ACADEMIC DISCOURSE
B. Mitsikopoulou
INCORPORATING OUTSIDE SOURCES IN A TEXT
SUMMARIZING
REVIEW:
Why secondary sources in your text
a) To include in your writing material you have
read somewhere (e.g. in a book)
b) To support your own ideas and the points
you make in a text
c) To avoid plagiarism
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
WHY Condense a paragraph, a text etc
WHAT a) The gist of a text in one-two sentences
(one-sentence summary)
b) The main ideas of a text (global summary)
c) An aspect of a text you have read
(selective summary)
WHEN Recall an idea in a text
HOW By identifying the topic sentence and the
main points of a text or an aspect of a text
+ reference to the source
What is a summary?
A shortened version of an original text. It
includes the thesis and major supporting
points. It should also reveal the relationship
between the major points and the thesis
How long is a summary?
It may be any length, from 25% of the original
to one sentence
Difference between
paraphrasing and summarizing
To paraphrase is to express someone else’s
ideas in your own language.
To summarize means to distill only the most
essential points of someone else’s work
TYPES OF SUMMARY
Many types of summary – In this course
1.One sentence summary (we summarize a
short text in one or two sentences)
2.Global summary (we summarize the whole
content of a text)
3.Selective summary (we summarize only
some of the information in a text)
http://vimeo.com/32000765
One sentence summary
we summarize a short text in one or two
sentences
ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY
STEPS
1.Read the original text carefully at least twice.
2.Identify the main idea of the text.
3.Use your own words to paraphrase the main
idea in one sentence. Include in your sentence
reference to the source.
e.g. According to Jordan (2003)…
Jordan (2003) argues that …
One sentence summary (Jordan 1999 p.94)
Which is the topic/main sentence?
Culture shock
‘Culture shock’ is the state of being confused
when in contact with a different and unfamiliar
civilization. ‘Shock’ suggests something that is
negative: this may be true, especially at first.
Typically, a person going to study in another
country for the first time may miss family and
friends and, consequently, feel homesick. The
person may have sleeping difficulties and, in
extreme cases, may become depressed or ill.
Below is a one-sentence summary of the text.
What makes it a good summary?
Culture shock is the confusion caused by
contact with an alien society. Initially, reactions
may be negative.
-Inclusion of main idea
-Adequate paraphrase
-No details
The characteristics of a good
one-sentence summary
It conveys the main idea of the original text
It paraphrases the main idea using the
writer’s own words
It does not include any details (e.g. examples,
statistics)
It shows the relationship between the main
points that support the main idea
It refers to the original source (e.g. Jordan
2005)
Prepare a one-sentence summary
Leisure activities
In Britain, the most common leisure activities take
place at home and include entertaining friends and
relatives. Watching television is by far the most
popular pastime as 99% of homes have a TV set,
and the average viewing time is about 26 hours a
week. In addition, using and hiring video tapes is
also very popular, with 80% of homes having a
video recorder. Listening to the radio is virtually
universal as almost every home has a radio; it is
listened to, on average, about 16 hours a week.
In preparing your one-sentence summary…
pay attention to parallel structure
Examples of summaries on ‘Leisure activities’
Watching TV, rental video tapes or listening to
the radio are the most popular ways British
people spend their free time at home.
British people spend most of their free time at
home; the most common habits are watching
television, using video tapes and listening to
music on the radio.
The British’s most usual free time activities
occur indoors and include TV, radio and
video tapes.
The most usual type in the grounds of british
leisure activities is for friends and relatives
gathering at one’s place and watching
television, hiring video tapes or listening to
the radio.
In Britain, watching television and video tapes
and listening to the radio are the most
popular leisure activities.
British people spend their free time at home
by watching television, video tapes and
listening to the radio.
In England watching television, video tapes
and listening to the radio are highly the top
activities for entertainment at home.
The most popular pastime in Britain includes
watching television and listening to the radio
with friends and relatives at home.
In Britain, most people tend to spend their
free time at home watching television,video
tapes or listening to radio.
In britain the most common activities is to
watch televisio,video tapes and listening to
the radio.
