how to write a summary of an article

The simplest strategy is to start a summary with one sentence which would conclude the entire text. Follows with a summary of the main points of the article. Basically, summaries should begin by presenting the name of the authors. For example, you might think that Hamlet spends a lot of time thinking and not a lot of time acting. When I write articles for my business, I always make sure to include the main keyword phrase that I am trying to rank high for. You should begin with "The book___________, by ___________, tells the story of______________________. Then the summary should be written for each paragraph. This article has been viewed 1,698,242 times. If you’re assigned a summary in school, the best way to approach it is by reviewing the piece you’re summarizing. For fiction pieces, this means avoiding rewriting every single thing that happens in the piece. Start with the source’s information. I am a teacher and appreciate this help. Here you need be as brief and clear as possible. Sometimes, it is appropriate to follow the author’s logic, step by step. He received his MA in Education from the University of Florida in 2017. do not include anything that does not appear in the original. Your readers should not have any difficulty getting the main idea of the article. Summarizing allows you to read an article and really understand it. When you want to summarize an article, of course you will have to read it. Yes it is obligatory, because readers of your summary must have a possibility to easily find and read the original text, that you have summarised. While working on an article synopsis, you will have to organize your thoughts logically. Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It, For a text, read, mark, and annotate the effects). Step 2: Determine Topic. For more suggestions from our reviewer about polishing your summary and improving transitions, read on! Paraphrasing is an essential technique for writing a summary, as it allows you to shorten long paragraphs and prevent any form of plagiarism. Organization in an assignment like this is of utmost importance. Skills practiced: note-taking, paraphrasing (using Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Thanks, guys! So if the original piece is 4 pages long, your summary should be no more than 1 page. How can I start a summary about a crisis, like the Civil War? An introduction is important to clearly identify the article, the topic, the question or purpose of the article, and its thesis or findings. Summaries should be shorter than the text you're writing about, as they are a synopsis of all the pertinent information included in the article. This article received 26 testimonials and 81% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Thank you. Your summary should include an introduction paragraph where you introduce the topic, provide background on the article, and restate what the author is arguing in your own words. article:According to ", "Now I know the strategy of summarizing.". In, "I have to do a summary of a book every quarter in class so I did House of Dark Shadows (a great book) and this, "I am so grateful for your explanation. reasons/causes or Most importantly, the summary restates only If you do end up copying a line or phrase from the original work, be sure that it is completely necessary. To write a good summary, identify what information is important and condense that information for your reader. This article has been viewed 1,698,242 times. original, for example cause-effect, comparison-contrast, classification, You should try to include all the main ideas if you can, but some things may have to be left out to save space. This is helpful in analysis essaysfor all your classes and can help you in other areas of your life as well. Authors who are most accomplished at criticism read closely, interrogate their sources and remember to proofread their work. % of people told us that this article helped them. 2. To write a good summary, it is important to understand the material you are working with thoroughly. This is the best.        S + V + C). Writing a summary or abstract teaches you how to condense information and how to read an article more effectively and with better understanding. publication, volume number, place of publication, publisher, URL, etc. points but no examples or details (dates, numbers, statistics). Restate the article’s/lecturer’s conclusion in one sentence. Having said that, the structure would look something like this: 1. These are some examples of the beginning of a summary: Give a You'll probably just need to focus on the main characters to write an effective summary. ", been included. ", my IGSCE exams. Most importantly, the summary restates only the main points of a text or a lecture without giving examples or details, such as dates, numbers or statistics. direct-sales strategy and high quality standards accounted for Dell’s enormous ", "This is the most complete summary on how to make a summary I've found on the Internet! an introductory paragraph that begins with The first subsection of the introductory paragraph contains some general details concerning the authors and the study topic. Alternatively, the body paragraphs of an empirical article summary may explain the methods and findings, making connections to predictions. your own words and sentence structure), condensing the author/lecturer but omit all references to details, such as dates or Enclosing the… such as dates, numbers or statistics. Well-organized. Focus instead on the major plot points and the main motivator for those points. ", "I learned how to write a proper summary from this article. I didn't know the meaning of putting it my own words, but thanks to you, now, "The specific topic that stood out the most for me was about writing. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The purpose of a summary is to give the reader, in a about Some teachers do it to ensure students are actually paying attention and doing their assigned readings. Are all main ideas included in the summary? ", "This article helped me in starting my paragraph or summary and about the topic sentences! Serwer, A. summary (see #6. below). first major area in which women have become a powerful force is politics. The better you The author must not provide a personal interpretation of the article rather reiterate the interpretation developed by the author of writing. For example, you can start with something like “George Shaw’s '‘Pygmalion’' is a play that addresses issues of class and culture in early twentieth-century England.”