1. How to Write a Summary Paper
Allana Zuckerman
February 27, 2014

2. The Importance of Topic Sentences
Topic sentence for each paragraph
What is the point you are trying to make with this paragraph?
Identify 3-4 important points from the article and make these your topic sentences
Use other sentences in the paragraph to show what the authors said that made that point

3. Answer These 5 Questions
What was the paper about?
Why was it important?
What did they do?
What did they find?
What does it mean?

4. What was the paper about?
Research question
Hypothesis

5. Why was it important? Explain why they asked this research question
Why does the author say this problem or issue is important?
NOT why YOU think it is important

6. What did they do? Briefly explain what the general methods were
What are the independent and dependent variables?
How were they measured?

7. What did they find? Summarize the main results of the study
DO NOT report numbers! Words only!
Were their hypotheses supported?

8. What does it mean? What conclusions can be drawn from the study?
What do we now know from the results that we did not know before?

9. APA Style Separate references page with APA formatted reference
12 point font in Times New Roman
1 inch margins (top, bottom, left and right)
Double spaced

10. Clarity Writing is easy to understand
Terms are clearly introduced and explained
Sentences are coherent and make sense in context
Use of professional language

11. Critical Thinking Demonstrates careful thought about article
Is accurate in its depiction of the article

12. Other Considerations Only cite the article once!
After you have introduced the article there is no need to cite throughout the document – we know what article you are writing about
Read the study, take brief notes (in your own words), then write the essay without looking back at the original article
Simpler the writing, the better!
NO QUOTES!
Use the rubric!