Summarizing

USU Libraries Avoiding Plagiarism & Citing Sources

How to Summarize 

Summarizing is the process of taking someone else’s words and condensing them into a more concise or generalized statement in your own words.  Summarizing does away with minor details and helps quickly convey the most important information to the reader.

What Does Summarizing Look Like?

An original passage from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermon “The Drum Major Instinct”:

The other day I was saying, I always try to do a little converting when I'm in jail. And when we were in jail in Birmingham the other day, the white wardens and all enjoyed coming around the cell to talk about the race problem. And they were showing us where we were so wrong demonstrating. And they were showing us where segregation was so right. And they were showing us where intermarriage was so wrong. So I would get to preaching, and we would get to talking—calmly, because they wanted to talk about it. And then we got down one day to the point—that was the second or third day—to talk about where they lived, and how much they were earning. And when those brothers told me what they were earning, I said, "Now, you know what? You ought to be marching with us. [laughter] You're just as poor as Negroes." And I said, "You are put in the position of supporting your oppressor, because through prejudice and blindness, you fail to see that the same forces that oppress Negroes in American society oppress poor white people. (Yes) And all you are living on is the satisfaction of your skin being white, and the drum major instinct of thinking that you are somebody big because you are white. And you're so poor you can't send your children to school. You ought to be out here marching with every one of us every time we have a march."

 How a student summarized this passage in their paper:

Dr. King discusses his time in Birmingham jail and focuses on his conversations with the white wardens that worked there. According to King, they tried to convince him that he was wrong to demonstrate and protest segregation. As they do this, they reveal to him their own living conditions and salaries. Dr. King points out that they are just as poor as African Americans, and that they are deceiving themselves into thinking they are being treated better, because they are white. He then suggests that these men should be protesting as well (1).

MLA citation:

King, Martin Luther, Jr. “The Drum Major Instinct.” Sermon. Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA. 4 February 1968, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/drum-major-instinct-sermon-delivered-ebenezer-baptist-church. Transcript.

Inclusive Language

Any time you're writing, whether it's summarizing, paraphrasing, or describing your own insights, it's important to use inclusive language. The MLA 9th edition includes changes that will help writers use safe and appropriate language when discussing topics such as ethnicity, religion, gender, age, health, or social status. However, you should adopt inclusive language no matter the citation style. 

So for example:

  • Avoid using terms that specify a subject's ethnicity, religion, gender, social orientation, disability, age, or social status if it's not critical for your context
  • Adopt gender neutral terms such as "human-made" rather than "man-made"
  • Avoid using general terms like Asian community or Native American language and use specific terminology such as Vietnamese Americans or Chinookan languages
  • Avoid religious generalizations by describing the specific religion or beliefs you are referring to