Types of Summarization

Introduction
Many researchers rely on summarization to give them an idea of what a document is about without having to skim through the actual document. It is crucial for any librarian to understand the types of summarization used. I created this document to enhance the explanation of the types of summarization as explained in my textbook, Information Representation and Retrieval in the Digital Age, by Heting Chu.

Types of Summarization
I found that the types of summarization as explained by Chu would have been easier to understand if there were visual examples of each type. Here is my explanation of the three types of summarization: abstracts, summaries, and extracts.

Abstracts
An abstract is a written representation of what is found in a document. It will contain information from the original document. Some abstracts can serve as a replacement for the original document if enough details from the document is included. An abstract may also contain an opinion of the contents found in the document, but this is rare and not recommended. It will include the background, purpose, and methodology of a document.

Here is an example of an abstract for an article:






Summaries
A summary is not as detailed as an abstract. It is written under the assumption that you will be able to read the entire document. It is found in the document itself, at the beginning or end. It just restates the main points. The following is a page from a journal article where the summary is located at the beginning of the article.



(McAbee & Graham, 2005)


Extracts
An extract contains a sampling of a document. Key portions of a document are merely copied. Therefore, material from the original document is used to summarize it. This can be in the form of phrases, sentences, or paragraphs. The following is an example of an extract from the same article used in the abstract example.





Final Remarks
I hope this explanation is clear and will be helpful for those who find this.

References

Chu, H. (2003). Information representation and retrieval in the digital age. Medford, N.J.: Published for the American Society for Information Science and Technology by Information Today.

Gudex, C. (1991). Adverse effects of benzodiazepines. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 33(5),

587-596.

McAbee, S. L., & Graham, J. (2005). Expectations, realities, and perceptions of subject specialist librarians' duties in medium-sized academic libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(1), 19-28.

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to complete the blogging Competency for my Information Storage and Retrieval class (LS 5013). While doing this blog, I wish to discover the value of sharing experiences with an on-line community. The content of this blog will be about the academic library. Although I am not sure that I will ultimately be an academic librarian, it is one of the areas I would like to learn more about. Since the academic librarian has many roles, I would like to gain an understanding of these roles and to explore the many aspects of the daily responsibilities.