SUMMARIZING

• What is a summary?

  A summary is a short overview of an entire discussion or argument.
• Why might someone summarize a research paper?

  To condense the information into a single paragraph or bullet points using their own words and style.
• When do people often summarize material?

  When the original material is long and to emphasize key facts or points.
• What do summaries leave out?

  Details or examples that may distract the reader from the most important information.
• How do summaries simplify complex arguments?

  By simplifying complex arguments, grammar, and vocabulary.
• What is the purpose of restatement in summarizing?

  To clarify the meaning of a text by rephrasing the original using one's own words.
• How does restatement differ from simply changing some words in the original material?

  Restatement requires changing the flow of ideas, not just substituting words.
• What does it involve when copying short sentences or passages from the original text?

  It involves copying them word-for-word.
• What should you use when copying text word-for-word?

  You should use quotation marks and also cite the source materials.
• What are the key components of summarizing a text?

  • Short overview of the discussion or argument
  • Use of own words and style
  • Emphasis on key facts or points
  • Omission of distracting details or examples
  • Simplification of complex arguments, grammar, and vocabulary
• What is the purpose of summarizing?

  To condense information into a shorter, clearer form
• What are the characteristics of a good summary?

  It should be simple, brief, and accurate
• What does the acronym "Somebody Wanted But So Then" help identify in a story?

  It helps identify the main character, their desire, the problem, the solution, and the ending
• What does each part of "Somebody Wanted But So Then" represent?

  • Somebody: Who is the story about?
  • Wanted: What does the main character want?
  • But: What problem does the main character encounter?
  • So: How does the main character solve the problem?
  • Then: How does the story end?
• What does the SAAC method stand for?

  State, Assign, Action, Complete
• What are the steps of the SAAC method?


  1. State: Name of the article, book, or story
  2. Assign: Name of the author
  3. Action: What the author is doing (tells, explains)
  4. Complete: Complete the sentence or summary with keywords and important details
• What are the 5 W's and 1 H used for in summarizing a story?

  • Who: Who is the story about?
  • What: What did they do?
  • When: When did the action take place?
  • Where: Where did the story happen?
  • Why: Why did the main character do what he/she did?
  • How: How did the main character do what she/he did?
• What are the steps in the "First, Then, Finally" method for summarizing?


  1. First: What happened first? Include the main character and main action.
  2. Then: What key details took place during the event/action?
  3. Finally: What were the results of the event/action?
• What does it mean to "give me the gist" of a story?

  • It means to provide a summary of the story
  • Not a retelling of every detail
• When is summarizing useful?

  • In many types of writing and at different points in the writing process
  • To support an argument
  • To provide context for a paper’s thesis
  • To write literature reviews
  • To annotate a bibliography