Global summary
we summarize the whole content of a text
GLOBAL SUMMARY
STEPS
1.Read the original text at least twice.
2.Locate the topic (that word or phrase that
says what the text is about) – try to be as
specific as possible about the topic
3.Find the purpose of the text (to narrate? to
inform? to argue? to persuade?)
Step 4: Find the main idea (thesis)
4. Look for the thesis of the text (what the
author is saying about the topic). For the thesis,
look first in the introduction, then in the
conclusion. Remember: writers often write
explicit thesis statements.
Write the thesis in your own words (and make
sure it matches your sense of the author’s
purpose
Step 5: Divisions of the text
5. Find the main divisions of the text.
Remember that each paragraph may be a new
division but often several paragraphs go
together. In your own words, summarize each
division in one sentence.
Also, make a list of all major points.
Step 6: Organize your summary
Work with the sentences you have created to
produce a summary
Be bold: leave things out, if necessary
Make sure you reveal the relationships
between the ideas. Are there any contrasts or
comparisons between some of the ideas?
Write a short paragraph in which you
paraphrase the main idea and the supporting
points. Include in your sentence reference to
the source.
What to leave out
When summarizing leave out examples,
statistics, analogies and rhetorical strategies
Keep in mind that your summary must
represent the author’s original idea
Do no include your point of view
Checklist for a good global summary
Includes all main ideas of the original text and presents
them as the main ideas (does not simply mention them)
Does not leave out important ideas
Does not include details (examples, statistics, etc) and
redundant information
Paraphrases original ideas adequately
If something from the original text is mentioned, it is placed
in quotation marks
Does not include personal ideas of the person who
summarizes
Is not wordy
Is grammatical
A summary is a condensed text
“I made this letter very
long, because I did not
have the leisure to make
it shorter.”
Blaise Pascal
French mathematician,
physicist and theologian
Rural tourism: for and against
I. Advantages of rural tourism (Johnson, 1971)
A. economic
B. support for local services and amenities
II. Disadvantages of rural tourism (Walker, 1982)
A. erosion of the countryside
B. traffic
C. pollution
Rural tourism
As Johnson (1971) stated, rural tourism offers
both financial and supportive benefits for the
local population and service. On the contrary,
as Walker (1982) affirmed, earth destruction,
traffic jams and pollution are the main
obstruction this kind of tourism might cause.
The two major advantages of tourism in rural
areas, according to Johnson (1971), are
economic prosperity and the support the
income provides for local services and
amenities. However, according to Walker
(1982), there are three main disadvantages,
which are: the decay of the countryside, the
overpopulation of the area and its causes and
the issues that raise with pollution.
According to Johnson (1971), the benefits of
agricultural tourism are the enhance in local
economy and the support in local facilities.
On the other hand, Walker (1982) observed
drawbacks in rural tourism such as corrosion
of the natural landscape, traffic congestion
and contamination problems.
According to Johnson (1971), the main
advantages of rural tourism are the boast of
the economy and the support of the local
services. However, as Walker (1982) states,
the main disadvantages are the distraction of
rural areas, the traffic and the pollution.
According to Johnson (1971), tourism can be
credited for boosting an area’s economy and
keeping local services active. Its downsides
however, as stated by Walker (1982), include
destruction of local wildlife, congestion and
pollution due to the high number of tourists
visiting the area.
According to Johnson (1971), tourism in rural
areas contributes to their economic
development and to the development of local
services and facilities. However, Walker
(1982) suggests that this type of tourism
causes three basic problems; erosion of the
countryside, traffic jams and pollution.
Selective summary
we summarize only an aspect of a text
STEPS TO SELECTIVE SUMMARY
1. Read the original text at least twice.
2. Identify the main parts of the text which respond
to task requirement (e.g. highlight)
3. Prepare an outline with the main points included
in the highlighted parts. Your outline should
illustrate the relations between different ideas (I,
A, 1)
4. Prepare your summary by paraphrasing the points
you have included in your outline.
5. Include in your summary reference to the source.
A good summary
Is concise and entirely in students’ words
Identifies main ideas of the original
Includes important supporting details and key
terms
Is organized appropriately according to
source text
