Topic 7: Summary and Abstract

Objectives:
1. The students are able to mention what a summary is.
2. The students are able to mention how to summarize an article.
3. The students are able to mention what the abstract is.
4. The students are able to mention the purposes of an abstract.

A. How to Write a Summary of an Article (By: Virginia Kearney)

When should you summarize an article?
 To show how an author's ideas support your argument
 To argue against the author's ideas
 To condense a lot of information into a small space
 To increase your understanding of an article

What is a Summary?
A great summary is easy to read and explains all of the main points in the original.
Important points to remember:
 The main idea of the article is conveyed clearly and concisely.
 The summary is written in the unique style of the writer
 The summary is much shorter than the original document
 The summary explains all of the important notions and arguments
 The summary condenses a lot of information into a small space

How Do You Summarize an Article?

Summarizing an article can be boiled down to three simple steps.
1. Identify the main idea or topic.
2. Identify important arguments.
3. Write your summary.

1. Identify the Main Idea or Topic

The aim of an article is to convey a certain idea or topic through the use of
exposition and logic. In a summary, you want to identify the main idea of the article
and put this information into your own words. To do this, you must be willing to read
the article several times. On the first reading, try to gain a general notion of what the
article is trying to say. Once you've done this write down your initial impression. This
is most likely the thesis, or main idea, of the article. Also, be sure to include the
author's first and last name and the title of the article in your notation for later
reference.
Example: In the article "Why Two Best Friends Doesn't Work," author Cassandra
Grimes argues that most teenage girls can't get along in groups of more than two.
 When trying to identify the central idea, you should ask yourself, "Why was
this essay written and published?" Clues to help determine this include the following.

How to Identify the Main Idea of an Article

1. Gather information from the title.
2. Identify the place it was published, as this can help you determine the intended
audience.
3. Determine the date of publication.
4. Determine the type of essay. (Is it expository, argumentative, literary, or
scholarly?)
5. Take note of the tone of the piece.
6. Identify certain notions or arguments that seem to be repeated throughout.

Applying these methods of identification, let's take a look at the article "Bypass Cure"
by James Johnson. We can assume the subject of the article from the title. Upon
further examination, it becomes clear that the author is arguing that new research
suggests the best cure for diabetes is the surgical solution of a gastric bypass.
Example:
"Bypass Cure" by James Johnson records a recent discovery by researchers
that people who have bypass surgery for weight control are also instantly cured of
diabetes. Since rising diabetic rates and obesity has become a worldwide concern, the
article provides a startling but controversial potential solution.

Now that we have identified the main idea of the article, we can move onto the
next step. Think of the thesis of your summary as a caption on a picture. Example: In
spite of having lost most of the season due to an injury, Jim Johnson beat his own
record and won the meet, qualifying him for the state finals.

2. Identify Important Arguments

At this point in the preparation process, you should read the article again. This
time, read more carefully. Look specifically for the supporting arguments. Some tips
on how to identify the important arguments of an article are listed below.

How to Identify Important Arguments in an Article

1. Read on a paper copy or use a computer program that lets you make
annotations.
2. Underline the topic sentence of each paragraph. (If no one sentence tells the
main concept, then write a summary of the main point in the margin.)
3. Write that sentence in your own words on the side of the page or on another
piece of paper.
4. When you finish the article, read all the topic sentences you marked or wrote
down.
5. In your own words, rewrite those main ideas.
 6. Use complete sentences with good transition words.
7. Be sure you don't use the same words, phrases, or sentence structure as the
original.
8. You may find you need to leave out some of the unimportant details.
9. Your summary should be as short and concise as possible.

In short, you want to boil the article down to its main, supporting arguments.
Let everything else fall away, and what you are left with is an argument or an opinion,
and the arguments that support it.

3. Write Your Summary

Your summary should start with the author’s name and the title of the work.
Here are several ways to do this correctly:

Introduction Sentence
Examples for an Article Summary
In "Cats Don't Dance," John Wood explains...
John Wood, in "Cats Don't Dance," explains...
According to John Wood in "Cats Don't Dance"...
As John Wood vividly elucidates in his ironic story "Cats Don't Dance ...
John Wood claims in his ironic story "Cats Don't Dance" that...

Combine the thesis of the article with the title and author into your first sentence of
the summary. Reference the following sentence as an example.
In "Cats Don't Dance," John Wood explains that in spite of the fact that cats are
popular pets who seem to like us, felines are not really good at any activities that
require cooperation with someone else, whether that is dancing or sharing.

