5 Rules for Writing a Summary

1. Collapse lists.  If there is a list of things, supply a word or phrase for the whole list.  For example, if you saw swimming, sailing, fishing, and surfing, you could substitute water sports.

2. Use topic sentences.  Sometimes authors write a sentence that summarizes the whole paragraph.  If so, use that sentence in your summary.  If not, you'll have to make up your own topic sentence.

3. Get rid of unnecessary detail.  Sometimes information is repeated or is stated in several different ways. Some information may be trivial and unnecessary.  Get rid of repetitive or trivial information. Summaries should be short.

4. Collapse paragraphs. Often, paragraphs are related to each other.  For example, some paragraphs simply explain or expand on other paragraphs in a selection.  Some paragraphs are more important than others.  Join the paragraphs that are related.  Important paragraphs should stand alone.

5. Polish the summary.  When you collapse a lot of information from many paragraphs, the resulting summary sometimes sounds awkward and unnatural. There are several ways to remedy this: add connecting words such as like or because, or write introductory or closing statements.  Another method is to paraphrase the material; this will improve your ability to remember what you read and enable you to avoid plagiarism- using the exact words of the author.