. There are many article synopsis examples available on the Internet. good and evil in humankind. It will catch if you spell something wrong, but not if you use the wrong spelling of a word. Example:  In his article, Serwer Try to get a good understanding of what the article is discussing.After you’ve scanned through it and made your marks, read the article and look for the more specific details. Can I use persuasive speech in a summary? If you were assigned of tasks that have to do with writing a summary, you may need the tips you are about to read below. Yes. For example, in a summary of an article about the cause of the American Revolution, you might have a paragraph that summarizes the author's arguments about taxes, and another about religious freedom. You should start every summary with the author and the article’s title. ___________________________ (main idea/argument; Michael Dell 4. If no author is given, use the title of the reporting verb to 2. Christine Bauer-Ramazani, Saint Michael's There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Learn in 1 day! The Goal of Summarizing a News Article. Keep in mind that a summary should not be a rewritten piece of the original, but a brief expression of the main idea and relevant points that must be tackled. Thank you so much. _________________ (main idea; NP) (author's last name, year). ", easy-to-follow information. - The article shows... No, just use the appropriate words to convey a chronological order, for example words like "first," "second," "then," "finally," etc. Approved. First off, do a quick estimate of how long your summary should be. Examples of acceptable paraphrases and unacceptable paraphrases (= Research articles usually contain these parts: Title/Author Information, Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Result or Findings, Discussion or Conclusion, and References. People must provide the names of the authors in the complete form by considering a method of how to start a summary. The purpose of a summary is to give the reader, in a about 1/3 of the original length of an article/lecture, a clear, objective picture of the original lecture or text. Decide on whether the character is important to the storyline. This tells your reader you're talking about Shakespeare's play, not inventing your own story. In a Also, it is important to keep each section of your work brief, straight to the point, and clear – there is no need for making smooth transitions between your paper’s sections, just keep in mind that it is a concise and focused scientific paper. Don't include everything that happens to the character along the way. ", "I went to wikiHow's website before taking my final exam, and it really helped me. Remember that this was someone else's work, not your own! Example:   The ", "Knowing that I'm not alone is everything. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. S + V + C) (personal communication, month day, year). Save persuasive writing for an analysis, not a summary. Please keep making wonderful articles! 2. Then, revise it to ensure that your writing is clear and the grammar, punctuation, and spelling are all perfect. I got an A! 1. When writing a summary, remember that it should be in the form of a paragraph. In a fiction piece, the author will more likely emphasize themes. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. According ________________________________ (main idea/argument; last name) article on __________________ Below you can find an example of a good structure. You start of a summary with the title of the book and the author. ", "It helps me to know how to write a summary for my next exam. Finally, reread your summary and check it for good spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Give 1-2 explanations for each supporting point, ", "It was very helpful to read this article. article/lecture. Describe the metho… 1/3 of the original length of an article/lecture, a clear, objective picture of introduce the main idea. ", "It's very useful to the students and the teachers. in #2). statistics. 1. Focus on retelling it from the author's perspective, not your own -- and stay in chronological order. Therefore, they usually do not require including subheadings. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,698,242 times. to ___________________ (author's last name) (year), Tips for Writing a Summary. (1945). This tells your reader those words aren’t yours. Regardless of your preference, be certain that you maintain laser-like focus in the summary to keep the attention of the reader on your content and not that of the competition. ____________________________________  (main idea; S + V + C). interview __________________  (first name last name) stated that including an in-text citation of the source and the author as well as a sentence summary and a summary paragraph. State the hypotheses that were tested. Just like the abstract, the purpose of a summary for the research paper will be to give the audience a brief overview of what that study says. An article summary condenses the main point or points of an article in your own words. A summary begins with an introductory sentence that states the text’s title, author and main point of the text as you see it. So if you notice that love - discussions or descriptions of it, for example - come up a lot, one of the main points of the piece is probably love. Three techniques – selection and deletion, note taking, and miniaturizing – can help you shorten the material.Here are some tentative steps in writing a summary. (For a lecture, work with the notes you took.). Highlight some of the important points of the article. Write a summary of the article. Last updated: June 21, 2018. All first drafts of your summary papers should follow the order of the original article. When you read a material that needs to be summarized, always make sure you understand it. You can say something like, "Although some colonists believed that taxes should entitle them to representation in Parliament, the author also argues that other colonists supported the Revolution because they believed they were entitled to representation in heaven on their own terms. Before embarking on your writing process, you could outline your assignment or use an article review template to organize your thoughts more coherently. Without looking at your notes, write a … Work from memory to write the main point of each section. Use the list you made while taking notes to summarize the article. This video investigates the basic elements needed to create an effective one I found this on wikiHow and it really helped me very much. How to write a Good Summary of an Article Example The best summary is covered in four to five steps. State the question of the research and explain why it’s important. For more suggestions from our reviewer about polishing your summary and improving transitions, read on! Always wondered how to read palms? But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. How to Write Article Summaries, Reviews & Critiques • State the main ideas of the article. To put something in your own words, write it down as if you were explaining or describing it to a friend. the original lecture or text. Before you start writing your summary analysis, you need to read with intention. Start with an introduction that mentions the article and a thesis for the review. ;)", "It made me understand how to write a summary. A college research article will typically include a title, an abstract, an introduction, supporting information, a brief discussion and some references. How would I write a summary of a short story? You can summarize a news article in several ways, but the main purpose is to take all the information and make it shorter. separate sentence. (1997, Sept. 8). ", "I didn't know how to begin a summary and I found an answer here. Writing a critical summary of an article involves more than just voicing an opinion. This site always uses accurate and, "It helped my mindset, what to do first and what to do last to make the thought clear and write in my own words. original. If you notice an author has made the same point multiple times, though, it’s a good indicator that this is an important point, and it should definitely be in your summary. full reference for the citation (see the example below for the in-text citations Writing the Summary: When writing the summary there are three main requirements: 1. 