📖 Objective Summary Definition
🎯 Key Characteristics of Objective Summaries
✅ What It IS:
- • Factual: Based only on what the text actually says
- • Neutral: No personal opinions or judgments
- • Concise: Covers main points without unnecessary details
- • Original: Written entirely in your own words
- • Complete: Includes the central thesis and key supporting points
❌ What It's NOT:
- • Critical: No analysis or evaluation
- • Interpretive: No reading between the lines
- • Personal: No 'I think' or 'I believe'
- • Copied: No direct quotes from the original
- • Detailed: No minor examples or tangential information
🎪 Simple Example
Original Article (excerpt):
"The new iPhone 15 features an impressive camera system with advanced computational photography. Users can capture stunning portraits with improved depth perception. The device costs $799 and will be available in stores starting September 22nd. Apple claims this is their most innovative phone yet."
Objective Summary:
Apple's iPhone 15 includes enhanced camera technology with computational photography and improved portrait capabilities. The device is priced at $799 with a release date of September 22nd.
Notice: The summary excludes Apple's subjective claim about being "most innovative" and focuses only on verifiable facts.
📝 How to Write an Objective Summary (6 Steps)
Step 1: Read & Understand 📚
Read the entire text carefully, taking notes on major themes and important details. Focus on identifying the central thesis or main argument.
Step 2: Identify the Main Thesis 🎯
Determine the central idea, argument, or purpose of the original text. This will be the foundation of your summary's opening sentence.
Step 3: Note Key Supporting Points 📌
List the 2-4 most important supporting arguments or evidence that backs up the main thesis. Ignore minor details, examples, and tangential information.
Step 4: Write in Your Own Words ✍️
Compose your summary using entirely original phrasing. Avoid copying sentences or phrases directly from the source material.
Step 5: Stay Neutral & Factual 🤐
Present information without adding your opinions, interpretations, or judgments. Use third-person language and avoid evaluative words.
Step 6: Review & Refine 🔍
Check that your summary accurately represents the original while remaining concise. Ensure you've maintained objectivity throughout.
🚫 Common Objective Summary Mistakes to Avoid
❌ What NOT to Do
- • Adding opinions: "The author makes a compelling argument..."
- • Interpreting meaning: "This suggests that..."
- • Including too much detail: Minor examples and statistics
- • Using direct quotes: Copy-pasting sentences
- • Making it too long: Summaries should be 1/4 the original length
- • Evaluating quality: "The research was thorough..."
✅ Best Practices
- • Start with the thesis: Lead with the main argument
- • Use present tense: "The author argues..."
- • Keep it brief: Focus on essential points only
- • Use transitions: Connect ideas smoothly
- • Include author/source: Identify where ideas come from
- • Maintain structure: Follow the original's logical flow
📋 Types of Objective Summaries
📚 Academic Article Summary
Purpose: Capture research findings, methodology, and conclusions for literature reviews or citations.
"Johnson et al. (2023) examined the impact of remote work on employee productivity using a sample of 500 tech workers over 12 months. The study found that remote workers showed 23% higher productivity rates compared to office workers, with the greatest gains in focused tasks requiring minimal collaboration."
🏢 Business Report Summary
Purpose: Communicate key findings and recommendations to stakeholders who may not read the full report.
"The Q3 sales report shows revenue increased 15% year-over-year, driven by strong performance in the enterprise segment. The marketing team recommends increasing digital advertising spend by 25% to maintain growth momentum through Q4."
💼 Meeting Summary
Purpose: Document decisions, action items, and key discussions for attendees and stakeholders.
"The product team meeting covered three main topics: feature prioritization for Q1, budget allocation for user research, and timeline adjustments for the mobile app launch. The team agreed to postpone the social features to focus on core functionality."
🤖 AI Tools for Automatic Objective Summaries
While learning to write objective summaries manually is important, AI tools can help create summaries faster and more consistently, especially for meeting notes and business communications.
🔥 Fireflies.ai
Automatically generates objective meeting summaries with action items and key decisions.
🌍 Notta
Creates summaries in 58+ languages with customizable summary templates.
🔍 Read.ai
Generates unified summaries across meetings, emails, and messages.
💪 Practice Examples
Example 1: News Article
Original Text (200 words):
The city council voted 7-2 last night to approve the controversial downtown parking meter proposal. The new system will replace free 2-hour parking with paid meters charging $2 per hour from 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Saturday. Council members argued this change will increase revenue by an estimated $1.2 million annually and improve parking turnover in busy commercial areas. Local business owners voiced strong opposition, claiming the meters will drive away customers and hurt small businesses. The vote came after three months of heated public debate and multiple town halls. Implementation is scheduled for January 2024, pending final contract negotiations with ParkTech Solutions. Mayor Johnson praised the decision as 'forward-thinking urban planning,' while opposition councilman Rodriguez called it 'a tax on working families.' The meters will accept both coins and mobile payments through the CityPark app.
Objective Summary (50 words):
The city council approved a downtown parking meter system by a 7-2 vote, replacing free parking with $2/hour rates. The change aims to generate $1.2 million annually and improve parking turnover. Implementation begins January 2024 following contract completion with ParkTech Solutions.
Example 2: Research Abstract
Original Abstract (150 words):
This study investigated the relationship between sleep duration and academic performance among college students. We surveyed 1,200 undergraduate students across four universities, measuring sleep patterns over one semester using wrist-worn activity trackers and academic outcomes through GPA data. Our findings reveal a strong positive correlation between optimal sleep duration (7-9 hours) and higher GPAs. Students averaging 7-9 hours of sleep showed significantly better academic performance (mean GPA: 3.4) compared to those with less than 6 hours (mean GPA: 2.8) or more than 10 hours (mean GPA: 3.1). The study controlled for variables including study time, part-time work hours, and caffeine consumption. These results suggest that sleep optimization should be prioritized in academic success programs and student wellness initiatives.
Objective Summary (40 words):
A study of 1,200 college students found that those sleeping 7-9 hours nightly achieved higher GPAs (3.4) compared to students with insufficient sleep (2.8 GPA) or excessive sleep (3.1 GPA).