Summarising your research

Research and literature review can throw up a wealth of information and references from which one could fill a whole essay with quote after quote. It is notoriously difficult, having gathered the best of this wealth of information to filter it in order of what is essential information, what is peripheral and what is largely irrelevant (Fink, 2005).

The secret to successful research and review is hitting upon the salient points, the points that were the foundations or will represent the way forward in your area of study, that are going to become the bench marks of the future. You have already chosen the reference points that will form the basis of your essay and have written your piece. But with so many points and so much material how do you summarise your essay without writing it all over again? This can be tricky but you will improve with very essay you write. It may sometimes feel as though you are repeating yourself as you recall the points made in the body of the essay, but the tip is to pick three or four points that represent the thrust of your work and summarise these without repeating the references.

As you summarise the work you have reviewed add your own opinion or the consensus that appears to have been drawn from the research, ask questions of the research for example in an essay about the misconceptions that surround the subject of cloning, after examining the literature it would be fair to ask ‘Many who fear the power of the scientist ask; just because they think they could, does that mean they should?’ (Silver, 1997). Consider the research that you have read about and as well as summarising what is known think of an area where work needs to or is likely to be focused in the coming years. Focusing your work on literature that has a forward looking slant, and tackles what is not known in the field, will show that you too, are thinking of how the subject will develop in the future (Cooper, 1998).

When you have made you choice and composed you summary, read through your work again. Make sure that the work you have summarised is the most relevant to your area of study and answers best the question or statement that you have based your work on, and, of course, never forget the golden rule, leave your reader something to think about!

References in the Harvard citation style

Fink, Dr. A, G., (2005) Conducting Research Literature Reviews, the Internet to the Paperback, Sage Publications, 2nd Edition.

Silver, L. M. (1997) Remaking Eden; Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World, William Morrow 1st edition: New York, Harper Collins.

Cooper, Dr. H, M. (1998) Synthesizing Research: A Guide for Literature Reviews (Applied Social Research Method), Sage Publications, Inc; Third Edition.