A summary is a condensed version of information. A excellent summary has three main characteristics: it is succinct, accurate, and objective. Conciseness: A summary, unlike a paraphrase, condenses information. This is important because the more information you give, the more options you have and the harder it is to make a choice. Accuracy: The most effective summaries are also accurate. They present a clear picture of the topic at hand. Objectivity: Summaries should be unbiased and neutral. They should not favor one side or the other.
In writing a good summary, you want to include all the important information but only write down what needs to be said rather than everything that could be said about a topic. This makes your summary concise and efficient.
The purpose of a summary is to get a message across in a short amount of time. It can be done by simply listing out the major points without going into detail. For example, if you were describing a book to someone then you would list the main characters, the setting, and the plot without getting into depth with each element. A good summary does the same thing but in a much shorter time.
Effective summaries use language that readers understand. This means avoiding scientific terminology unless you're trying to explain something technical to someone who is not familiar with your field of study.
The degree of density can vary; for example, although a two-hundred-page book can be summarized in fifty words, a twenty-five-page piece can be summarized in five hundred words. Accuracy: A good summary should be accurate both in what is included and in how it is expressed. For example, a summary should not state that X says Y when actually X does not say Y at all. Objectivity: Finally, a good summary should be unbiased and unemotional. It should present information accurately but not favor one view over another.
In conclusion, a good summary is one that is concise, accurate, and objective.
As we will see, all good summary documents include these elements.
First, the summary must be concise. A summary should tell us what the document is about in one simple sentence or less. An example that fails to do so would be "The new boss came into office, hired several people away from their former employers, and then was himself hired by the company." While this description tells us that there is more documentation involved, it isn't any shorter or easier to follow than if we just read the first page.
Second, the summary must be accurate. It should not contain information that is not found in the documented material. For example, if a document contains information about two different methods for performing a task but chooses to discuss only one of them, the summary should indicate this fact. The summary also should not reflect opinions that are not shared by others involved with the project. If someone feels strongly about the merits of one method over another, they should be able to express this opinion in the summary without fear of retribution from their employer.
Third, the summary must be objective. It should not contain personal opinions about the subject matter at hand.
A summary is a high-level overview of the entire work that is intended to be read and comprehended in a few minutes. Your summary should begin with a brief introduction that explains to the reader what material it is summarizing. You should separate the important issues and provide a brief explanation for each one. Include any major developments or changes in approach over previous versions of the work.
Effective summaries make complex works accessible to readers who are not familiar with the subject matter. They help them understand the main ideas and concepts without getting lost in details that may not be relevant to their needs. When writing your summary, keep in mind that you are trying to communicate these key ideas to your audience:
The purpose of the summary is to get people interested in reading the full article. Therefore, it should be written in a way that grabs the reader's attention and makes him want to continue reading. The best way to do this is by creating a narrative that tells a story about the subject.
In addition to being interesting, summary paragraphs must also be accurate. This means that you need to include only the necessary information required by the reader to understand the topic covered in the full article. Avoid giving away major plot points or conclusions of the study.
Finally, a good summary paragraph should be concise. There is no point in wasting space describing things that will be found in the full article.
You should separate the major ideas and provide a brief explanation for each one....
A summary starts with an introduction phrase that describes the title, author, and primary point of the book as you view it. A summary is composed entirely of your own words. A summary simply covers the main points of the original text. In a summary, do not include any of your own ideas, interpretations, deductions, or remarks. You can include reference to relevant parts of the source material, but only those parts that help you to understand the book better.
Examples: "John Locke's Two Treatises of Government explain how government works in general and what rights people have in particular. The essays in this anthology explore different aspects of politics and political philosophy from his work." "Cato's Letters are a series of letters written by Roman senator and statesman Cato the Younger to his son about life, politics, and values. This volume contains several of these letters that deal with politics and policy."
You should be aware that a book review is also a form of summary. As such, it too must cover the main points of the source material. However, a book review may contain the author's own analysis of the book, opinions about its content, and suggestions for future reading. For example: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a novel for young adults about a boy who moves to London to live with his great-uncle Dudley, who is a wizard. This anthology includes some of J K Rowling's early poems that were published in magazines before she started writing children's books."