How To Write A Precis

 

When it comes to submission, precis writing is the most difficult task that a student has to come across. You may not be aware of this and that is exactly why we have gathered valuable information on it for you. Here is a guide on how to write a precis step by step, which explains term “précis”, a way you need to write it, and some basics tips that you need to know.

What is a Precis: Definition

When having finished another voluminous academic paper, the question “What is a precis?” pops up in a student’s mind.

It is a summary, which gets its name from the French language. It literally means, ‘cut brief’ or ‘precise’. It is a concise synopsis of a published work, like scholarly article or dissertation. If a student is asked to define précis, they can call it a summary of the text but not a paraphrased text. When a student sums up the ideas of certain literary work, it can be called précis. Do note that it is different from paraphrasing because here no need for mentioning all details discussed in a piece of writing.

Précis explains the core of the text and has a structure. The précis format will help you to understand the structure of the text. It is an objective view or you can call it a brief summing up of ideas. It is not a critical analysis, which requires you to examine contents and ideas expressed in the article. It does not demand you to write your personal opinion. Only essential points should be covered. When you are writing a precis, you must make it short, precise and one must stick to the theme.

How should you start writing a Precis?

The steps of writing a precis can be generally categorized as those involving careful examination of the source (with some potential note-taking) , outlining a structure, and writing down the precis itself. Writing a precis is the process of reading through/ analyzing a literary work and extracting the main points, so as to assemble a brief summary of the mentioned work.

Précis writing is not as easy as you might think! You have to keep certain points in your mind before you start to pen it down. How to write a precis? Here are some tips for you to write it!

• Read the article carefully and highlight or mark the main ideas.
• Try to reflect on what author is trying to communicate through the text.
• Take a close look at evidences that the author has used.
• You would need to restate thesis given by the author in your own words. Do note that it should be precise and on-point.
• You need to write only one or two sentences for each of the section. It would be a summary of each section but not in too many words.
• Now you need to re-read article and check whether it is in sync with your summary.
• You must review write-up and confirm whether you have covered the main points or not. Always use a logical structure.
• Check the text for correctness and clarity. Do a grammar check before submitting it to the professor.

When citing a precis, the author's name and article title - both pertaining to the original article would have to be mentioned, besides the author name of the precis author. If you are writing the precis yourself, you normally have to cite only attributes related to the original article.