1、How to Write a Summary EssayA summary essay summarizes a piece of writing from a neutral point of view. All significant facts are presented whereas minor details are left out.Difficulty:EasyInstructions1.o 1 Find a good textA good summary can help you with understanding the texts you have found when
2、 conducting research for a term paper. But often, you are asked to write a summary essay for school. If you can pick your own text, try to find a topic that you are familiar with.o 2 Thoroughly read and analyze the textWhat is the text about? What are the authors main arguments? What perspective doe
3、s the author take? What is the authors hypothesis? How is the text structured and organized? Keywords?o 3 Take notesWhile taking notes, write down your thoughts in your own words. For a summary essay, you are asked to use your own words, not to copy the authors expressions. (also see “How to Take No
4、tes Effectively“)o 4 Summarize textFollow the order of the text. Do not copy the authors words and expressions, use your own words. Dont give your own opinion, the essay has to reflect the authors point of view. Remain neutral. Dont give any details but only present main arguments and statements.o 5 Write essay1. Introduction: Set text into context, briefly summarize it.2. Main body: Summarize text, following the order of the text.3. Conclusion: Briefly summarize text again, show what your readers can learn from text.
