Article: You should start every summary with the author and the article's title. This lets your reader know that you're summarizing what someone else has written. For example, you can start with something like "George Shaw's ''Pygmalion'' is a play that addresses issues of class and culture in early twentieth-century England." Without looking at your notes, write a first draft that includes the main point of each section in your own words. A summary shouldn't just repeat what the original author said, so using your own words is very important. If you absolutely must use the original author's words, put them in quotation marks. This tells your reader those words aren't yours. Not doing this is academic plagiarism, and it can get you in a lot of trouble. Make sure you format the quote correctly! As you write, make sure you're only summarizing the original piece of writing. You shouldn't be inserting your own opinions of the piece or of the events the piece covers. Instead, summarize what the original author said and retain their tone and point of view. For example, you might think that Hamlet spends a lot of time thinking and not a lot of time acting. You can say something like, "Hamlet is a man of thought, rather than action," instead of saying, "Why doesn't Hamlet do something once in a while?" You want your reader to know that you're summarizing another person's arguments. So you should occasionally use phrases like "the author argues," or "the article claims" when you're presenting those arguments. This reminds the reader that it's not your piece, but someone else's. In fiction pieces, you can say something like "Shakespeare's Hamlet then spends a lot of time brooding on the castle ramparts." This tells your reader you're talking about Shakespeare's play, not inventing your own story.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Start with the source's information. Work from memory to write the main point of each section. Present the material using the author's point of view. Use language appropriate to a summary.