PROFESSIONS LEARNING CENTRE
TRANSITION WORKSHOP
Summarising
And
Paraphrasing
(Isabella Slevin)
SUMMARISING
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A summary is a short and concise
representation of the main points, ideas,
concepts, facts or statements. Summaries are
necessarily shorter than the original text
Summaries must be written in your own words
and referenced.
When summarising you should not alter the
author’s original ideas (this is not a critique
– you do not include your opinions) or the degree
of certainty with which the ideas were presented.
HOW TO SUMMARISE
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Read the text as many times as you need to have a clear
understanding of:
The author’s ideas and intentions
The meaning and details
The degree of certainty with which the ideas are expressed
Step 1
 Write notes in point form using key words
Step 2
 Write the summary directly from your notes (this makes it
easier to write the summary using your own words)
Step 3
 Refer back to the original when you have finished
SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 1
Time management is a critical skill for all students to develop.
Weekly and semester timetables are an excellent way to plan a
study program. Students can use them to manage their most
important study, work and social commitments and to set
themselves study goals. Blocks of time can then be set aside for
study, reading, researching and writing. Most urgent tasks can be
addressed, whilst work continues on preparing for lectures,
tutorials and assignments. If time has been allocated for specific
purposes, it is easier to avoid unexpected demands like phone
calls, visitors and invitations. Assignments can be completed and
submitted on time and to a satisfactory standard. (Brown 1999)
Write a one sentence summary of the above paragraph.
Do not summarise individual sentences; instead, ask yourself:
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What is the topic of this paragraph?
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What is the main message the author is trying to convey?
SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 1
Time management is a critical skill for all students to develop.
Weekly and semester timetables are an excellent way to plan a study
program. Students can use them to manage their most important
study, work and social commitments and to set themselves study
goals. Blocks of time can then be set aside for study, reading,
researching and writing. Most urgent tasks can be addressed, whilst
work continues on preparing for lectures, tutorials and assignments. If
time has been allocated for specific purposes, it is easier to avoid
unexpected demands like phone calls, visitors and invitations.
Assignments can be completed and submitted on time and to a
satisfactory standard. (Brown, 1999)
Brown (1999) claims that effective time
management allows students to manage their
time to successfully complete their study
commitments.
SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 2
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Using the previous text, choose the 2 acceptable summaries:
By setting study goals and specific tasks, learning to prioritise the
most important and urgent tasks, using a timetable and minimising
interruptions, students can learn to manage their time more
successfully (Brown, 1999)
Students never succeed in their studies unless they use a daily, weekly
and semester timetable. Brown says (1999) this is the only way to
ensure their time is used profitably and their work is completed on
time.
To be a successful student, according to Brown (1999) you need to be
able to manage your time. A good way to do this is to use a semester
timetable. This will help to set goals, prioritise tasks and minimise
interruptions in order to complete assignment work on time.
Reasons?
SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 3
Students can benefit from using small amounts of time for study
purposes. There are lots of small amounts of time people overlook,
such as travelling to and from university, or between classes.
While these times can sometimes be used to relax and to ‘switch
off’, they can also be used more actively: to read a chapter, solve a
problem or revise for a test. These short study sessions are
particularly useful for busy students. (Brown, 1999)
Key points:
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use small amounts of time for study
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small amounts of time are often overlooked
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this time can be used actively
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useful for busy students
Write a one sentence summary, using the above key points
SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 3
Brown (1999) believes that busy students often
overlook small amounts of time that can be
actively used for study purposes.
SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 4
Studying in a new environment is different and therefore
can be stressful. Tertiary students come from a variety of
backgrounds and are studying for different purposes.
Students may have come straight from secondary school,
they may be a ‘mature age’ student who has decided to
pursue another career, or they may be an international
student and just arrived in Australia. Whatever their
backgrounds though, tertiary learning is different from
their previous studies. Students may be worried about the
amount of reading required, or whether they will be able to
study efficiently enough to get through their exams. They
may also worry about the tertiary learning expectations and
requirements. (Brown, 1999)
SUMMARY ACTIVITY 4
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Students from different backgrounds, including secondary,
mature age and internationals, are concerned about the
amount of reading required in tertiary study. (Brown,
1999)
Tertiary learning, suggests Brown (1999), is often a new
environment for students particularly internationals as
they are unsure of what is expected of them.
For many students, including those from diverse
backgrounds, it is often difficult to adapt to new tertiary
learning environments. As put forward by Brown (1999)
managing workloads, understanding expectations and how
to study effectively for exams can be extremely stressful.
Which is the best summary? Reasons why?
PARAPHRASING
What is the difference between merely summarising the
evidence and using it to substantiate my position and
develop my argument?
