How to Summarize an Article in Your Own Words (Step-by-Step)

Summaries sound easy until you try one. You either end up copying half the article, or writing something so short it misses the point.

A good summary sits in the middle. It tells someone who hasn’t read the article what it says, in about a quarter of the length or less, and in your own words.

Step 1: Read it twice, differently

First read: straight through, no notes. Just get the general idea.

Second read: slower, with a pen. Underline the main claim (usually near the start or end) and circle the key supporting points. Ignore examples, quotes and side stories for now.

Step 2: Answer three questions

Without looking at the article, jot down:

1. What is the article mainly about? (one sentence)
2. What’s the writer’s main point or finding? (one sentence)
3. What are the two or three biggest reasons or pieces of evidence? (a few words each)

If you can answer these, you understand the article. If you can’t, read the tricky part again.

Step 3: Write the summary from your notes

Turn your answers into a short paragraph. A useful opening:

In “[Article title]”, [Author] argues that…

Then add the main supporting points, in order of importance, not necessarily the article’s order. Finish with the writer’s conclusion.

Step 4: Check and cut

Now compare with the original:

• Did you keep the meaning accurate?
• Did any of the writer’s exact phrases sneak in? Rewrite them, or put them in quotation marks if you truly need them.
• Did you add your own opinion? Take it out. A summary reports; it doesn’t judge.
• Is it the right length? For a school summary, 100 to 200 words is typical for a normal article.

A quick example

Imagine a 1,200-word article arguing that schools should start later in the morning. A summary might read:

In “Why School Should Start Later”, the author argues that teenagers would learn better if school began after 8:30 a.m. She explains that teenagers’ body clocks naturally shift later during puberty, making early mornings especially tiring. She points to schools that changed their start times and saw better attendance and fewer late arrivals. The author concludes that small timetable changes could improve both health and results, though she admits transport schedules make the change difficult for some districts.

Around 80 words, no copying, no opinion, all the main points.

Summary vs paraphrase

• A paraphrase restates one passage in your own words, at about the same length.
• A summary restates the main ideas of a whole text, much shorter.

Both need a citation when you use them in an assignment.

Where tools fit in

For long or dense articles, running the text through the AI Text Summarizer first can show you the structure quickly. Use it as a map, not as your finished summary: check it against the article, then write your own version using the steps above. If one of your sentences still sounds too close to the original, the AI Paraphraser can suggest other ways to say it. And add the reference with the Citation Generator.

The more summaries you write yourself, the faster you’ll get at spotting the main idea in anything you read. That skill pays off in every subject.