The skill of summarising is such a handy one to have. The student or employee who is able to summarise a complex document for another reader is highly valued.
As we speak, students in Communication for Information Systems and Technology are busily trying to distill an entire article into 350 - 450 words. There are some simple guidelines to help with this seemingly tough task.
- First draw a concept map or picture of the main ideas. Your picture might look something like this:
- Secondly, when you begin to write, introduce the main ideas in the order in which they appear in the article.
- Thirdly, make good use of words which list such as firstly, secondly, thirdly and so on.
- Fourth, look for opposites and similarities...
One view taken...however....on one hand...on the other...similarly...likewise...in contrast - Finally, you should deal with one idea per paragraph.
Good summarising relies on sometimes ruthless editing skills. A useful device is to just refer to the actual article and author once (in the opening sentence where you might cite bibliographic details):
In the chapter 'Climate Change - an inevitable reality' (Thompson, 2002), the author underlines three main reasons why we should take heed of rising temperatures.
Firstly, as temperatures rise, sea levels will rise. This means....
Secondly,
Hone this important skill and reap the rewards!
Andrea on behalf of the Learning Advisers
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