Goal. Help you extract key information from research sources, summaries teach principles of paraphrase and documentation (see sample summary).

Assignment

• Select an article from any journal on a technical or workplace topic that is of interest to you. Ideally this article would be related to the report/project you're engaged in, but it isn't necessary. You could select one you're using for a research project in another class.
• Make a copy of your selected article. Look over the entire journal/magazine to make sure you can answer ALL the questions below. (It is often hard to locate the exact journal or magazine you used several days before.)
• Prepare a summary that includes a citation, two-three paraphrased ideas, two or three quotations (with lead-ins), and a summary of two sentences that restates the essence of the article.
• In a short memo to me, answer the following questions about the article. (You do not need to type the questions followed by your answers, but you DO need to have each answer numbered to correspond to the appropriate question.) Write your answers in complete sentences, and follow grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules. Answers limited to "yes" or "no" won't suffice (for most of the questions).

Audience

1. What audience does the article seem aimed for? How much (what kind of) knowledge do they seem to possess?
2. To what extent is technical language used? Do you see any examples of jargon? List two examples of each.
3. How long is the average sentence? Paragraph? Does this tell you anything about the audience?
4. How formal/informal is the style? Why?
5. Is there advertising in the magazine or journal? If so, what do the ads tell you about the reader?

   Visuals

6. Are formulas or equations present? How important are they to the article?
7. Does the writer use of tables, graphs, or figures? Could the article make sense without them?
8. How long are the average articles in this journal? (Provide a rough estimate in number of words/page and number of pages.)
9. What kinds of titles are customary? Can you make a guess why?
10. Are there any subheads? How are they used? Why?

 

Format: Turn in the memo with the answers to the questions, the summary, and the article. Staple them together.

Before you write.

• Skim the article quickly to get an overview. Look for advance organizers such as preview statements, introductions, headings, illustrations, titles, and conclusions.
• Reread the article slowly.
• Underline key points and key terms.
• Highlight, circle, or asterisk main idea or purpose.
• Note key points in margins
• Jot down questions.
• Label parts of the article (introduction, body--methods, discussion, conclusion)
• Reread the highlighted material.

When you write.

• List the main ideas from the article--without looking back at it. Translate into your own words--paraphrasing.
• Reread the article and check your list for completeness.
• Briefly outline the contents (in @ 1 page). Reread your list of main ideas and draft a summary of one, two, or three sentences that restates the main ideas of the entire article in your own words.
• Reread the article and check against summary for completeness.

For more information, visit the Summaries module on the English 3764 Instructional Site.