Summarising

A common misconception is that summary writing is just a writing exercise. However, if you fail to read and understand a text, then anything that you write based on the text may well be less than satisfactory. When reading a text, it is important to understand the overall main message of the writer as well as the details, otherwise what you understand may be contradictory or out of context resulting in your misunderstanding and possible misinterpretation of the writer’s intent.

Skimming an article or section of text can help to get an overall understanding of the main point. Skimming is when you read quickly, without stopping to check the meaning of specific words.

Note-taking

Summaries are usually written for a purpose such as presenting a text or a specific academic’s perspective on something, making notes for a specific essay topic or for key points that you wish to raise in a seminar discussion. Before writing your summary, you may wish to take notes of the key points you want to include. You can choose from well-established methods or perhaps you have created your own over the years. Notes are personal in that you take them for a specific purpose as mentioned previously or you have a specific focus in mind.

Some recognised methods are;

The Flow Method
Cornell Method
The Mapping Method
The Outline Method
The Chart Method
Writing on Slides

or it could be a combination based on the task and focus.

* You can find information on the Internet about the different methods you can use.

Taking notes helps you to make connections between different ideas that you have heard or read on the same or related topics. It also encourages you to use your own words and therefore avoid plagiarism. More successful notes are when you combine what you hear or read with your own critical thoughts based on the purpose of the activity and your previous knowledge of a subject, or what you hope to understand.

Taking notes in live lectures is always a challenge, but as most lectures are now recorded and available online, it is possible to listen without writing a word and then to revisit them at your convenience to take any relevant notes. This allows you to first get the main idea and the stance of the speaker, and then listen again for key points of interest. You can also make connections, ask yourself questions to develop your critical analysis of what is being said, and check any key vocabulary that you couldn’t understand from the context. It is also possible to create your own oral summary in response. The use of technology allows more flexibility and enables you to develop your own style. Technology is a very useful tool and there is now a variety of software available to help you with recording notes both written and oral.

It is important to note that taking screenshots or photographs however are not productive as there is little or no engagement with the content.

Example 1

You have been asked to write a paper on using the flipped classroom approach when teaching a class. Below is the abstract of a paper you found on Google scholar that makes some useful points. Note the key points, then write a paragraph summarising them in your own words as much as possible. Remember to use the correct citation.

Your assignment title is,

The flipped classroom has revolutionised the way academic English is taught in higher education. Discuss.

The present study explores the efficiency of the flipped classroom approach on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students’ academic vocabulary acquisition in comparison with the conventional teaching approach. The efficiency is examined by evaluating students’ post-test performance, self-perceived mental effort employed in completing post-test tasks, and perceptions regarding the learning experiences. To this end, 60 undergraduates divided into flipped (E) and conventional (C) group participated in the survey. Quantitative data analysis revealed that the flipped classroom approach showed higher instructional efficiency than the conventional approach as the E group significantly outperformed the C group and reported investing considerably lower mental effort in completing the post-test tasks. In addition, the E group expressed significantly more positive perceptions toward the learning experience than the C group. Considering the positive results obtained in the study, the article points out the use of the flipped approach as an example of good practice for enhancing academic vocabulary acquisition in EAP context.

Knežević, L., Županec, V. and Radulović, B., 2020. Flipping the classroom to enhance academic vocabulary learning in an english for academic purposes (EAP) course. SAGE Open, 10(3), p.2158244020957052.

Your notes could look like this.

2 groups, flipped and conventional
Quantitative analysis
The flipped classroom was more effective
Flipped group did better in classroom activities
Flipped group found tasks easier
Flipped group had a positive attitude towards their experience
Research supported the learning of academic vocabulary in higher education.

Using your notes, you can write your own summary to include in your assignment as demonstrated below.

Through the use of quantitative analysis of 2 groups of students using a flipped approach and a conventional approach, Knezevic, Zupanec and Radulovic (2020) found that the flipped group did better in classroom activities, found the tasks easier and also had a positive attitude to the learning experience. They also noted that it supported the learning of academic vocabulary.

