What is a summary? Learn the definition of a summary, how long a summary is, what does summarize mean, what a summary looks like, and review summary examples.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Summary Definition, Types & Examples
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Let's Summarize
The Purpose of Summarizing
Imagine your friend notices you reading a novel and asks what the novel is about. In order to answer your friend, you would provide a summary of the novel highlighting its main points. The summary you provide to your friend will help them make an informed decision about whether or not they too might be interested in reading the novel.
Pick a Novel
Pick a novel that you would like to read. This must be a novel you have not previously read, and must be approved by your teacher.
Provide A Summary
Once you have finished reading the novel, type up a summary of the novel. Your summary must be no more than two paragraphs of four to five sentences each. Use the following to guide what you include in your summary:
- Who is the author of the novel?
- What are the main events of the novel?
- Which characters are involved in these events?
- Where and when does the novel take place?
Don't Forget
Remember, a summary should not include any personal opinions. Thus, your summary should not include your opinions regarding whether or not you liked the novel, only the facts of the novel.
What is a summary example?
A summary is a shortened account of the main ideas in which few supporting details are provided. They are used to draw the interest of the reader or prepare the reader for an analysis that is to follow. Summaries can be most often found at the end of a passage or book, though sometimes appear at the beginning of a research paper.
Is a summary short or long?
Summaries can be either short or long depending on what is being written.
Traditional summaries, such as those found in the back of a novel, are usually 1-2 pages at the most. Brief summaries, such as an abstract, are preferred in research papers and are between 200-400 words.
How do we write a summary?
There is a process to ensure that your summary is both effective and interesting.
1. Read through your main text
2. Identify the main ideas in your article while you write by creating a list.
3. Write in your own words in the article. This will help prevent plagiarism.
4. Keep the summary short, unbiased, and ensure your writing flows well from idea to idea.
5. Review your summary by comparing it to the main work. Paraphrase, check for spelling and grammar, and ensure there is not any plagiarism happening.
Table of Contents
ShowA summary is a short statement that summarizes or informs the audience of the main ideas of a longer piece of writing. Essentially, the summary is a short version of a longer text. The size of a summary can vary based on the type of writing, but most often they are no longer than a page. Summaries can be found at the end of a piece of literature, such as on the back cover of a book. They are used to give an overview of what happens in the writing and review the main themes. This lesson will continue to explore what summary writing is, types of summaries, and examples of summaries.
What Does a Summary Look Like?
A summary should be an excerpt of writing that is written in either sentence or paragraph form, depending on the size of the main literature or type of writing. It is important to only include the main ideas, while in the case of books, not necessarily giving away the entire plot. The aim of a summary is to draw the reader's interest or to recap the important events in a work. Keeping the summary concise will give the reader the information they need the most, without any fluff.
There is a process that writers should use while drafting a summary in order for it to be most helpful to the reader. Some steps to follow include:
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1. Thoroughly read through the main text.
2. Identify the main ideas in the article. It may be helpful to create a list of main thoughts while writing if a summary will be required.
3. Draw from your memory to write the summary. This will help prevent plagiarism, and all will allow you to simply rephrase the main ideas in the summary. Separate your own words from the original text by creating a list of source material that was used.
4. The first sentence of the summary should be a thesis that describes what the summary will be about. Continue writing methodically, following the usual rules of creating a paragraph with good flow. Keep the summary short and unbiased,
5. Review your summary by comparing it to the main work. The two articles should have different phrasing but the same meaning. The summary should be short enough to convey only the main points, with a few supporting details at most.
What is Summary Writing? - Conventions of Summary Writing
To write a good summary, the author has a few tools and mechanics that they can follow to deliver an effective overview of the work. In the beginning of the summary, the author can contextualize the source by using language to give the source purpose within the work. The writer should establish the main point in the summary, then support that point with information from the source. Introduce the source and give a reason why that source is used within the article. For example,
In his 1963 "I Have A Dream" speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. articulates his vision for a world of freedom and opportunity for people of color.
