Summary Techniques

SUMMARY OF SCHOLARLY CONVERSATION

  • “Just as conversations in daily life differ, so do scholarly conversations”.
  • Importance of summarizing even well-known works to engage in scholarly discussion.
  • Each summary is a new version for new purposes and emphases.

RELATED METHODS FOR APPROACHING SUMMARY

  • Two key methods for summarization:
    • Noting for gist as you read.
    • Exploring original content as levels of generality and detail, abstract and concrete references.

NOTING FOR GIST

  • Definition of Level of Difficulty in Academic Sources:
    • Describes how readers need strategies to confront difficulties encountered in academic literature.
    • Noting for gist is characterized as an active reading strategy aiding reader engagement and comprehension.

WHAT DO WE DO IN THIS METHOD?

  • Process of Noting for Gist:
    • Write while reading, predicting significant points for possible future writing tasks.
  • Key Question Addressed by Notes:
    • “If I were reading with the intention of writing, what would I perceive as important from each paragraph?”

CHARACTERISTICS OF GIST NOTES

  • Quality of Output Notes:
    • The resultant notes are partly dependent on original wordings but also partially independent.
    • These words prepare the reader for a new interpretation of the original ideas while maintaining connection to the original speaker.

RECORDING LEVELS OF GENERALITY

  • Diagram Creation for Gists:
    • Create diagrams showing the gists and the shifts in levels of generality throughout the reading process.
    • Tree diagrams can represent the overall organization of generality and detail without chronologically following the reading.

USING GIST AND LEVELS OF GENERALITY TO WRITE SUMMARY

  • Arrangement Techniques:

    • Summarizers can arrange gists on a single page or write them on slips of paper for various configurations to visualize connections.
    • Use diagrams to elucidate relationships between abstract concepts and the specific details they encapsulate.

  • Creative Arrangement Benefits:

    • Non-linear arrangements enable the induction of new interrelations among the claims.
    • The summarized version, even for familiar readers, takes on a new configuration that emphasizes the current context's relevance.

STANCE

  • Quote:
    • “Here I stand; I can do no other.” —Martin Luther
  • Using language to articulate the summarizer's position regarding the original ideas.

ESTABLISHING THE SUMMARIZER’S POSITION

  • Different methods summarizers can use to express their position and credentials include:
    • Reporting Expressions:
    • Examples include “Calhoun explains” or “Corrigan argues,” which define the nature of the original's contribution (e.g., as an explanation or argument).
    • Type of Study Notation:
    • Mentioning the study type—e.g., field research, statistical analysis—to give context to the knowledge production process as indicated in the original work.
    • Wider Applications of Knowledge:
    • Identify broader implications or limits of the study results not included in the original text.

METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING THE SUMMARIZER’S POSITION

  1. Using Different Reporting Expressions:

    • Example differences between characterizations:
      • “Singer argues” vs. “Singer demonstrates” – indicates various levels of assertiveness about findings.

  2. Naming Research Types:

    • Types of research include empirical experimentation, statistical analysis, field research, theoretical inquiry, and archival research.

  3. Pointing to Wider Applications:

    • Discuss broader implications of research findings that relate to issues not directly addressed in the original.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SUMMARY CREATION

  • Summary is more than merely recounting arguments and involves establishing a unique perspective on the original arguments.
  • Thus, summarization yields a “compact piece of writing, ready to be used in new contexts.”

REPORTING IN SCHOLARLY WRITING

  • Scholarly writers frequently cite other authors, creating layers of citation or reporting reporting.
    • Example: A summary stating, “Chavez says that Anderson says that people imagine communities” outlines a chain of thought originating from multiple scholars.

EXPERTS AND NON-EXPERTS

  • Cited voices may belong not only to scholars but also to their research subjects.
  • The distinction between expert and non-expert is fluid and often debated.

EXERCISE: FUN SUMMARIES

  • Task to produce three-sentence summaries of select Disney films without naming their titles.
  • Suggested Films for Summarization Exercise:
    • Sleeping Beauty
    • The Little Mermaid
    • Finding Nemo
    • Cinderella
    • Toy Story
    • Monsters, Inc.
    • 101 Dalmatians
    • Beauty and the Beast
    • Aladdin
    • Tangled