Summarizing Techniques Overview

Study Notes

A Summary is a brief overview version of a longer piece of text or content, without including every detail.
Summarizing Techniques help you understand academic text better.

Erase things that don’t matter, delete trivial material that is unnecessary to understanding.
Erase things that repeat, delete redundant material, if a word or phrase says basically the same thing, you've already written down, don't write it again.
Substitute superordinate terms for lists, focus on the big picture.
Write the summary in your own words but make sure to retain the main points.

Somebody Wanted But So Then: helps generalize, recognize cause and effect relationship, and find the main ideas.
- Who is the text about?
- What did the main character want?
- What was the problem encountered?
- How was the problem solved?
- Tell how the story ends.
SAAC Method: Stands for “ State, Assign, Action, Complete”.
- State the name of the article, book, or story
- Assign the name of the author
- Action describes what the author is doing (Example: tells, explains)
- Complete the sentence or summary with keywords and important details.
5W’s, 1H: relies on six crucial questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. These questions make it easy to identify the main character, important details and main idea.
- Who is involved?
- What happened?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- Why did it happen?
- How did it happen?
First Then Finally: helps students summarize events in chronological order
- What happened first?
- What were the key details during the event/action?
- What were the results of the event/action?
Give me the gist: condense a text to its most essential idea or pain point, usually in one or two sentences. This approach helps readers grasp the core message of the text quickly.

Summarizing condenses the main ideas of larger text into a shorter version.
Paraphrasing restates a specific passage or idea from text in your own words, keeping the original meaning intact.

A summary document of a project proposal that tells what the project is all about, the reasons for conducting the project and how it will be carried out
Ranges from 500 to 2000 words
Usually divided into several parts
Parts may also vary depending on the nature of the project/activity

Use this structure when you want to propose a certain tangible project in your discipline.
It serves as a foundation of the full proposal
It determines whether the project is feasible or not
It piques interest and provides a clear understanding of the project goals to funding agencies.

Summarizing involves condensing a longer text into a brief overview, focusing on key information and omitting unnecessary details.
There are various techniques for summarizing, including erasing trivial or repetitive information, and substituting general terms for specific lists.
Summarizing should be in your own words, retaining the original meaning.

Somebody Wanted But So Then: This technique helps identify the main character, their goals, the challenges faced, how the challenge is solved, and the story's ending.
SAAC Method: SAAC stands for State, Assign, Action, Complete. It helps summarize by identifying the text's subject, author, author's purpose, and key details.
5W's, 1H: This method relies on six questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. It helps identify the main character, key details, and the main idea of the text.
First Then Finally: This helps summarize events in chronological order by focusing on initial events, key details, and the final results.
Give me the Gist: This involves condensing a text into one or two sentences that express the core message or main point.

Paraphrasing restates a specific passage or idea in your own words, maintaining the original meaning.
Summarizing condenses the main ideas of a larger text into a shorter version.

A concept paper is a summary document that outlines a project proposal, including its purpose, justification, and methodology.
It is typically 500 to 2000 words long and divided into several parts.
Concept papers help funding agencies assess the feasibility of projects and determine if they warrant further investigation.

Concept papers for projects provide an overview and seek funding for a tangible project.
The structure includes:
- Proponents' names and affiliations
- Proponents' address, contact information, and agency
- Date of submission