Academic summary writing

Academic summaries must follow certain characteristics. It is advisable to include an introduction, a body and a conclusion and to use formal language and acknowledgements of sources following an academic style. As regards paragraphs, they should be balanced and they should contain an introductory phrase and proper connectors. Moreover, the summary points should be clear and complete.


A student’s summary in unit 3 of the postgraduate programme class Lengua Inglesa Especializada I (Pintos, 2008) contains an introduction section with the introductory phrase, “In her book ‘The Process of Paragraph Writing’, Reid (1994) describes the main characteristics of a summary” (page 20). This sentence is followed by a concise description of what the general purpose of a summary is.


Although the introduction is appealing, the body and the conclusion do not show effectiveness. The body is started with a short sentence beginning with a contrast connector where there is not a previous explicit idea to contrast. Furthermore, the explanation for how to write an accurate summary sounds farfetched. Finally, the conclusion does not have a proper linker and fails to develop why summaries should be balanced.


According to Pintos (2008), meaningful language can be composed either to tell knowledge or to transform knowledge. Many well-known researchers and theorists have stated that the construction of knowledge within a discourse community must follow some specific characteristics. Thus, those students who are interested in successful academic writing should be well acquainted with text structure and academic styles.


In conclusion, although the student’s summary commented above keeps balance and follows an academic style, coherence and cohesion could be improved. Success in communicating ideas and gaining respect from colleagues can be reached provided precise language and sentences are carefully used and academic writing rules are obeyed.

Reference

Pintos, V. (2008). Lengua Inglesa Especializada I - Unidad 3. Buenos Aires. Universidad CAECE. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=2725