If possible, your first sentence should summarize the article. The rest of your
summary should cover some of the central concepts used to support the thesis. Be sure
to restate these ideas in your own words, and to make your summary as short and
concise as possible. Condense sentences and leave out unimportant details and
examples. Stick to the important points.

How to Quote the Author of an Article

When you refer to the author for the first time, you always use their full name. When
you refer to the author after that, you always use their last name. The following
examples show how to use the author's name in an article summary after you have
already introduced them.
Johnson comment...
According to Wood's perspective...
As Jones implies in the story about...
Toller criticizes...
In conclusion, Kessler elaborates about...
You don't need to use an author's title (Dr., Professor, or Mr. and Mrs.), but it does
help to add their credentials to show they are an authoritative source. The sentences
below show ways to do this.
In "Global Warming isn't Real," Steven Collins, a professor at the University of
Michigan, claims that...
New York Times critic Johann Bachman argues in "Global Warming is the Next
Best Thing for the Earth" that...

If you are discussing the ideas of the author, you always need to make it clear that you
are reciting their ideas, not your own.

How to Introduce the Ideas of the Author in an Article Summary

 Use author tags
 Use mentions of "the article" or "the text"
 Add the page number that the information is found on in parenthesis at the end
of the sentence

Using Author Tags

In writing your summary, you need to clearly state the name of the author and the
name of the article, essay, book, or other source. The sentence below is a great
example of how to do this.
According to Mary Johnson in her essay, "Cats Make Good Pets," the feline
domestic companion is far superior to the canine one.

You also need to continue to make it clear to the reader when you are talking about
the author's ideas. To do this, use "author tags," which are either the last name of the
author or a pronoun (he or she) to show you are still discussing that person's ideas.

Says Explains Comments

Persuades Suggests Understands

Argues Reminds Helps us understand

Elucidates Presents Intimates

Concludes Presents the idea Creates the impression

Criticizes Defines Highlights

Concedes Shows States

Thinks Admits Lists

Notes Analyzes Disagrees

Observes Points out Emphasizes

Discusses Identifies Implies

Insists Responds Shows

Proves Rejects Suggests

Also, try to make use of different verbs and adverbs. Your choice of author tag verbs
and adverbs can contribute to the way you analyze the article. Certain words will
create a specific tone. See the tables for a selection of different word choices.

List of Author Tags

Adverbs to Use with Author Tags

Conclusively Expressively Realistically

Tightly Angrily Radically

Clearly Dutifully Evenly

Occasionally Quickly Ironically

Honestly Eagerly Elegantly

Sharply Rarely Loosely

Exactly Happily Hastily

Perfectly Sternly Unexpectedly

Sometimes Never Justly

Devotedly Finally Warily

Wearily Completely Fully

Doggedly Ironically Sarcastically

Seriously Carefully Politely

How Long Is a Summary of an Article?

 The length of an article summary will depend on the length of the article you
are writing about. If the article is long (say, 10-12 pages) then your summary should
be about four pages. If the article is shorter, your summary should be about one to two
pages. Sometimes, an article summary can be less than one page. The length of a
summary will also depend on the instructions you have been given. If you are writing
a summary for yourself, it's up to you how long or short it will be (but remember, a
summary is supposed to be a short regurgitation of the information outline in an
article). If you are writing a summary for a class assignment, the length should be
specified.
Example Summary Paragraph
The following paragraph is an example of a one-paragraph summary of an article.
In "My Favorite Shoe," Treyvon Jones explains that Nike shoes are the best brand
of running shoe for serious track athletes. Jones supports this view by pointing out
that Nike shoes are more comfortable, last longer, and provide more cushioning for
the feet. He notes that the statistics from sales and scientific evidence of how Nike
shoes are better for the feet support his claim. In addition, Jones points out that
most professional runners use Nike and he tells his own story of how he won the
100-meter men's competition after switching to Nike shoes.

Below is a template showing the components of a great summary.

Summary Template

Part of
Contents
Summary

Introduction In "My Favorite Shoe," Treyvon Jones explains (insert main idea).
Sentence

Supporting Jones supports this view by pointing out (insert author's supporting arguments).
Arguments

Final Point In addition, (insert author's overarching argument and point).

How to Edit and Revise Your Summary

Before you are officially done, it is important to edit your work. The steps below
explain the process of editing and revision.
1. Re-read the summary and edit out any obvious mistakes.
2. Read your summary aloud. If anything sounds off, fix it.
3. Let one of your peers read your summary. Make changes according to their
feedback.
With that, your summary should be complete.

