Writing a Prcis: An Essential Part of Research

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Writing a Précis An Essential Part of Research

• Adapted from work by June Olson
• Mountain Pointe High School
• 2006-07

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What is a Précis?

• A précis is a formal summary of a non-fictional
  work. Précis are used to present the ideas in
  the original work as a thumbnail sketch.
• However, the précis must be
• objective (That means no personal interpretation)
• complete (All major ideas, significant arguments,
  support)
• concise (one-quarter to one-fifth the size of the
  original)
• Précis are used in scholarly endeavors as
• part of the research process
• means to prevent plagiarism

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What is a Précis?

• The précis
• is a type of summarizing that insists on an exact
  reproduction of the logic, organization, and
  emphasis of the original texts.
• details the relative order, proportions, and
  relationships of the original parts of a text.
• An effective précis
• retains the logic, development, and argument of
  the original in much shorter form.
• is useful when you are dealing with lengthy
  passages that demand careful attention to the
  logic and organization of an argument.

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Different Than a Paraphrase

• A paraphrase
• says in different and simpler words exactly what
  the original passage has to say.
• may be as long as the passage itself.
• A précis
• rarely is more than one-third the length of the
  original selection and may be only one-fourth as
  long.
• gives only the heart of a passage. It omits
  repetition and such details as examples,
  illustrations, and adjectives unless they are of
  unusual importance.

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How is a précis written?

• A précis is written
• entirely in the words of the person writing it,
  not in the words of the original selection.
• Tip Avoid the temptation to lift long phrases
  and whole sentences from the original.
• from the point of view of the author whose work
  is being summarized.
• Do not begin with such expressions as This
  author says or The paragraph means.
• Begin as though you were summarizing.

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The Challenge to Writing a Précis

• Writing is only half of the challenge. The most
  important task is to read and fully understand
  the text.
• Often, we understand information we can relate
  to, or fit into previously-known frames of
  reference, values, ideas.
• However, sources often refute, expand, challenge
  us to think more deeply about the subject.
• A précis does not serve to argue against, to
  point out errors or logical fallacies, or to
  judge the authors ideas.
• Therefore, it is the thinking before the writing
  that determines a worthy précis.

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Benefits of a Précis

• This assignment is not easy! However, it does
  bring benefits.
• Upon completion of the précis, especially if done
  well, you will never, ever forget the argument,
  the examples, and the development of the article.
  
• You will also find that skills developed in
  précis writing establish and hone foundational
  skills required for both educational and
  professional success.
• analysis
• synthesis
• comparison
• other key higher-order thinking skills

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Goals of the Précis

• To compress, distill, and clarify a lengthy
  passage, article, or book, while retaining
  important concepts, key words, and important data
• To remove superfluous information yet retain the
  core essence of the work
• To define, in brief, any key terms
• To give a brief description of methods and
  approaches used by the researchers
• To state the importance of the research or piece
  of writing
• Why was it important to conduct this research or
  write on this topic?

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Active Reading

• Underline, highlight, or circle key sentences,
  phrases, and words.
• Read each paragraph as a unit of thought.
• Use a dictionary for words that seem important or
  those that you do not understand.
• As you discover them, summarize main points in a
  few words.
• Decide if the content is based on opinion,
  evidence, and/or logic and why that can be
  important.

Note The italicized skills are not used when
preparing to write a précis.
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Active Reading

• Think about the subject-audience-context-purpose
  relationship.
• Look for evidence, logical analysis, reasoning.
• Think about your biases for and against the ideas
  presented.
• Evaluate your reactions to the material.
• Annotate Make notes in the margins.

Note In précis writing, you will have to
disregard these reactions.
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Active Reading

• Record reactions, questions, and understandings
  of the reading.
• Organize text for reviewing, studying, or writing
  by adding numbers to marginal notes.
• Isolate key terms and phrases. Write them in the
  margins.
• Write notes on key words, phrases, or sentences.
  These writings can comment, question, evaluate,
  define, relate, challenge.