This paragraph can then be used in your assignment.

*Remember to use the correct citation.

Example 2

You have been asked to write a paper on whether plant life can be categorised as intelligent in the same way as humans. Below is the abstract of a paper you found on Google scholar that makes some useful points. Note the key points, then write a paragraph summarising them in your own words as much as possible. It is important that you focus on what is required rather than noting all of the points. Remember to use the correct citation.

Your assignment title is,

Elements of plant behaviour indicate it is an intelligent form of life similar to humans. Do you agree?

Particularly in the past decade, there has been an ongoing debate whether plants exhibit ‘behavior’ and express ‘intelligence’. Definitions of ‘behavior’ and ‘intelligence’ vary. Intuitively we think of these terms as referring exclusively to humans, but essentially they describe the ability of organisms to respond to environmental challenges in such a way as to optimize fitness. Plants have similar properties. Because plants are sessile, they have to cope with various types of biotic and abiotic stresses in their environment, and possess elaborate, dynamic mechanisms to adjust their growth and development accordingly.

Plants are as adept as animals and humans in reacting effectively to their ever-changing environment. Of necessity, their sessile nature requires specific adaptations, but their cells possess a network-type communication system with emerging properties at the level of the organ or entire plant. The specific adjustments in growth and development of plants can be taken to represent behavior. Their ability to learn from experience and to memorize previous experiences in order to optimize fitness allows effective acclimation to environmental stresses and can be considered a form of intelligence. Intelligent behavior is exemplified by the exceptional versatility of plants to deal with abiotic stresses as well as microbial and insect attack by balancing appropriate defensive reactions.

van Loon, L.C., 2016. The intelligent behavior of plants. Trends in Plant Science, 21(4), pp.286-294.

Your notes could look like this.

Adapt to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as insect attacks.
Have sophisticated ways of adapting their growth and development to suit their environment
Have a system of cells to send information to its entirety.
Can learn from experience and so can adapt to its environment

Using your notes, you can write your own summary to include in your assignment as demonstrated below.

Van Loon (2016) argues that because plants can adapt to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as insect attacks, their behaviour can be described as ‘intelligent’ in the same way as human behaviour. He supports his argument by explaining that they have a sophisticated way of adapting their growth and development to suit their environment. This is indicated by the system of cells used to send information to its entirety as well as its ability to learn from experience enabling it to adapt to its environment.

Practice 1

Here we have Professor Sheehan’s definition of democracy based on the work of others. How could you summarise this to help you to create your own ‘working’ definition?

In defining what constitutes a democracy, most scholars follow a variation of the general criteria laid down by Melvin Small and David Singer (1976), who call for a number of elements to be present. These include the existence of free elections with opposition parties, in which a minimum suffrage exists, with at least 10 percent of the adult population being able to vote. In addition, the country should possess a parliament that has control over the executive branch of government or at the very least enjoys parity with it.

Sheehan, M.J., 2005. International security: an analytical survey (p. 62). Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner. p.34

*Remember to cite any sources you may use to avoid plagiarism unless it is ‘common knowledge’.

Practice 2

Now it's time to focus your activity on texts that you may need to read and understand for your own discipline. Nowadays academic papers from relevant, peer-reviewed, academic journals are the main resource for research for your assignments. You can use your institution's database which will give you access to a wealth of resources, or if you are not enrolled in an institution, you can use Google Scholar which will give you abstracts for numerous texts on all academic disciplines.

Select a paragraph from a paper that you would like to read based on your area of study.
Make notes of the key points using a method that suits your way of thinking.
Now close the original text.
Write a short summary of the text you have read and made notes from.

**Remember to include the reference as you do this as you may not find the text again, or it could take up a lot of your valuable time trying to find it again!

**Avoid using examples from the original text unless it is necessary.