Summary exercise Instructions

Option #1: Investigate and Interview

You have already chosen a topic and created a working thesis statement for your research paper topic. Find a non-profit organization (e.g., one that provides literacy instruction, a support group for cancer patients, a shelter that provides refuge for battered women) in your city that is connected to your topic. For example, if you are researching services for blind people, you might interview someone at the National Federation of the Blind. 
Explain your assignment and request an interview with a staff member who is considered an expert in the field. Create 10 to 20 questions related to your thesis statement to ask the interviewee. For the writing assignment (Note that you should be conducting this interview yourself. You should not be summarizing an interview that someone else conducted):

· Create an introduction that includes the interviewee’s background. What is his/ her name? What is his/her position? How long has your interviewee worked at this organization, and what is his/her role there? These are just some of the questions that you can ask to help you build your introductory paragraph.

· Summarize the interviewee’s responses in approximately three cohesive body paragraphs. 

· Finish with a concluding paragraph that explains how this interview helped you better understand your chosen research paper topic.

Option #2: Getting What you Need from Periodicals

Locate credible sources for your chosen topic of the research paper project. Find at least five relevant sources from periodicals (Please do not use basic informative website such as ehow or Wikipedia. The source you choose will ideally be an academic or research-based article). From the sources that you find, choose one to summarize. The source you choose should be a credible periodical and not merely a random website. Also keep in mind that your chosen source should be research-based and non-fiction. For example, you should not summarize a short story for this assignment. Choose a source such as a journal article, an essay in an anthology, a magazine article, or a newspaper article. For this option, you might use this as a guideline for crafting your thesis statement: John Smith’s book The Guiding Light explained (add first paragraph focus), (add second paragraph focus), and (add third paragraph focus). 
Here are some possible places to search for good sources:

·  Internet Public Library: 
http://www.ipl.org/

·  Google Scholar: 
http://scholar.google.com/
 (note that this is different from regular Google)

· Microsoft Academic Search: 
http://academic.research.microsoft.com/

· Cornell University’s arXiv (open access sources in math, biology, physics, and other fields): 
http://arxiv.org/

· Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE): 
http://www.base-search.net/

· Your local library 

With this summary, you should include:

· An introduction that provides the source information (book, journal, article, etc.) and offers the main idea of the information in the source. End the introduction with your thesis statement.

· Approximately three body paragraphs to summarize the beginning, the middle, and the ending of the piece.

· A conclusion that explains how this source helped you better understand your chosen research paper topic.

ENG 101 Rubric: Summary Exercise

Points

2

F

Points

3

D-/D/D+

3.5

C-/C/C+

4

B-/B/B+

5

A-/A/A+

Thesis & Focus

Thesis, central idea, audience, purpose, digressions

Lacks an identifiable thesis. Limited or no awareness of audience and purpose.

Readers cannot discern the essay’s central idea.

Thesis was attempted but unclear and/or inconsistently addressed. Reveals limited awareness of audience and purpose. Central idea either lacking or inconsistently addressed.

Thesis is identifiable, but perhaps too narrow, too broad, or otherwise problematic. Awareness of audience may be adequate but inconsistent. Central idea is perhaps too general and supported by irrelevant examples.

Thesis is established and is consistently addressed throughout most of the paper. Awareness of audience is sufficient. Central idea is clear and maintained in most of the essay.

Thesis is clearly established and maintained throughout the entire paper. Paper demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of audience and purpose. Central idea/focus maintained throughout.

Support & Development

Thesis support, thesis development, use of examples, logic, and reason

No support of thesis with relevant facts, examples, reasons, or evidence. No topic development.

Support is minimal, logically flawed, and/or inaccurate. Topic development may have been attempted, but does not form conclusions and/or fails to exhibit clear reasoning.

Support is adequate and mostly relevant. Some examples may be vague. More development needed for supporting reasons or evidence. Some irrelevant support may be present, but most evidence supports thesis.

Support is sufficient but perhaps flawed in some way. Examples are sufficient. Thesis is supported and developed in most paragraphs.

Essay completely supports the thesis with logical arrangement of evidence. All assertions are supported and relate to thesis.

Coherence & Organization

Introduction, conclusion, body paragraphs, transitions, topic sentences

No clear introduction, body, or conclusion. Little-to-no transitions. Demonstrates little-to-no understanding of organization. Many sentences within paragraphs do not relate to each other and/or the paragraph’s topic. May contain no discernable topic sentences.

