Before you can summarise or paraphrase you must decide which text or section you will use in your assignments.

1. Identify the purpose of the summary/paraphrase: is it for your notes, for a critical review, to include as evidence supporting your understanding of a topic?
2. Read the original carefully. Check the meanings of words you are unfamiliar with. Read the text at least twice or till you are certain you understand it.
3. Select the important ideas and information by highlighting the original or taking separate notes. Select important definitions of key terms that you may need to include.
4. Select the main claim/thesis of the text to be summarised/paraphrased even if this is not explicitly expressed, try to write your own understanding of the author's claim.
5. Gather groups of details, examples and minor ideas under more general terms, a phrase or single word.
6. Do not include repeated ideas/information from the original.
7. Include the attitude of the author. Is she/he critical, praising, certain, uncertain?
8. After writing a summary or paraphrase check the meaning and attitude of the author is unaltered.
9. Use quotation marks (" ") for unique/specialist phrases that you have retained from the original.
10. Always keep accurate bibliographical details for in-text references/footnotes and your Bibliography/Reference List.