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Home » Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

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Research Summary

Definition:

A research summary is a brief and concise overview of a research project or study that highlights its key findings, main points, and conclusions. It typically includes a description of the research problem, the research methods used, the results obtained, and the implications or significance of the findings. It is often used as a tool to quickly communicate the main findings of a study to other researchers, stakeholders, or decision-makers.

Structure of Research Summary

The Structure of a Research Summary typically include:

• Introduction : This section provides a brief background of the research problem or question, explains the purpose of the study, and outlines the research objectives.
• Methodology : This section explains the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. It describes the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Results : This section presents the main findings of the study, including statistical analysis if applicable. It may include tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data.
• Discussion : This section interprets the results and explains their implications. It discusses the significance of the findings, compares them to previous research, and identifies any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclusion : This section summarizes the main points of the research and provides a conclusion based on the findings. It may also suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• References : This section lists the sources cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

How to Write Research Summary

Here are the steps you can follow to write a research summary:

• Read the research article or study thoroughly: To write a summary, you must understand the research article or study you are summarizing. Therefore, read the article or study carefully to understand its purpose, research design, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Identify the main points : Once you have read the research article or study, identify the main points, key findings, and research question. You can highlight or take notes of the essential points and findings to use as a reference when writing your summary.
• Write the introduction: Start your summary by introducing the research problem, research question, and purpose of the study. Briefly explain why the research is important and its significance.
• Summarize the methodology : In this section, summarize the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. Explain the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Present the results: Summarize the main findings of the study. Use tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data if necessary.
• Interpret the results: In this section, interpret the results and explain their implications. Discuss the significance of the findings, compare them to previous research, and identify any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclude the summary : Summarize the main points of the research and provide a conclusion based on the findings. Suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• Revise and edit : Once you have written the summary, revise and edit it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and free of errors. Make sure that your summary accurately represents the research article or study.
• Add references: Include a list of references cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

Example of Research Summary

Here is an example of a research summary:

Title: The Effects of Yoga on Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction: This meta-analysis examines the effects of yoga on mental health. The study aimed to investigate whether yoga practice can improve mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life.

Methodology : The study analyzed data from 14 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of yoga on mental health outcomes. The sample included a total of 862 participants. The yoga interventions varied in length and frequency, ranging from four to twelve weeks, with sessions lasting from 45 to 90 minutes.

Results : The meta-analysis found that yoga practice significantly improved mental health outcomes. Participants who practiced yoga showed a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as stress levels. Quality of life also improved in those who practiced yoga.

Discussion : The findings of this study suggest that yoga can be an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. The study supports the growing body of evidence that suggests that yoga can have a positive impact on mental health. Limitations of the study include the variability of the yoga interventions, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion : Overall, the findings of this meta-analysis support the use of yoga as an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the optimal length and frequency of yoga interventions for different populations.

References :

• Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Langhorst, J., Dobos, G., & Berger, B. (2013). Yoga for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and anxiety, 30(11), 1068-1083.
• Khalsa, S. B. (2004). Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: a bibliometric analysis of published research studies. Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology, 48(3), 269-285.
• Ross, A., & Thomas, S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(1), 3-12.

Purpose of Research Summary

The purpose of a research summary is to provide a brief overview of a research project or study, including its main points, findings, and conclusions. The summary allows readers to quickly understand the essential aspects of the research without having to read the entire article or study.

Research summaries serve several purposes, including:

• Facilitating comprehension: A research summary allows readers to quickly understand the main points and findings of a research project or study without having to read the entire article or study. This makes it easier for readers to comprehend the research and its significance.
• Communicating research findings: Research summaries are often used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public. The summary presents the essential aspects of the research in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for non-experts to understand.
• Supporting decision-making: Research summaries can be used to support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. This information can be used by policymakers or practitioners to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Saving time: Research summaries save time for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders who need to review multiple research studies. Rather than having to read the entire article or study, they can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.

Characteristics of Research Summary

The following are some of the key characteristics of a research summary:

• Concise : A research summary should be brief and to the point, providing a clear and concise overview of the main points of the research.
• Objective : A research summary should be written in an objective tone, presenting the research findings without bias or personal opinion.
• Comprehensive : A research summary should cover all the essential aspects of the research, including the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Accurate : A research summary should accurately reflect the key findings and conclusions of the research.
• Clear and well-organized: A research summary should be easy to read and understand, with a clear structure and logical flow.
• Relevant : A research summary should focus on the most important and relevant aspects of the research, highlighting the key findings and their implications.
• Audience-specific: A research summary should be tailored to the intended audience, using language and terminology that is appropriate and accessible to the reader.
• Citations : A research summary should include citations to the original research articles or studies, allowing readers to access the full text of the research if desired.

