Before Reading Summarizing is used to support an argument, provide

context for a paper’s thesis, write literature reviews,

✦ Establish your purpose for reading and annotate a bibliography. The benefit of
✦ Speculate about the author’s purpose for writing summarizing lies in showing the "big picture," which
✦ Review what you already know and want to learn allows the reader to contextualize what you are saying.
about the topic (see the guides below) In addition to the advantages of summarizing for the
✦ Preview the text to get an overview of its structure, reader, as a writer, you gain a better sense of where
looking at headings, figures, tables, glossary, etc. you are going with your writing, which parts need
✦ Predict the contents of the text and pose questions elaboration, and whether you have comprehended the
about it. If the authors have provided discussion information you have collected.
questions, read them and write them on a note-taking
sheet Various techniques
✦ Note any discussion questions that have been
provided (sometimes at the end of the text) 1. Read the work first to understand the author’s
intent. This is a crucial step because an incomplete
During Reading reading could lead to an inaccurate summary. Note:
an inaccurate summary is a plagiarism!
✦ Annotate and mark (sparingly) sections of the text to 2. One of the summarization techniques you can do is
easily recall important or interesting ideas to present information through facts, skills, and
✦ Check your predictions and find answers to posed concepts in visual formats. You can provide the
questions cause and effects charts, timelines, and Venn
✦ Use headings and transition words to identify diagrams, templates for outlines, use flow charts or
relationships in the text infographics.
✦ Create a vocabulary list of other unfamiliar words to 3. To avoid difficulty, you need first to know the main
define later points and the supporting details. You can exclude
✦ Try to infer unfamiliar words’ meanings by any illustrations, examples, or explanations.
identifying their relationship to the main idea 4. You need to analyze the text to save time in
✦ Connect the text to what you already know about thinking about what you will do.
the topic 5. Think about what information you will put in your
✦ Take breaks (split the text into segments if summary. Be sure to cover the main points and
necessary) arguments of the document.
6. One of the best things to do in auto summarizing is
After Reading
restating the words into a different one. You should
✦ Summarize the text in your own words (note what avoid using the original words of the author instead;
you learned, impressions, and reactions) in an outline, use your own vocabulary but be sure to retain the
concept map, or matrix (for several texts) information.
✦ Talk to someone about the author’s ideas to check 7. You will fully understand what the document is
your comprehension when you organize all ideas.
✦ Identify and reread difficult parts of the text 8. One of the things you can do is to write down all
✦ Define words on your vocabulary list and practice information in a coherent and precise form. Keep in
using them mind that a summary is a condensed version of the
original paper, so avoid making it long.
SUMMARIZING 9. You can also decide to represent information by
using dimensional constructions in representing
 reducing text concepts, skills, or facts.
 “simply, briefly, and accurately” 10. Paraphrasing is one of the skills you can do in
 clearly articulating writing a summary. With it, do not use the same
 condensed version words as the author.
 thesis statement
 most important facts or ideas PARAPHRASING
 main ideas
Paraphrasing on the other hand is a restatement of the
 a short and clear form
main idea and supporting details of a text and may
 one-third or one-quarter its original size
match the length of the original work you are using for
your output. so paraphrasing may be considered more - It focuses your ideas into one or two sentences
challenging than summarizing, paraphrasing allows very each. It present the topic of the paper and
little opportunities to misinterpretation on the part of make a comment about your position in
the reader as you account for both major and minor relation to the topic. Your thesis statement
points. should tell your reader what the paper is about
and also help guide your writing and keep your
1. Read the text thoroughly noting both main ideas argument focused.
and supporting details. If controlled with a longer
text, you may outline these ideas to be able to EXPLICIT
distinguish and the major points from the minor
ones. In academic writing, the thesis is often explicit: it is
2. After identifying these, carefully state the major and included as a sentence as part of the text. It might be
minor points in your own words making sure that near the beginning of the work, but not always–some
the relationship between and among these ideas types of academic writing leave the thesis until the
are observed. conclusion.
3. Finally, when the paraphrase is done, compare your Journalism and reporting also rely on explicit thesis
work with the original to make sure that the original statements that appear very early in the piece–the first
intentions of the author are not changed. paragraph or even the first sentence.

