Read for the most important ideas and information
Make sure that you understand clearly
Reread to identify the major sections (outline) and the design plan elements
Summarize each section of the source in a single sentence
Encapsulate the entire passage in a single sentence that captures its main points or conclusion
Combine your section summaries with your overall summary
Check for accuracy and focus on presenting the source’s content and avoid speculating on its line of reasoning
USE YOUR OWN WORDS
Revise
Tips for summarizing sources
http://www.class.uidaho.edu/adv_tech_wrt/resources/general/how_to_summar...
Colorado State University Writing Guides
Overview: Summarizing Source Material
Summarizing a single source or a collection of related sources can provide your reader with background or supporting information that helps them better understand your chosen topic. It is also a useful method to point out material that either supports or contradicts your argument while not distracting your reader with irrelevant details.
As with quoting and paraphrasing, you must document the sources you summarize. Unlike a paraphrase, which rewords a specific passage and often remains the same length as the original, a summary reduces the material into a more concise statement. To be effective you must choose your words carefully, being accurate, objective, focused and concise.
Once you fully understand the intended meaning conveyed by the source material, write your summary. Pay close attention to the precise meaning of the words you choose and be especially careful not to introduce new ideas.
Developing critical reading skills will help you examine source materials with an eye toward what to include in a summary.
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...
Being Accurate
Being accurate requires that you fully understand the ideas and information presented in your source material. Misunderstanding an author's tone of voice or misinterpreting the information he or she has extrapolated from numerical data, for instance, may cause you to inadvertently misrepresent their point of view, ideas, opinions or position.
Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...
Being Objective
Being objective is as important as being accurate. It's a matter of fairness. Interjecting personal opinions into the ideas or information in your summary confuses the reader buy obscuring the information in the original source material. Expressing your attitude toward it, whether negative or positive, is inappropriate and self-serving.
You may express your own opinions, of course, but that should be done in the surrounding comments framing your summary. Bear in mind, being respectful is simply a matter of good form when arguing a difference of opinion.
Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...
Being Focused
Being focused means not wandering off-topic. Stick to what's important. A good summary highlights only those facts, ideas, opinions, etc., that are useful in helping your reader understand the topic being presented. Avoid a detailed account of the minutia contained in your source material.
Including minute details hinders the reader's ability to understand why the summarized information is relevant to your document in the first place and can lead them to conclude that you may not fully understand your topic.
Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...
Being Concise
Being concise means being as brief as possible. Details, examples and descriptions contained in the original source material should be removed, as well as information repeated or rephrased in slightly varying ways.
The whole idea of a summary is to be direct and to get to the point. Being focused, objective and accurate will go along way toward achieving this goal.
Example:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/includingsources/sum...