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"Summary Writing"
The ability to summarize information is
one of the most important critical
thinking skills you can develop.
Taking large quantities of information,
understanding what that information
means, and condensing it into a shorter
version of the original allows you to
have important information on hand for
easy reference without having to
memorize long passages or complex
statistics.
In technical writing, different audiences
need varying amounts or types of
information.
The technical summary, or abstract, is
written for those who need a brief
overview of a longer document for
general information or to make decisions.
For whatever purpose, writing summaries
is a task that many think is easy but, in
actuality, can be quite challenging.
Process and Hints to Summary Writing:
The biggest problem with summary writing
is deciding what to include and what to
leave out. A bit of instruction on the
process to follow, along with useful
techniques, will have you writing expert
summaries in no time.
1. Read the piece to be
summarized for understanding, without
editing. Make sure you understand the
content, including major and minor
sections, as well as the overlying
message being conveyed. Look closely at
topic sentences and key words repeated
throughout.
2. Read through the material and
cross out useless information while
underlining what you believe to be the
most important points. Even if those
points are words or phrases.
Process and Hints to Summary Writing
continued:
3. Write your summary in your
own words. Follow both the organization
of the original as well as its tone,
though you need to make sure your own
point of view is objective. Opinions
should not appear in a summary. Any words
or phrases from the original need to be
properly documented and punctuated.
4. Your summary should be 15 to
20 percent of the length of the original.
5. Be sure to go back when
you've finished your summary and compare
it to the original for accuracy.
Example: For nearly 1,400 years Islam,
though diverse and sectarian practice
and ethnic tradition, has provided a
unifying faith for peoples stretching
from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean
and beyond.
Starting in the 1500s, Western ascendancy,
which culminated in colonization, eroded
once glorious Muslim empires and reduced
the influence of Islam. After the breakup
of the Ottoman Empire following World
War I and the decline of the European
colonial empires following World War II,
Muslim nations adopted Western
ideologies -- communism, socialism, secular
nationalism, and capitalism. Yet most
Muslims remained poor and powerless. Their
governments, secular regimes often backed
by the West, were corrupt and repressive.
Poorly Written Summary:
Despite Western-style governments, Muslim
countries are mired in deep poverty and
radical governments. This despite the
fact that the religion has existed for
several centuries. European colonization
ruined the Islamic religion for a long
time. You would find it hard to imagine
how many Muslims there really are out
there.
Explanation:
The poorly written summary does not
follow the order of the information
found in the original. The phrase "several
centuries" minimizes the historic
significance of the religion, and
sentence level problems like "mired",
"you would", and "out there" change the formal
tone of the original to a biased,
informal representation. It is also
approximately half the length of the
original, which is too long. Also, no
credit is given to the original source.
Well Written Summary:
For nearly 1,400 years, Islam has united
people globally, Western interference,
through colonization and political
ideologies, has not improved Muslims'
lives.
Explanation:
This summary follows the order of the
original, maintains the original tone, is
approximately 20 percent of the original's
length, and is properly documented and
punctuated.
Congratulations! You have completed
"Summary Writing"
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