When to write Research Summary

Here are some situations when it may be appropriate to write a research summary:

• Proposal stage: A research summary can be included in a research proposal to provide a brief overview of the research aims, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.
• Conference presentation: A research summary can be prepared for a conference presentation to summarize the main findings of a study or research project.
• Journal submission: Many academic journals require authors to submit a research summary along with their research article or study. The summary provides a brief overview of the study’s main points, findings, and conclusions and helps readers quickly understand the research.
• Funding application: A research summary can be included in a funding application to provide a brief summary of the research aims, objectives, and expected outcomes.
• Policy brief: A research summary can be prepared as a policy brief to communicate research findings to policymakers or stakeholders in a concise and accessible manner.

Advantages of Research Summary

Research summaries offer several advantages, including:

• Time-saving: A research summary saves time for readers who need to understand the key findings and conclusions of a research project quickly. Rather than reading the entire research article or study, readers can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.
• Clarity and accessibility: A research summary provides a clear and accessible overview of the research project’s main points, making it easier for readers to understand the research without having to be experts in the field.
• Improved comprehension: A research summary helps readers comprehend the research by providing a brief and focused overview of the key findings and conclusions, making it easier to understand the research and its significance.
• Enhanced communication: Research summaries can be used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public, in a concise and accessible manner.
• Facilitated decision-making: Research summaries can support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. Policymakers or practitioners can use this information to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Increased dissemination: Research summaries can be easily shared and disseminated, allowing research findings to reach a wider audience.

Limitations of Research Summary

Limitations of the Research Summary are as follows:

• Limited scope: Research summaries provide a brief overview of the research project’s main points, findings, and conclusions, which can be limiting. They may not include all the details, nuances, and complexities of the research that readers may need to fully understand the study’s implications.
• Risk of oversimplification: Research summaries can be oversimplified, reducing the complexity of the research and potentially distorting the findings or conclusions.
• Lack of context: Research summaries may not provide sufficient context to fully understand the research findings, such as the research background, methodology, or limitations. This may lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the research.
• Possible bias: Research summaries may be biased if they selectively emphasize certain findings or conclusions over others, potentially distorting the overall picture of the research.
• Format limitations: Research summaries may be constrained by the format or length requirements, making it challenging to fully convey the research’s main points, findings, and conclusions.
• Accessibility: Research summaries may not be accessible to all readers, particularly those with limited literacy skills, visual impairments, or language barriers.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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How To Write A Research Summary

It’s a common perception that writing a research summary is a quick and easy task. After all, how hard can jotting down 300 words be? But when you consider the weight those 300 words carry, writing a research summary as a part of your dissertation, essay or compelling draft for your paper instantly becomes daunting task.

A research summary requires you to synthesize a complex research paper into an informative, self-explanatory snapshot. It needs to portray what your article contains. Thus, writing it often comes at the end of the task list.

Regardless of when you’re planning to write, it is no less of a challenge, particularly if you’re doing it for the first time. This blog will take you through everything you need to know about research summary so that you have an easier time with it.

What is a Research Summary?

A research summary is the part of your research paper that describes its findings to the audience in a brief yet concise manner. A well-curated research summary represents you and your knowledge about the information written in the research paper.

While writing a quality research summary, you need to discover and identify the significant points in the research and condense it in a more straightforward form. A research summary is like a doorway that provides access to the structure of a research paper's sections.

Since the purpose of a summary is to give an overview of the topic, methodology, and conclusions employed in a paper, it requires an objective approach. No analysis or criticism.

Research summary or Abstract. What’s the Difference?

They’re both brief, concise, and give an overview of an aspect of the research paper. So, it’s easy to understand why many new researchers get the two confused. However, a research summary and abstract are two very different things with individual purpose. To start with, a research summary is written at the end while the abstract comes at the beginning of a research paper.

A research summary captures the essence of the paper at the end of your document. It focuses on your topic, methods, and findings. More like a TL;DR, if you will. An abstract, on the other hand, is a description of what your research paper is about. It tells your reader what your topic or hypothesis is, and sets a context around why you have embarked on your research.

Getting Started with a Research Summary

Before you start writing, you need to get insights into your research’s content, style, and organization. There are three fundamental areas of a research summary that you should focus on.