3. separate paragraph. In most of the cases the article to be reviewed is going to be difficult to understand which requires the writer to read it severally before they are able to understand, which then means they will be in a position to offer insights into the content of the article in the review essay. A summary is written in your own words. For example: "The Book___________ by __________ tells the story of..." And then you introduce the characters and the main idea of the story or book. It means taking notes and doing what you can to note important parts of the poem, article, play, or novel. A summary contains only the ideas of the original text. I got an A+ on that assignment! College. Next, they must mention the title of the article being summarised. the main points of a text or a lecture without giving examples or details, If it's a novel, however, 3 to 5 paragraphs should be enough. Details of summarizing have been dealt with. By using our site, you agree to our. Your writing will be scored on how well you: • state the main ideas of the article; • identify the most important details that support the main ideas; • write your summary in your own words, except for quotations; and • express the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details. Some critical guidelines on how to write a summary may improve the quality of work. "I had a project for school in which I had to summarize an article. ", these notes help me gain more knowledge, but reminded me of the information I had learned throughout the semester. It should focus on the central idea and indicate all the main points in the passage that support the central idea, as well as the relationship between the ideas, including their order and emphasis. When you get to writing your summary, rely on your memory first to make sure the summary is in your own words. You should read the article more than once to make sure you’ve thoroughly understood it. Last Updated: December 7, 2020 longer summary, remind your reader that you are paraphrasing by using "reminder phrases," such as. Support your topic sentence with the necessary reasons or arguments raised by Step 3: Begin Writing. Christine Bauer-Ramazani. 3. - The text describes... - The story is about... Be sure to focus on what the author thinks and feels rather than what you do! If there are multiple authors, the instructor should consult students for further directives. Ohio State Flipped ESL YouTube channel. If you absolutely must use the original author’s words, put them in quotation marks. The summary should be a condensed version of the material, presented in your own words. (claims/reports/contends/maintains/states) that  In that case, you wouldn't just read what the author wrote. Steinbeck, J. 1. (topic/NP) (year) discusses the _____________ Summary Writing Format. Then Make sure that you identify the thesis statement and the supporting points throughout. Then, the body paragraphs should cover the main supporting arguments and … © 2006  In the article, ____________(author's last name) (year) argues (author's last name) (year) argues that Remember—a summary exists so that your reader doesn't have to read the article, so keep it short (or to the page requirement by the teacher). In order to write a good summary, you have to follow a clear and appropriate structure. Fortune, The material should be presented in a neutral fashion. success. Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It, the source (author--first/last name, title, date of Organize your notes into an outline which includes main ideas and supporting Generally, a summary should be around one quarter the length of the original piece. In an If it's a short article or story, then it should just be one long paragraph. That doesn’t mean just reading once for the fun of it. Michael Dell founded Dell Computers and claims that Dell’s low-cost, It’s often effective to read in three stages: Scan the article quickly to get a sense of its topic and overall shape. Do the same when you're writing down the major points in your own words. _________________ You will need to find out what information is relevant and explain it briefly but thoroughly. Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. Other teachers do it so that students see the deeper value of summarizing—and that’s what I’m going to teach you about. Guess what? ", https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/summary.html, http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/comprehension/authorsmainidea.pdf, http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310/summaryhints.htm, https://public.wsu.edu/~mejia/Summary.htm, http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Guidelines-for-Writing-a-Summary, http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/summary.html, Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow, The author might also state their thesis more plainly by saying something like "my argument is...." or. What can I do? ________________'s (author's When writing your article summary, you want to wrap up exactly what it is that your article is about. ", Don't use spell-checker for spelling errors. Before you actually read the article entire though, you should scan through it. Now I can start my writing. 2. In his A summary's length depends on the passage you're summarizing. He received his MA in Education from the University of Florida in 2017. Make a decision with your teacher or guider and final what you need to write in article. 2. You can say something like, "Hamlet is a man of thought, rather than action," instead of saying, "Why doesn't Hamlet do something once in a while?". If you are summarizing multiple articles, title the page with the subject you are writing about (be specific! Because a summary should be an shortened, objective version of a written work, I would avoid your own persuasive speech in a summary. They should be able understand what happened in the article or story by reading your summary alone. Thanks. Sample Summary Plot of My Sister's Keeper, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e9\/Feel-Good-About-Yourself-Step-14-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Feel-Good-About-Yourself-Step-14-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e9\/Feel-Good-About-Yourself-Step-14-Version-2.jpg\/aid445941-v4-728px-Feel-Good-About-Yourself-Step-14-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"