Article

Summarizing articles

The Prompt

Purpose: Once we’ve chosen our academic articles that will support our claims for our final paper, we need to be able to accurately summarize these articles. Thus, this activity will allow you to think about what you need to include in your summary of the article and what is not necessary based on what your argument is.

The task itself:

1. Write out your topic of your final paper. This can be a modification of what you had written in paper activity 4.1, I attached bellow or another topic if you decide to change it.


2. Locate one of your academic articles for your final paper, copy and paste the abstract into this activity, and include the APA formatted citation for it. This can be the same article as in Paper Activity 4.1 or a new one. I would suggest a new one, so that you have already evaluated one academic article, and now will have a summary of a second one.


3. Summarize your article in a paragraph, making sure to put it in your own words (not just copying the abstract). Make sure to include enough relevant detail that someone who has not read the article (ex. me) will know what the article was about. In addition, make sure that your writing is readable, and not too complex. Avoid any quotes in your summary.


4. Reflect on the summary you wrote. Include answers to the questions below.

Reflection

• Who did you have in mind as your audience (Ex. was it a peer, a parent, health professionals)? How would your summary change with a different audience? 


• What information did you choose to exclude and WHY? 


• What about your summary went well? 


• What could you improve upon? 

Rubric

1. Accuracy of the summary based on academic article


2. Evidence: 
   
   
   
   1. Relevance of evidence chosen
   
   
   2. Clarity of the evidence
   
   
   
   


3. Personal reflection

Exceeds Expectations

Acceptable

Needs Improvement

Accuracy

The summary accurately presents the main claims of the journal article, and demonstrates how evidence supports the claims. 

The summary demonstrates understanding of the key claims of the article, but may have some parts that are inaccurate or subjective.

The summary may provide a list of points rather than any sense of a larger claim supported by reasons and evidence.

Choice of evidence

Choice of details maximizes understanding; unnecessary details omitted

Enough critical details presented for understanding, unnecessary details generally omitted

Some critical details missing, unnecessary details may be present

Clarity

Overall purpose, methods, results and conclusions of study clearly stated; seemingly effortless and seamless logical flow

Purpose, methods, results and conclusions clearly stated; most of presentation flows logically

Major sections missing or lack of logical flow

Personal reflection

The reflection moves beyond simple description of the experience to an analysis of how the experience contributed to student understanding of self, others, and/or course concepts.

The reflection demonstrates student attempts to analyse the experience but analysis lacks depth. 

Reflection may focus only on the simple description of the experience, and lacks evaluation.