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Summarizing is a fundamental skill in academic writing that involves restating the main points of a source in your own words. This article explores the what, why, and how of summarizing, its importance in research papers, and provides tips on reading, organization, and integration.
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Academic English Writing Summarizing Li Xingwen School of Foreign Languages Tongji University
WHAT WHY HOW Summarizing --A fundamental skill in academic writing
WHAT Summarizing Summarizing means to restate briefly the main points of the original source in your own words. Key points: restate...in your own words briefly main points
Summarizing vs. Paraphrasing Both: To restate the original idea in your own words Summarizing • To present only the most important information of the original; • Much shorter than the original • For a paragraph or a longer passage Paraphrasing • To present all the important information of the original; • Roughly of the same length as the original; • For one or two important sentences
WHY Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion Thinking Activity Why is summarizing important to academic writing? In which parts of our research papers is the skill of summarizing most often used?
Summarizing general knowledge or previous studies • Research background Over the past several decades, massive rubber plantations have become major drivers of deforestation and other types of habitat degradation in Southeast Asia and southern Yunnan of China [1–3]. • Literature review Ross (2008) suggested thatreducing the duration of school vacations may help children to retain more of what they learn in class. • Research gap Though numerous researchers have investigated on-line buying behavior over the past decade, however, little research has addressed the relationship between on-line purchasing ("click") and purchases made at physical stores ("bricks").
Methods To begin to better understand the motives of entrepreneurs in English deprived urban neighbourhoods, in 2008 and 2009, a survey of residents and follow-up in-depth interviews were conducted with entrepreneurs living in deprived urban neighbourhoods of the northern English city of Leeds... Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion • Summarizing each previous section to provide transition between sections
Reading Integration Organization HOW
Reading • Thorough understanding; • Grasping main idea and key details; • Eliminating minor details, examples, etc. ①Politicians are not the only ones whose private lives are of interest to the media. ②Famous people of various kinds, including movie stars and royalty, are often closely followed by the press. ③There have been stories of journalists digging through garbbage bins to find little bits of information on the private lives of the rich and famous. ④Some press photographers try to take photographs of famous people in their most private moments to sell to the world's media. ⑤They often use very powerful long lenses so that they can take photos from a distance and spy into people's homes, for example. ⑥These photographers are called paparazzi. (Source: Knox, D. (1990). Living sociology. Belmont: Wadsworth Group.)
Reading • Thorough understanding; • Grasping main idea and key details; • Eliminating minor details, examples, etc. ①Politicians are not the only ones whose private lives are of interest to the media. ②Famous people of various kinds, including movie stars and royalty, are often closely followed by the press.③There have been stories of journalists digging through garbbage bins to find little bits of information on the private lives of the rich and famous. ④Some press photographers try to take photographs of famous people in their most private moments to sell to the world's media. ⑤They often use very powerful long lenses so that they can take photos from a distance and spy into people's homes, for example. ⑥These photographers are called paparazzi. (Source: Knox, D. (1990). Living sociology. Belmont: Wadsworth Group.)
Organization • Restating main idea in your own words; • Inserting key details ; • Producing a tentative summary. Main idea: ②Famous people of various kinds, including movie stars and royalty, are often closely followed by the press. Restatement: This group of photographers are particularly interested in other famous people such as entertainment stars and memebers of royal families.
Organization • Restating main idea in your own words; • Inserting key details; • Producing a tentative summary. Important details:politicians private lives minute details (implied) try every means (implied) paparazzi Tentative summary: Besidespoliticians, paparazzi (this group of photographers) try every means (are particularly interested in) to find outminute details in the private lives ofother famous people such as entertainment stars and memebers of royal families. Restatement: This group of photographers are particularly interested in other famous people such as entertainment stars and memebers of royal families. +
Integration • Restructuring to highlight main idea; • Incorporating the summary into your own writing; • Indicating its source properly. Revised: Besides politicians, other famous people such as entertainment stars and members of royal families also become targets for paparrazzi, who try every possible means to extract minute details in their private life. Tentative: Besides politicians, paparazzi try every means to find out minute details in the private lives of other famous people such as entertainment stars and memebers of royal families.
Integration • Restructuring to highlight main idea; • Incorporating the summary into your own writing; • Indicating its source properly. Final: According to Knox (1990), besides politicians, other famous people such as entertainment stars and members of royal families also become targets for paparrazzi, who try every possible means to extract minute details in their private life.
Assignment Original Starting in the fifteenth century, the reality and the idea of the family were to change: a low and profound revolution, scarcely distinguished by either contemporary observers or later historians, and difficult to recognize. And yet the essential event is quite obious: the extension of school education. We have seen how in the middle ages children's education was ensured by apprenticeship in adults, and that after the age of seven, children lived in families other than their own. Henceforth, on the contrary, education became increasingly a matter for the school. The school ceased to be confined to clerics (神职人员) and became the normal instrument of social initiation, of progress from childhood to manhood. (Souce: Aries, P. 1962. Contemporary Childhood: A Social History of Family Life.)
