Characteristics of a Good Summary Module One

What is a Summary? A summary is an account of the main points of a document, essay, book, etc. A summary removes needless details and gives a more concise explanation

How Do I Start? Read the entire essay, book, document, etc. all the way through Read it again, this time taking brief notes or highlighting facts and/or opinions Select the most important pieces of information, be selective Be aware of the thesis statement and topic sentences

Writing a Summary Your opening paragraph, or introduction, should identify your source by title, author, their credentials, and YOUR thesis Do not restate the author’s thesis, create your own by paraphrasing the original thesis The body of your summary should provide the arguments and findings of the source in the same order they were presented You do not need to include a formal conclusion

Writing a Summary cont. Will have Attributive Tags. According to… Smith says… Smith claims… Use quotes around any important passages Cite the author when necessary throughout your summary

Mistakes to Avoid Do not include your opinion Do not misinterpret the source to support your own ideas Do not judge the author or their document Do not question the source or the author Do not include a review or evaluation of what you thought

A Good Summary Will be accurate Will define specialized language and clarify references Will be neutral Will be comprehensive Must be a reliable source in place of the original document You should be able to read a summary and know exactly what the original text was about A summary will stand in for the original text