PROFESSIONS LEARNING CENTRETRANSITION WORKSHOP

SummarisingAnd

Paraphrasing

(Isabella Slevin)

SUMMARISING A summary is a short and concise

representation of the main points, ideas, concepts, facts or statements. Summaries are necessarily shorter than the original text

Summaries must be written in your own

words and referenced.

When summarising you should not alter the author’s original ideas (this is not a critique – you do not include your opinions) or the degree of certainty with which the ideas were presented.

HOW TO SUMMARISERead the text as many times as you need to have a clear understanding of:

The author’s ideas and intentions The meaning and details The degree of certainty with which the ideas are

expressed

Step 1 Write notes in point form using key words

Step 2 Write the summary directly from your notes (this makes it

easier to write the summary using your own words)

Step 3 Refer back to the original when you have finished

SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 1Time management is a critical skill for all students to develop. Weekly and semester timetables are an excellent way to plan a study program. Students can use them to manage their most important study, work and social commitments and to set themselves study goals. Blocks of time can then be set aside for study, reading, researching and writing. Most urgent tasks can be addressed, whilst work continues on preparing for lectures, tutorials and assignments. If time has been allocated for specific purposes, it is easier to avoid unexpected demands like phone calls, visitors and invitations. Assignments can be completed and submitted on time and to a satisfactory standard. (Brown 1999)

Write a one sentence summary of the above paragraph.

Do not summarise individual sentences; instead, ask yourself: What is the topic of this paragraph? What is the main message the author is trying to convey?

SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 1Time management is a critical skill for all students to develop. Weekly and semester timetables are an excellent way to plan a study program. Students can use them to manage their most important study, work and social commitments and to set themselves study goals. Blocks of time can then be set aside for study, reading, researching and writing. Most urgent tasks can be addressed, whilst work continues on preparing for lectures, tutorials and assignments. If time has been allocated for specific purposes, it is easier to avoid unexpected demands like phone calls, visitors and invitations. Assignments can be completed and submitted on time and to a satisfactory standard. (Brown, 1999)

Brown (1999) claims that effective time management allows students to manage their time to successfully complete their study commitments.

SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 2Using the previous text, choose the 2 acceptable summaries:

By setting study goals and specific tasks, learning to prioritise the most important and urgent tasks, using a timetable and minimising interruptions, students can learn to manage their time more successfully (Brown, 1999)

Students never succeed in their studies unless they use a daily, weekly and semester timetable. Brown says (1999) this is the only way to ensure their time is used profitably and their work is completed on time.

To be a successful student, according to Brown (1999) you need to be able to manage your time. A good way to do this is to use a semester timetable. This will help to set goals, prioritise tasks and minimise interruptions in order to complete assignment work on time.

Reasons?

SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 3

Students can benefit from using small amounts of time for study purposes. There are lots of small amounts of time people overlook, such as travelling to and from university, or between classes. While these times can sometimes be used to relax and to ‘switch off’, they can also be used more actively: to read a chapter, solve a problem or revise for a test. These short study sessions are particularly useful for busy students. (Brown, 1999)

Key points: use small amounts of time for study small amounts of time are often overlooked this time can be used actively useful for busy students

Write a one sentence summary, using the above key points

SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 3

Brown (1999) believes that busy students often overlook small amounts of time that can be actively used for study purposes.

SUMMARISING ACTIVITY 4

Studying in a new environment is different and therefore can be stressful. Tertiary students come from a variety of backgrounds and are studying for different purposes. Students may have come straight from secondary school, they may be a ‘mature age’ student who has decided to pursue another career, or they may be an international student and just arrived in Australia. Whatever their backgrounds though, tertiary learning is different from their previous studies. Students may be worried about the amount of reading required, or whether they will be able to study efficiently enough to get through their exams. They may also worry about the tertiary learning expectations and requirements. (Brown, 1999)

SUMMARY ACTIVITY 4 Students from different backgrounds, including

secondary, mature age and internationals, are concerned about the amount of reading required in tertiary study. (Brown, 1999)

Tertiary learning, suggests Brown (1999), is often a new environment for students particularly internationals as they are unsure of what is expected of them.

For many students, including those from diverse backgrounds, it is often difficult to adapt to new tertiary learning environments. As put forward by Brown (1999) managing workloads, understanding expectations and how to study effectively for exams can be extremely stressful.

Which is the best summary? Reasons why?

PARAPHRASING

What is the difference between merely summarising the evidence and using it to substantiate my position and develop my argument?

