AT A GLANCE

Guidelines for Summarizing

  • Include just enough information to recount the main points you want to cite. A summary is usually far shorter than the original.
  • Use your own words. If you include any language from the original, enclose it in quotation marks.
  • Record the author, shortened title, and page number(s) on which the original material appeared. For sources without page numbers, record the paragraph, screen, or other section number(s), if any.
  • Make sure you have a corresponding working-bibliography entry with complete source information. (17b)
  • Label the note with a subject heading, and identify it as a summary.