Introduction, body, and conclusion attempted but problematic. Few transitions. Perhaps numerous digressions. Mostly missing or problematic topic sentences. Demonstrates little understanding of organization.

Identifiable introduction, body, and conclusion; yet one significant weakness is present: undeveloped introduction, body, or conclusion. Adequate transitions, perhaps some digressions. Some paragraphs may lack clear topic sentences.

Demonstrates basic understanding of organization.

Clear introduction, body, and conclusion although improvements could be made. Introduction provides sufficient background information about summarized source. Body effectively summarizes the source. Conclusion attempts to explain how the source was helpful. Most paragraphs have clear topic sentences. Essay establishes a clear plan of development. Transitions are clear throughout most of the paper.

Clear and effective introduction, body, and conclusion. Introduction provides excellent background information about summarized source. Body skillfully summarizes the source. Conclusion clearly explains how the source was helpful. Clear and effective transitions are present throughout the paper. Pattern of development is appropriate and logical.

Language & Style

Word choice, repetition, redundancy, awkwardness, article misuse, wrong word form (their/there, etc.), typos/misspellings, vocabulary

May contain more than 6 errors in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or awkwardness.

May contain more than 6 errors in inappropriate language for academic audience.

Fails to demonstrate competent language use; sentences and vocabulary are inappropriate, facile, and/or incoherent.

May contain 6 errors in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or awkwardness.

May contain 6 errors in inappropriate language for academic audience.

Contains repetitive, incorrect, and/or insufficient sentence structure and/or limited vocabulary.

May contain 4 – 5 errors in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or awkwardness.

May contain 4 – 5 errors in inappropriate language for academic audience.

Demonstrates competency with language use but sentence constructions and vocabulary may be limited or repetitive.

May contain 2 – 3 errors in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or awkwardness.

May contain 2 – 3 errors in inappropriate language for academic audience.

Demonstrates sufficient knowledge and skill with varied sentence construction and vocabulary. Unnecessary repetition is minor.

May contain 1 error in word choice, wordiness, redundancy, or awkwardness.

May contain 1 error in inappropriate language for academic audience.

Demonstrates sophisticated knowledge and skill with varied and complex sentence construction and vocabulary. Little-to-no unnecessary repetition.

Grammar

Fragments, subject-verb agreement, verb tense errors, verb form errors, run-ons, pronoun agreement

Contains more than 5 different grammar errors.

The identical 3 – 4 errors may be repeated throughout.

Contains 4 – 5 different grammar errors. The identical 2 – 3 errors may be repeated throughout.

Contains 2 – 3 different grammar errors. The identical 1 – 2 errors may be repeated throughout.

Contains 1 grammar error, which may be repeated throughout the essay.

Contains either no grammar errors, or 1 – 2 different errors with no repetition.

Punctuation & Capitalization

Comma errors, comma splices, apostrophe errors, capitalization errors, semicolon errors, colon errors

Contains more than 5 different punctuation/capitalization errors.

The identical 3 – 4 errors may be repeated throughout.

Contains 4 – 5 different punctuation/capitalization errors. The identical 2 – 3 errors may be repeated throughout.

Contains 2 – 3 different punctuation/capitalization errors. The identical 1 – 2 errors may be repeated throughout.

Contains 1 punctuation/capitalization error, which may be repeated throughout the essay.

Contains either no punctuation/capitalization error, or 1 – 2 different errors with no repetition.

Format

heading,

title,

margins, spacing,

approximately 500 words,

underlined thesis, other assignment-specific required elements

Doesn’t meet formatting requirements.

Formatting may be missing four or more elements (either no title, incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis not underlined).

Length may not meet minimum requirements

.

Doesn’t meet most formatting requirements.

Formatting may be missing three elements (either no title, incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis not underlined).

Length may not meet minimum requirements

Meets some formatting requirements.

Formatting may be missing two elements (either no title, incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis not underlined).

Length may not meet minimum requirements (an essay that does not meet length minimum will score no higher than 3 in this category)

Meets most formatting requirements.

Formatting may be missing one element (either no title, incomplete heading, inappropriate spacing or margins, or thesis not underlined).

Length meets minimum requirements of 500 words.

Meets all requirements.

Formatting is appropriate in terms of heading, title, margins, spacing, underlining thesis.

Length meets minimum requirements of 500 words.