Note The italicized skills are not used when
preparing to write a précis.
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The Basic Process

• Use Active Reading skills as you comb the
  article many times to ferret out its gist and
  significant details.
• Highlight the work as you read.
• Locate the thesis statement and its
  sub-arguments.
• For each point, find the specific, supporting
  evidence used by the author.
• Write key words and numbers in the margin to
  outline the work.

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The Basic Process

• Read the work again, adding and discarding
  marginal notes.
• One of the first (if not the first) difficulties
  to overcome in writing a précis is getting the
  facts straight.
• You should not list any statements unsupported by
  the text.
• Make sure to extract only factually correct
  information.

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The Basic Process

• Another difficulty is putting the material into
  your own words.
• After reading the text three times, put the work
  aside then begin writing. This will force you to
  use your own words without the temptation of
  borrowing directly from the original.
• Check the piece for accuracy.

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The Basic Process

• Writing in your own words, begin the précis with
  a statement that encompasses the entire argument.
  Remember that the précis takes the point-of-view
  of the original writer. If the original is
  written in the first person, reflect this in the
  précis.
• Not In the Declaration of Independence,
  Jefferson maintains
• But An essential connection binds between how we
  are governed and

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The Basic Process

• Present the logical progression (the development)
  of the argument with its component parts in your
  own words.
• Use your marginal numbers and key words as
  guides.
• Simplify.
• Use words to replace phrases, and use phrases to
  replace clauses.
• Discard unimportant ideas and illustrations.
• Use simple figures of speech.

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The Basic Process

• Reduce the article to one-fifth to one-third of
  its original length, omitting nothing from the
  essential argument.
• Although you should be as brief as possible,
  guard against being so condensed that you obscure
  the point of passage.
• Nothing should be said more than once.
• Check your draft for expression errors,
  repetition or vague phrasing then write a
  smoother final version.
• This is, in reality, this is the key to the whole
  enterprise!

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The Basic Process

• Type the précis, beginning with your abstraction
  of the central, informing idea of the article.
  Having understood and written the central idea,
  present the essential argument in as cogent
  manner as possible.
• Clue Once you have assimilated the article
  through the illustrations and examples the writer
  uses to make his/her abstract ideas concrete, you
  do not have to include these illustrations and
  examples in your précis!

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Warning!

• Do not copy even one single sentence from the
  article!
• You may use the authors key words and phrases
  (quoted) only to present technical terms central
  to the authors arguments or support
• So, paraphrase, paraphrase, paraphrase unless
  there is really, truly, no better way to express
  a concept than by using the authors words.
• You must be certain that no other statement can
  possibly be as pithy or as precise so as to
  present this idea.

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A Finished Précis

• When finished, the précis should clearly state
  the
• Position studied/argued/discussed
• Focus or methods used to prove position
• Ideas as understood at a deep level
• Significance/Importance of this concept or set of
  concepts

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Revising the Précis

• Check the draft for expression errors,
  repetition or vague phrasing then write a
  smoother final version.
• Are the opening sentences brief and to the point?
  Which is best?
• Which opening sentence tends to show best what
  the passage expresses?
• Does the sentence following the opening sentence
  amplify the essentials shown in the opening
  sentence?
• Which précis clarifies the authors best
  thoughts? Have additional thoughts been added?
• Is the précis clear to one who has not seen the
  original source?

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Revising the Précis

• Did you retain the logical order and development
  of these thoughts?
• Did you emphasize the dominant thought or
  erroneously emphasize a minor thought?
• Did you omit any necessary facts? names? dates?
  places?
• Is your précis clear to one who has not seen the
  original?
• Are your sentences clear and well-constructed?
• Did you use third person and the past tense?
• Did you punctuate and spell correctly?
• Did you make any grammatical or rhetorical errors?

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Revising the Précis

• Read your first copy through carefully.
• Condense wherever you can, substituting single
  words for phrases and phrases for longer clauses.
• Use only simple figures of speech.
• Clearly and concisely express the essential
  points.
• Reduce verbiage while still making the point and
  retaining some of the flavor and spirit of the
  original.
• Be fair to the sentiments expressed, even if you
  don't agree with them.
• Rewrite neatly.