The objective summary provides an efficient way to preview information to use (or not) in a project or assignment. Many on-line periodical indexes include “thumbnail” summaries -- also called abstracts -- that distill the essential contents of articles. Researchers and students can quickly identify information relevant to the research or study topic, with a minimum of browsing.
Headlines offer super-condensed summaries of news stories and features, as in: “Governor Picketed By Same-Sex Advocates." Sometimes subheads elaborate on the headline, as in: “Good Genes Make Good Syrup: Bobby Smith Continues Family Maple Tradition.” These devices make it easy for readers to skim-read and find articles of interest.
The Summary as a Study Aid
Lab or lecture notes and even your own rough essay drafts can be distilled into one-paragraph summaries that you can use for quick review before an exam or when pre-writing. An accurate, objective summary is often the launching pad for a successful exam essay, particularly in the humanities.
Anatomy of an Objective Summary
An effective summary concisely describes, in your own words and without editorializing, the thesis and major points in a source text. It differs from an outline insofar as it is composed of full sentences, but summaries are often drawn from outlines in the process of distilling the material down further.
An effective summary meets the following four requirements:
- It is brief. Rule of thumb: no longer than 250 words.
- It is complete. It includes the thesis (topic plus controlling idea) of the source text.
- It is accurate. It is faithful to the facts, emphasis, and spirit of the source.
- It is objective. It strives to report what the original writer intended, without embellishment.
What an Effective Summary Does Not Do
An effective summary does not copy, imitate, or repeat any part of the source material without giving proper credit. When researching or studying, it is imperative to keep a stack of index cards handy—or open a special subfolder in your writing program—so you can record the complete source before you begin.
Subjectivity on your part has no place in a summary. Subjective reactions, interpretations, and opinions (editorializing) defeat the purpose of the summary and are a waste of time. If you feel the urge to react, editorialize, or speculate, scribble your thoughts on scrap paper and save them for a different writing assignment.
Be wary of “putting words in the other writer’s mouth.” Second-guessing the writer only results in confusion, distortion, or misrepresentation.
Figure. 1: Reading for Summarizing
This illustration lists strategies for reading with the goal of summarizing. This kind of reading is called “active” because it calls upon the reader to interact directly with the text. The key consideration here is to gain a thorough understanding of the source material.
Figure 2: Worksheet
This worksheet is designed to help you separate your personal viewpoints from those expressed in the original text. After reading the original, do the focused freewrite to clear your mind of subjective responses, then brainstorm the five W’s.
Figure 3: Drafting the Summary
Your summary will capture the main point of the original text, based on your active processing of the text.
The main point to remember about the summary is that it is a bare-bones technique for bringing into focus the essential topic and controlling idea(s) of the source material, without digressing into critical analysis or dwelling on the non-essential. The summary is simply a means to an end.
Julia Purdy - My background includes an M.A. in English and a B.A. in Art History. I have a strong background in writing and teaching, and have ...
