Guidance on summary writing
I. Why Write a Summary?
1. Academic Reasons:
Research: A summary can be used to take notes from reference books when you are doing research for
term papers.1
Writing: A summary can be used to include another writer’s ideas in your own writing without
plagiarizing the original writer’s work.
In order to do this, you simply include the summary and then footnote the source in order to give the
original writer credit. This improves your argument by adding the weight of clear evidence from another
source (the original writer). Though plagiarism is universally condemned in academic writing,
summarizing information and noting the source is not only acceptable, it makes your writing stronger.
Listening: Knowing how to write a good summary can be helpful when you are taking notes on a
lecture because it trains you to listen for the most important information.
2. Business and Government:
Bosses and supervisors often do not have time to read all of the information they need. In addition, their
second language may be Chinese or Russian rather than English. Because of this, they often require their
staff to summarize (and sometimes translate) articles for them so that they can get key information
quickly. If your boss asks you to do this, your ability to write a clear, accurate summary will be a great
asset to your career.
II. How to Write a Summary
1. What is a summary?
A summary is a shortened version of a more detailed body of information. A good summary clearly and
accurately expresses the essence of the original text. While a summary is expected to include all of the
important ideas of the original, it must do this in fewer words.
2. How is a summary structured?
Most writing has three sections: an opening, a body, and a conclusion. This is also true for summaries.
Opening: The opening frames your comments and provides a context for them. In a summary, the opening
often states the title and author(s) of the original text, the sections that will be summarized, and a concise
statement of the general topic discussed in the text.
Body: The body summarizes the main points discussed in the reading and may include facts or examples taken
from the text. This section also reports the original author’s position or viewpoints. It does not include your
opinions or viewpoints.
Conclusion: The concluding sentence should summarize the original author’s conclusion.
3. What should you not do in a summary?
Do not begin your summary with:
1
If it is only for your own use, proper formatting and complete sentences are not as important as when you are writing something that
someone else will read.
1
The article I would like to summarize is…
or I have been asked to summarize an article by…
or The text I am going to summarize is…
While it is acceptable to begin a presentation with an introduction like that, it is not necessary (or good
style) in a written summary. As your readers read your summary, they should be able to see that
information for themselves. 2
Do not use too many of the original author’s words. If you use part of the original, be sure to enclose it
in quotes. Example: Victor claims that Kyoto’s emission targets have “forced governments into bizarre
diplomatic contortions.”
Do not express your point of view. Because your summary is about the content of the text and not your
opinion of it, never use the words “I” or “my” in your summary.
Do not discuss the minor points; stay focused on the major points. This means that you will have to
determine what information should be included and what can be discarded. It can be helpful to make a
skeletal outline of the article to determine the main points. Plan before you write!
Do not make your summary too long. The reader just wants the important information, not a summary
that is as long as the original text.
4. Topic Sentences:
You can give the all of the basic information, as well as the gist of the article, in one sentence by using the
pattern below.
Pattern:
In <title of the original text>, published in <source> on <date>, <author(s)> writes3 that <gist of the
article>.
Note: The purpose of learning to write a clear, accurate sentence to summarize the gist of an
article is so that you can use it in the topic sentence of your summary.
Example:
Title: “Piety at Kyoto Didn’t Cool the Planet”4
Source: The New York Times, March 23, 2001.
Author: David Victor
Gist of the article: The Kyoto Protocol set unrealistic emissions targets and the US should propose a
workable alternative.
Topic Sentence: In “Piety at Kyoto Didn’t Cool the Planet,” published in the New York Times on March 23,
2001, David Victor writes that the Kyoto Protocol set unrealistic emissions targets and the US should propose a
workable alternative.
5. What expressions are often used for summaries?
2
See Section 4. for a sample pattern for an opening sentence.
3
Either “writes” or “wrote” can be used.
4
Article titles should be enclosed in quotes. Book titles should be underlined without quotes
2
Choosing the most important ideas and examples from the article:
The author5 says/emphasizes/argues that…
The author examines three approaches to…. The first is…. The second is…. The third is….
The author’s first main point is… The second point is…
One example the author gives is…
The author’s strongest point is…
Reporting the author’s opinion or point of view:
The author believes/claims/concludes that…
According to the author…
It is clear that the author favors…
6. Checklist:
a. Are the title and author stated clearly at the beginning?
b. Is the topic of the article stated clearly and concisely?
c. Do the facts and examples you used support the main points?
d. Is the writing clear?
e. Is the summary too long?
f. Does the summary include too many examples?
g. Does the summary contain the original author’s ideas?
h. Did you write the summary in your own words?
III. Practical Tips For Writing a Good Summary.
1. What to remember:
While the purpose of the original text may have been to report, persuade, comment or entertain, the
purpose of your summary is functional – to present the gist of the original text.
The summary should be brief and its content should only include the main ideas of the original author
and the relevant supporting arguments and evidence.
As far as possible, you should use your own words. Words and phrases from the passage should not be
copied, except in cases where those words and phrases are the most appropriate. When quoting the
author, use quotation marks.
