Katie's Writing Notes

Every book, article, or blog post has some kind of summary statement at the end of it, which usually includes the main points covered in the writing.

SUMMARY DEFINED

A summary brings together the main points made in a piece of writing, usually brief and to the point.  The main points might be bulleted or included one point per paragraph.  A summary of an entire work, say a book, will also include a thesis statement, which is a summary statement in itself of the entire work.

A summary can also lead readers to the next section or chapter with a brief enticement of information to come, placed at the end of that section or chapter.

You can also use a summary of content that has come before to introduce the current chapter.  This repeating of information can reinforce points readers should have learned and understood about the topic.  The previous information reminds readers of the foundation of knowledge already established for the current section or chapter.

WHEN TO USE A SUMMARY

You might want to look at your work as individual pieces or sections strung together with a common topic or theme, using the same title.  All the sections relate to the topic.  For each section, you might include a summary, especially if the section is complicated or includes a lot of information.

Certain places within each section might need a brief summary to reinforce your main points or to help your reader connect pieces of information to form a complete picture of your discussion of the topic.

TWO EXAMPLES

To summarize this article series on nonfiction writing methods, each method can be used in the question: Can I use this method effectively to better describe and discuss my topic?  The next question is: Where can I best use this method in my writing?  Ask yourself these questions about each method for your writing;  you may find that you can add content that will help readers better understand your points.

To summarize this article, summaries can be used anywhere in your text, specifically:

* at the end to state the main points of the text,

* anywhere in the middle to state main points of a section and to reinforce learning,

* at the beginning of the text (if the text is in the middle of the whole piece), to state the main points covered in previous chapters or sections, again, as a reinforcement for learning.

QUESTIONS FOR DETERMINING USE OF A SUMMARY

1. Do you want to include a detailed summary of points covered at the end of each section?  of each chapter?

2. Do you want to include a summary at the end of your writing?  Would it be in its own section or take up an entire chapter for a book?

3. How long do you want each summary to be?  It can be a brief paragraph or an entire chapter?

4. Do you want to use bullets for each main point, to make it easier for the reader to read?

5. What sections within your writing could use a summary of their own?

A summary is an effective tool to reinforce the points made in your writing and to reinforce learning of those points as a foundation for more to come.  Summaries can be placed anywhere in your writing, to accomplish various goals.