Guidelines for Writing a Summary

Apply the steps for each section. 

• Find the most important information that tells what the paragraph of group or paragraphs is about.
• Use this information to write a topic sentence. 
• Fine 2-3 main idea and important details that support your topic sentence and show how they are related. 
• Keep the ideas and facts in a logical order that expands on your topic sentence. 
• Combine several term for lists of items or events.
• Do not include unimportant or minor events.
• Do not repeat information. 
• Write the summary in your own words- do not copy information directly from the text.

   

Summary writing is the process of reading a text, identifying the main ideas, and then describing those ideas in your own words. A summary should be brief and include only important ideas or information from the text. Summaries should not include examples or reputations. Summarizing helps you understand and remember information you read.

Outlining  

• Topic sentence: a) Topic sentence 
• Main idea : a) Detail b) Detail
• Main idea : a) Detail b) Detail
• Main idea : a) Detail b) Detail
• Concluding sentence