Integrating Research by Summarizing Purpose of a Summary
Can be useful for sources that you will see extensively
Provides helpful background information – helps the reader understand
the context
Features of the Summary
Shorter than the original text – offer no details
Neutral – do not include your opinion
Accurate – be careful not to misconstrue ideas
Uses your own words – write in your voice
Summary Sentences
Two parts of the summary sentence
o Identifying information
o Position (theirs, not yours)
Example: In his essay “Against School” Jogn Taylor Gatto, retired 27-
year veteran teacher, argues that Americans should not depend on the
school system for their education.
Summarizing Part of a Text
An except from The Language Wars: A History of Proper English by
Henry Hitchings:
o No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to
spread. Internationally, the desire to learn it is insatiable. In the
twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more
middle class, and the adoption of English is a symptom of this,
for increasingly English serves as culture. It is dominant or at
least very prominent in other areas such as shipping, diplomacy,
computing, medicine and education (300).
This sample summary is biased, distorted; this not an acceptable
summary
o In The Language Wars, Hitchings says that everyone wants to
learn English because it is the best language in the world (300).
This sample summary is effective. Model your work after this example:
o According to Hitchings, English has become the go-to choice for
global communications and has spread quickly as the language
of commerce and ideas (300).
Required Citations
Can be useful for sources that you will see extensively
Provides helpful background information – helps the reader understand
the context
Features of the Summary
Shorter than the original text – offer no details
Neutral – do not include your opinion
Accurate – be careful not to misconstrue ideas
Uses your own words – write in your voice
Summary Sentences
Two parts of the summary sentence
o Identifying information
o Position (theirs, not yours)
Example: In his essay “Against School” Jogn Taylor Gatto, retired 27-
year veteran teacher, argues that Americans should not depend on the
school system for their education.
Summarizing Part of a Text
An except from The Language Wars: A History of Proper English by
Henry Hitchings:
o No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to
spread. Internationally, the desire to learn it is insatiable. In the
twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more
middle class, and the adoption of English is a symptom of this,
for increasingly English serves as culture. It is dominant or at
least very prominent in other areas such as shipping, diplomacy,
computing, medicine and education (300).
This sample summary is biased, distorted; this not an acceptable
summary
o In The Language Wars, Hitchings says that everyone wants to
learn English because it is the best language in the world (300).
This sample summary is effective. Model your work after this example:
o According to Hitchings, English has become the go-to choice for
global communications and has spread quickly as the language
of commerce and ideas (300).
Required Citations