The source is introduced here through the use of an author tag, a useful tool to write effective summaries as it cites the source material while describing the main idea of the source, which may be about the Civil Rights Movement in this case. The general format for an author tag is author's name + a reporting verb+ a quote (if present) or paraphrase. A reporting verb is a word that expresses a manner of speaking, such as "articulates."
Finally, the author of a summary should remember to keep the summary short and avoid using too many specific details. A summary is meant to recap the important points of a piece, not restate the entire analysis.
Why Are Summaries Written?
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Summaries can be written for a variety of reasons. A summary can be found at the end of a novel, the beginning or end of a news article, and even at the end of this lesson. The purpose can vary based on the written information or the writing style being used. Purposes for writing a summary include:
- A novelist has just finished their masterpiece, but they want to get the reader's attention to read it thoroughly. They create a summary to establish the main storyline while leaving out specific details to appetize the reader to explore further.
- A student is asked to describe what happened in a historical document. They read over the source material and decide that a summary is a concise way to present the information. They give the main ideas of the document to present the information to the class in an easy-to-understand manner.
- A lesson writer has just completed their research on how to write a summary. They have written a detailed lesson on the process, but need to make sure that students understand the important points. They decide to include a bulleted list of the important takeaways from the lesson to concisely explain the principal information.
Types of Summaries
Summaries are not limited to sentences, paragraphs, and bullet points at the end of an article. Some other types of summaries include:
- Abstract: A short description of what is to come, usually at the beginning of an article, before the introduction. They are very small, usually no longer than 150-200 words, and they are written in paragraph form. They prepare the reader for more detailed information and analysis and help them decide whether they want to keep reading or not.
- Epitome: Sometimes referred to as another word for abstract, an epitome gives the most important information while providing little other detail.
- Synopsis: Another form of a summary that gives the full narrative of a piece. They are typically between 500-1000 words, no longer than two pages. It is helpful to add in the emotions or reactions of people within the writing to keep the writing interesting. The synopsis is most often used in novel writing.
- Abridgment: Yet another form of abstract, abridgment condenses ideas down to simplify the style and structure of a piece of writing.
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A summary's length can vary based on the style of the summary being written. A traditional summary is normally about one page in length, but it can exceed that standard. Ideally, a summary should not be longer than two pages because there is too much information being provided, which may deter the reader from continuing. However, sometimes an even shorter summary may be beneficial to the type of writing being used.
A brief summary, such as an abstract or an epitome, is shorter than the traditional summary as the name suggests. These may vary in size from a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs and should not exceed one page in length. They are most often no more than 200-400 words. Brief summaries contain only the most important information to prepare the reader for what is to come.
To summarize means to shorten something. Within the context of writing and literature, it means to give a short and modestly detailed description of what is written about within the main article, or what has been said in a source. To summarize, only include the main topic of the article, then discuss the main ideas found within the source.
The way a summary is written depends on the type of writing. For example, a research paper may find an abstract at the beginning of the document more beneficial than a summary at the end of the work. A novel, conversely, may want to only enthuse the reader before they purchase the book and not give away any detail before the story actually begins. The following sections will show how summaries can be used within the context of different styles of writing.
What Is a Summary of a Book?
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The summary of a book or story explains the overarching narrative of the book without giving away too much detail. An example of summary can be found with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring:
From reading the summary of this book, the reader can surmise:
- A great evil lurks in Middle-Earth, where the story is set.
- The man villain is named Sauron and he rules a dark land.
- A Ring of Power is the item that both sides desire and can be detrimental to the outcome of the story if it falls into the wrong hands.
- Two Hobbits and a small group in their company must go on a grand adventure to destroy the Ring of Power, which will enable Sauron to commit destructive acts in Middle-Earth.
What Is Summary of a Passage?
Summarizing a passage is much like summarizing a novel. The main difference is that the summary is of a lot less material, as a passage usually is no more than a chapter. The information is more specific and can be more detailed to describe what is actually happening. Examining a chapter from the 'Fellowship of the Ring, a brief passage summary can be written. For example:
- Summary: In this chapter, Bilbo recalls his journey which took place in The Hobbit and looks ahead to his next adventure. Knowing that the road is long, he must follow it to get what he desires. The path will lead to others, and he will decide which way to go at a later time.
