A summary is a short paragraph telling what the main idea of a reading/lecture/video is about. These are some basic steps to follow in order to create a summary:

1. Read the text and underline or highlight the main idea and the main details.
2. Put the text aside and write down the main idea and details in a separate document/on a separate piece of paper. DO NOT LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT!
3. Write your summary using your typed/handwritten notes.
4. Check your summary and the original article to be sure you have included only the most important information and that you have not directly copied from the article.