Summary and respo

Summary/Strong-Response Essay

Tips

Tip #1: Your summary should have a sentence near the beginning that contains two elements:

  1. the source

    The highlighted verbs are better for reporting the author’s thesis. Also use the reporting verb list in Canvas Files.

  2. a main idea or the author’s thesis (main claim)

Example:

Reference to source article

Author

Reporting verb - present tense

Main idea or thesis

In the article “Toward a Global Treaty on Plastic Waste,”

Nils Simon and Lili Fuhr

report

assert

claim

argue

maintain

suggest that

hypothesize

state

Tip #2: Your summary should continue with the article’s main points, especially those you think you would like to use in your essay, using:

  • attributive tags (the author, or author’s family name)

  • reporting verbs (in present tense)

  • summary reminder phrases

Examples:

Simon and Fuhr further state that…

The authors also maintain/state/argue that…

The authors cite X who claims Y.

Tip #3: Avoid using “mention” as a reporting verb in your summary because it suggests a

minor point or a point made without detail or support.

Tip #4: Assume your reader has not read the article.

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