Summaries and excerpts
A summary is a way of compressing the most important points of a text into a compact form. It is a very active form of absorbing a text. Excerpts are snippets of important thoughts on a particular subject. In many cases, they relate to just a few sections of text.
Brief summaries, comments, or notes on a text or section of text can be set up as electronic files in folders or on index cards. You can also use word processing programs for this, and members of the university community can get free access rights from Zedat and the University Library.
Here are a few general tips:
- Every index card, electronic file, or page of an excerpt should contain a clear reference to the text as literature.
- Every excerpt should describe the topic of a section or chapter precisely so that the differences between individual sections become clear. Note the page number and paragraph, where applicable.
- Paraphrase the content largely in your own words.
- If you write down verbatim quotes, be sure to use quotation marks and note the page number.
- Pick out specialized terms and repeat the definition exactly.
One popular way of reading texts is to underline important passages and otherwise mark the text.
If you highlight the main points in individual sections in color, you will arrive at a summary. It is a good idea to use different colors, which can help you distinguish between examples, key arguments, and conclusions later on. But don’t start underlining right away as you read. You should always wait until you have worked your way through a longer section of text. It is also a good idea to use notes in the margin to point out the logical argumentation structure of the text.
You can visualize the connections in terms of content in a text and use a mind map to organize them. We have also provided a template below that you can use to write up text summaries.
