The Academic Summary

Value: 10%

Due date: February 2 by 11:30 p.m.

Length: 200-250 words. Please include a word count at the end of your paragraph. Count only
the content of the paragraph itself, not the contents of your title page, header material, title, or
bibliography.

Formatting details: Use a highly readable font (e.g., Arial or Calibri), 12-point type, double
spaced, docx. or .pdf only. Include your full name, student number, my name, course + section,
and the date. Also, use APA Style for both your parenthetical in-text citations and your
bibliography. The UVic Library has developed “quick guide” for you:
• https://www.uvic.ca/library/research/documents/apa7.pdf

Submission details: Use the Brightspace dropbox for this assignment.

The following assignment description provides a detailed overview of how you might want to
proceed to complete any writing assignment. Follow each step and you will be well-prepared for
the types of academic writing you are expected to complete at university.

Purpose or Why Are You Doing This?

A major part of academic writing is summarizing and then responding to what others say.
Academic writers—and that includes you—must consistently research the work that others have
done in our chosen fields (e.g., biology, linguistics, computer science, music, etc.) and
summarize their findings and arguments. Then, we can respond by building on what they have
said or by debating their work with other readers—our own audiences. Your next major
assignment will work on building skills is persuasively responding. This assignment shows me
that you have learned two of the essential conventions of academic writing: summarizing and
paraphrasing.

Building on what you have learned about academic genres and conventions, you will practice
the active reading and writing skills necessary to capture the essential position and main points
of an academic article in your own words. You’ll select ONE article to summarize from the
options provided on Brightspace.

What Do You Need to Do?

1. For starters, pick the article you want to summarize. (Hint: Read all three of articles and
select the one whose argument you most readily agree with.) Do this without delay.

2. Use key reading strategies you learned in class to identify the main claim and key
supporting points. Your goal is to develop an objective representation of this article in
your own words. Although limited paraphrasing is allowed (cited appropriately, of
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course), do not quote the article, and do not respond to the article; in other words, avoid
the compulsion to add your “two cents’ worth”!

3. Imagine that your audience is a fellow ATWP 135 student—a classmate who has not
read the article but needs to be informed about the position it puts forward. Try to
communicate clearly. Even though you are writing for a peer, your context is scholarly.
Again, remember that you should not include your own views or claims; instead, focus
on what the article says and communicate these points to your imagined reader. Apply
what you have learned about writing in a neutral manner.

Writing Process, or How Do You Complete this Assignment?

Think of this section as a helpful guide. The following steps are suggested to support your
writing process. It’s no secret that summary writing is difficult, but your practice summary writing
assignment should help prepare you. Now you are ready to condense a piece of online
academic writing. This is your chance to build the skills you will need to summarize a peer-
reviewed article in the research paper (later in the course).

You will need to proceed in stages, and it will require time and effort. If you are not sure how to
complete a given task in one of the steps, please do not hesitate to ask for help from me or from
a CAC tutor. You can also post a question in the discussion threads for the assignment. I
strongly recommend you stick to the process below:

1. Choose one of the three articles posted in Module Two of Brightspace under “The
Academic Summary Assignment.” After reading the articles, select one that develops an
argument you agree with.

2. As you read the article, keeping in mind both the assignment (as laid out in these steps)
and the marking rubric (included below), underline key action words (e.g., “discuss,”
“summarize,” “consider,” “read,” “review,” and so forth). Make sure you know what you
are being asked to do. If there is anything you do not understand, revisit your notes and
material posted in Brightspace. You will find not only this assignment description and the
reading options but also discussion threads where you can ask your questions.

3. Read the article carefully. Do this several times. You are looking to identify: (1) the main
argument (i.e., the position of the author[s]), (2) supporting claims and reasons, and (3)
evidence used. Be sure to read actively by annotating and taking notes.

4. Review your notes and the article as many times as necessary; review course material
on best practices for summarizing too (you will find it all in Module Two).

5. Now, set aside your notes and the article and close the windows on your computer.
Start writing a draft of your summary (i.e., the “précis”). Because you have to present
the article’s ideas in your own words, avoid looking at the original article during this step.

