Q&A for How to Summarize a Journal Article

A "refereed" journal article is the same as a peer-reviewed journal article. This just means that all of the content has been fact-checked by a panel of experts before being approved for publication. All of the above steps apply.

Take notes while scanning to remember what interested you the most. Afterwards, go back, if the article will be used, to understand those topics better so that if you had to explain it to someone, you could without a problem.

Read all articles and write separate summaries. Then summarize the similar summaries once again; hence you will get two to three similar drafts. Now finally write the main points of these narrowed down drafts in one article.

It is preferable to be subjective during summarizing, as you need to draw conclusion from the information provided only by the author(s) of the article.

Summarize a different article in each paragraph, and try to make each summary smaller if possible. Then, find a way to mash up all the summaries in one. There is no limit but the shorter the entire summary is, the better.

Article highlights consist of short bullet points that convey the core findings of an article and provide readers with a quick textual overview. Specific journals have different requirements so it is best to check the guide to authors section of the journal website to ensure you keep within word limits.

Yes. I recommend titling it as "Summary of (article name italicized)"; this way, the title is straight to the point. If you are summarizing multiple articles, title the page with the subject you are writing about (be specific!).

The main supporting ideas are generally going to be thought of as the meat of your article paragraphs. You can include them as headers of the sections, or you can just use them as inspiration for the section's content.

If it is for a school assignment, that depends on the instructor. Some instructors require cover pages, while others do not.

It all depends on what or who your summary is about. Adding a sub topic is important in some topics that you are doing, as it often helps the person who is reading the summary to gather, analyse, and process a bit of formation on what is being presented to them. If it helps give a little bit of information that would allow you to make a logical decision about the summary, then do so.

Focus on key points and ideas before you start your journal article. For example: 1.Introduction 2. Methodology 3. Research 4. Conclusion (in addition to a listing). Bold your sub-section using larger font than the rest of your texts, always write down, highlight or circle information concerning who or what your journal article is on or about. After connecting everything, gather target specific developments of your search and double check that your work is in a well presentable manner by checking your spelling, paraphrase and compare the focus and contents of your research to see if it matches and supports the context of your journal article.

Read all the information on the article, write down specific points quickly and in your own words describe the methodology as briefly as possible. Be objective as to what part of the article is most important and give an overview of what you have read in the plainest, easiest, smallest way possible for readers to have an overview. Do not use personal pronouns ( I, you, us we, our, your, my) when presenting your summary. Make it as informative, short and easy to read as possible.