This summary, though not necessarily traditional, has condensed the ideas of the article down and simplified the meaning for the reader. If the description is interesting, the reader will continue reading through the chapter.
Summaries are a great way to begin or conclude writing because they describe the main themes of the article in simple terms. This can be valuable to the reader because it helps them determine whether they want to invest more time into reading. Summarizing should give consideration to the following information:
- To summarize or to write a summary means to shorten a piece of writing and give the main ideas of a piece of writing. They can be in sentence or paragraph form.
- There is a helpful process that writers can follow to create a summary. It begins during the writing of the main article.
- Author tags are just one of many tools to create an effective summary. They introduce source material by giving the name of the author, followed by a reporting verb, then the quote or a paraphrase of their work.
- Summaries can be written for a number of reasons, but that depends on the type of writing being conducted. Novelists may want an ending summary, while researchers prefer abstracts.
- There are many types of summaries, including abstracts, epitomes, synopsis, and abridgement.
- Summaries can vary in length. A normal summary is 1-2 pages at most, while a brief summary is usually no more than 1-2 paragraphs.
Video Transcript
What is a Summary?
A summary is a condensed version of an original text, usually a full article or book. Summaries are usually around a paragraph long, and may even be a few paragraphs long depending on the length of the work being condensed.
Summaries are used in variety of situations. For example, you might want to summarize only the main points of a meeting with a co-worker because you're running late for another meeting. Or, let's say you want to introduce a complex design idea. You could begin by summarizing what your design would accomplish, to give key people an overall sense of your plan without overwhelming them. Students might summarize an article for a class, or when preparing and writing research papers, annotated bibliographies and essays. Abstracts and legal brief are also types of summaries.
Writing Summaries
Another thing that might be difficult, especially when summarizing controversial material, is to leave your opinion out. Why? Because summaries contain only the source's ideas, and nothing more. Stating your opinion would not be summarizing that source. When using a summary in an essay or research paper, include an in-text citation to give credit to the original source.
If you should use opinions, what should you use? You should use your own words when writing summaries as much as possible. You can't avoid using names of people and places of course, but it's important to phrase the main points of the source in your own way. You might also want to include an occasional brief quote. Summaries aren't outlines. They're complete paragraphs with fully formed sentences.
Summary Example
Let's say you've just read Suzanne Collins' novel The Hunger Games and want to tell someone what it's about. You would most likely begin with Katniss (the main character) and share the most important points of the novel in some logical sequence. You might even include the setting and the overall goal of the games.
If you did this in writing, you would have created a summary of the novel. It might look something like this:
Sixteen year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem, a nation of the future that includes the former United States. Panem is made up of Districts, and each one is oppressively controlled by the Capitol, whose leaders watch the citizens' every move. Each year the Capitol holds the Hunger Games and two representatives are chosen from each district to participate. The games are a fight to the death and are designed to demoralize the people. Katniss volunteers to go in place of her little sister whose name was originally chosen by random drawing. Katniss demonstrates heroism in her struggles to survive during the games, and with help she defeats the more experienced players and wins the Hunger Games.
'But,' you might say, 'You didn't even mention Peeta!' (For those who aren't familiar with the Hunger Games, he's the second representative from Katniss's District and her eventual love interest). A summary will inevitably leave out a lot of details, even ones that might seem very important. Your job when writing a summary is to determine what is the essential information about the work or event you're summarizing. Remember, when you think summary, think 'essence.'
Lesson Summary
A summary is a shortened version of a text, generally an article or book. Of course, you can also summarize other things, like meeting notes, project details, even lessons on how to write summaries. They are usually a paragraph long, though they can be longer, depending on the length of the source material.
Summaries should be written in your own words but should not include your opinions. Be sure to use proper citation when using summaries and essays or research papers. Lastly, remember summaries are complete paragraphs, not outlines.
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