Citing primary and secondary sources

Please see unit 6B in the English for Academic Purposes Student’s book to find out how to write a good summary.

Extra: You can also see some good examples how to summarise a full academic article here (https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/how-to-summarize/)

According to specialists from Purdue University, in order to summarize well it might be helpful to follow these steps:

·        Read the whole text and write down its key points.

·        Use your own words to summarize the single main idea of the article.

·        Paraphrase given evidence and supporting ideas.

·        Now think about specific collocations, statements and ideas that are worth to be quoted directly.

The following examples are taken from the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill at https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/summary-using-it-wisely/ accessed on Oct 19, 2021)

Improper summarising (example)

The Great Gatsby is the story of a mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby, who lives alone on an island in New York. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the book, but the narrator is Nick Carraway. Nick is Gatsby’s neighbor, and he chronicles the story of Gatsby and his circle of friends, beginning with his introduction to the strange man and ending with Gatsby’s tragic death. In the story, Nick describes his environment through various colors, including green, white, and grey. Whereas white and grey symbolize false purity and decay respectively, the color green offers a symbol of hope.

Proper summarising (example)

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald provides readers with detailed descriptions of the area surrounding East Egg, New York. In fact, Nick Carraway’s narration describes the setting with as much detail as the characters in the book. Nick’s description of the colors in his environment presents the book’s themes, symbolizing significant aspects of the post-World War I era. Whereas white and grey symbolize the false purity and decay of the 1920s, the color green offers a symbol of hope.

OPEN QUESTION: Please analyse these 2 summaries and note down prominent differences between them.  

Extra: More examples of summaries for APA referencing style can be found at https://web.williams.edu/wp-etc/acad-resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/SummarizingAPA.php