TECHNIQUES IN

SUMMARIZING
ACADEMIC
TEXTS
English as Academic and Professional
Purposes
SUMMARIZING A TEXT
◦Or distilling its essential concepts into a paragraph or two, is
a useful study tool and excellent writing practice.

TWO AIMS:
1. to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text,
identifying the general concepts that run through
the entire piece, and
2. to express these overarching ideas using a precise,
specific language.
METHODS FOR
SUMMARIZING
PREVIEWING TECHNIQUES
1. Include the title and identify the author in your
first sentence.
2. The first sentence or two of your summaries
should contain the author’s thesis or central
concept, stated in your own words. This is the
idea that runs through the entire text–the one
you’d mention if someone asked you: “What is
this piece/article about?” Unlike student essays,
the main idea in a primary document or an
academic article may not be stated in one
location at the beginning. Instead, it may be
gradually developed throughout the piece, or it
may become fully apparent only at the end.
PREVIEWING TECHNIQUES
3. When summarizing a longer article, try to see
how the various stages in the explanation or
argument are built up in groups of related
paragraphs. Divide the article into sections if it
is not done in the published form. Then, write a
sentence or two to cover the key ideas in each
section.
4. Omit ideas that are not central to the text. Do
not feel that you must reproduce the author’s
exact progression of thought. (On the other
hand, be careful not to misrepresent ideas by
omitting essential aspects of the author’s
discussion).
PREVIEWING TECHNIQUES
5. In general, omit minor details and specific
examples. (In some texts, an extended example
may be a crucial part of the argument, so you would
want to mention it).
6. Avoid writing opinions or personal responses in
your summaries (save these for active reading
responses or tutorial discussions).
7. Be careful not to plagiarize the author's words. If you
use even a few of the author’s words, they must
appear in quotation marks. To avoid plagiarism, try
writing the first draft of your summary without
looking back at the original text. Include the title and
identify the author in your first sentence.
WAYS OF SUMMARIZING THAT
PROFESSIONAL AUTHORS USE
Read more than once. The paper ensures you have
understood what it talks about after reading several
times
Highlight the theme of the article. While you are
going through the text, identify the topic of it. Once
you know what it is, describe it using your own words.
Locate the main arguments. These should explain
the topic more deeply. You should describe them using
a few sentences.
The result should be shorter than the original
text. By any means, do not write more extensive
content than the original version. You should keep your
brief short and concise.
 TECHNIQUES IN
SUMMARIZING AN
ACADEMIC TEXT
3-2-1
◦Some people are writing
numerals 3, 2, 1 down
on the left side of their
paper.
◦In each digit, write
something distinct from
learning so that they will
not have a hard time
knowing the material.
Acronyms
◦You can use acronyms in
your brief.
◦You can list the main
attributes that you find
helpful in the text.
◦You can use a single term
for you to remember what
that associate is all about.
Advance Organizers
◦In advance, you can
brief online the article
you will present by
reviewing and making
a draft replacing
phrases and keywords
with blank lines.
Graphic Organizers

◦You can use mold for

outlines, flow charts,
mind maps, and others
that you think helpful in
making an abridgment.
◦The fact is that using
graphic organizers are
adaptable.
Graphic
Organizers
◦The majority of people
perceive the information
visually, that’s why using
graphics and spreadsheets
might be more useful for
them.
◦The variety of schemes can
be found online, developed,
or modified according to
the task.
Building a model

◦Students can make

three-dimensional
drawings or
construction in
representing skills,
facts, or concepts.
Jigsaw
◦ This summarizing strategy demands a
cooperative work.
◦ You and your classmate or friend need to
divide the text into the manageable chunk
and get the responsible ones for every piece
of content.
◦ Just like in the jigsaw puzzle, each one will
complete the missing gap.
◦ When performed by one student, you need to
article into several paragraphs and assign
one original meaning to be derived from it;
this way, unessential information is sorted
out.
Somebody-
Wanted-But-So
◦Is used during or after reading,
commonly used in social studies
and history-based subjects.
◦Students use a chart or a folded
piece of paper.
◦The task is to identify who
wanted something, what they
wanted, what conflict arose,
and the resolution.
Ball Type
◦Generating strategies for
summarizing in the game form that
usually takes place in the classroom.
◦After everyone read the topic, the
teacher tosses a ball to the student
who is 5 seconds states the fact,
concept, or most significant feature
remembered, then tosses further.
◦A student sits down in case left
nothing to add.
The Gist
◦Known as “the main or essential
part of a matter,"
◦The GIST way (Cunningham, 1982)
is organized so that you have 20
helping base words to lean on
when developing a strategy
summary.
◦The student must convey the gist
in 20 words; this tactic is often
used in narrative texts.
The Cornell
Method
◦ One of the most popular methods is
the factual text.
◦ Divide the paper into two columns, the
main points on the left side, details,
and essential explanations on the right.
◦ The ready chart is handy in case when
the narration is written in non-
chronological order.
◦ Hence, the table provides clarity into
the story, organizing into time logical
and chronological order.
Use the graphic organizer to write a
summary of the article.
SUMMARIZING
Summarizing, Paraphrases and Other Examples
SUMMARIZATION
◦A summary is a shorter way to tell the events or
details of a passage.
◦Only the most important details are conveyed in a
summary.
◦A summary allows the reader to see what the
passage is about. Look at the passages and
summaries below for examples.
SUMMARIZATION
◦brief restatement of someone else’s ideas in your
own words;
◦it does not include your reaction.
◦an important skill for you to learn because it gives
you practice expressing important ideas and finding
main ideas in all of your college courses
◦gives you a way to monitor your own understanding
and practice making decisions
Good writers only quote only when
the author expresses an important
point in an interesting way.
Part One: Preparing to Write A
Summary
◦Before you write a summary, you must read the
original text a few times, annotating, noting all the
main points and important terminology.

