Prepare a summary for every item you examine in a project. This advice seems self-evident, but it is not. A quick look may tell you that an article or book has no bearing on your project. Even so, describe it very briefly on a note card or in an electronic file (with complete bibliographic data). Such a record reminds you that you have, in fact, seen and reviewed that item — which can be no small comfort when working on projects that stretch over several weeks or months. After you’ve examined dozens and dozens of sources, it’s easy to forget what exactly you’ve read.

Use a summary to recap what a writer has said. When a source is clearly relevant to your project, look carefully for its main point and build your summary on it, making sure that this statement does reflect the actual content of the source, not your opinion of it. Be certain that the summary is entirely in your own words. Include the author and title of the work, too, so you can easily cite it later. The following is one summary of the USA Today editorial reprinted in Chapter 41, with all the required citation information:

In “Sanity 101,” the editors of USA Today (January 19, 2006) criticize current college admission practices, which, they argue, make students and parents alike fear that getting into an appropriate school is harder than it really is.

Source: “Sanity 101.” Editorial. USA Today 19 Jan. 2006: 10A. Print.

Be sure your summary is accurate and complete. Even when a source makes several points, moves in contradictory directions, or offers a complex conclusion, your job is simply to describe what the material does. Don’t embellish the material or blur the distinction between the source’s words and yours. Include all bibliographical information (title, author, and date) from the source. The following summary of “Sanity 101” shows what can go wrong if you are not careful.

Use a summary to record your take on a source. In addition to reporting the contents of the material accurately, note also how the source might (or might not) contribute to your paper. But make certain that your comments won’t be confused with claims made in the summarized article itself. The following are two acceptable sample summaries for “Sanity 101.”

In “Sanity 101,” USA Today (January 19, 2006) describes the efforts of college applicants and parents to deal with the progressively more competitive admissions policies of elite institutions. The editorial claims that most schools, however, are far less selective. The article includes a reference to another USA Today piece by Mary Beth Marklein on the support some companies offer employees to assist them with college admissions issues.

Source: “Sanity 101.” Editorial. USA Today 19 Jan. 2006: 10A. Print.

In an editorial (January 19, 2006) entitled “Sanity 101,” USA Today counsels parents against worrying too much about hypercompetitive current college admission practices. In reality, only a small percentage of schools are highly selective about admissions. The editorial doesn’t provide the schools’ side of the issue.

Source: “Sanity 101.” Editorial. USA Today 19 Jan. 2006: 10A. Print.

Use summaries to prepare an annotated bibliography In an annotated bibliography, brief summaries are provided for every item in an alphabetical list of sources. These summaries help readers understand the content and scope of materials. For more about annotated bibliographies, see Chapter 11. (understand annotated bibliographies)