As a reminder, here is why I’m asking you to write executive summaries: Executive summaries are important tools in all professions. It takes practice to do them well, but being able to digest large amounts of information and condense them into a focused summary is a skill that will set you apart. (See “Read First: Module 1 Overview” for further details.)
Here are some guidelines to help you with this task:
- You must select readings that you have not previously written about.
- Your document should be between 450-500 words (below or above these limits will result in point deductions).
- Always give the author’s name and the title of the chapter/article you are summarizing.
- What is the objective of this chapter/article? Summarize in your first sentence.
- Use the subdivisions of the chapter/article as your primary outline and identify key arguments in each chapter/article subdivision.
- Use clear and concise prose.
- Do not include historical examples in your summary; there is simply no space for them in a short summary. If you are interested in one or more examples given by an author, use them in your future reading responses (you will be asked to write executive summaries and reading responses several times in this course).
- Be careful to always ask yourself: Is this important enough to be included in a summary? In particular, long narrative passages can usually be summarized in a phrase or a sentence, and often, information you find interesting may nevertheless not be important enough to be included in an executive summary.
- Similarly, use quotes with extreme caution. An executive summary should be entirely your own writing, with quotes only used for specific phrases that are necessary for clarity.
- Make sure to provide citations. As a reminder, since you are only working with one source and are already required to list it, your citations for the executive summary can be page numbers only.
- Carefully proofread your text.