• While deciding the contents of your research summary, you must include a section on its importance as a whole, the techniques, and the tools that were used to formulate the conclusion. Additionally, there needs to be a short but thorough explanation of how the findings of the research paper have a significance.
• To keep the summary well-organized, try to cover the various sections of the research paper in separate paragraphs. Besides, how the idea of particular factual research came up first must be explained in a separate paragraph.
• As a general practice worldwide, research summaries are restricted to 300-400 words. However, if you have chosen a lengthy research paper, try not to exceed the word limit of 10% of the entire research paper.

How to Structure Your Research Summary

The research summary is nothing but a concise form of the entire research paper. Therefore, the structure of a summary stays the same as the paper. So, include all the section titles and write a little about them. The structural elements that a research summary must consist of are:

It represents the topic of the research. Try to phrase it so that it includes the key findings or conclusion of the task.

The abstract gives a context of the research paper. Unlike the abstract at the beginning of a paper, the abstract here, should be very short since you’ll be working with a limited word count.

Introduction

This is the most crucial section of a research summary as it helps readers get familiarized with the topic. You should include the definition of your topic, the current state of the investigation, and practical relevance in this part. Additionally, you should present the problem statement, investigative measures, and any hypothesis in this section.

Methodology

This section provides details about the methodology and the methods adopted to conduct the study. You should write a brief description of the surveys, sampling, type of experiments, statistical analysis, and the rationality behind choosing those particular methods.

Create a list of evidence obtained from the various experiments with a primary analysis, conclusions, and interpretations made upon that. In the paper research paper, you will find the results section as the most detailed and lengthy part. Therefore, you must pick up the key elements and wisely decide which elements are worth including and which are worth skipping.

This is where you present the interpretation of results in the context of their application. Discussion usually covers results, inferences, and theoretical models explaining the obtained values, key strengths, and limitations. All of these are vital elements that you must include in the summary.

Most research papers merge conclusion with discussions. However, depending upon the instructions, you may have to prepare this as a separate section in your research summary. Usually, conclusion revisits the hypothesis and provides the details about the validation or denial about the arguments made in the research paper, based upon how convincing the results were obtained.

The structure of a research summary closely resembles the anatomy of a scholarly article . Additionally, you should keep your research and references limited to authentic and  scholarly sources only.

Tips for Writing a Research Summary

The core concept behind undertaking a research summary is to present a simple and clear understanding of your research paper to the reader. The biggest hurdle while doing that is the number of words you have at your disposal. So, follow the steps below to write a research summary that sticks.

1. Read the parent paper thoroughly

You should go through the research paper thoroughly multiple times to ensure that you have a complete understanding of its contents. A 3-stage reading process helps.

a. Scan: In the first read, go through it to get an understanding of its basic concept and methodologies.

b. Read: For the second step, read the article attentively by going through each section, highlighting the key elements, and subsequently listing the topics that you will include in your research summary.

c. Skim: Flip through the article a few more times to study the interpretation of various experimental results, statistical analysis, and application in different contexts.

Sincerely go through different headings and subheadings as it will allow you to understand the underlying concept of each section. You can try reading the introduction and conclusion simultaneously to understand the motive of the task and how obtained results stay fit to the expected outcome.

2. Identify the key elements in different sections

While exploring different sections of an article, you can try finding answers to simple what, why, and how. Below are a few pointers to give you an idea:

• What is the research question and how is it addressed?
• Is there a hypothesis in the introductory part?
• What type of methods are being adopted?
• What is the sample size for data collection and how is it being analyzed?
• What are the most vital findings?
• Do the results support the hypothesis?

Discussion/Conclusion

• What is the final solution to the problem statement?
• What is the explanation for the obtained results?
• What is the drawn inference?
• What are the various limitations of the study?

3. Prepare the first draft

Now that you’ve listed the key points that the paper tries to demonstrate, you can start writing the summary following the standard structure of a research summary. Just make sure you’re not writing statements from the parent research paper verbatim.

Instead, try writing down each section in your own words. This will not only help in avoiding plagiarism but will also show your complete understanding of the subject. Alternatively, you can use a summarizing tool (AI-based summary generators) to shorten the content or summarize the content without disrupting the actual meaning of the article.

SciSpace Copilot is one such helpful feature! You can easily upload your research paper and ask Copilot to summarize it. You will get an AI-generated, condensed research summary. SciSpace Copilot also enables you to highlight text, clip math and tables, and ask any question relevant to the research paper; it will give you instant answers with deeper context of the article..

4. Include visuals

One of the best ways to summarize and consolidate a research paper is to provide visuals like graphs, charts, pie diagrams, etc.. Visuals make getting across the facts, the past trends, and the probabilistic figures around a concept much more engaging.