WAYS OF PARAPHRASING IMPLICIT

 Literal paraphrasing Works of literature, on the other hand, usually do not

– This type only replaces vocabulary terms from the contain a specific sentence that sums up the core
original text. concept of the writing. However, readers should finish
 Structural paraphrasing the piece with a good understanding of what the work
– This type changes the sentence structure as well was trying to convey. This is what’s called
as the word class of keywords of the original text. an implicit thesis statement: the primary point of the
 Alternative paraphrasing reading is conveyed indirectly, in multiple locations
– In this type, the writer first poses questions about throughout the work. (In literature, this is also referred
There are also several ways in paraphrasing: the to as the theme of the work.)
text such as what is the text about? How is the main Academic writing sometimes relies on implicit thesis
idea supported? What is the stand of the author statements, as well.
about the topic? Then, the writer proceeds with
4Qs TO ASK WHEN FORMULATING THESIS
answering these questions after reading the text
STATEMENT:
using their own words making sure that all ideas are
still connected leading to the novel use of language. 1. Where is your thesis statement?
THESIS STATEMENT You should provide a thesis early in the essay – in the
introduction, or in longer essays in the second
- a statement that summarizes your topic and
paragraph – to establish your position and giver your
declares your position on it
reader a sense of direction.
- tells the reader how you will interpret the
significance of the subject matter under  Avoid burying a great thesis statement in the
discussion middle of a paragraph or late in the paper.
- is a road map for the paper; in other words, it  Be as clear and as specific as possible; avoid vague
tells the reader what to expect from the rest of words.
the paper  Indicate the point of your paper but avoid sentence
- The central ideal of a multiple-paragraph structures like, “The point of my paper is…”
composition. It is a one sentence summary that
guides, controls, and unifies ideas when writing 2. Is your thesis statement specific?
a paper. In simple terms, all the other ideas
present in an essay revolve around the thesis  Are there two large statements connected loosely
statement. by a coordinating conjunction?
 Would a subordinating conjunction help to signal a structure, and to further flesh out and develop points. It
relationship between two sentences? allows the writer to understand how he or she will
 Or do the two statements imply a fuzzy unfocused connect information to support the thesis statement
thesis? and the claims of the paper.
 If so, settle on one single focus and then proceed It is a helpful guide in organizing your paper. Outlines
with further development. give a visual structure to your work and are used to
show relationships and hierarchies within your content.
3. Is your thesis statement too general? To outline, you must create a linear, organized plan for
your paper that shows the main ideas that you will
Your thesis should be limited to what can be
discuss as well as their relationships within the paper.
accomplished in the specified number of pages. Shape
your topic so that you can get straight to the "meat" of Organizing your idea in an outline
it. Being specific in your paper will be much more
successful than writing about general things that do not ❑ Begin by answering the question that leads to your
say much. Don't settle for three pages of just skimming thesis statement.
the surface. ❑ Use the two or three main ideas from this technique
as your main heading.
Original Thesis: There are serious objections to today's ❑ Write subtopics for each main idea.
horror movies. ❑ Write the supporting details for each of the
Revised theses: subtopics.
(1) Because modern cinematic techniques have allowed
filmmakers to get more graphic, horror flicks have 1. Sentence outline
desensitized young American viewers to violence. – Using complete sentences as entries.
(2) The pornographic violence in "bloodbath" slasher 2. Topic outline
movies degrades both men and women. Today's slasher – Using words and phrases as entries.
movies fail to deliver the emotional catharsis that 1930s 3. Paragraph outline
horror films did. – Using paragraphs as entries.

4. Is your thesis statement clear? Guidelines in Writing an Outline:

Your thesis statement is no exception to your writing: it  Place the title at the center above the outline.
needs to be as clear as possible. By being as clear as  Every level of the outline must have at least two
possible in your thesis statement, you will make sure items (I and II, A and B, 1 and 2, a and b).
that your reader understands exactly what you mean.  Put a period after each numeral and letter .
Unless you're writing a technical report, avoid technical  Indent each new level of the outline.
language. Always avoid jargon, unless you are confident  All items of one kind (roman numerals, capital
your audience will be familiar with it. letters, Arabic numerals, small letters) should
line up with each other.
• Avoid vague words such as "interesting." "  Capitalize the first letter of each item.
negative," "exciting."" unusual, and 'difficult."  The terms Introduction, Body, and Conclusion
• Avoid abstract words such as "society." "values," or do not have to be included in the outline. They
"culture." are not topics; they are merely organizational
Original thesis: Although the timber wolf is a timid and units in the writer’s mind.
gentle animal, it is being systematically exterminated. [if A CITATION is a way of giving credit to individuals for
it's so timid and gentle -- why is it being exterminated?] their creative and intellectual works that you utilized to
Revised thesis: Although the timber wolf is a timid and support your research. It can also be used to locate
gentle animal, it is being systematically exterminated particular sources and combat plagiarism. Typically, a
because people wrongfully believe it to be a fierce and citation can include the author's name, date, location of
cold blooded killer. the publishing company, journal title, or DOI (Digital
OUTLINING Object Identifier).

Outlining is a tool we use in the writing process to help A CITATION STYLE dictates the information necessary
organize our ideas, visualize our paper's potential for a citation and how the information is ordered, as
well as punctuation and other formatting
 American Psychological Modern Language
Association (APA) Association (MLA)
Social sciences (i.e.
Humanities and related
psychology, sociology, and
areas (i.e. literature)
linguistics)
Focuses on date of
Focuses on authorship: “…
publication: “…(Smith &
(Smith and Johnson)”
Johnson, 2009)”
Format is designed for
Format is designed for
comparison of research
ease of presentation
and determining relevance
Often thought of as more Often viewed as “easier”
difficult by students to follow by students
Commonly taught as an Commonly taught first to
alternative citation style students

Comparing In-Text Citations

• In-text citations are used when you need to give

credit to an author for using a quote (exact
wording), paraphrasing (rewording), or discussing
his/her ideas. Example: (Mathis and Jones, 2009, pg.
74)
• All in-text citations for MLA and APA must reference
the author’s name.
• Reference to the page number or publication year
depends on the situation and citation style.
• When using APA, always give the year of
publication.
• When quoting, always give the page number in
MLA & APA.
• When paraphrasing or simply referencing, no
page number is needed for either style