English 102

How to Write an Effective Summary

A summary is a shortened version of any written work . It must be clear and concise but theless must not lose out on the important points highlighted by the author . If one would read a summary , the person should get a quick overview of the written work without having to read a ton of information . A summary only summarizes the points of an author and personal comments or criticisms must not be included

The first step in writing a summary is choosing a and finding the

sources of information . After deciding on the , it is time to hit the library or the Internet to search for reading materials such as newss , magazines and scholarly journals . One must be able to identify if the sources of information are reliable especially when taking information from the Internet

The next step is the evaluation of the reading material if it is suitable for the that one intends to know about . One must consider the length of the article , its readability and timeliness . Asking help from a friend or a librarian would make searching for the appropriate materials easier

For the third step , reading the article thoroughly while taking note of the important points or arguments is crucial . Look for the main idea and then look for the details of the main idea which will make up of the body of the summary . One must also take note of the details of the source for the inclusion of a reference page

After thoroughly reading the material , you will now start writing the first draft of your summary which will begin with an introduction that should include the authors name and article title as well as the main point of the reading material . It will be followed by body paragraphs that highlight the important details in the article . Finally , a conclusion must also be included which sums up the whole of the article

The last step would be putting the finishing touches . The summary must be proofread to eliminate any grammatical errors . Proper citations should also be used based on the recommended citation styles . This would also protect one from plagiarism . To prevent plagiarism , paraphrasing should be done while maintaining the general idea of the author . Quoting may also be recommended

Following the mentioned steps , one should be able to write a good and effective summary without much trouble

References

Arlow , Pamela . 3rd edition . 2007 . A Guide to College Writing . Pearson Prentice Hall

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