When you present your position it will only be convincing if you use evidence to support your argument.

A persuasive analytical piece of writing must be based on a logical structure which is your own way of seeing the topic. There is no point in just making a summary of what various authors have said. You must demonstrate your ability to understand, integrate and apply the research information to support your position.

HOW TO PARAPHRASE

A paraphrase is using the ideas, research, etc of others to support your argument – but is written in your own style

Avoid paraphrasing sentence by sentence: paraphrase a group of sentences or short paragraph.

Read the text a sufficient number of times to ensure you understand it…you cannot paraphrase work you do not understand

Take note of specialised words and ideas that cannot be changed

Take note of keywords that can be substituted Use your own writing style – structure, grammar – to

paraphrase You must both paraphrase and reference

SPECIALISED AND KEYWORDS: 1

The United States, Germany, Japan and other industrial powers are being transformed from industrial economies to knowledge and information based service economies, whilst manufacturing has been moving to low wage countries. In a knowledge and information based economy, knowledge and information are the key ingredients in creating wealth. (Laudon & Laudon, 2000)

SPECIALISED AND KEYWORDS: 1

The United States, Germany, Japan and other industrial powers are being transformed from industrial economies to knowledge and information based service economies, whilst manufacturing has been moving to low wage countries. In a knowledge and information based economy, knowledge and information are the key ingredients in creating wealth.

(Laudon & Laudon, 2000)

PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 2The United States, Germany and Japan and other industrialised nations are being changed from industrial economies to knowledge and service based service economies, while manufacturing has been shifting to poor nations. In a knowledge and information based economy, knowledge and information are the ways to create wealth (Laudon & Laudon, 2000)

There has been a dramatic change in economies like the Unites States, Japan and Germany from industrial to service economies involved in knowledge and information. As manufacturing shifts to countries where wages are low, economic growth and information economies must focus on knowledge and information production (Laudon & Laudon, 2000)

PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 2 A) P1 is acceptable because it closely follows the

sentence structure of the original B) Both Ps are acceptable because some of the

keywords have been changed C) P2 is not acceptable because the sentence structure

has been changed D) P2 is acceptable because both the sentence

structure and the keywords have been changed E) P1 is not acceptable because the main idea of the

paragraph has been changed

Correct answer?

PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 3

Original text Paraphrase 2

other industrial powers

transformed

whilst

has been moving

low wage countries

key ingredients

PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 3

other industrial powers…economies like

transformed …dramatic change

whilst …as

has been moving …shifts to

low wage countries …countries where wages are low

key ingredients …focus on

PARAPHRASING VS SUMMARISING

Dickson (1994) maintains that television violence has a marked effect on the development of the child. Brown (1998) maintains that children who watch a great deal of televised violence could be affected for many years. The Television Broadcasting Tribunal (2002, p16) recommends that parents “limit the number of hours per week of programs showing violence during children’s viewing times.”

PARAPHRASING VS SUMMARISING

That television violence has considerable effect on the development of the child is not disputed. topic sentence Both Dickson (1994) and Brown (1998) have shown through extensive experiments that the majority of children are affected by television violence, Brown having extended the base of her research to longitudinal studies which reveal that this effect is quite long-term. compare/contrast Faced with such convincing evidence, the Television Broadcasting Tribunal has been compelled to act in order to reduce this potential impact on children. use of own words and structure The Tribunal has recommended (2002) that the number of hours per week of violent programs should be limited during children’s viewing times. In spite of these recommendations, however, there continues to be a significant level of violence in programs which are broadcast at prime viewing times for children. comment This essay will, therefore,…scope – logical flow

This text connects research, shows cause-effect relationship, makes the writer’s position clear and uses evidence to support that position

PARAPHRASING ACTIVITY 4 Paraphrasing at the paragraph level

Turn the headings into questions

Answer your questions using dot points/notes

Take your dot points/notes and turn them into sentences…use your own words and remember to reference

SUMMARISING AND PARAPHRASING

Both of these skills are essential to your success at University

Summarising demonstrates your understanding of a text and your ability to recognise and reproduce the main ideas

Paraphrasing is the foundation of most of your University assignments – the ability to use the work, research, ideas, etc of others to support and enrich your argument or position in a paper. Successful paraphrasing demonstrates the breath and depth of your reading and your understanding of your particular subject area – the ability to take a position and defend that position

SUMMARISING AND PARAPHRASING

Thank you

profession.learningcentre@adelaide.edu.au

Level 6, The Hub