Summarizing

Summarizing is taking the main ideas from a passage and putting them into your own words. It's a good way to avoid plagiarizing and overusing direct quotes.

Here's how to do it:

1. Reread the original passage until you fully understand it.
2. Write down the main idea(s) of the passage in your own words, making sure you don't change the original meaning.
3. Remember, only include the main points (e.g., who, what, when, where, why). Leave out any details.
4. Your summary should be shorter than the original.
5. Record the author, title, page number, etc. of the source for your bibliography.

Summarizing vs. paraphrasing

Summarize when you want to include some of the main points of a long passage. Paraphrase when you want to restate a long passage, including the main points and details. A summary is much shorter than the original; a paraphrase is about the same length as the original.