5. Double check for plagiarism

It can be very tempting to copy-paste a few statements or the entire paragraphs depending upon the clarity of those sections. But it’s best to stay away from the practice. Even paraphrasing should be done with utmost care and attention.

Also: QuillBot vs SciSpace: Choose the best AI-paraphrasing tool

6. Religiously follow the word count limit

You need to have strict control while writing different sections of a research summary. In many cases, it has been observed that the research summary and the parent research paper become the same length. If that happens, it can lead to discrediting of your efforts and research summary itself. Whatever the standard word limit has been imposed, you must observe that carefully.

7. Proofread your research summary multiple times

The process of writing the research summary can be exhausting and tiring. However, you shouldn’t allow this to become a reason to skip checking your academic writing several times for mistakes like misspellings, grammar, wordiness, and formatting issues. Proofread and edit until you think your research summary can stand out from the others, provided it is drafted perfectly on both technicality and comprehension parameters. You can also seek assistance from editing and proofreading services , and other free tools that help you keep these annoying grammatical errors at bay.

8. Watch while you write

Keep a keen observation of your writing style. You should use the words very precisely, and in any situation, it should not represent your personal opinions on the topic. You should write the entire research summary in utmost impersonal, precise, factually correct, and evidence-based writing.

9. Ask a friend/colleague to help

Once you are done with the final copy of your research summary, you must ask a friend or colleague to read it. You must test whether your friend or colleague could grasp everything without referring to the parent paper. This will help you in ensuring the clarity of the article.

Once you become familiar with the research paper summary concept and understand how to apply the tips discussed above in your current task, summarizing a research summary won’t be that challenging. While traversing the different stages of your academic career, you will face different scenarios where you may have to create several research summaries.

In such cases, you just need to look for answers to simple questions like “Why this study is necessary,” “what were the methods,” “who were the participants,” “what conclusions were drawn from the research,” and “how it is relevant to the wider world.” Once you find out the answers to these questions, you can easily create a good research summary following the standard structure and a precise writing style.

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• How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

Published on 25 September 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 12 May 2023.

Summarising , or writing a summary, means giving a concise overview of a text’s main points in your own words. A summary is always much shorter than the original text.

There are five key steps that can help you to write a summary:

• Read the text
• Break it down into sections
• Identify the key points in each section
• Write the summary
• Check the summary against the article

Writing a summary does not involve critiquing or analysing the source. You should simply provide an accurate account of the most important information and ideas (without copying any text from the original).

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Table of contents

When to write a summary, step 1: read the text, step 2: break the text down into sections, step 3: identify the key points in each section, step 4: write the summary, step 5: check the summary against the article, frequently asked questions.

There are many situations in which you might have to summarise an article or other source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to show you’ve understood the material
• To keep notes that will help you remember what you’ve read
• To give an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review

When you’re writing an academic text like an essay , research paper , or dissertation , you’ll integrate sources in a variety of ways. You might use a brief quote to support your point, or paraphrase a few sentences or paragraphs.

But it’s often appropriate to summarize a whole article or chapter if it is especially relevant to your own research, or to provide an overview of a source before you analyse or critique it.

In any case, the goal of summarising is to give your reader a clear understanding of the original source. Follow the five steps outlined below to write a good summary.

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You should read the article more than once to make sure you’ve thoroughly understood it. It’s often effective to read in three stages:

• Scan the article quickly to get a sense of its topic and overall shape.
• Read the article carefully, highlighting important points and taking notes as you read.
• Skim the article again to confirm you’ve understood the key points, and reread any particularly important or difficult passages.

There are some tricks you can use to identify the key points as you read:

• Start by reading the abstract . This already contains the author’s own summary of their work, and it tells you what to expect from the article.
• Pay attention to headings and subheadings . These should give you a good sense of what each part is about.
• Read the introduction and the conclusion together and compare them: What did the author set out to do, and what was the outcome?

To make the text more manageable and understand its sub-points, break it down into smaller sections.

If the text is a scientific paper that follows a standard empirical structure, it is probably already organised into clearly marked sections, usually including an introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

Other types of articles may not be explicitly divided into sections. But most articles and essays will be structured around a series of sub-points or themes.

Now it’s time go through each section and pick out its most important points. What does your reader need to know to understand the overall argument or conclusion of the article?

Keep in mind that a summary does not involve paraphrasing every single paragraph of the article. Your goal is to extract the essential points, leaving out anything that can be considered background information or supplementary detail.