6. Read through your draft. Has this summary captured the main argument? Have you
compressed the important supporting claims and evidence, and yet captured them
accurately, logically, and effectively? Reflect on the lessons learned so far and
materials/templates provided, especially in Module Two’s sub-module “Summaries,
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Paraphrasing, and Quoting.” Have you followed the appropriate conventions for this
kind of summary writing? Make any changes needed.

7. You have now reached the stage where you have to be 100% certain that what you have
written is really in your own words. Avoid patchwriting. A paraphrase or two is fine
(cited properly, of course); however, you need to focus on the key, general points of the
entire article, not on specific sentences or phrases. Here, you must double-check to
ensure your summary is not replicating language or sentence structures from the original
text. Please make sure that you have not used direct quotations in your summary.

8. Read through your draft once more to check for accuracy. If no further revisions are
needed, ensure you have cited it properly by double-checking with the guides provided.
Now, proofread it for punctuation or grammar errors. Congratulations! You have a draft.
Take a little break and then revise, revise, and revise some more. J

Don’t forgot to add source information

For all sources referred to in your assignment, be sure to provide in-text citations as needed and
bibliographic entries. There will probably be just one source used: the article you have chosen.
Refer to the UVic Library Quick Guide (see the link on the first page).

Grading Rubric
A level grade (80-100%)

The Summary shows an in-depth understanding of how to condense complex information with
skill and accuracy. The author understands how to paraphrase and cites each paraphrase
properly. The conventions of this kind of summary writing are followed expertly.

The writing is pleasurable to read because the author has, for example, transitioned between
ideas effectively, used a variety of sentence structures, and included relevant and even
compelling vocabulary. These features are appropriate for the audience, context, and purpose.

An A+ can become an A or A- if the author loses control of the summary—for instance, if the
writing contains errors or is not consistent. An A- level summary may have a few small errors in
writing mechanics or perhaps not enough evidence or evidence that is not integrated as well as
it could be. There might be other problems not listed here, but I will make these clear in my
feedback. However, all A level grades show a skill level that is impressive.

B level grade (70-79%)

The Summary shows a strong understanding of how to condense complex information with skill
and accuracy. The author understands how to paraphrase and cites each instance accurately.
The conventions of summary writing are followed effectively.

A B+ almost exceeds expectations, but there may be issues that stop the paper from being an
A-. The issue may be that the writing has too many errors to reach the A level. It could be that
the author has lost control or sight of this being a summary. This can happen when detailed
evidence or explanation is overused or underused. When these issues start to add up, then an
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assignment might drop to a B or B- level. A B- is indicative that the student might need more
support from the Centre for Academic Communication or from me.

C level grade (60 to 69%)

The Summary shows a developing understanding of how to condense complex information with
some skill and accuracy. The author understands how to paraphrase and cites each instance.
The conventions of summary writing are usually followed; however, patchwriting may be evident
(i.e., simply re-wording or re-ordering key sentences from the article rather than condensing a
major idea or argument that relates to the entire article).

The writing is pleasurable to read at times, even though other issues evident with the
vocabulary or sentence structure or some other factor that impedes reading somewhat. That
said, these errors would not be overwhelming for the reader.

A C+ comes close to being good. However, the works can still be considered solid in several
areas, even though there are issues that stop the summary from being a B-. It may be that the
writing has too many errors, or that the author has lost control of the summary. This can happen
when detailed evidence and explanation is overused or underused. When these issues start to
add up, then an assignment might drop to a C level. A low C is indicative that the student needs
support from the Centre for Academic Communication and should ask for help.

D level Grade (50 to 59%) or Fail (49% or below)

Please e-mail the instructor to set up an appointment to discuss this paper and a possible
rewrite/resubmission opportunity. The idea is to meet and discuss your work; this is meant to
support you on your writing journey. You will not be judged as a person or admonished in any
way. Instead, I will identify what is working and, more importantly, identify things you can do to
improve! J

In addition to this assignment specific rubric, the overall rubric for grading first year writing at the
University of Victoria applies to this assignment. Please review this rubric carefully. (If the
embedded link does not work, here is the URL:
https://www.uvic.ca/humanities/english/undergraduate/resources/firstyeargrading/index.php)