B. WRITING AN ABSTRACT FOR YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

 An abstract is a short summary of your (published or unpublished) research paper,
usually about a paragraph (c. 6-7 sentences, 150-250 words) long. A well-written
abstract serves multiple purposes:
 an abstract lets readers get the gist or essence of your paper or article quickly,
in order to decide whether to read the full paper;
 an abstract prepares readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and
arguments in your full paper;
 an abstract prepares readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and
arguments in your full paper;
 Later, an abstract helps readers remember key points from your paper.

It’s also worth remembering that search engines and bibliographic databases use
abstracts, as well as the title, to identify key terms for indexing your published paper.
So what you include in your abstract and in your title are crucial for helping other
researchers find your paper or article.

If you are writing an abstract for a course paper, your professor may give you
specific guidelines for what to include and how to organize your abstract. Similarly,
academic journals often have specific requirements for abstracts. So in addition to
following the advice on this page, you should be sure to look for and follow any
guidelines from the course or journal you’re writing for.

THE CONTENTS OF AN ABSTRACT

Abstracts contain most of the following kinds of information in brief form.
The body of your paper will, of course, develop and explain these ideas much more
fully. As you will see in the samples below, the proportion of your abstract that you
devote to each kind of information—and the sequence of that information—will vary,
depending on the nature and genre of the paper that you are summarizing in your
abstract. And in some cases, some of this information is implied, rather than stated
explicitly. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which
is widely used in the social sciences, gives specific guidelines for what to include in
the abstract for different kinds of papers—for empirical studies, literature reviews or
meta-analyses, theoretical papers, methodological papers, and case studies.

Here are the typical kinds of information found in most abstracts:

1. The context or background information for your research; the general
topic under study; the specific topic of your research
2. The central questions or statement of the problem your research addresses
3. what’s already known about this question, what previous research has done
or shown
 4. The main reason(s), the exigency, the rationale, the goals for your research—
why is it important to address these questions? Are you, for example,
examining a new topic? Why is that topic worth examining? Are you filling a
gap in previous research? Applying new methods to take a fresh look at
existing ideas or data? Resolving a dispute within the literature in your field?
your research and/or analytical methods
5. your main findings, results, or arguments
6. The significance or implications of your findings or arguments.

Your abstract should be intelligible on its own, without a reader’s having to read your
entire paper. And in an abstract, you usually do not cite references—most of your
abstract will describe what you have studied in your research and what you have
found and what you argue in your paper. In the body of your paper, you will cite the
specific literature that informs your research.

WHEN TO WRITE YOUR ABSTRACT

Although you might be tempted to write your abstract first because it will
appear as the very first part of your paper, it’s a good idea to wait to write your
abstract until after you’ve drafted your full paper, so that you know what you’re
summarizing.
What follows are some sample abstracts in published papers or articles, all
written by faculty at UW-Madison who come from a variety of disciplines. We have
annotated these samples to help you see the work that these authors are doing within
their abstracts.

CHOOSING VERB TENSES WITHIN YOUR ABSTRACT

The social science sample (Sample 1) below uses the present tense to describe
general facts and interpretations that have been and are currently true, including the
prevailing explanation for the social phenomenon under study. That abstract also uses
the present tense to describe the methods, the findings, the arguments, and the
implications of the findings from their new research study. The authors use the past
tense to describe previous research.
The humanities sample (Sample 2) below uses the past tense to describe
completed events in the past (the texts created in the pulp fiction industry in the 1970s
and 80s) and uses the present tense to describe what is happening in those texts, to
explain the significance or meaning of those texts, and to describe the arguments
presented in the article.
The science samples (Samples 3 and 4) below use the past tense to describe
what previous research studies have done and the research the authors have
conducted, the methods they have followed, and what they have found. In their
rationale or justification for their research (what remains to be done), they use the
present tense. They also use the present tense to introduce their study (in Sample 3,
“Here we report . . .”) and to explain the significance of their study (In Sample 3, This
reprogramming . . . “provides a scalable cell source for. . .”).

SAMPLE ABSTRACT 1
FROM THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Reporting new findings about the reasons for increasing economic homogamy among
spouses
Gonalons-Pons, Pilar, and Christine R. Schwartz. “Trends in Economic Homogamy:
Changes in Assortative Mating or the Division of Labor in
Marriage?” Demography, vol. 54, no. 3, 2017, pp. 985-1005.

