

Rearranging the writer’s words or just changing a few words is not paraphrasing.Ĥ. Reread the original and check your rephrasing for accuracy. "In Talk, Marguerite Del Guidice argues that."ģ. Consider beginning your paraphrase with the writer’s name, for example: Turn the original over and write down your understanding of the text. Paraphrase is roughly equivalent in length to the original.ġ. Paraphrasing works well for discussing one point from an article or book. When you paraphrase effectively, you are restating the writer’s words in your own words without condensing anything. Has not read the original source but wants to understand what it says?ħ.

Would your summary make sense to a reader other than yourself, especially one who.Have you discussed the author’s most important concepts or terms in your own words?.Have you followed the same order or sequence of ideas that the original writer used?.Have you accurately communicated the main idea and supporting points?.Check your draft against the original source: Write: According to Deford (2000).(See page 4 for examples from various formats.)Ħ. Begin your summary with the original writer’s name, for example, in APA you might Using your new sentences, write a first draft of your summary.ĥ. New sentences will become the body of your summary.Ĥ. Read the original text a second time to check the accuracy of your rewording. Without looking at the original, write your summed up understanding of the section. Minimize the screen, or turn the text over. Make sure you understand what you are reading. Read the section straight through from beginning to end. Summaries also includeĪbstracts, but abstracts are a different style of writing (see the WaLC’s websiteįor more advice on those.) When you need to summarize:ġ. Rarely more than twenty percent of the length of the original. Summary is your "sum" of the writer’s thinking. Use summaries when you want to briefly discuss an extended section of a text.

Summarizing involves condensing the writer’s ideas into their essence using your own words.