In a scientific article, there are some easy questions you can ask to identify the key points in each part.

If the article takes a different form, you might have to think more carefully about what points are most important for the reader to understand its argument.

In that case, pay particular attention to the thesis statement —the central claim that the author wants us to accept, which usually appears in the introduction—and the topic sentences that signal the main idea of each paragraph.

Now that you know the key points that the article aims to communicate, you need to put them in your own words.

To avoid plagiarism and show you’ve understood the article, it’s essential to properly paraphrase the author’s ideas. Do not copy and paste parts of the article, not even just a sentence or two.

The best way to do this is to put the article aside and write out your own understanding of the author’s key points.

Examples of article summaries

Let’s take a look at an example. Below, we summarise this article , which scientifically investigates the old saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’.

An article summary like the above would be appropriate for a stand-alone summary assignment. However, you’ll often want to give an even more concise summary of an article.

For example, in a literature review or research paper, you may want to briefly summarize this study as part of a wider discussion of various sources. In this case, we can boil our summary down even further to include only the most relevant information.

Citing the source you’re summarizing

When including a summary as part of a larger text, it’s essential to properly cite the source you’re summarizing. The exact format depends on your citation style , but it usually includes an in-text citation and a full reference at the end of your paper.

You can easily create your citations and references in APA or MLA using our free citation generators.

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Finally, read through the article once more to ensure that:

• You’ve accurately represented the author’s work
• You haven’t missed any essential information
• The phrasing is not too similar to any sentences in the original.

If you’re summarising many articles as part of your own work, it may be a good idea to use a plagiarism checker to double-check that your text is completely original and properly cited. Just be sure to use one that’s safe and reliable.

A summary is a short overview of the main points of an article or other source, written entirely in your own words.

Save yourself some time with the free summariser.

A summary is always much shorter than the original text. The length of a summary can range from just a few sentences to several paragraphs; it depends on the length of the article you’re summarising, and on the purpose of the summary.

With the summariser tool you can easily adjust the length of your summary.

You might have to write a summary of a source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to prove you understand the material
• For your own use, to keep notes on your reading
• To provide an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review
• In a paper , to summarise or introduce a relevant study

To avoid plagiarism when summarising an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by   paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Reference the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

An abstract concisely explains all the key points of an academic text such as a thesis , dissertation or journal article. It should summarise the whole text, not just introduce it.

An abstract is a type of summary , but summaries are also written elsewhere in academic writing . For example, you might summarise a source in a paper , in a literature review , or as a standalone assignment.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, May 12). How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 26 August 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/how-to-write-a-summary/

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Writing a Summary – Explanation & Examples

Published by Alvin Nicolas at October 17th, 2023 , Revised On October 17, 2023

In a world bombarded with vast amounts of information, condensing and presenting data in a digestible format becomes invaluable. Enter summaries. 

A summary is a brief and concise account of the main points of a larger body of work. It distils complex ideas, narratives, or data into a version that is quicker to read and easier to understand yet still retains the essence of the original content.

Importance of Summaries

The importance of summarising extends far beyond just making reading more manageable. In academic settings, summaries aid students in understanding and retaining complex materials, from textbook chapters to research articles. They also serve as tools to showcase one’s grasp of the subject in essays and reports. 

In professional arenas, summaries are pivotal in business reports, executive briefings, and even emails where key points need to be conveyed quickly to decision-makers. Meanwhile, summarising skills come into play in our personal lives when we relay news stories to friends, recap a movie plot, or even scroll through condensed news or app notifications on our smartphones.

Why Do We Write Summaries?

In our modern information age, the sheer volume of content available can be overwhelming. From detailed research papers to comprehensive news articles, the quest for knowledge is often met with lengthy and complex resources. This is where the power of a well-crafted summary comes into play. But what drives us to create or seek out summaries? Let’s discuss.

Makes Important Things Easy to Remember

At the heart of summarisation is the goal to understand. A well-written summary aids in digesting complex material. By distilling larger works into their core points, we reinforce the primary messages, making them easier to remember. This is especially crucial for students who need to retain knowledge for exams or professionals prepping for a meeting based on a lengthy report.

Simplification of Complex Topics

Not everyone is an expert in every field. Often, topics come laden with jargon, intricate details, and nuanced arguments. Summaries act as a bridge, translating this complexity into accessible and straightforward content. This is especially beneficial for individuals new to a topic or those who need just the highlights without the intricacies.

