There are no special rules that can be given for precis-writing, but a few guidelines can put you on the right track of how to condense a lot of information. Before you prepare to write a summary, it is important to scrupulously understand the contents of the article or report you are working with.
When you prepare your summary, first of all, understand the content of the article. Read through the whole passage carefully to gain a general idea of the trend of thought, and decide what would be an appropriate title. Re-read it until you are satisfied that you have thoroughly grasped and digested its meaning.
Some Guidelines
- A summary should start with the author's name and title of the work
- With the title in mind decide on what are the important ideas
Read again
- Do a second reading
- Jot these (important ideas) down in your own words and build your composition on them by first making a rough draft
- Revise what you have written, polishing and pruning where necessary
- Copy out your precis, paying attention to spelling and punctuation
What not to do
Dont's
- If you have been told the required length of your precis, don't exceed that length by more than a few words
- Don't add any comments of your own
- Don't let your precis be a collection of isolated facts
- Don't write your precis in the first person or in the present tense when summarizing letters or speeches
Sources: EBH Joubert; English Grammar
http://www.mrshatzi.com/files/summary.pdf
