1. Use the correct, double-checked MLA citation as a title.
   
   
2. Identify the author's argument immediately. Your reader needs to know the main point and the argument's focus immediately.
   
   
3. Include all main points and any minor points given special emphasis.
   
   
4. Retain the logic and tone of the original argument.
   
   
5. Recast the original text into your own words and quote only words or very short phrases, if at all.
   
   
6. Do not include your own opinions of the argument, the issue, or the writing in the summary. (Save these for the second paragraph.)
   
   
7. Work for cohesion. The author's organization of the material may not work or make sense in your shorter summary. You must make your annotation stand on its own, for a reader who may not have read the text you are summarizing.
   
   
8. Combine short sentences. Longer sentences can produce a smoother summary to read, and you will find that longer sentences include more information in fewer words than do several short, choppy sentences.

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