What is the purpose of the summary?

The purpose of a summary is to quickly give the reader or listener an idea of what this material is saying. You may find it helpful to create summaries of your own work, but more often, you will create summaries of material by other authors, such as articles, plays, films, lectures, stories, or presentations.

How do you summarize a review article?

State the main ideas of the article. Identify the most important details that support the main ideas. Write your summary in your own words; avoid copying phrases and sentences from the article unless they’re direct quotations. Express the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.

How long is a summary?

A good summary condenses (shortens) the original text. While it should be long enough to include the most important information, a rule of thumb for a summary is that it should be one- fourth to one-third as long as the original text if that text is 1–3 pages.

What are the rules for writing a summary?

A summary should make sense to someone who has not read the original. It should not sound like a list of loosely-related sentences that have been strung together in paragraph format. A summary should be written in your own words. Do not take strings of words from the source; do not *paraphrase.

What are the stages of summary writing?

The Steps of Summary WritingFind the main idea. When you begin writing, set the article aside and work from your list. Organize your summary. Keep opinions to yourself. Make your summary concise. When you are finished drafting your summary, compare what you have written with the original.

How many sentences are in a summary?

Keep the summary short and to the point. A summary paragraph should be no longer than six to eight sentences. Once you finish a draft of the summary paragraph, read it over and revise it so it is short and to the point. Remove any sentences or phrases that seem redundant or repetitive.

What are three characteristics of a good summary?

Summary Writing Characteristics of a Good Summary It accurately represents the ideas in the original text accurate It preserves the balance and proportion of the original work balanced It does not misinterpret or twist the ideas in the source text It uses your own words unbiased original Some Important Points about …

What are the six things a summary must include?

A good summary should give an objective outline of the whole piece of writing. It should answer basic questions about the original text such as “Who did what, where, and when?”, or “What is the main idea of the text?”, “What are the main supporting points?”, “What are the major pieces of evidence?”.

How do you end a summary example?

The conclusion basically asks us to do a few things:Restate the main idea of the paper (why you wrote this entire long piece to begin with).Summarize all the key points you made throughout the body of the paper (things that proved your thesis statement).

How do you start a summary example?

Start your summary with a clear identification of the type of work, title, author, and main point in the present tense. Example: In the feature article “Four Kinds of Reading,” the author, Donald Hall, explains his opinion about different types of reading. 2.

How do you write a summary of a research paper?

Research Summary Writing TipsMake sure you are always aware of the bigger picture/ direction. Consider writing a detailed research outline before writing the draft – it might be of great use when structuring your paper. Sketch the main elements of the conclusion before writing it.

What is the difference between a summary and a conclusion?

The summary is an abridged version of a text that only contains the main points. The conclusion is the end or finish of a chapter or text.

What can I say instead of in conclusion?

Alternatives for In ConclusionTo sum up,In summary,To conclude,In closing,Finally, it may be concluded…To summarize,All in all,Overall, it may be said…