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Writer's Studio

Writing a Summary

A summary condenses data, information, and/or original interpretive comments and leaves only the major points
A summary can vary in length from one sentence to several pages
Summaries within your own writing must carry an acknowledgment or attribution

Methods

Miniaturization

Eliminate all unnecessary words within paragraphs to distill the content
Combine major ideas
Reform into a prose summary

Outline

Create a paragraph-by-paragraph outline capturing major claims and support
Organize with major claims and support in order of importance
Re-case as a prose summary

Repetition and Variation

Identify the primary claim or idea
Look for repetition and variations of this idea
Join the primary and secondary ideas in a prose summary