Lesson 5 - Basics of Summarizing
Lesson 5 - Basics of Summarizing
What is Summarizing?
It includes the gist or main idea, useful information, or key words or phrases that help
you meet your reading purpose.
Done after reading
Benefits of Summarizing
Deepen your understanding of the text;
Learn to identify relevant information or key ideas;
Capture the key ideas in the text and put them together clearly and concisely.
Guidelines in Summarizing
Clarify your purpose before you read.
Read the text and understand the meaning.
Select and underline or circle the key ideas and phrases while reading; another strategy is
to annotate the text.
Without looking at the text, identify the connections of these key ideas and phrases using a
concept map.
List your ideas in sentences form in a concept map.
Combine the sentences into a paragraph. Use appropriate transitional devices to improve
cohesion.
Ensure that you do not copy a single sentence from the original text.
Edit the draft of your summary by eliminating redundant ideas.
Compare your output with the original text to ensure accuracy.
Formats in Summarizing
In this format, the summarized idea comes after the citation. The author’s name/s is/are
connected by an appropriate reporting verb.
Example:
The study of Kabilan, Ahmad, and Abidin (2010) shows that the students perceived FB as an
online environment to expedite language learning specifically English.
3. Date Heading Format
In this format, the summarized idea comes after the date when the material was
published.
Example:
In their 2004 study on the impact of participatory development approach, Irvin and Stansbury
argue that participation can be valuable to the participants and the government in terms of the
process and outcomes of decision making.