Project 1: Article Summary

Reading, understanding, and effectively summarizing information is one of the most foundational and important skills you will use throughout college. It forms the basis for most academic writing and research.

To help you begin exploring your selected topic and to practice your critical reading and writing skills, you will write a summary of a selected article on your topic. You will also reflect on how sources are evaluated for credibility, as well as on the key features of sources. This reflection will help you become better able to evaluate what you read in your other classes.

Project Rubric | Guide to Writing Summaries | Sample Project

Audience

As you write, keep in mind as you audience a general academic reader who has not read the article. Provide enough detail and context that this reader could understand.

Method of Delivery

  • APA-formatted title page
  • 300-word summary of an article from PewInternet.org (or another source that explores public opinion about the issue, that provides background about perspectives on the issue) related to the topic you selected for your semester research. Your summary should discuss the article’s main points and important supporting details.
    • Accurate use of quotations for all words, phrases, and sentences you use that are unique to the article.
  • 100-word evaluation of the article’s credibility and relevance to your intended research topic in terms of the C.R.A.P. Test (you do not need to discuss each bullet point in this test, but be specific in your evaluation).
  • This project is worth 5% of the final course grade.
Targeted Course Objectives
  • develop an understanding of texts as arguments generated for particular purposes, audiences, and rhetorical contexts
  • hone the ability to summarize, paraphrase, draw evidence from, synthesize, and respond to the scholarship of others
  • learn to find and evaluate print and electronic sources appropriate for academic research projects
  • practice and refine technical skills in areas such as grammar, mechanics, and source documentation