1. Writing Summaries
Pamela Fox

2. Note: Highlight and annotate only the most important information.
Read the text carefully, looking for the thesis statement/central point/topic sentences. Make notes in the margin when you locate important information (annotation).
Next, highlight the central point or thesis statement in one color: i.e., yellow Then, highlight the supporting points in another color i.e., green Finally, highlight clarifying examples and key terms: i.e., blue.
Note: Highlight and annotate only the most important information.

3. Highlighting & Annotating Mistakes
Highlighting too much information and failing to annotate.
Using one highlighting color without a specific purpose for that color

4. Take Notes: Preparing to Write the Summary
Cornell Format
Cornell Notes Example

5. Summary Guidelines
Summaries are brief—generally less than one-third the length of the original.
Summaries include only the most important information:
Thesis Statement or Central Point & Major Supporting Points for non-fiction texts.
Setting(s), Main Characters, & Plot(s) for fiction texts.
The author, title, publication information, and page numbers
Paraphrased & properly cited content—few or no direct quotes.
Present tense when referring to what the author(s) claims.
Written in correct paragraph or essay format.
No opinion –only facts from the text.
Works Cited

6. Organizing the Summary
Introduction
Introduce the source, including information about the author(s), title, and date of publication
State a brief overview of the content.
Paraphrase the thesis statement. Properly cite.
Body
Begin all body paragraphs with a topic sentence.
Paraphrase and properly cite the major supporting details.
Do not include your opinion or use opinion words that are not in the text.
Avoid using direct quotes.
Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas.
Mention the author frequently.
Conclusion
Re-state the author’s thesis or central point
State the author’s purpose for writing the text. Properly cite.

7. Sample Short Summary Science Shows How the World Is
SPECIAL NOTES: This summary is especially short because it was the first draft done by the student. 
Min Seok Kim
Science Shows How the World Is
            "Is Science Dangerous?" by Lewis Wolpert appeared in the March 1999 issue of Nature.
In this article, Wolpert insists that scientific knowledge has no moral or ethical value, and that all it does is
make a just society (281).
            Wolpert tells the readers that they do not know the exact difference between science and technology. In actuality,
science makes ideas about how the world works; scientists do not cause unethical behaviors. However, technology—
such as the genetic engineering feats of human cloning, gene therapy, and genetically modified foods—can do so.
Wolpert suggests some guidelines to reduce ethical problems: all scientific ideas should be criticized by others; knowledge
should be used to do good, not evil; and government and the media should act correctly in carrying out the applications of
science ( ).
            In the article "Is Science Dangerous?" Lewis Wolpert explains that science itself is not dangerous and that
the real danger depends on how safely science is applied—and on how we respond to it.

8. Works Cited
Wolpert, Lewis. “Is Science Dangerous” Nature 398 (March 1999): Print.