Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Summarizing and paraphrasing are writing tools used to incorporate another writer’s thoughts into
your own work without directly lifting their language. Both processes are very close to each other in
terms of execution, with some minor differences. However, the original author’s name MUST be cited
in both these activities since the ideas are there’s even if you have rearranged them in your words.
There are multiple reasons for which paraphrasing and summarizing is conducted:

 Expand the breadth or depth of your writing. (It diversifies your content)
 Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing. (It is like quoting an authority on
the subject to back your claims)
 Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing. (Sets the field for how your
work/research will modify the field, and what other work on it already exists)
 Give examples of several points of view on a subject.
 Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with.

(Purdue English)

Paraphrasing

The word paraphrase comes from the Greek word “paraphrases” which means, “to tell in other
words”. It basically involves restating someone else’s ideas in your own language, in more or less the
same amount of detail as the ‘original’. Paraphrasing is usually done to certain passages in a work that
you wish to use in your writing without cluttering up your research with too many direct quotations.
Paraphrasing MUST retain the tone and central idea of the text that has been referenced. Paraphrasing
could be done to any ‘text’ – words, pictures, situations, etc.

When to Paraphrase:

 When you want to use another writer’s words without plagiarizing their language.
 When the ideas of the other writer are more important than their style of writing.
 When the ideas of the other writer are expressed in a language that is too complex or beyond
the comprehension of average readers.

How to Paraphrase:

 Read the text more than once – the first time cursorily, to get the general idea, the second time
carefully, to get the comprehensive argument being made.
 Make your own notes while reading the passage since the point is to translate the original
ideas into your own language.
 Rely on your own notes when paraphrasing. This will ensure that you do not use words from
the original source.
 Ensure that you keep the meaning and maintain the same relationship between the main ideas
and the supporting points.
 While the tone of the source needs to be maintained, use synonyms to vary the words, and
change the sentence structures to make the writing clearer, and also your own.
 When absolutely necessary, use the words of the author, but put them in quotations to indicate
this. Key words that require a specialized vocabulary needn’t be changed. These should also be
put in quotes since they occur in the original work.
 Go back to the original source upon completion and check if you have got all the key points.
 Jot down the page number and source so that you can reference it later on.
Summarizing

A summary is a condensed recap of the original text. It is shorter (1/3rd or 1/4th) than the source and
highlights the main idea of the larger text. The purpose behind having a summary is to give a brief and
clear gist to the reader in your own words. It separates extraneous material while retaining key ideas.
Summarizing explores the relationship of the part to the whole system and then derives meaning from
these relationships. Summaries are written in a balanced and objective manner. It does not involve a
point-to-point translation, but is a broad overview of the source material, retaining only the main
points. Just like in paraphrasing, the original work must be referenced in summarizing as well.

When to Summarize:

 When you want to give a brief overview of a topic, movie, book, etc.
 When you wish to highlight only the central ideas of a text.
 When you want to simplify a complex argument.

How to Summarize:

 Read the original material very carefully.

 Decipher the purpose of your summarizing: this will dictate selection of relevant material.
 Select relevant information.
 Delete extraneous details like examples, anecdotes, etc.
 Retain key statistics, facts, and other figures.
 Use alternate terminology – synonyms are your friend.
 Key words/technical terms/specialized vocabulary can be retained, but must be put in
quotations.
 Change the structure of the text.
 Express relationships in a different way while retaining the tone of the original.
 Use connecting words to make your writing seamless and join relating ideas.
 No dramatic structure, always written in present tense and indirect speech.
 Recheck your work to see if the main ideas have been translated in a different language.

The size of the summary will vary, depending on the length of the original text, the purpose of
summarizing, and the selectivity exercised by you.

Difference between Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Summary: Mentions only the main points of any work in your own words.
Paraphrase: Writing a particular passage/work in your own words.

Summary: Significantly shorter than the source.

Paraphrase: Almost equal, or somewhat shorter than the original text.

Summary: Done to mention the main ideas without any explanations about the matter.
Paraphrase: May be done for the purpose of simplifying the original text, and making the ideas
clearer for efficient comprehension.

Summary: It helps to condense the larger ideas in the text and initiate a discussion of the work in its
entirety.
Paraphrase: Using your own words to discuss a specific source’s ideas. Usually done to passages in a
work to better explain that idea in a clearer vocabulary.

Summary: While summarizing, think of yourself as a critic or reviewer.

Paraphrase: While paraphrasing, think of yourself as a translator.

Purpose of summary is to condense the source matter shorter than the original.
The purpose of a paraphrase is to restate the source matter irrespective of length.

Executive Summary

An executive summary, or a management summary, is a short document or section of a document,

produced for business purposes, that summarizes a longer report or proposal in such a way that
readers can rapidly become acquainted with a large body of material without having to read it all. It
usually contains a brief statement of the problem or proposal covered in the major document(s),
background information, concise analysis and main conclusions. It is intended as an aid to decision-
making by managers and has been described as the most important part of a business plan. An
executive summary has been used as one of the key components in the formats under ‘report’. In
research articles, this would be called an abstract and would serve the same function of listing the
proposal, aims, analysis, and conclusions for the reader.

Précis Writing

A précis means writing precisely and briefly. A précis restates the main ideas and points elaborated in
the original passage. It has the same logical development of thought as the original but simplifies the
language to make comprehension easier. Statistics and sources are kept as in the original and focus is
only on the main ideas. Do not add anything new to the original passage. Keep it 1/3 rd of the original
length and choose an appropriate title for the précis.
Accuracy, brevity, and clarity are the ABCs of good précis writing.

For the purpose of your paper, draft a précis like you would draft a summary. Just do not add
any new information.