Thinkabara

✂️ How to Write a Summary · Lesson 6 of 6

Summarizing research articles

Google Classroom

Abstracts, annotated bibliographies and literature reviews.

IMRaD

IntroductionThe problem and the research question
MethodsWho/what was studied and how
ResultsWhat they found (numbers)
DiscussionWhat it means, limitations, next steps

A research summary in 5 sentences

  1. Purpose: Author (Year) investigated whether…
  2. Method: Using a survey / experiment / interviews with N participants…
  3. Key result: They found that…
  4. Interpretation: The authors conclude that…
  5. Limitation (if asked): However, the sample was…

Annotated bibliography

Each entry = the full citation (APA or MLA) + a short paragraph. Most annotations summarize (what the source says), and many also evaluate (how reliable it is) and reflect (how it helps your project). Check which parts your assignment wants.

Literature review

A literature review is not a list of summaries one after another. It groups sources by theme and compares them: “Several studies found X (Lee, 2019; Patel, 2021), but Kim (2022) found…” Summaries are the raw material; synthesis is the goal.

Tip

💡 Keep a summary + citation for every source as you research. Use the citation generator so your reference list builds itself.

✏️ Practice: your turn

  1. Pick a research article in your field and label its IMRaD sections
  2. Write a 5-sentence research summary
  3. Turn it into an annotated bibliography entry with an APA or MLA citation
  4. Write one synthesis sentence that connects two sources

✏️ Summary & outline builder: main idea → key points → summary draft

🧠 Quick quiz

Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.

1. What does the M in IMRaD stand for?
2. An annotated bibliography entry includes…
3. A literature review should…
4. Where are the main findings of a study?

0 of 4 correct

All lessons in How to Write a Summary

  1. 📝 1. What a summary is — and isn’tShort, accurate, neutral and in your own words
  2. 🎯 2. Finding the main ideaThe thesis, topic sentences and the one-sentence test
  3. 🗂️ 3. Key points and an outlineChoose 3–5 key points, drop the details, and order them
  4. 🔄 4. Paraphrasing without plagiarismChange the words and the structure — and still cite
  5. ✏️ 5. Writing and cutting the summaryDraft from the outline, link the ideas, then trim to length
  6. 🔬 6. Summarizing research articlesAbstracts, annotated bibliographies and literature reviews