how to effectively summarize another author’s work
TRANSCRIPT
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The SummaryHow to effectively summarize another
author’s work
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What is a summary?It is a brief restatement in your own words of
the content of a paper or essay written by another author
It focuses on the central idea of the textIt includes the main points in their orderIt may include some important examplesIt should never include personal opinion
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What is a summary?If you are summarizing an academic paper,
you should keep your summary in an academic tone.
It is always necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source.
Summaries are shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
From: Purdue OWL
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Follow these helpful steps:Read the entire text, noting the key points
and main ideas.Summarize in your own words what the
single main idea of the essay is.Paraphrase important supporting points that
come up in the essay.Consider any words, phrases, or brief
passages that you believe should be quoted directly.
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Characteristics of a Summary1) BREVITY Be concise: say everything that needs to be said
in as few words as possible2) COMPLETENESS Being brief does not mean leaving anything out.
Make sure you are including all important points!
3) OBJECTIVITY Do not include any opinions or personal feelings.
Include only the ideas of the author you are summarizing.
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Characteristics of a SummaryFrom page 23 in Becoming an Active Reader
Be SPACE conscious: a summary should represent 20 per cent of the original length
Specific
Precise
Accurate
Clear
Efficient
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An Essential Component!ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS include the author’s
name and the title of the work you are summarizing in the first sentence.
For example, if you were summarizing the text Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud, your summary would begin something like this:
1) In Sigmund Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams, he states that…
OR2) In his famous and influential work the Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud argues that …
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“Overload” by Andy ClarkRead “Overload” by Andy Clark on page 25 in
the textbookSummarize the piece in your own wordsCompare your summary with the example
summary on page 27Did you miss any important details?Why does the example summary include a direct
quotation?Read over the Review Questions on page 28
and be prepared to share your answers with the class