Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 5: Reading the article
• Part 2 of 5: Essential techniques for summarizing
• Part 3 of 5: Summarizing a scientific research article
• Part 4 of 5: Summarizing argumentative or theoretical articles
• Part 5 of 5: A summary of journalistic or news articles

An article summary gives the reader an insight into the text in a way that is more thorough and complete than a paraphrase or a quote. If you need to summarize an article for your next essay, here's how.

To step

Part 1 of 5: Reading the article

1. Scan and mark the article. Before you sit down to read the full article, skim the article and highlight or underline the important points.
   • Write down or highlight the question or purpose of the article.
   • Note the theorem or hypothesis of the thesis.
   • Mark all points that support this.
   • Describe or highlight the method used to conduct the study, if included in the article.
   • Highlight findings, conclusions or results.
2. Read the article thoroughly. After marking the basics, read the article thoroughly, paying close attention to details.
   • You may want to read each section a few times for an even better insight.
   • Ask yourself questions about the article while you are reading it. Review the progress of the article to determine if the results and conclusions reached seem complete and logical.
3. Make notes in your own words. As you read the article thoroughly, write down any significant facts or interesting details in your own words.
   • By writing the information in your own words, you reduce the risk of accidentally plagiarizing the article.
   • Don't just "rephrase" exact statements by swapping a few words. Instead, rewrite the information completely and don't look into the text while writing.
   • If you find it difficult to describe things in your own words, do so in short sentences instead of full sentences.
4. Summarize each section. Pause at the end of each major line of thought to summarize the main point of the section in a single sentence.
   • If the article unexpectedly begins to shift to a different main point, stop long enough to write down the main point from the previous section before continuing reading.

Part 2 of 5: Essential techniques for summarizing

1. Understand the purpose of your summary. A summary intended for your own personal notes should be approached from a different perspective than a summary that you want to include in an essay.
   • When writing a summary for yourself, be as detailed as possible so that you can get the most out of your notes later on.
   • If you are writing a summary that you want to use as part of an essay, focus the summary on information specifically related to your own thesis.
2. Introduce the bibliographic data. In the introduction to your abstract, include the full title of the article and the full name of the author.
   • You do not need to include the date of publication or the magazine, book, newspaper or magazine in which you found the article. However, this information will need to be included in your "References" or "References".
   • Only include publication dates and sources if they apply to your thesis. For example, if an author makes a particular statement in an article but refutes it a few years later in a second article, state that one article appeared several years after another.
3. Also mention the topic and thesis in the introduction. The first paragraph of your abstract should also include the subject of the original article and the author's thesis or hypothesis.
   • Make the relationship between the article and your essay clear. For example, if your essay is about a particular condition and you are summarizing an article about a particular medication used to treat that condition, make sure the reader knows that the medication in question is related to the condition listed in your thesis.
4. Provide supporting details. Review your notes and rewrite any supporting details in the paragraphs that follow.
   • List all the main points and any supporting details essential to understanding those points.
   • Only provide information that is absolutely critical to understanding the content of the article.
5. Give the conclusions. In the conclusion of your summary, state again the conclusion of the author of the original article.
   • Note that these conclusions can include results, analysis of research or ideas, and can spur action.
6. Use author tags while writing. When you write the summary, keep repeating that the information you are giving is from another source.
   • For example, include expressions such as, "Van der Velden believes," "Van der Velden believes that" and "Van der Velden expresses disbelief."
7. Avoid using quotes. A summary must be written in your own words. As a result, you should only use quotes when the information cannot be meaningfully rewritten.
   • If possible, don't use a literal quotation in your summary.
8. Compare the summary with the article. The summary should be short, complete, truthful and unbiased.
   • The text of the summary should be at least a quarter of the length of the original article, if not shorter. Consult the requirements for your assignment for further guidelines.
   • The summary should include all the main ideas contained in the article, without repeating exact phrases.
   • The summary should accurately reflect the thoughts and statements as presented in the original article.
   • The summary may not include your own analysis or opinion of the original article. If you decide to analyze the article's findings, do so in another section of your essay.

Part 3 of 5: Summarizing a scientific research article

1. Indicate the purpose of the experiment or research. This is essentially the "topic" of the article. Explain what the research is about and why the scientist wanted to research it.
   • Indicate if or how the researcher's goal ties in with the goal of your own essay in your introduction to the article.
   • Briefly state the authority of those who conducted the research to make the summary and article creditworthy.
2. Explain the researcher's hypothesis. In the introduction to your summary, you state what the researcher expects to find at the end of the research.
   • Do not give hints as to whether the hypothesis was correct or not.
3. Describe the method used to obtain the result. In order to give more credibility to the research article in question, you will have to describe how the experiment was set up, in clear and simple terms.
   • State who it is about.
   • Describe the design of the experiment. This includes the timeline of the experiment, how the subjects are divided, and what distinguishes the experimental group from the control group.
   • Also describe the tasks or actions that subjects will require during the duration of the experiment.
4. Report the results. After describing the method used, state the results of the experiment.
   • Include percentages and ratios, if necessary.
   • Report any irregularities in the results.
5. Explain how the researcher analyzes the results. State the researcher's conclusions based on his / her own results.
   • Do not include your own analysis in the summary. If you do analyze the results, please state this in another part of your thesis.

Part 4 of 5: Summarizing argumentative or theoretical articles

1. Determine what the author's thesis is. In your own words, state the thesis of the original article.
   • The dissertation should be a single sentence that conveys the idea or belief that the original author is trying to convey.
   • You can also indicate in a short context how this thesis fits into the topic as a whole, or a brief summary on the topic in general, but this is not necessary if you have already described the general topic in the introduction to your essay.
2. Include each of the author's main points. Explain all the main points found in the article and include sufficient supporting details.
   • This part of the summary can be tricky. The author of the original essay will have used many of the details to support his / her point, and you will need to scour these details to determine which ones are essential and which ones to omit for brevity.
   • Focus on listing the main points and which are directly linked to your own essay. If a particular point has nothing to do with your own essay, you may be able to omit it altogether, provided the author's thesis is not entirely dependent on that one point.
3. Find counter arguments that the author uses to disprove other arguments. Since argumentative articles often dispute other points of view, you should list any evidence or ideas used in the article in an attempt to discuss counter-arguments.
   • However, if the article does not contain specific counter-arguments, do not speculate about counter-arguments that may be included in the article while writing your summary. If you want to speculate on such information, wait until the summary is complete.
4. Include the author's conclusions. This usually means reformulating the thesis.
   • Do not include your own conclusions in your summary, only the conclusions or ideas of the author of the article.

Part 5 of 5: A summary of journalistic or news articles

1. Write down the most important events. In your first notes, list all the main events as described in the news article.
   • The events in the article may not have been described in chronological order. As you write down the most important events, write each event in the order given and number them chronologically before working on your summary.
2. Arrange the most important events in chronological order. If the news article is not written in chronological order, arrange events that way as you write them down.
   • The summary of the original article is essentially a summary of the story or event that took place. While the article may focus on a specific element of that event, your summary should reflect the full story.
3. Place the story in context, if possible. If the news article is part of a larger series of events, then you will also need to explain how this is part of it.
   • This is especially important if it is the sequence of events, and not the actual article, that ties into your essay.
   • For example, if you are summarizing an article about a school where students are not allowed to bring peanut butter sandwiches, consider mentioning other schools in the area that are doing something similar.
4. Include any editorial advice or conclusions. If the journalist or editor of the article has reached a conclusion or has advice about the story, include it in your summary.
   • Do not include your own opinion or analysis of the article in the summary.