Summary and Analysis

To my understanding a Summary is a simplified explanation of a text of an object, which allows a person to understand something without going into detail. An analysis is a deeply researched definition of something; that at times will create a discussion.

Writing a summary as opposed to writing an analysis is very different. When writing a summary the text will be read and the main points highlighted and written down in a simple form. This form will be hard for anyone to disagree with because it simply scratches the surface of the full explanation. When an analysis is written it goes beyond the surface and finds the underlying truth of the object or text. When something is being analyzed to create and analysis its main points will be broken down in order to better understand the object or text. In the end all the broken down parts will be brought together and according the understanding of the researcher they will be explained in a way that some may disagree with but is understood by the researcher to be correct.

(Google, pg. 1)

The difference between a summary and an analysis is found many times in the first paragraph of an explanation, otherwise known as the thesis statement. When explaining the internet a summary would begin something like this: “The internet is an online program used by many people for checking up on their different types of accounts, playing games, watching movies, and many other things”. This is a summary because is basically explains what the internet is and what it is used for allowing a person to simply understand the basics of the internet. An analysis would go something like this: “Through deep research many have found that the internet is a complex online program that is great to use for anything you need”. This is an analysis not only because it shows signs of deep research, but also because it is debatable that the internet is complex. For some the internet maybe hard to understand but for others it is very simple to comprehend. Also not everyone appreciates the internet some believe that it is a corrupt and vile program while others believe that it is fun and enjoyable. Thus the difference between a summary and an analysis has been found in the first two sentences that make up the paper.

There are many differences between summary and analysis and understanding those differences takes not only writing summaries and analyses but researching them as well. Here is a paper from the university writing center that explains the difference between summary and analysis very well:

http://dept.lamar.edu/writingcenter/pdf/Summary%20vs%20Analysis.pdf

Works cited

Google. 2011. 4 September 2011 <http://www.google.com/search?q=pics+of+the+internet&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a>.