1. Use
your own words as much as possible, and if you quote from the story, use
quotation marks.
2. Accurately
reflect the author’s emphasis while refraining from including your own opinion.
3. Identify
the author and the title of the story or article, preferably in the first
paragraph.
4. Preserve
the order and emphasis of the original work.
5. Refer
to the author throughout your summary response.
For example:
“Dr. Thompson believes that….”
“Thompson
recognizes the importance of….”
“He suggests
that the solution to the problem is….”
6. a). Be
comprehensive.
Your summary
should include everything essential to an accurate understanding of the article
for the person who reads your summary.
b). Be
selective.
Don’t include
unimportant details. Choose only those basic parts of the story that are
necessary to a proper understanding of the story.
c). Be
brief.
A
summary should present the general idea in less than one-third of the story’s
original length. It is possible, although difficult, to summarize a story in
only one or two sentences.
7. Review
your summary. After you write your summary, ask yourself these questions:
l
Did I use my own words to summarize the story, unless I quoted from the
story?
l
Does the summary accurately reflect the story? (Remember: My opinion
should not stated.)
l
Did I mention the name of the author and the title of the story?
l
Did I refer the author and what the author said?
l
Did I forget any important points?
l
Did I include any unimportant, unnecessary details?
l
Is my summary short? (Remember: No longer than one-third the original
size of the story.)