How to Write a Summary and Response Essay Step-By-Step

Every academic paper, including a summary and response essay, has its own specification, which includes the correct structure, formatting style, and outline. Adhering to all the requested instructions often boosts your chances of receiving a good grade. However, there is something more to an essay on summary and response than just following rules.

For starters, you have to capture the central idea or focus theme then use supporting details from that text to explain your argument. The first step for such an essay is to read the provided text then write a summary using your own words. Paraphrasing helps evade any plagiarism consequences. If you must include a direct quote in the essay, then always cite it the proper way and integrate a few of them where necessary.
Summary and Response Essay
If you still find it challenging after reading several definitions of such an essay, then the ideal way is to go through various summary critique essay examples. Samples will make it easier to understand and learn more about how to go about crafting such an essay.

Besides, with a well-written essay from a specialist in that topic, it will help you to know the tone and structure to use so that you can match it to your writing. Still, need writing help? Then let our top-rated experts assist you. We have both the skills and extensive knowledge required to compose a unique essay on criticism summary.

The Right Summary Response Essay Example to Guide You

A simple search online for a summary essay results in so many samples. The trick to ensuring that the content you get is high-quality is to use a summary response essay example from a reputable writing service or education site.

The examples will give hints on what to include in such an essay. From the sample, take note of how the author has created an outline organized their thoughts and the supporting ideas they have used. When it comes to crafting your summary-response essay from scratch, check on the assigned topic and whether you have any background knowledge on the subject matter. An example of a general topic can be such as ‘Should abortion be legal?’ or ‘Should employers test for drugs in the workplace?’.

As a student trying to come up with a good topic for your paper, you will notice that a sample summary essay that captures your attention is that which has an interesting subject matter. Choosing an engaging topic works when a professor has not given you a central theme.

In cases where the article or text from which you will carry out a summary has already been provided, and it’s your least favorite, then it is best to read it with an open mind. Other tips that can make it easier for you to compose a quality summary response essay include:

  • Ensure that you summarize the author’s main argument and elaborate on how it supports their central theme. Keep the summary within one third or half of the required word count.
  • It may require you to write in the first person and present tense. But confirm with your instructor’s guideline before embarking on the writing process.
  • Do not be afraid of sharing your views and ideas. In fact, a summary and analysis essay is one of the few academic papers that allows for creativity and personalized assessment.
  • While your opinions are allowed in such an essay, keep your response impartial.
  • Stick to paraphrasing and adding a few quotes. Use phrases like, ‘according to’ or ‘the author (mention name) discusses’. Some of the signal words that showcase that the information is being paraphrased include suggests, compares, notes, discusses, examines, mentions, points out, and many others.
  • Organizing your summary response essay in an orderly manner is crucial as it gives direction to your whole paper. Therefore, stick to block style or point by point method.
  • After writing the summary, proofread and double-check your content to be sure that all facts and main points have been included, and that the essay is free of grammar mistakes.

When you finish reading the text, some of the questions to ask include: what conclusions are made, what is the main idea, supporting details, and what information does the author want the reader to gain and which methods do they use to convince the reader.

What Does Summary Critique Essay Examples Teach About the Structure?

This type of essay is composed of two sections: the summary part and the response.

  • The summary section of the essay

Students reading a well-written summary analysis essay example tend to notice that the essay contains a thesis statement and supporting ideas. In this section, give a summary of the author’s opinion and add one or two direct quotes without forgetting to cite appropriately. Ensure that only facts are presented in your essay before giving your opinion and keep the summary within three to four paragraphs. In the first paragraph, discuss the subject in more in-depth and use the thesis to provide the author’s opinion.

The next paragraph should summarize how the author presents their arguments. The ideal way to summarize the whole text without exceeding the word count is to summarize the main points in each essay paragraph briefly. Finally, end the essay by giving the author’s conclusion along with any recommendations meant for the reader. To gain more information about the essential elements to have in this section, download summary essay example pdf from a trustworthy writing service.

