Summary Reports

1. Summary Reports 3rd Trimester Junior English

2. Purpose of a Summary Report • A summary is a condensed version of a longer document.

3. When writing a summary… • Keep the general information • leave out all specifics except the most important details • Separate general information from specific • Prior to writing, make judgments about what information is important enough to keep • base the length on the needs and expectations of the audience

4. To write a summary… • Include the thesis, or the main point, of the original in your first sentence. • Make it clear what you are summarizing early in the summary. • If there is an author/title introduce it in the first sentence. • Decide if your audience needs a few details or only the main ideas. • For longer summaries, pick out only those details that are especially important. • For short summaries, leave out all details.

5. To Write a Summary • Write in present tense. • Be sure to paraphrase, not copy word for word. • Provide adequate transitions to keep the summary from sounding choppy. • End on the same idea as the original.

6. When writing a summary DO NOT… • DO NOT include too many details. • DO NOTgive an opinion about the information in the summary. • A summary should be an objective presentation of what you read or what happened.

7. Format Your summary must include: • A heading (title) centered at the top of the page. • One sentence thesis statement that functions as the “intro paragraph” and describes what will be summarized. • Body paragraphs with only the basic information that relates to your thesis statement. • Paragraphs may be short (4-5 sentences) as long as they contain the essential info.