How to Write a Summary in 7 Simple Steps [Complete Guide with Examples]

Home » Content Writing Tips » How to Write a Summary in 7 Simple Steps [Complete Guide with Examples]

Date: August 26, 2024

The art of presenting complex ideas and extensive information in a few words has become a major need. Nowadays, people don’t have time to go through longer content. They prefer to read the conclusion at the end or something that briefly explains the topic.

To achieve this, you need to craft precise, structured, to-the-point, and brief summaries. Whether you have a professional, academic, or writing background, you may be required to deliver short summaries. These summaries help professionals comprehend extensive data in your reports and files instantly. This will also help students and scholars understand complex ideas in a simplified manner. 

Coming up with correct and informative summaries can be quite challenging if you do this on your own. However, if you are wondering how to craft concise summaries perfectly, this article is just for you. In this complete guide, we will discuss how to write a summary along with examples. 

What is a Summary?

A summary is a briefly written version of a specified text. It condenses the main and complex ideas in a simplified manner. This summary provides a quick overview of extensive writing that covers all critical points and the main idea. As a result, readers can develop a comprehensive understanding in a condensed form, saving them time, gaining quick insights, and adequately grasping the main theme. 

How to Write a Summary in 7 Simple Steps

The following steps and helpful examples will help you write a perfect summary without any hurdles.

1- Read the Text Thoroughly

The first step is to read the original text thoroughly and gain a deep understanding of it. To begin writing a summary, read the corresponding text multiple times and understand what message the author is trying to convey. 

This step prepares you to effectively grasp the main idea while familiarizing yourself with the writer’s voice and intent. For example, this step can be simplified into the following steps.

• Understand the Context

While reading and rereading the text to summarize, your prime focus should be on understanding the main context. Don’t rely on the written words merely; interpret them. Instead, develop an understanding of the underlying meaning of written material.

• Focus on Key Points

Similarly, you should actively look for the critical points or essential information in the original passage. Try to grasp these key points and comprehend their context.

• Ask Questions

While reading, utilize your critical thinking and analytical skills by asking questions. Inquire about the purpose of given statements and how they can be written more concisely.

2- Take Notes of Key Points

Once you have read the text that needs to be summarized, take a notepad and write down all crucial points. First, do this without peeking at the original text. Capitalize on the first step, where you had developed an understanding of key information. 

Try to recall that information and pen down each point that you can remember. Next, cross-check them by comparing them with the original text and verifying that all critical aspects are covered. Include any points if you have missed or exclude any irrelevant or unnecessary points.

Example:

In the paragraph, “Deforestation, the widespread removal of forests, has significant environmental consequences. Forests play a crucial role in regulating climate, preserving biodiversity, and providing resources like wood and oxygen. When forests are cleared for agriculture, urbanization, or logging, it leads to soil erosion, loss of habitat for wildlife, and increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere”., 

The key points include:

• Deforestation is detrimental to environmental wellbeing
• Forests are vital for natural resources
• Soil erosion, loss of wildlife habitat, and higher carbon dioxide are the results of Deforestation.

3- Organize Notes

After jotting down all critical aspects in raw form, align them in a strategic order before starting to write a summary. 

Organize your thoughts regarding these points and add your personal take on them. This lets you refine the points in a much more concise way when you write summaries. The organized structure of your thoughts and key points form the basis of your summary.

Example:

The key points mentioned in the above step can be organized as follows: “Forests are vital for the environment while deforestation severely harms it. Deforestation leads to a range of losses to natural resources and climate”.

4- Write the Summary

Now comes the major step, “the summary writing process.” Just grab your keyboard and start writing the summary in an organized structure. Make sure the summary format is adequately followed and that you present your thoughts and critical points in a logical flow. 

This means you shouldn’t start incorporating the key points in the sentence form only and call it a summary. Instead, summarize text by arranging them in a logical sequence, sticking to the context, and utilizing the fewest possible words. 

Example:

From the above summary writing example, the paragraph can be summarized as follows: Deforestation, the widespread removal of forests for agriculture, urbanization, or logging, leads to soil erosion, habitat loss, and increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

5- Ensure to Avoid Opinions

Although it is not an obvious step, you should ensure that you do not include your personal opinions or views in the summary. A summary should be a concise version of the text in your own words. But under any circumstances, your words shouldn’t reflect your personal take or opinion on the topic. 

Therefore, always focus only on restating the source text in the fewest possible words without including your perspective or judgment. This is because if you include interpretations, it will elaborate your text, and the purpose of the summary isn’t fulfilled.

6- Ensure Content Orignality

You have to ensure that your summarized text is free from plagiarism. To check plagiarism in your text, you can utilize an efficient and reliable plagiarism detector that deeply scans your text against all available resources around the web to detect duplication. 

Simply Input the text you wish to check for plagiarism into the plagiarism checker. The detector will scan your text and generate a detailed report highlighting any sentences that match or closely resemble existing content found on various platforms. This step saves you from unintentional plagiarism and enables you to present your summary without fear of any potential penalties.

7- Proofread and Finalize

After you are done with the final draft, have a detailed overview of your summary. By reviewing your crafted summary, you can identify any inconsistencies in writing, typos, grammatical errors, and readability issues.

Your final version should be accurate and flawless, not just brief and coherent. Read it loudly from the reader’s perspective and identify if there’s any point that makes it difficult to read or understand. 

To improve clarity and effectiveness, analyze text for grammar, syntax, jargon, and complexity. Eliminate errors, remove redundancy, and restructure the text to ensure it’s easily understandable. 

Here’s what else you need to consider while proofreading.

• Prioritize Clarity:

Focus on the clarity of your summarized text. Ensure your sentences are clear, straightforward, and easily understandable. Remove any compound sentences or complicated words to substitute with easy-to-comprehend language.

• Check for Consistency:

Ensure your summary has a consistent tone and writing style. With a consistent writing style, you can logically deliver key points in a summary.

Conclusion:

A summary is a vital component of writing that is helpful in almost every field associated with writing. The article has mentioned 7 simple steps that let them craft summaries in no time. We hope you will find this guide helpful and learn from the above-mentioned steps and examples.