◦Example on the next slide:

TWO PRINCIPLES OF
SUMMARIZING
◦ Principle II
◦Principle I To write a summary, follow these steps:
Summaries include the 1. Read the original text and annotate it.
most important ideas of a 2. In one or two introductory sentences,
longer piece of writing. explain the subject of the text, that is,
what position or problem the text is
They NEVER include your about.
own reactions or 3. Referring to your annotated text,
write the body of your summary,
opinions. using complete sentences and
including all the main points,
necessary definitions of important
terms, and any conclusion or
recommendation.
4. Do not add any of your own opinions.
 HURRICANES
A hurricane is a very powerful storm. It is a cyclonic storm, which means that it
has a circular pattern within the hurricane. The name hurricane refers to storms that
start over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes are called different
names in other oceans of the world. For example, they are called typhoons in the
northwest Pacific. They are called cyclones in most of the rest of the world. They all
have wind speeds that are mostly more than 75 miles per hour. The winds move in a
circular pattern. The central point around which the storm moves is called the eye of
the storm.
These storms usually develop in warm, tropical oceans. They take their energy
from the seawater that evaporates. Hurricanes weaken as they move over land
because they depend on the warm seas to continue to supply energy as the storm
moves. Land also has a much rougher surface than the ocean. Land has much greater
changes in elevation and surface. Hurricanes lose power when the winds meet the
land's surface and cause friction.
Summary of Passage - Hurricanes

Hurricanes are powerful storms that usually start

in the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean. These storms
rely on the ocean for their power and energy, and they
slow down as they make landfall.
 A HOME AFTER A HURRICANE
James Peterson stood proudly with his head high. His blue eyes twinkled
as he looked upon the masterpiece he had created all by himself for his 70-year-
old neighbor, Mr. Tim Martin. Who would believe that a few months ago this place
was nothing but a pile of debris? The hurricane that had struck New Orleans had
claimed innumerable lives and caused immense destruction. James had lost his
wife and little girl, Maria, to nature's fury, but his zest to live did not fade away.
The money Mr. Martin received from the insurance company was insufficient to
rebuild his home. So James decided to step in and construct the house on his
own, using his experience as a builder.
Summary of Passage – A Home
After a Hurricane
A hurricane in New Orleans led to the destruction of life and property.
Despite suffering a great personal loss, James Peterson rebuilt his elderly
neighbor's house all by himself.
TWO COMMON WAYS TO
PRESENT INFORMATION:
◦ Paraphrase
— presents written or spoken content in different words for the purpose of
making the meaning clearer or easier to understand.
— can be longer than an original because it contains explanations for
difficult words and concepts.
◦ Summary
— presents content—usually of something written or spoken—in a
condensed form.
— includes only main points and may even be organized differently from
an original.
Summarize
this:
The use of lasers is restricted only by imagination. Lasers have become
valuable tools in industry, scientific research, communication, medicine, the
military, and the arts. Powerful laser beams can be focused on a small spot with
enormous power density. Consequently, the focused beams can readily heat,
melt, or vaporize material in a precise manner. Lasers have been used, for
example, to drill holes in diamonds, to shape machine tools, to trim
microelectronics, to heat-treat semiconductor chips, to cut fashion patterns, to
synthesize new material, and to attempt to induce controlled nuclear fusion.
The powerful short laser pulse also makes possible high-speed photography
with an exposure time of several trillionths of a second. Highly directional laser
beams were also used for alignment in the construction of the Bay Area Rapid
Transit system in San Francisco.
Answer:
Lasers have nearly unlimited uses is an accurate, one-sentence summary
of this paragraph. The paragraph does not explain what a laser is or how it
works. It simply mentions some of the many applications of lasers.