Effective Techniques for Summarizing Books

How to Summarize a Book

You can summarize any book by following these steps:^[1]

• Quickly browse the book, identify the sections to be summarized, then divide them into parts, and further break down parts into main and subheadings.
• Read the selected sections at a normal, moderate pace—without stopping at difficult or confusing points—while focusing only on the author’s writing style and the central idea conveyed in the text.
• Re-read the sections while paying close attention to key phrases and essential facts. Underline statements that will be referenced in the summary, mark those to avoid, and highlight any unclear passages.
• Write the main idea of each section—identified in step one—using a single clear sentence per part. The main idea should capture the core points without including minor details.
• Compose the overall thesis statement for the summary based on the key points identified in the previous step. If you’re unable to do this, it indicates an issue with the earlier step; revisit it to ensure your notes reflect the essential ideas.
• Write the final summary using the central thesis, relevant quotes from the original text, your own phrasing, and transitional words such as "then," "however," "also," etc.

Tips for Summarizing a Book

It is best to divide the summary into small sections and short chapters to make it easier to read for the intended audience. Additionally, the summary should remain objective and faithful to the original—avoid adding extra information or showing bias. Be cautious about overusing quotation marks, as excessive quoting turns the summary into a collection of excerpts rather than a coherent synthesis.^[2]

Reasons for Summarizing

Common reasons for summarizing include:^[3]

• Exams: Summarizing a book tests the writer’s understanding of its content, their ability to express ideas clearly, and their writing skills.
• Research: When preparing research, certain topics require presenting what are known as "previous studies"—a review of recent related work. This requires reading various sources and using summaries to present them effectively within the research paper.
• Indexing: A summary may be required for indexing purposes or for creating inventory lists. In such cases, the summary must be very brief—just enough to help readers decide whether they need the book.

References

1. ↑ "How to Write a Summary in 8 Easy Steps", www.enotes.com, Retrieved 22-2-2018. Edited.
2. ↑ "How to Summarize a Book", www.summarizing.biz, Retrieved 22-2-2018. Edited.
3. ↑ Roy Johnson, "How to summarize a book"، www.mantex.co.uk, Retrieved 22-2-2018. Edited.