaries are free from opinions or judgment.

How long should summaries be? ›

Summaries can vary in length. A normal summary is 1-2 pages at most, while a brief summary is usually no more than 1-2 paragraphs.

What are the types of summary? ›

There are two primary types of summary: Descriptive and evaluative. As with many types of writing, not all summaries will fit perfectly into one of these categories, but these descriptions can help you know where to start when writing a summary.

What are the 3 steps of summarizing? ›

Read. Annotate. Think. To summarize, write the main ideas of the text and restate them in your own words in your own writing style.

How do you summarize? ›

To summarize, you must read a passage closely, finding the main ideas and supporting ideas. Then you must briefly write down those ideas in a few sentences or a paragraph. It is important to understand the difference between a summary and a paraphrase. A paraphrase is simply a rewriting of a passage in your own words.

What are the 4 types of summarization? ›

What Is The Purpose Of Writing Summary?
  • Main Point Summary.
  • Key Points Summary.
  • Outline Summary.

How do you summarize an article for a newsletter? ›

In the introduction to your newsletter summary, state the article's topic and the original source, including author, title and date. Then, you need to use some kind of tabulated list (bullets, dashes, numbers) to highlight the five or six most important points that came from the article.

How do you write an outline for a blog? ›

How to Outline Your Next Blog Post, Quickly
  1. Step 1: Figure Out Your Topic. Get specific with what you want to write about. ...
  2. Step 2: Figure Out Your Angle. ...
  3. Step 3: Figure Out the Main Points of Your Post. ...
  4. Step 4: Nail Down the Specific Subpoints You'll Make in Each Section. ...
  5. Step 5: Review the Structure of Your Outline.
20 Sept 2022

How do you research a blog post? ›

Here are some suggested steps to take for those wondering how to research a blog post:
  1. Look at popular articles on the same topic. ...
  2. Consult with your team and colleagues. ...
  3. Use stats and data from reputable sources. ...
  4. Strengthen your content with trusted figures. ...
  5. Write your blog post.
20 Oct 2021

How long should an article summary be? ›

The length of an article summary will depend on the length of the article you are writing about. If the article is long (say, 10-12 pages) then your summary should be about four pages. If the article is shorter, your summary should be about one to two pages. Sometimes, an article summary can be less than one page.

Is there an app that can summarize articles? ›

Summarizer is another good way to summarize any article you read online. This simple Chrome extension will provide you with a summary within a couple of clicks. Install the add-on, open the article or select the piece of text you want to summarize and click the button “Summarize”.

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 is blog example? ›

For example, the blog of a local hardware store, or the blog of an independent jeweler. Niche blogs tend to be about a specific industry or topic and support the business's brand — here, let's explore a few of them, as well as takeaways you can provide to your own marketing strategy.

What is a blog format? ›

Blog formatting is the practice of making the best ideas the most obvious. This can be done by creating sections with distinct headers, modifying text elements, splicing in pictures and media, all in an effort to draw the reader's attention towards what's most important.

What is the difference between article and blog? ›

01. Articles are more than 300 words and sometimes more than 1000 words. Blogs are less than 300 words and sometimes less than 1000 words.

What does a good blog look like? ›

Most people can generally agree that a good blog is one that provides regular, relevant content. It can be informative, newsworthy, and/or entertaining, as long as it somehow enriches readers' lives.

What makes a successful blog? ›

Successful bloggers choose a topic and stick to it. They write consistently about their chosen subject, and with a consistent voice and approach. Even when they write about something that seems to be off-topic, they relate it back to the niche they know their readers are interested in.

How do I view blog content ideas? ›

On this page
  1. #1 – Keep an ideas file.
  2. #2 - Steal content ideas from others.
  3. #3 - Ask your audience.
  4. #4 - Use targeted searches to ask the internet.
  5. #5 - Expand existing blog posts.
  6. #6 - Identify trending topics.
  7. #7 - Share your story.
  8. #8 - Write a detailed guide.

How do you research an article? ›

6 Essential Guidelines For Researching Freelance Articles
  1. Verify your sources. ...
  2. Use a multi-resource approach. ...
  3. Try some Google search hacks. ...
  4. Talk to people. ...
  5. Use your research to form an article outline. ...
  6. Keep your research organised.

How do you write a research paper before a blog? ›

So, below are step-by-step instructions for conducting this research for your blog:
  1. Step 1: Document Your Findings. ...
  2. Step 2: Use Google AutoFill and Google Suggestions to Spark Blog Topic Ideas. ...
  3. Step 3: Use a Keyword Research Tool to Identify Valuable Terms. ...
  4. Step 1: Once again, get out your notepad.
3 Aug 2017

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