Summarizing Practice 1

Summarizing A summary is a restatement of someone else's words in your own words. The writer is responsible for generally stating, in his or her own words, the main information or argument of another writer.

Benefits Summaries benefit the reader because they offer a concise, general version of the original information. Summaries also show readers that you have understood the general point of a text. The process of summarizing someone else's material enables you to better understand that material.

What and when to summarize Many student writers tend to quote when they should summarize material. Use a summary to restate an entire argument. Use a summary to present information. Summary is more economical than quotation because a summary allows the writer more control over the argument.

How To Summarize Your Answer… Read the text. Don’t let big words scare you. Ask, “What was this text about?” Your Answer… Should be a complete sentence or two Should cover main point and key ideas Should be in your own words Shouldn’t just be a word or two

Directions Get out a separate sheet of paper. Write a summary of the scientific article read yesterday. Hand in your summary.