Aid in Researching and Understanding Diverse Sources

Researchers, writers, and academics often wade through many sources when working on a project. This involves finding sources of different types, such as primary or secondary sources , and then understanding their content. Sifting through each source in its entirety can be time-consuming. Summaries offer a streamlined way to understand each source’s main arguments or findings, making synthesising information from diverse materials more efficient.

Condensing Information for Presentation or Sharing

In professional settings, there is often a need to present findings, updates, or recommendations to stakeholders. An executive might not have the time to go through a 50-page report, but they would certainly appreciate a concise summary highlighting the key points. Similarly, in our personal lives, we often summarise movie plots, book stories, or news events when sharing with friends or family.

Characteristics of a Good Summary

Crafting an effective summary is an art. It’s more than just shortening a piece of content; it is about capturing the essence of the original work in a manner that is both accessible and true to its intent. Let’s explore the primary characteristics that distinguish a good summary from a mediocre one:

Conciseness

At the core of a summary is the concept of brevity. But being concise doesn’t mean leaving out vital information. A good summary will:

• Eliminate superfluous details or repetitive points.
• Focus on the primary arguments, events, or findings.
• Use succinct language without compromising the message.

Objectivity

Summarising is not about infusing personal opinions or interpretations. A quality summary will:

• Stick to the facts as presented in the original content.
• Avoid introducing personal biases or perspectives.
• Represent the original author’s intent faithfully.

A summary is meant to simplify and make content accessible. This is only possible if the summary itself is easy to understand. Ensuring clarity involves:

• Avoiding jargon or technical terms unless they are essential to the content. If they are used, they should be clearly defined.
• Structuring sentences in a straightforward manner.
• Making sure ideas are presented in a way that even someone unfamiliar with the topic can grasp the primary points.

A jumble of ideas, no matter how concise, will not make for a good summary. Coherence ensures that there’s a logical flow to the summarised content. A coherent summary will:

• Maintain a logical sequence, often following the structure of the original content.
• Use transition words or phrases to connect ideas and ensure smooth progression.
• Group related ideas together to provide structure and avoid confusion.

Steps of Writing a Summary

The process of creating a compelling summary is not merely about cutting down content. It involves understanding, discerning, and crafting. Here is a step-by-step guide to writing a summary that encapsulates the essence of the original work:

Reading Actively

Engage deeply with the content to ensure a thorough understanding.

• Read the entire document or work first to grasp its overall intent and structure.
• On the second read, underline or highlight the standout points or pivotal moments.
• Make brief notes in the margins or on a separate sheet, capturing the core ideas in your own words.

Identifying the Main Idea

Determine the backbone of the content, around which all other details revolve.

• Ask yourself: “What is the primary message or theme the author wants to convey?”
• This can often be found in the title, introduction, or conclusion of a piece.
• Frame the main idea in a clear and concise statement to guide your summary.

List Key Supporting Points

Understand the pillars that uphold the main idea, providing evidence or depth to the primary message.

• Refer back to the points you underlined or highlighted during your active reading.
• Note major arguments, evidence, or examples that the author uses to back up the main idea.
• Prioritise these points based on their significance to the main idea.

Draft the Summary

Convert your understanding into a condensed, coherent version of the original.

• Start with a statement of the main idea.
• Follow with the key supporting points, maintaining logical order.
• Avoid including trivial details or examples unless they’re crucial to the primary message.
• Use your own words, ensuring you are not plagiarising the original content.

Fine-tune your draft to ensure clarity, accuracy, and brevity.

• Read your draft aloud to check for flow and coherence.
• Ensure that your summary remains objective, avoiding any personal interpretations or biases.
• Check the length. See if any non-essential details can be removed without sacrificing understanding if it is too lengthy.
• Ensure clarity by ensuring the language is straightforward, and the main ideas are easily grasped.

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Dos and Don’ts of Summarising Key Points

Summarising, while seemingly straightforward, comes with its nuances. Properly condensing content demands a balance between brevity and fidelity to the original work. To aid in crafting exemplary summaries, here is a guide on the essential dos and don’ts:

Use your Own Words

This ensures that you have truly understood the content and are not merely parroting it. It also prevents issues of plagiarism.

Tip: After reading the original content, take a moment to reflect on it. Then, without looking at the source, write down the main points in your own words.

Attribute Sources Properly

Giving credit is both ethical and provides context to readers, helping them trace back to the original work if needed. How to cite sources correctly is a skill every writer should master.

Tip: Use signal phrases like “According to [Author/Source]…” or “As [Author/Source] points out…” to seamlessly incorporate attributions.

