Writing a 4* Summary

Objective:  draft four strategic summary sentences designed to be repeated 

Duration:  about 45 – 60 minutes

Task 1

Answer the following four questions in no more than 30 words for each:

  1. Describe what has changed
  2. Explain the link to the research
  3. Identify different aspects of the change
  4. Describe the reach of the change

Task 2

In pairs swap your drafts and review. You are each reviewing for:

  • technical terms – is there an ‘everyday’ way of saying the same thing?
  • over/under claiming – are there adjectives more appropriate to the claim?

Discuss your feedback with your partner and make notes/amendments as appropriate.

Task 3

Redraft the summary using the following sentence ‘skeletons’:

  1. [Name the catalyst] is [describe what it is], underpinned by research at the University of Stirling, that has changed [state the subject)
  2. As [Describe the need for change which contextualised the underpinning research] our research found that [describe specific things that needed to change]
  3. [The catalyst] has led to [the subject] that is now [map aspects of the impact to the specific things that needed to change]
  4. Indicate the extent of the impact?

Task 4

In pairs swap your drafts and review. You are each reviewing for

  • unnecessary words/sentences (e.g repetition of same point, adjectives, technical terms, acronyms, synonyms etc.)

This type of editing is often easier to do for work that is not your own. Encourage each other to be ‘straight to the point’ but always constructive.

Discuss your feedback with your partner and make notes/amendments as appropriate.

You now  have drafted a summary statement where each sentence plays a strategic role in other parts of the Impact Case Study template.   The key sentences  in the summary are intended to be repeated in other sections of the Impact Case Study Template.  This strategy helps create narrative coherence.

Narrative Coherence

  • Sentences 1-4 combine into the 100-word summary (Section 1)
  • Sentences 1 and 3 combine to open Section 4 ‘Details of Impact’
  • Sentence 2 provides the key ideas identified in Section 2 ‘Underpinning Research’
  • Sentence 3 provides aspects of impact to structure Section 4 ‘Details of Impact’
  • Sentence 4 provides the reach to close Section 4 ‘Details of Impact’

See the workshop Writing 4* Impact to see how the summary sentences help structure Section 4 of the template ‘Details of Impact’.

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