When you present your position it will only be convincing
if you use evidence to support your argument.
A persuasive analytical piece of writing must be based on a
logical structure which is your own way of seeing the topic.
There is no point in just making a summary of what
various authors have said. You must demonstrate your
ability to understand, integrate and apply the research
information to support your position.
HOW TO PARAPHRASE
A paraphrase is using the ideas, research, etc of others to
support your argument – but is written in your own style
Avoid paraphrasing sentence by sentence: paraphrase a
group of sentences or short paragraph.
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Read the text a sufficient number of times to ensure you
understand it…you cannot paraphrase work you do not
understand
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Take note of specialised words and ideas that cannot be changed
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Take note of keywords that can be substituted
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Use your own writing style – structure, grammar – to paraphrase
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You must both paraphrase and reference
SPECIALISED AND KEYWORDS: 1
The United States, Germany, Japan and other industrial
powers are being transformed from industrial economies to
knowledge and information based service economies, whilst
manufacturing has been moving to low wage countries. In a
knowledge and information based economy, knowledge and
information are the key ingredients in creating wealth.
(Laudon & Laudon, 2000)
SPECIALISED AND KEYWORDS: 1
The United States, Germany, Japan and other industrial
powers are being transformed from industrial economies to
knowledge and information based service economies, whilst
manufacturing has been moving to low wage countries. In a
knowledge and information based economy, knowledge and
information are the key ingredients in creating wealth.
(Laudon & Laudon, 2000)
PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 2
The United States, Germany and Japan and other
industrialised nations are being changed from industrial
economies to knowledge and service based service
economies, while manufacturing has been shifting to poor
nations. In a knowledge and information based economy,
knowledge and information are the ways to create wealth
(Laudon & Laudon, 2000)
There has been a dramatic change in economies like the
Unites States, Japan and Germany from industrial to
service economies involved in knowledge and information.
As manufacturing shifts to countries where wages are low,
economic growth and information economies must focus on
knowledge and information production (Laudon & Laudon,
2000)
PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 2
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A)
P1 is acceptable because it closely follows the sentence
structure of the original
B) Both Ps are acceptable because some of the keywords
have been changed
C) P2 is not acceptable because the sentence structure has
been changed
D) P2 is acceptable because both the sentence structure and
the keywords have been changed
E) P1 is not acceptable because the main idea of the
paragraph has been changed
Correct answer?
PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 3
Original text
 Paraphrase 2
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other industrial powers
transformed
whilst
has been moving
low wage countries
key ingredients
PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 3
other industrial powers…economies like
transformed
…dramatic change
whilst
…as
has been moving
…shifts to
low wage countries
…countries where wages are low
key ingredients
…focus on
PARAPHRASING VS SUMMARISING
Dickson (1994) maintains that television violence
has a marked effect on the development of the
child. Brown (1998) maintains that children who
watch a great deal of televised violence could be
affected for many years. The Television
Broadcasting Tribunal (2002, p16) recommends
that parents “limit the number of hours per week
of programs showing violence during children’s
viewing times.”
PARAPHRASING
VS
SUMMARISING
That television violence has considerable effect on the development of
the child is not disputed. topic sentence Both Dickson (1994) and
Brown (1998) have shown through extensive experiments that the
majority of children are affected by television violence, Brown having
extended the base of her research to longitudinal studies which reveal
that this effect is quite long-term. compare/contrast Faced with such
convincing evidence, the Television Broadcasting Tribunal has been
compelled to act in order to reduce this potential impact on children.
use of own words and structure The Tribunal has recommended
(2002) that the number of hours per week of violent programs should
be limited during children’s viewing times. In spite of these
recommendations, however, there continues to be a significant level of
violence in programs which are broadcast at prime viewing times for
children. comment This essay will, therefore,…scope – logical flow
This text connects research, shows cause-effect relationship, makes
the writer’s position clear and uses evidence to support that position
PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 4
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Paraphrasing at the paragraph level
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Turn the headings into questions
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Answer your questions using dot points/notes
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Take your dot points/notes and turn them into
sentences…use your own words and remember to
reference
SUMMARISING AND PARAPHRASING
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Both of these skills are essential to your success at
University
Summarising demonstrates your understanding of a
text and your ability to recognise and reproduce the
main ideas
Paraphrasing is the foundation of most of your
University assignments – the ability to use the work,
research, ideas, etc of others to support and enrich
your argument or position in a paper. Successful
paraphrasing demonstrates the breath and depth of
your reading and your understanding of your
particular subject area – the ability to take a position
and defend that position
SUMMARISING AND PARAPHRASING
Thank you
profession.learningcentre@adelaide.edu.au
Level 6, The Hub