Writing Summaries
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What are Summaries? 
Summaries are sentences (no more than a paragraph usually) that announces the main idea(s) and supporting primary details. While one sentence can usually summarize a paragraph, it may take several sentences or a paragraph to summarize a longer passage (short essay). Summaries of monographs (long essays) or book-length studies may run as long as several paragraphs. 

Guidelines for Composing Summaries 
Effective summaries must 1) be written in complete sentences, 2) speak in their own (objective) voice, 3) be brief, and 4) reflect the main idea(s) and their supporting primary development. 

General and Specific Summaries 
Summaries may be written as broad generalities (the general summary) or as detailed claims (the specific summary). 

Here is an example of a general summary statement: 
"There are several causes of childhood neurosis." 

And its counterpart for the same passage, the specific summary: 
"Four causes of childhood neurosis are 1) special vulnerabilities, 2) unusual placement, 3) a series of events, or 4) a series of coincidences." 

In the case of the specific summary above, note the use of key details from the primary development; in this case, the four specific causes mentioned in the passage. 

How to Draft Summaries 
There are three methods for composing summaries: 

  • Find a broad generalization that is comprehensive enough to imply the supporting primary development as well as identify the main idea(s) of the paragraph.
  • Write a broad generalization in your own voice.
  • Compose a specific summary, using key words and phrases from the passage itself.
Exercises in Developing Summaries 
For the enclosed short passages, identify or create appropriate summary statements, using for each paragraph one of the methods explained above. Go to the exercise. 

Using Summaries in the Research Paper 
Summaries are found in two places usually in research papers. They are often used in sections providing overviews of critical (scholarly) opinion as published in secondary sources (such as books, journals, or online resources). They are also used in annotated bibliographies to help readers determine with only a brief investment of time the essential content of a work. 

Documentation of Summaries 
Like paraphrases, direct or indirect quotations, or even casual references (allusions), summaries must be cited and documented according to the style sheet (usually either MLA or APA) you are using. 

Go to Exercise 10 

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