Find out how to Write a Summary, Analysis, and Response Essay Paper

 

Steps in Writing a Summary

A summary is telling the main ideas of the article in your own words. These are the steps to writing a great summary:

1. Read the article, one paragraph at a time.
2. For each paragraph, underline the main idea sentence (topic sentence). (If you can't underline the book, write that sentence on your computer or a piece of paper.)
3. When you finish the article, read all the underlined sentences.
4. In your own words, write down one sentence that conveys the main idea. Start the sentence using the name of the author and title of article (see format below).
5. Continue writing your summary by writing the other underlined sentences in your own words. Remember that you need to change both the words of the sentence and the word order. For more information, see How to Write a Summary of an Article.
6. Don't forget to use transition words to link your sentences together. See my list of easy transition words to help you write your summary more effectively and make it more interesting to read.
7. Re-read your summary. Does it flow well? Are there too many details? Not enough? Your summary should be as short and concise as possible.  

Sample Summary Format

Author Tag: You need to start your summary by telling the name of the article and the author. Here are three examples of how to do that (pay close attention to the punctuation):

1. In “How the Civil War Began," historian John Jones explains...
2. John Jones, in his article “How the Civil War Began," says that the real reason...
3. "How the Civil War Began," by historian John Jones, describes....

First Sentence of Summary: Along with including the article's title and author's name, the first sentence of the summary should be the main point of the article. It should answer the question: What is this essay about? (thesis). Example:

In "How the Civil War Began" by John Jones, the author argues that the real reason for the start of the Civil War was not slavery, as many believe, but was instead the clash of cultures and greed for cash.

Rest of Summary: The rest of your summary is going to give the reasons and evidence for that main statement. In other words, what is the main point the writer is trying to make and what are the supporting ideas he or she uses to prove it? Does the author bring up any opposing ideas, and if so, what does he or she do to refute them? Here is a sample sort of sentence:

___________ is the issue addressed in “(article's title)” by (author's name). The thesis of this essay is ___________ . The author’s main claim is ___________ and his/her sub claim is ___________ . The author argues ___________ . Other people argue ___________ . The author refutes these ideas by saying ___________ . His/her conclusion is ___________ .

How often do you mention the author? While you don't have to use an author tag in every sentence of a summary, you need to be clear when you are giving ideas that are taken from the article, and when you are saying your own ideas. In general, you want to be sure that you always use the author's name and the article title when you start the summary, and that you use the author's last name in the last sentence of the summary to make it clear you are still talking about the author's ideas. In a research paper, you would then put an parenthetical citation or footnote, which tells the reader you are finished using that source.