  • Response section

A response is about giving a logical debate to the author’s work. The trick to acing this part of the essay is to agree or disagree with the views presented in the text by supporting your claims with evidence and without being disrespectful. So make your response convincing by pointing out whether or not the other author’s opinion is correct. Then go further and clearly explain why. To make the response persuasive, add facts and examples that support your essay stance.

The number of paragraphs you used to compose a summary should be the same for a response. Furthermore, the summary essay format should have an introduction, three to five body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Do not assume that one has read the assigned text and allude to a specific content that you have not mentioned in your summary. In the last paragraph of the essay, sum up the pros and cons of the author’s arguments.

How to Start a Summary Essay: Easy Techniques to Use

Want to know how to start a summary essay that is intriguing and captures attention? Create a strong thesis statement that can be argued against and proved. Start by presenting the full names of the author, then mention the title of the text being summarized. The introduction should also be dominated by paraphrasing techniques to showcase that you have exceptional writing skills and know how to avoid plagiarism.

Besides, direct quotes should be accompanied by in-text citations, although you should avoid including them in the first paragraph. Finally, keep the first summary paragraph short and informative and ensure that your content has the same meaning as the original text.

When it comes to crafting high-quality content, a summary essay outline is essential in logically organizing the information. With a framework already in place, it becomes easier to compose the essay as you will have an idea of where each point should go and in which paragraph.

An outline for an introduction should have a hook, thesis, and a brief explanation of what the topic is about.  You can quickly come up with these three elements by taking note of all important phrases such as the topic sentence in every paragraph as it points to the main idea.

Note down supporting examples from the text and create an outline before writing the first summary draft. With a framework in place, it becomes easier to decide which points are worth, including in your essay and remove those which you can do without. It is because a lot of information will exceed the require pages and also dilute your response as you will have so much to focus on.

Even though your introduction is flawless, your professor might not give a good grade if the rest of the essay is less intriguing. Therefore when writing the body paragraphs, ensure that it answers whether or not you agree with the provided text and why.

Give examples from the author’s information to prove what you have based your opinion on, then finally prove that your argument is valid using specific details from the text. Use transition words to connect the paragraphs. In case your lecturer has not specified which central idea to focus on, then you can use some of the summary response essay topics that you can base your paper on are:

  • The Great Gatsby
  • Harry Potter
  • Good Morning, Midnight
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • Global warming articles
  • Graffiti as an art
  • Countries where immigration are unfavorable
  • Modern-day slavery.

Whichever topic you want to focus on, always explore a unique dimension, and come up with genuine responses that are unbiased. Avoid stating your harsh judgment or trying to understand all the ideas presented. Instead, focus only on the crucial points and summarize the text within the specified pages and in your own words. Apart from identifying the strong points, students also need to include the weakness grasped from the piece.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Improper referencing is one of the essay writing mistakes that can cost any student a good grade. Understating the context is the first step to avoid plagiarism. The next step is to grasp all the guidelines for the required referencing style. If you barely have a clue on how to create a bibliography, footnotes, or in-text citation for a specific format, then looking at examples of essays can point you in the right direction.

Procrastination is another costly mistake that students from all academic levels need to avoid. Composing a summary and response essay from scratch is a time-consuming process. However, most learners rarely know why they leave their essay until a few days or hours to the deadline before they start working on it. In such situations, you may end up realizing that a summary and response essay is a bit challenging.

How Our Experts Can Help

If you intend to compose a compelling summary and response essay, then your writing skills must be exceptional. You must also have sufficient background information on the topic and understand all formatting rules. If you believe you are incapable of producing a high-quality essay with a deadline that is fast approaching, then hire our premium specialist to avoid getting a low score.

We deliver a unique summary and response essay that includes a well-written response that adheres to the current academic standard. Every essay is customized by highly-vetted and educated experts who are passionate about assisting students to achieve their educational goals. Students who order from us enjoy the following unmatched advantages.

  • Plagiarism-free essay crafted by masters and Ph.D. experts who never fail to meet all deadlines
  • The privilege of selecting a preferred expert in that topic work on your essay. It means that you do not have to read the whole book to understand the message that the author is conveying. Instead, we summarize the entire piece in a way that one can comprehend the material
  • Receive a remarkable response essay that has undergone thorough proofreading and editing
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