Summarize this article in one sentence.
Take your notes out and compare them to your from-memory draft. If there’s anything major you forgot to include, put it in your second draft. Rather than jumping around to different parts of the story or article, you should explain what happened in the sequence that it happened. This is especially important for summarizing works of fiction. Sometimes in an article or book, the author might make the same point multiple times as a way to underline their main points. In your summary, you don’t need to do this. When you’re rereading your summary, delete any repetitive points – even if the author makes them multiple times, you only need to make them once. If you notice an author has made the same point multiple times, though, it’s a good indicator that this is an important point, and it should definitely be in your summary. If you’re focused on getting all of the main points down, you might not be paying attention to how the paragraphs of your summary fit together. When you revise, make sure that you connect each paragraph to the next, and back to the main point. For example, in a summary of an article about the cause of the American Revolution, you might have a paragraph that summarizes the author's arguments about taxes, and another about religious freedom. You can say something like, "Although some colonists believed that taxes should entitle them to representation in Parliament, the author also argues that other colonists supported the Revolution because they believed they were entitled to representation in heaven on their own terms." Once you've finished revising the arguments in your draft, check the little things. Make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. Look for any additional or missing punctuation and correct that as well. Don't use spell-checker for spelling errors. It will catch if you spell something wrong, but not if you use the wrong spelling of a word. For example, it won't catch that you used "there" when you meant "their." Once you’ve added anything you might have forgotten to your summary, check how long it is. If you’re summarizing something for a school assignment, be sure to stick to the parameters or guidelines provided by your instructor. Generally, a summary should be around one quarter the length of the original piece. So if the original piece is 4 pages long, your summary should be no more than 1 page. Another person may see an argument or point in a completely different light than you have, giving you a new feel for the work and yours. Not only should they be comparing your work for accuracy, ask them to read it for flow and summation. They should be able understand what happened in the article or story by reading your summary alone. Don't hesitate to ask for criticism; then weigh those criticisms and make valid changes.
Reread the draft you wrote from memory against your notes. Present the summary in chronological order. Eliminate repetition. Add transitions where necessary. Check for grammatical and spelling errors. Check your length. Ask someone else to read your work.