Ensure Accuracy of the Summarised Content

A summary should be a reliable reflection of the original content. Distorting or misrepresenting the original ideas compromises the integrity of the summary.

Tip: After drafting your summary, cross-check with the original content to ensure all key points are represented accurately and ensure you are referencing credible sources .

Avoid Copy-Pasting Chunks of Original Content

This not only raises plagiarism concerns but also shows a lack of genuine engagement with the material.

Tip: If a particular phrase or sentence from the original is pivotal and cannot be reworded without losing its essence, use block quotes , quotation marks, and attribute the source.

Do not Inject your Personal Opinion

A summary should be an objective reflection of the source material. Introducing personal biases or interpretations can mislead readers.

Tip: Stick to the facts and arguments presented in the original content. If you find yourself writing “I think” or “In my opinion,” reevaluate the sentence.

Do not Omit Crucial Information

While a summary is meant to be concise, it shouldn’t be at the expense of vital details that are essential to understanding the original content’s core message.

Tip: Prioritise information. Always include the main idea and its primary supports. If you are unsure whether a detail is crucial, consider its impact on the overall message.

Examples of Summaries

Here are a few examples that will help you get a clearer view of how to write a summary. 

Example 1: Summary of a News Article

Original Article: The article reports on the recent discovery of a rare species of frog in the Amazon rainforest. The frog, named the “Emerald Whisperer” due to its unique green hue and the soft chirping sounds it makes, was found by a team of researchers from the University of Texas. The discovery is significant as it offers insights into the biodiversity of the region, and the Emerald Whisperer might also play a pivotal role in understanding the ecosystem balance.

Summary: Researchers from the University of Texas have discovered a unique frog, termed the “Emerald Whisperer,” in the Amazon rainforest. This finding sheds light on the region’s biodiversity and underscores the importance of the frog in ecological studies.

Example 2: Summary of a Research Paper

Original Paper: In a study titled “The Impact of Urbanisation on Bee Populations,” researchers conducted a year-long observation on bee colonies in three urban areas and three rural areas. Using specific metrics like colony health, bee productivity, and population size, the study found that urban environments saw a 30% decline in bee populations compared to rural settings. The research attributes this decline to factors like pollution, reduced green spaces, and increased temperatures in urban areas.

Summary: A study analysing the effects of urbanisation on bee colonies found a significant 30% decrease in bee populations in urban settings compared to rural areas. The decline is linked to urban factors such as pollution, diminished greenery, and elevated temperatures.

Example 3: Summary of a Novel

Original Story: In the novel “Winds of Fate,” protagonist Clara is trapped in a timeless city where memories dictate reality. Throughout her journey, she encounters characters from her past, present, and imagined future. Battling her own perceptions and a menacing shadow figure, Clara seeks an elusive gateway to return to her real world. In the climax, she confronts the shadow, which turns out to be her own fear, and upon overcoming it, she finds her way back, realising that reality is subjective.

Summary: “Winds of Fate” follows Clara’s adventures in a surreal city shaped by memories. Confronting figures from various phases of her life and battling a symbolic shadow of her own fear, Clara eventually discovers that reality’s perception is malleable and subjective.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a summary.

A summary condenses a larger piece of content, capturing its main points and essence.  It is usually one-fourth of the original content.

What is a summary?

A summary is a concise representation of a larger text or content, highlighting its main ideas and points. It distils complex information into a shorter form, allowing readers to quickly grasp the essence of the original material without delving into extensive details. Summaries prioritise clarity, brevity, and accuracy.

When should I write a summary?

Write a summary when you need to condense lengthy content for easier comprehension and recall. It’s useful in academic settings, professional reports, presentations, and research to highlight key points. Summaries aid in comparing multiple sources, preparing for discussions, and sharing essential details of extensive materials efficiently with others.

How can I summarise a source without plagiarising?

To summarise without plagiarising: Read the source thoroughly, understand its main ideas, and then write the summary in your own words. Avoid copying phrases verbatim. Attribute the source properly. Use paraphrasing techniques and cross-check your summary against the original to ensure distinctiveness while retaining accuracy. Always prioritise understanding over direct replication.

What is the difference between a summary and an abstract?

A summary condenses a text, capturing its main points from various content types like books, articles, or movies. An abstract, typically found in research papers and scientific articles, provides a brief overview of the study’s purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. Both offer concise versions, but abstracts are more structured and specific.

