Day29 : Summarizing Sources

Objectives:

We will be able to...

1. Understand the criteria of a good summary.
2. Practice summarizing a text step by step.
3. Summarize sources for GRP.
4. Complete the GRP AB.

The “Eye” ActivityWe will watch a video clip in class, but only "the eyes" can watch the clip.

Other students have to close their eyes and simply listen. 

Then, "the eye" will tell you what happened in the video to the students who have not watched.

Discuss with the students whether or not they give their chocolate, and for what reasons? 

What do you think makes a good summary?

Criteria of a Good Summary PPT

Summarizing Research Articles STEP by STEP

Step 1: Reading (Skimming)

Read the title, abstract, and headings to get the general sense of the article, identifying the major points that the authors highlighted in the abstract.

Can you summarize the main idea of the paper in your own words based on the abstract, keywords, and headings?

See if there is anything unclear or missing that seem to be important in summarizing the article. Write them down in a question format.

Step 2: Reading (Scanning)

Read specific parts of the article to find more about major information you identified in the abstract.

Step 3: Writing the First Draft

Write a brief summary of each major part of the article, such as

- purpose of the research (1-2 sentences) - in a non-research paper, where the purpose is mainly to report or argue, the thesis statement at the end of the introduction often directly provides the main argument without stating the purpose.

- method used (1 sentence) - in a non-research article, where the purpose is mainly to report or argue, this section is often missing. In this case, write 1-2 sentences summarizing the supporting details/evidence.

- main findings (or implications) of the research (1-2 sentences) - in a non-research article, where the purpose is mainly to report or argue, this is found in a conclusion section. 

Step 4: Writing Putting them Altogether

Put all the parts from Step 3 together. Combine some sentences together for conciseness, eliminating overlapping parts. Add transitions or switch some sentences around for coherence and logical structure. 

TIPS: Never try to quote/paraphrase the text word-for-word while reading it closely, which easily leads to committing patch-work plagiarism. Paraphrase the words in chunks, substituting the original words with synonyms and using different parts of speech. When this is impossible, quote the exact words and provide the page number.

Homework

DUE Tuesday, April, 2nd, 11:59PM

0. If you have not, please go to the IRP Individual Conference Scheduling Google Docs and select the time slot when you would like to have an individual conference.

1. In-class Activity: complete the summary parts of the GRP Annotated Bibliography.

    Save the file into GRP dropbox folder. 

2. Out-of-class Activity: complete the summary parts of the IRP Annotated Bibliography.

    Proofread your AB and make sure you have the final version.
   Once you complete the final versions, save the file into your IRP dropbox folder.