Duke Writing Studio 2
Try to describe the article in your own words first.
Try to distill the article down to its “scientific essence.”
Include all the key points and be accurate.
A reader who has not read the original article should be able to understand your summary.
Example of a well-written summary:
The egg capsules of the marine snails Nucella lamellosa and N. lima protect developing
embryos against low-salinity stress, even though the solute concentration within the capsules
falls to near that of the surrounding water within about 1 h.
5. Write a draft of your summary:
Don’t look at the article while writing, to make it easier to put the information in your own
words and avoid unintentional plagiarism.
Refer back to the article later for details and facts.
Ask yourself questions as you write:
o What is the purpose of the study? What questions were asked?
o How did the study address these questions?
o What assumptions did the author make?
o What were the major findings?
o What surprised you or struck you as interesting?
o What questions are still unanswered?
Format
A complete citation of the article goes at the top of the page, below your heading.
Don’t skip a line between the citation and the start of the essay.
Indent the first line of the essay.
Be concise and eliminate superfluous information.
Organization
The introductory paragraph summarizes the background information and purpose of the
research (specific questions the study researched).
Then, explain the methods that were used to investigate the research questions (use past
tense).
Mention the major results of the study (use past tense).
State what the author of the study learned.
Critique: A Critical Review and Assessment of the Article
Include a summary as well as your own analysis and evaluation of the article.
Know the article thoroughly.
Do not include personal opinions.