Idea Book #6: Article Summary
The purpose of this Idea Book is to practice your research skills! First, choose a topic that is interesting
to you that you would like to learn more about. Then, find a relevant and reliable article on that topic.
Read it thoroughly and carefully. Last, write a detailed summary of that article. Include an MLAformatted citation for the article. Your article may be from a print or non-print source.
**NOTE: Points will be deducted if any of the above is excluded.**
Do the following in your article summary:
1. In your title, indicate the topic you are researching.
2. Put the citation at the top of the page in MLA format. You may use www.easybib.com for help.
See the attached guidelines as well.
3. Include the following important information in your summary.
a. Speaker – Who is the writer? What do you know about him or her? Is s/he qualified to
write on this topic? How do you know?
b. Occasion – What is the time and place of this text? What is the immediate occasion for
writing this piece? What is the impetus for writing about this topic at this time?
c. Audience – Whom is the writer addressing? Or, who might care about this issue? How
can you tell?
d. Purpose – Why did the author write this? What does s/he want the audience to think,
do, understand, etc? Common purposes include writing to inform, to persuade, to
describe, to explain, or to expose.
e. Subject – What is the topic of this article? What are the key points that author makes?
f.
Tone – What is the writer’s attitude about the topic? How can you tell?
g. Finally, is there anything missing in this article? Viewpoints that aren’t considered, or
questions you still have after reading?
Remember: your purpose here is to summarize, not to argue. You will have the opportunity later. 
Trusted Sources: Online articles are fine, but they must
be from trustworthy sources of information. One
surefire way to know that an article is credible is to use
your library resources.
1.
2.
3.
Go to http://sfalibrary.weebly.com
Hover over “Library Resources” and Click on
“Databases”
Search the databases for sources. I
recommend “Issues & Controversies.”
Researching at home? Use this Username: austin Password: austin
Possible Topics: Choose something of interest to you!
Some possible issues / topics…
Affordable Care Act
Chemical Weapons
Cybercrime
Drones
Gay Rights
Government Shutdown
Gun Control
Immigration Policy
Legacy of the Arab Spring
NFL / Head Injuries
NSA Surveillance Programs
Performance Enhancing Drugs
Voting Rights Act
War on Terror
You will submit this Idea Book to www.turnitin.com. It must be at least 250 words.
Idea Book #6: Article Summary
How to write a citation in MLA Format
Fill in the source information below, providing as much information as possible.
Print Source
_______________________________________________________________________________.
AUTHOR(S) – Last Name , First Name
“________________________________________________________________________.”
TITLE OF ARTICLE / CHAPTER
_________________________________________________________________________.
TITLE OF BOOK / MAGAZINE / ENCYCLOPEDIA / NEWSPAPER
___________________________: __________________________________, ___________.
CITY
PUBLISHING COMPANY
YEAR
Online Source
_______________________________________________________________________________.
AUTHOR(S) – Last Name , First Name
“________________________________________________________________________.”
TITLE OF ARTICLE / PAGE
_________________________________________________________________________.
TITLE OF WEBSITE
_________________________________. ______________________________________.
DATE PUBLISHED
DATE ACCESSED
Examples
Ellis, Doris. “The Samurai.” History of Japan. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1989.
Elliott, Michael. "Osama Bin Laden: The Biggest Fish of Them All." Time. Time, 17 Mar. 2003. Web. 07
Jan. 2014. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004410,00.html.
For Help
www.easybib.com – has an online form that will format the citation for you
http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.htm - examples of citations
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ - a guide to documentation
You will submit this Idea Book to www.turnitin.com. It must be at least 250 words.