Tips for Writing Great Summaries!

Start by introducing the author, title of the source, and the author’s thesis or main point. Explain important supporting ideas in order as they appear in the reading. Explain these ideas mostly in your words. Use short quotes but a few times only. A summary is the explanation of a reading mostly in your own words.

Leave your opinion out of a summary Leave your opinion out of a summary. Just focus on explaining the main ideas from the reading. When quoting, use a signal phrase, parenthetical citation, and cite in present tense: Ex: Orwell says,“anti-European feeling was very bitter” (1). An elephant was “ravaging the bazaar,” writes Orwell (2).

Include a typed Works Cited page if the assignment asks for it with 1” margins all around, left hand margin justification, double-spaced, and a 5 space hanging indent:

Works Cited Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant.” 75 Readings: An Anthology. Ed. Santi Buscemi and Charlotte Smith. 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2013. 1-8. Print.

Check MLA format: typed, double-spaced with 1” margins all around. Use last name and page number in upper right hand corner ½ from the top. Eliminate extra space between titles and paragraphs.

Consider a creative title that relates to the topic: Orwell’s Problem with Imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant” (instead of) Written Response #1 See A Writer’s Reference (pp. 61-62) for sample MLA Format. Proofread Carefully for grammatical issues!