The Summary:

To summarize is to take all the main ideas of an article or essay and condense them, discarding the unimportant details. The task of the writer is to discover the main points and describe them clearly.

 “A summary is a concise paraphrase of all the main ideas in an article or essay. It cites the author and the title (usually in the first sentence); it contains the essay’s thesis and supporting ideas; it may use direct quotation of forceful or concise statements of the author’s ideas; it will NOT usually cite the author’s examples or supporting details unless they are central to the main idea. Most summaries present the major points in the order that the author made them and continually refer back to the article being summarized (i.e. “Damon argues that …” or “Goodman also points out that … “). The summary should take up no more than one-third the length of the work being summarized.”

The Response

The response part of the essay is your opinion, supported by references. Do you agree or not and why? You will need to clearly explain your point of view and use the opinion of experts for support. Find and use a wide variety of references including journals, newspapers, university, and government sources, depending on your topic. Carefully consider the subject of the essay. If it is related to finance sources, The Economist, The World Bank or The Wall Street Journal are good sources. Topics involving government can use national newspapers and government sources to support your ideas. Remember NOT to rely on Wikipedia, (except for the external sources).

“A response paper is your chance to communicate in writing your personal viewpoint and personal learning as they relate specifically to the book, essay, paper, article, etc. in question and the ideas and values contained therein. A good response paper will artfully make a connection between the subject at hand and your own experience…. You are being asked to transform the new experience into a context that is meaningful to you, born of the interaction of reader’s and writer’s meanings”.

A response paper is not intended to be a comprehension test, a book review, (i.e. “I really enjoyed the…”) or a rehashing of the content or story (i.e. “this happened, and then that happened”).

“Your reader may be familiar with the book or article, and is interested in discerning how deeply you have thought about the concepts, values, belief systems and attitudes that exist at the heart of the work. …It is relaxed, clear, uncensored” (Sonoma, n. d.).

To develop the second part of a report, do the following:

  • Focus on any or all of the following questions. Check with your instructor to see if s/he wants you to emphasize specific points.
  • How is the assigned work related to ideas and concerns discussed in the course for which you are preparing the paper? For example, what points made in the course textbook, class discussions, or lectures are treated more fully in the work?
  • How is the work related to problems in our present-day world?
  • How is the material related to your life, experiences, feelings and ideas? For instance, what emotions did the work arouse in you?
  • Did the work increase your understanding of a particular issue? Did it change your perspective in any way?
  • Evaluate the merit of the work: the importance of its points, its accuracy, completeness, organization, and so on.
  • You should also indicate here whether or not you would recommend the work to others, and why.