Introduction to Summary Writing: 1A General Academic A summary is a synthesis of the main points of an article written in your own words. It is a combination of selecting the relevant information and condensing it so that it is no more than a third of the length of the original text. A good summary illustrates that you have understood the text clearly. ( Written by AEUK, 2022)
A 9:30-minute video on how to summarise effectively using t he 6-key stages of summarising. It also includes an example summary and two practice activities.
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1. Read the source text.
Read the article as many times as you need to. You won’t be able to write a good summary if you don’t understand the source text.
2. Make notes.
Note down the key information and important supporting details, but avoid examples, dates, numbers, statistics and data.
3. Write the summary from your notes.
Use your own words but keep the key words of the original text, and use transition words to link ideas.
Don’t add your own opinion.
4. Add the reference.
Check what referencing system your school uses (Vancouver, Harvard, APA) and then add the in-text citation and the full reference.
5. Reread the original.
Check you haven’t forgotten any important information.
6. Proofread and edit.
Read through your summary carefully. Can it be made more concise? Are there any language errors?
This uses the suggested steps in writing summaries.
Goal Setting Theory
Developed in 1968 by Edwin A Locke, goal-setting theory is based on the premise that setting specific and measurable goals is more effective than establishing unclear goals. In his article, Locke illustrates five principles for setting clear objectives. Clarity: goals need to be clear and specific. Challenge: goals should be challenging because goals that are too easy are demotivating. Commitment: People need to be committed to the goal or they are less likely to achieve the goal. Feedback: Regular feedback should be provided to ensure the individual remains on track. Task complexity: goals should be broken down into smaller goals (Wrobleski, 2019).
Sample Notes
GST: specific & measurable goals more effective than unclear goals (Edwin A Locke, 1968).
Possible summary for Goal-Setting Theory
Drawing on the work of Edwin A Locke, Wrobleski (2019) defines goal setting theory as an idea where setting specific and measurable goals is more productive than specifying unclear goals. There are five fundamentals for setting clear aims: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback and task complexity.
Democratizing IT
Data democratization refers to the process of making digital information available and accessible to everyone within an organisation, regardless of their technical know-how. It means empowering employees to work with data, understand data and make faster data-informed decisions. According to Marr (2021), when staff members are given access to the organisation’s data, operations become more streamlined and efficient as those who know the business will not have to wait for data scientists to analyse the data for them. However, organisations who democratize data need to have a strong leadership in place to ensure the data is properly managed.
Sample Notes
Data democrat. = all elec. Info. avail. to all employees.
Employees = work & undRst data & make faster decisions.
Bus. become more efficient = no waiting for IT specialists to analyse data (Marr, 2021).
But need good leader = ensure data is managed properly.
Possible summary for Data Democratization
Data democratization means making electronic information obtainable to all employees in an organisation. According to Marr (2021), this enables operations to become more systematic as the staff do not have to wait for IT specialists to analyse the data. However, as data must be managed appropriately, good leadership is essential.
Behavioural economics
Behavioural economics is a field of economics that incorporates the studies of psychology, neuroscience and sociology to better understand the decision-making processes of individuals (The Observer, 2017). This fairly new subject aims to gain a deeper understanding of why people, at times, make choices that are irrational and the thoughts and emotions that underpin the decisions made (The Guardian, 2017). Decisions, according to Samson (2018), such as whether to pay more for a certain brand, how much to spend on a holiday and which candidate to support in a public vote all involve a decision-making process and it is this mechanism that behavioural economists attempt to understand in order to predict human behaviour.
Sample Notes
Behav, Econ. = econ. + psy, neurosci + sociol.
Aim = Better undRst DM process of ppl. (The Observer, 2017).
New sub. -> deep undRst why ppl make rash D & thoughts & emo. underpin. dec. (The Guardian, 2017).
E.g, pay + 4 cert. brand, how much 2 pay 4 hol. & who 2 vote for invol. DM. (Samson, 2018).
Behav. Econ. tries 2 undRst DM to predict hum. bev.
Possible summary for Behavioural Economics
The Observer (2017) defines behavioural economics as a combination of economics and psychological subjects used to analyse the decision-making process of individuals in order to predict human behaviour (Samson, 2017). Behavioural economists try to understand why people sometimes make poor choices and the thoughts that led to the decisions made (The Guardian, 2017).
Here are six summary lessons based around 3 topics: general academic, business and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Each topic has two lessons: introduction to summary writing and improve your summary writing.
Introduction to Summary Writing: 1A General Academic Suitable for students beginning their academic studies, this lesson supports students through the summary writing process. It includes an introductory worksheet, an information guide and five practice tasks which are based on general academic themes. Sample notes and sample summaries are also provided . Example Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Introduction to Summary Writing: 1B Business Suitable for students beginning their academic studies, this lesson supports students through the summary writing process. It includes an introductory worksheet, an information guide and five practice tasks which are based on a range of business topics. Sample notes and sample summaries are also provided . Example Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Introduction to Summary Writing: 1C STEM Suitable for students beginning their academic studies, this lesson supports students through the summary writing process. It includes an introductory worksheet, an information guide and five practice tasks which are based on STEM topics. Sample notes and sample summaries are also provided . Example Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
