Write a Quick Summary: 4 Effective Tips

Why do you need to write a quick summary? Well, the reason is simple.

What Is a Summary?

A summary is a shortened version of a longer text that provides comprehensive knowledge to the reader. It is a condensed version of a section that contains the most significant information. It can go into great depth on some issues or be a basic retelling of the passage’s main point.

But either way, the convenience of the summary is that it takes less time to comprehend the idea entirely. When you summarize a text, you give a quick overview of the main themes in your own words.

What Is the Purpose of a Quick Summary?

Quick summaries are meant to provide a bit of a recap of a written document. It can be a chapter in a book, a list of research publications, or a review of a company’s trends and developments.

A quick summary can also help learners who are taking notes from a lecture to grasp what was discussed and what was left unexplained.

4 Tips to Write an Effective Summary

A summary is a quick and concise explanation of what you have read in a long dissertation or piece of content. And a summary is a key to reading comprehension.

With so much content online, it’s hard to filter the useful information from the unhelpful. To write a quick, effective, and engaging summary, here are four tips to help you out.

1. Find your central idea

A helpful summary distills the original information down to its most relevant point to give a clear understanding to the reader.

Choose one central point to convey to the reader and make the most of your limited sentences. To help you organize your thoughts, make a few mental notes.

2. Keep it short

A summary is a concise synopsis of the original piece, not a rewrite. The average length of a summary paragraph is usually five to eight sentences to ensure short and focused content.

Remove any redundancies or repeating language to keep your paragraph simple and brief.

3. Write without bias

Often, we fall into the trap of writing from a biased perspective. If you are trying to persuade someone into reading your work, you don’t have to try and trick them.

You just need to present your writing without judgment. And when summarizing an original text, you’re compiling and consolidating the key information and not reviewing it. So, write in your own words and avoid slipping your opinion into the summary.

4. Ensure a smooth flow

Transitions are crucial when it comes to building momentum in your writing. Make sure your sentences flow together and properly explain your summary using transition words.

You must know how to present your main idea in an organized and coherent manner.

Conclusion

A summary serves as a quick overview of what you want to share or say. The purpose of a quick summary is to provide a brief explanation of an idea or argument.

You could be researching, seeking a new method to start a story, or just attempting to get across a broad notion. If you want to write a compelling summary, you need to keep it simple, theme-based, and easy to comprehend.