1. QEP WORKSHOP Quality Enhancement Plan at Brookhaven College To Make a Long Story Short… Writing an Effective Summary Sherri Morrison, QEP Reading Specialist

2. DEFINITION A condensed version of a text Summary

3. KEEP IN MIND:  Summaries include main ideas and important details.  A summary is roughly 1/3 the length of the original text.  Summaries are paraphrased— your words!  A summary accurately reflects what the author has written without adding personal opinions.  A summary has a beginning, middle and end.

4. STEP 1: PREVIEW Activate prior knowledge. What do you already know? What do you expect to learn? Are there illustrations, graphics, etc. that help explain the information? Look at them! HOW?

5. STEP 2: READ Read the article once from start to finish to get a general view of the information presented. Re-read slowly. Use a dictionary or context clues to define unknown words. Be aware of what you don’t know (metacognition!) Get outside help if needed. Be prepared to read the text several times to thoroughly comprehend it! HOW?

6. STEP 3: ANNOTATE Read the article again, a paragraph at a time, stopping to reflect on the main ideas and major details. Underline/highlight these points in the text or write them on another piece of paper. (Hint: Use your own words!) As a general rule, if you have effectively annotated, only 10- 15% of your text should be underlined or highlighted. HOW?

7. STEP 4: WRITE Outline and organize your thoughts prior to writing. Begin with a topic sentence that cites the author and the title of the reading passage. Be sure to include only important details (those necessary to understand the text) and end with a concluding sentence. Remember to paraphrase—your summary should be the author’s ideas but your words! HOW?

8. STEP 5: REVISE AND EDIT Set your summary aside for a while before revising and editing. Errors will be easier to spot if time has passed. Revise for content. Does the summary begin with a clear, comprehensive topic sentence? Have you included all necessary details? Do you have a conclusion? Add necessary transition so your summary will flow. Edit for spelling, grammar or punctuation errors. HOW?

9. DON’T FORGET! Clearly identify the title and author of the original work in the first paragraph. For example: John Smith, author of “Summarizing Academic Texts,” lists five steps to effective summarization. Write in present tense. Paraphrase! Use your words while retaining the author’s ideas.

10. RESOURCES brookhavencollege.edu/reading