Only use complete sentences in your summary, even if the original text uses literary language.
A good summary should convey the structure, message and tone of the original.
2. How to find the main ideas and supporting details:
Read the headline. It will often indicate what the article is about.
Read the subheading. It will usually give you more information than the headline.
5
In each example, the author’s name can be used instead. “Victor says …”
3
With an essay, pay close attention to the first and last paragraphs. They will often contain the main ideas.
With an editorial, pay close attention to the first 2-3 paragraphs and the last 2-3 paragraphs . In a normal
text, the first and last paragraphs often contain key information. However, when an editorial is formatted
for a newspaper, the paragraphs are often broken up to keep the paragraphs short.
With a news article, pay close attention to the first paragraph. Newspaper articles are designed to give
the most important information first. You should be able to answer most of the Wh - questions from the
first paragraph.
Pay close attention to the first sentence of each paragraph. A normal paragraph should contain one main
idea in the topic sentence. The other sentences in the paragraph expand on that idea or give supporting
evidence.
3. Suggested procedure for writing a summary.
Phase 1: A quick reading of the article to get the gist. Ignore any words you don’t know. You can look them up
in Phase 2.
Phase 2: A careful second reading.
Look for answers to Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Not all of those questions can be applied
to every text, but it’s a good start.
Circle or underline words you don’t know. Look up the ones you think are important for an accurate
understanding of the article.
Read the article a third time and write a summary of the gist of the article in one clear sentence.
Phase 3:
Outline the article to discover the main points.
I. Gist.
a. Main Point 1
i. Supporting detail (facts/examples).
b. Main Point 2
i. Supporting detail (facts/examples).
ii. Supporting detail (facts/examples).
II. Author’s conclusion.
Choose which information needs to go into your summary.
Phase 4: Write a draft.
Phase 5: Revise your draft into a final copy. By this point you should have good content – pay attention to your
spelling, verb tenses and other grammar.
4
Sample summary
ORIGINAL ARTICLE (430 words):
News Analysis
April 15, 2008
Fuel Choices, Food Crises and Finger-Pointing
By ANDREW MARTIN
The idea of turning farms into fuel plants seemed, for a time, like one of the answers to high global oil prices
and supply worries. That strategy seemed to reach a high point last year when Congress mandated a fivefold
increase in the use of biofuels.
But now a reaction is building against policies in the United States and Europe to promote ethanol and similar
fuels, with political leaders from poor countries contending that these fuels are driving up food prices and
starving poor people. Biofuels are fast becoming a new flash point in global diplomacy, putting pressure on
Western politicians to reconsider their policies, even as they argue that biofuels are only one factor in the
seemingly inexorable rise in food prices.
At a weekend conference in Washington, finance ministers and central bankers of seven leading industrial
nations called for urgent action to deal with the price spikes, and several of them demanded a reconsideration of
biofuel policies adopted recently in the West.
While there is agreement that the growth of biofuels has contributed to higher food prices, the amount is
disputed. Work by the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington suggests that biofuel
production accounts for a quarter to a third of the recent increase in global commodity prices. The Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicted late last year that biofuel production, assuming that
current mandates continue, would increase food costs by 10 to 15 percent.
According to the World Bank, global food prices have increased by 83 percent in the last three years. Rice, a
staple food for nearly half the world’s population, has been a particular focus of concern in recent weeks, with
spiraling prices prompting several countries to impose drastic limits on exports as they try to protect domestic
consumers.
Skeptics have long questioned the value of diverting food crops for fuel, and the grocery and live- stock
industries vehemently opposed an energy bill last fall, arguing it was driving up costs.
But August Schumacher, a former under secretary of agriculture who is a consultant for the Kellogg
Foundation, said the criticism of biofuels might be misdirected. Development agencies like the World Bank and
many governments did little to support agricultural development in the last two decades, he said. He noted that
many of the upheavals over food prices abroad have concerned rice and wheat, neither of which is used as a
biofuel. For both those crops, global demand has soared at the same time that droughts suppressed the output
from farms.
© 2008 NY Times
5
SAMPLE SUMMARY (197 words):
In “Fuel Choices, Food Crises and Finger-Pointing,” published in the New York Times on April 15, 2008,
Andrew Martin says that Western governments are under pressure to reconsider their ethanol policies because of
ethanol’s effect on food prices. Political leaders from poor countries say that using edible grains for fuel
production drives up food costs and starves poor people. Finance ministers and bankers from industrial nations
have also demanded a reconsideration of recent European and American biofuel policies. The author says that
there is agreement that ethanol has an effect on food prices, but disagreement about the extent of ethanol’s
effect. On one side, the International Food Policy Research Institute says biofuel is responsible for up to one-
third of the recent rise in prices. On the other side, supporters of ethanol say that drought and a lack of support
for agricultural development are larger factors. They cite the recent rise in the cost of wheat and rice, neither of
which are used as biofuels. Martin points out that there is disagreement about the extent of ethanol’s effect on
food prices and what should be done about it, but he does not take an position on the issue.
____________________
