How to Summarize an Article: The Easiest Way

Everyone is telling you that analyzing is more important than summarizing. But sometimes you need to create a bold summary. And that is why you need to learn how to summarize an article. Our experts are here to help you out with your paper and share some of their tips regarding the summarizing process. Also, you can buy essays cheap and have no worries about tight deadlines.

Why It is Important to Learn How to Summarize an Article?

Every writing task has its special features and processes we need to learn to create a proper format paper. Learning how to summarize an article is important due to various reasons. It gives you also a perfect view of the difference between analysis and summary. Each of these processes has its own special features and challenges caused by those features. The set of skills is also very important.

Some tutors like this task as it clearly shows if you had read the assigned reading. You need to be attentive and check all the details to create a brief but full picture of something you have read. It is not as you need to get your personal view for an exploratory essay.

Summarizing is a perfect tool to really understand the article or any other paper you are working with. With learning how to summarize an article you develop a skill letting you work with the information of any volume. You will learn how to press those large papers into a more understandable format and how to extract the main idea out of anything.

For a person with good summarizing skill, it is much easier to communicate with others regarding various topics.

Working With the Article

The first thing you can do obviously is to read the article. So start as early as you can to have time to work for your summary. In case there is a real chance for you to choose the article to work with, you should get something you can relate to or get interested in at least on the lowest level. The interest and passion is a keystone of successful work.
 

Extract the Main Idea of the Article

Now your task is to identify and understand the main point of the article. Be sure there are more articles with a clear thesis statement right in the introductory part so it will be easy for you to find it. Other parts of the article where the main idea may dwell are the title, headings, and all those supporting elements for the thesis. You should identify all of them and compare to get the fullest picture of those ideas the article offers you. There is no need to research anything. 

Check the Details

After you have already identified the main idea of the article, it is time to find all the important details you should need to mention in your summary. Supporting information should also be clear to you. In case you got all these details mixed up together, you will get more specific and accurate summary in the end.

Take Notes

If the source is yours and it is printed, you can take notes right on the article itself. Otherwise, you should use a piece of paper or a Word document to note everything sown. Do not avoid this process as it is very important for your entire work. Those notes will give you an opportunity to collect more details than you can remember without writing.

Moreover, it is a great tool to avoid plagiarism. You will use the same facts you have in the source but written in your own words. It will also help you to understand the entire text better due to the language you use.

Article Summary in 4 Simple Steps

After reading the article at least two times and taking your notes you can start with writing.

Thesis Statement

Any paper is bounded with a thesis statement. This one is not an exception. But in this specific case, you are not the person making the claim but the author of the source is. Your task is just to identify it properly and restate in your paper. But you should not just copy the author’s ideas and words but to write this sentence or two in your own words.

Create an Outline

There is always a place for an outline. This part of the writing process is a helpful tool each writer should respect and use. Good news - it is way easier than the one you should do for your analytical paper. But at the same time, it slightly differs. Read one more blog about an argumentative essay outline for a better understanding.

While creating an outline for your summary paper you need to work mostly with your notes. It is important to use only relevant and undoubtedly important information instead of stuffing your summary with all the facts you have. Remember, you are summarizing the story and not retelling it.

So your outline should look somehow like this:

• Introduction

1. Bibliographical information
2. Thesis statement

• Body

1. The facts mentioned in the source.
2. Supporting details.
3. Additional details regarding the author’s idea.

• Conclusion

Writing Process

Now after doing all those preparations you can start with your writing. Use all the tips we have mentioned before. Be focused on the main source. Make your sentences flow naturally and do not try to copy the style of the source. Do not try to get any certain style at all. 

In the conclusion part of your article, there is no need to add any other details. Just restate the thesis statement once again and use those concluding elements and arguments used by the author in their text.

Then after the work is finished you need to compare both articles if yours really looks and sounds like the summary of the main one. Do not forget to edit the paper, of course.

Want to know how to start an essay? We have a special blog dedicated to this topic.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with this type of task is simple but tricky at the same time. You need to focus on someone other’s ideas and avoid adding your thoughts to the paper. If you still are not sure enough you can deal with the task or just have not enough time to do it properly, our paper writing experts are always ready to help you out. Just give us a call!