SAMPLE ABSTRACT 2
FROM THE HUMANITIES
Analyzing underground pulp fiction publications in Tanzania, this article makes an
argument about the cultural significance of those publications
Emily Callaci. “Street Textuality: Socialism, Masculinity, and Urban Belonging in
Tanzania’s Pulp Fiction Publishing Industry, 1975-1985.” Comparative Studies
in Society and History, vol. 59, no. 1, 2017, pp. 183-210.
SAMPLE ABSTRACT/SUMMARY 3
FROM THE SCIENCES
Reporting a new method for reprogramming adult mouse fibroblasts into induced
cardiac progenitor cells
Lalit, Pratik A., Max R. Salick, Daryl O. Nelson, Jayne M. Squirrell, Christina M.
Shafer, Neel G. Patel, Imaan Saeed, Eric G. Schmuck, Yogananda S.
Markandeya, Rachel Wong, Martin R. Lea, Kevin W. Eliceiri, Timothy A.
Hacker, Wendy C. Crone, Michael Kyba, Daniel J. Garry, Ron Stewart, James
A. Thomson, Karen M. Downs, Gary E. Lyons, and Timothy J. Kamp. “Lineage
Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Proliferative Induced Cardiac Progenitor
Cells by Defined Factors.” Cell Stem Cell, vol. 18, 2016, pp. 354-367.
Note: This journal calls this paragraph at the beginning of the article a “Summary,”
rather than an “Abstract.” This journal provides multiple ways for readers to grasp the
content of this research article quickly. In addition to this paragraph-length prose
summary, this article also has an effective graphical abstract, a bulleted list of
highlights list at the beginning of the article, and a two-sentence “In Brief” summary.

SAMPLE ABSTRACT 4, A STRUCTURED ABSTRACT

FROM THE SCIENCES
Reporting results about the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in managing acute
bacterial sinusitis, from a rigorously controlled study
Note: This journal requires authors to organize their abstract into four specific
sections, with strict word limits. Because the headings for this structured abstract are
self-explanatory, we have chosen not to add annotations to this sample abstract.
Wald, Ellen R., David Nash, and Jens Eickhoff. “Effectiveness of Amoxicillin/
Clavulanate Potassium in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis in
Children.” Pediatrics, vol. 124, no. 1, 2009, pp. 9-15.

ABSTRACT
“OBJECTIVE: The role of antibiotic therapy in managing acute bacterial sinusitis
(ABS) in children is controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the
effectiveness of high-dose amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate in the treatment of
children diagnosed with ABS.

METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Children 1 to 10 years of age with a clinical presentation compatible with ABS were
eligible for participation. Patients were stratified according to age (<6 or ≥6 years)
and clinical severity and randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin (90 mg/kg)
with potassium clavulanate (6.4 mg/kg) or placebo. A symptom survey was performed
on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, and 30. Patients were examined on day 14. Children’s
conditions were rated as cured, improved, or failed according to scoring rules.

RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred thirty-five children with respiratory

complaints were screened for enrollment; 139 (6.5%) had ABS. Fifty-eight patients
were enrolled, and 56 were randomly assigned. The mean age was 6630 months. Fifty
(89%) patients presented with persistent symptoms, and 6 (11%) presented with
nonpersistent symptoms. In 24 (43%) children, the illness was classified as mild,
whereas in the remaining 32 (57%) children it was severe. Of the 28 children who
received the antibiotic, 14 (50%) were cured, 4 (14%) were improved, 4(14%)
experienced treatment failure, and 6 (21%) withdrew. Of the 28children who received
placebo, 4 (14%) were cured, 5 (18%) improved, and 19 (68%) experienced treatment
failure. Children receiving the antibiotic were more likely to be cured (50% vs 14%)
and less likely to have treatment failure (14% vs 68%) than children receiving the
placebo.

CONCLUSIONS: ABS is a common complication of viral upper respiratory

infections. Amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate results in significantly more cures and
fewer failures than placebo, according to parental report of time to resolution.”

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS!

5. When should you summarize an article?
6. What is summary?
7. How do you summarize an article?
8. How do you identify the main idea of an article?
9. How do you identify important arguments in an article?
10. How do you quote the author of an article?
11. How do you introduce the ideas of the author in an article summary?
12. How long is a summary of an article?
13. How do you edit and revise the summary?
14. What is abstract?
15. What are the purposes of an abstract?

Reference:
Howie Jones (2019) https://www.calendar.com/blog/how-to-create-a-meeting-
agenda-that-really-works/