The purpose of a GIST statement is to produce a summary in a specific amount of words (i.e., 20 words, 15 words, 10 words). GIST is an abbreviation for "Generating Interactions between Schemata and Texts" (Cunningham, 1982; Herrell, 2000). There are two main types of GIST: topic-based and sentence-based. In topic-based GISTs, each statement focuses on one topic. These statements usually contain information about one topic using many examples. For example, a topic-based GIST about dogs may include information about what kinds of dogs are good for hunting, guarding families, or helping people who live by themselves. Each statement in this type of GIST would focus on one aspect of dogs' abilities. Sentence-based GISTs are just the opposite of topic-based GISTs. Here, each statement includes several sentences that have something in common. For example, a sentence-based GIST about dogs might describe different behaviors seen in dogs and give reasons why these behaviors are useful. GISTs can be used to report findings from research studies as well as explain concepts in teaching materials. They are also useful for writing abstracts and introductions to articles since they can help keep descriptions short and clear while still getting across the message or idea behind the article.