WHAT IS SUMMARIZING?

- Is often use to determine the essential ideas in a book, article, book chapter and article or parts of an article

Summarizing is an important skill because it helps you:

- deepen your understanding of the text;

- learn to identify relevant information or key ideas;
- combine details or examples that support the main ides;
- concentrate on the gist or main idea and key words presented in the text;
- and capture the key ideas and the text and put them clearly and concisely

WHAT IS NOT SUMMARIZING?

You are not summarizing when you:

- write down everything

- write down ideas from the text word for word
- write down incoherent and irrelevant ideas
- write down ideas that are not stated at the text
- write down a summary that has the length that the original text

GUIDELINES IN SUMMARIZING
1. Clarify your purpose before you read.
2. Read the text and understand the meaning.
3. Select and underline or circle the key ideas and phrases.
4. Write al the key ideas and phrases you identified on the margins or on your notebook in a bullet or outline
form.
5. Without looking at the text identify the connections of this key ideas and phrases using a concept map.
6. List your ideas in sentence form in a concept map.
7. Combine the sentences into a paragraph.
8. Ensure that you do not copy a single sentence from the original text.
9. Refrain from adding comments about the text.
10. Edit the graph of your summary by eliminating redundant ideas.
11. Compare your output with the original text to ensure accuracy.
12. Record the details of the original sources.
13. Format your summary properly.

FORMAT IN SUMMARIZING
1. Idea Heading Format – the summarized idea comes before the citation
2. Author Heading Format - the summarized idea comes after the citation
3. Date Heading Format – the summarized idea comes after the date when the material was published.

USING REPORTING VERBS WHEN SUMMARIZING

A reporting verb is a word used to discuss and another’s, person’s writings or assertions.

Hyland 1999 List a frequency or reporting verbs used according to discipline:

DISCIPLINE REPORTING VERBS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, MOST COMMON TO LEAST COMMON
Biology Describe, find, report, show, suggest, observe
Marketing Suggest, argue, find, demonstrate, propose, show
Linguistics Suggest, argue, show, explain, find, point out
Sociology Argue, suggest, describe, note, analyze, discuss
Philosophy Say, suggest, argue, claim, point out, hold, think
overall Suggest argue, find, show, describe, propose, report
COMPARING SUMMARIZING, PARAPHRASING AND DIRECT QUOTING
SUMMARIZING PARAPHRASING DIRECT QUOTING
- Does not match the source - Does not match the source - Matches the source word for
word for word word for word word
- Involves putting the main - Involves putting a passage - Is usually a short part of a
ideas into your own words, from a source into your own text
but including only the main words
points
- Presents a broad overview, - Change the words or - Cited part appears between
so is much shorter than the phrasing of a passage but quotation marks
original text retains and fully
communicates the original
meaning
- Must be attributed to the - Must be attributed to the - Must be attributed to the
original source original source original source

WHEN TO USE SUMMARIZING, PARAPHRASING AND DIRECT QUOTING

PARAPHRASING
1. Paraphrase a short text with one or two sentences or a paragraph with a maximum of
five sentences.
2. Paraphrase when you want to
a. Avoid or minimize direct quotation or
b. Rewrite the authors words by not changing the message or use your own words to
state the authors ideas
SUMMARIZING
1. Summarize a text that has a long sections (e.g.… a page chapter of a book or the book itself; a
paragraph of an essay or the essay itself)
2. Summarize when you want to…
a. Avoid or minimize direct quotation; or use the main idea of the text and write it in your own
words
DIRECT QUOTING
1. Quote a text that conveys powerful message or will show less impact of it is paraphrased or
summarized (e.g.… constitution, government documents, philosophers, monographs or other
colorly materials.)
2. Quote directly when you want to;
a. Begin with discussion with the authors stand; or
b. Highlight the authors expertise in your claim, arguments or discussion

GUIDELINES IN PARAPHRASING
1. Read the text or understand its meaning.
2. Use a pen to underline or highlight the key word or the main idea of the text.
3. Recall the keywords or the main ideas of the text.
4. Write in your own words what you understood.
5. Get the original text and compare it with your paraphrase.
6. Check the meaning.
7. Check the sentence structure.
8. Refrain from adding comments about the text.
9. Compare your output to the original text to ensure accuracy.
10. Record the details of the original source.
11. Format your paraphrase properly.
GUIDELINES IN DIRECT QUOTING
Reminder: Direct quotation should not be used to replace paraphrasing and summarizing.

1. Copy exactly the part of the text that you want to use.
2. Use quotation marks the beginning and ending of the quote.
3. Record the details of the original sources.
4. Format your quotation properly.

USING REPORTING VERBS WHEN PARAPHRASING AND DIRECT QUOTING

- Reporting verbs are also used in paraphrasing and direct quoting to integrate your sources in the text.

WHAT IS AN ABSTRACT, PRECIS OR SUMMARY?

- Technically speaking, text classified as abstract, précis or summary, and sometimes as synopsis is all the same.

KINDS OF ABSTRACT
Descriptive Abstract
Summative Abstract

STRUCTURE OF AN ABSTRACT AND PRECIS OR SUMMARY

Research Abstract

- The abstract of a research usually contains 150-300 words.

 Rationale (around 20 %)
 Research Problems (around 10 %)
 Methodology (around 20 %)
 Major Finding (around 40 %)
 Conclusion and Implication (around 10 %)

SUMMARY FOR EXPOSITORY TEXT

A précis or a summary for a non-research academic text generally condenses information into 15-30% of the
original text. It is achieved by getting the thesis statement of the text and the main idea or the topic sentence of each
paragraph.

GUIDELINES IN WRITIN AN ABSTRACT AND PRECIS OR SUMMARY

1. Read the text at least twice.
2. Highlight the key ideas or phrases.
3. Annotate the text.
4. State the author’s name, the title of a passage, and the main idea at the beginning sentence.
5. Use words or phrases indicating that you are presenting an abstract.
6. Write the main idea of each paragraph using your own words.
7. Never copy and verbatim a single sentence from the original text.
8. Combine the main ideas to form one paragraph.
9. Refrain from adding comments about the text.
10. Edit your draft abstract, précis or summary by eliminating redundant ideas.
11. Compare your output to the original text to ensure accuracy.