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How to write a summary of a research paper (with template)

by Diana Ribeiro Last updated Jul 20, 2020 | Published on Jun 27, 2020 Writing Skills 0 comments

In our daily work as medical writers, we have to read many scholarly articles and extract the main information from them. Having a process to retrieve that information and create a short summary that you can easily access will save you precious time. That’s why I decided to guide you through my process of summarising a research article and created a handy template.

Having short summaries of academic papers is useful to create news articles, press releases, social media posts, blog articles, or curated news reports, like the one I write weekly for my newsletter subscribers .

What’s the importance of summarising research articles?

If you don’t have a system to extract the main information from a scholarly paper, you may have to re-read it repeatedly, looking for that piece of information you know it’s there. Sure, you can use a highlighter pen to mark the main points, but sometimes what happens is that you end up with yellow walls of text. Or green. Or even a rainbow. Which may be pretty, but it’s quite useless as a retrieval system.

What also happens when you highlight text is that you end up with a diverse array of writing styles, none of them being your own. This way, when you try to write a text with information from multiple sources, you have to search for the information and write it in a consistent style.

In this article, I’ll show you how to retrieve the most relevant information from a scientific paper, how to write it in a compelling way, and how to present it in a news-worthy style that’s easily adaptable to your audience. Ready?

Three steps to summarise a research paper

1. scan and extract the main points.

First things first, so you have to read the paper. But that doesn’t mean you have to read it from start to finish. Start by scanning the article for its main points.

Here’s the essential information to extract from the research paper you have in front of you:

• Authors, year, doi
• Study question: look in the introduction for a phrase like “the aim of this study was”
• Hypothesis tested
• Study methods: design, participants, materials, procedure, what was manipulated (independent variables), what was measured (dependent variables), how data were analysed.
• Findings: from the results section; fill this before you look at the discussion section, if possible. Write bullet points.
• Interpretation: how did the authors interpreted their findings? Use short sentences, in your own words.

After extracting the key information , revisit the article and read it more attentively, to see if you missed something. Add some notes to your summary, but take care to avoid plagiarism. Write notes in your own words. If you can’t do that at this moment, use quotation marks to indicate that your note came straight from the study. You can rewrite it later, when you have a better grasp of the study.

2. Use a journalistic approach for the first draft

Some sources advise you to keep the same structure as the scientific article, but I like to use the journalistic approach of news articles and flush out the more relevant information first, followed by the details. This is more enticing for readers, making them want to continue reading. Yes, I know that your reader may be just you, but I know I have lost myself in some of the things I’ve written, so…keep it interesting, even for a future self 😊.

This is the main information you have to put together:

Title of the article: I like to keep the original article title for the summary, because it’s easier to refer back to the original article if I need to. Sometimes I add a second title, just for me, if the article title is too obscure or long.

• 1 st paragraph: Answer the 5 W’s in 3-4 sentences.

Who? (the authors)

What? (main finding)

When and where? (journal, date of publication)

Why? (relevance)

This should be a standalone paragraph, meaning that the reader should be able to take out the main information even if they just read this paragraph.

• Subsequent paragraphs: In 2-3 paragraphs or less, provide context and more information about the research done. If you’re not sure if a detail is important or not, you can include it here and edit it out in the next step.

3. Polish the rough edges

In this stage, you’re going to make a quick edit, checking for completeness and accuracy. Make sure you’ve included all the main points without repeating yourself. Double-check all the numbers. Stay focused on the research questions to avoid tangents. Avoid using jargon and the passive voice whenever possible.

Final summary

Using this approach, you’ll end up with a short summary of your article that you can use to craft other types of writing, such as press releases, news articles, social media blurbs, and many others.

The advantages of summarising research articles are that you can better understand what the article is about, and you’ll have a text written by you, so it’s easier to adapt and you avoid unintentional plagiarism.

That’s it! My guide to write a research paper summary 😊

I’ve created a handout with all the information in this blog post plus a fill-in-the-blanks template that you can use to summarise research articles, you can download it using the form below. You’ll be signed up to my mailing list, and receive a weekly roundup of news in the biomedical industry as a bonus!

If you have any comments or questions, please let me know in the comment box below.

Get the research paper summary template

And subscribe to the biopharma newsletter 🙂

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About Diana Ribeiro

Diana Ribeiro  is a pharmacist and  freelance medical writer based in Cascais, Portugal.  Before starting her career in medical writing, Diana worked 10+ years in hospital and community pharmacies, where she helped patients and healthcare professionals with drug management and information. Nowadays, she helps pharma, biotech, and meddev companies communicate with their audiences in a clear, accurate, and compelling way. Diana is an active member of the European Medical Writers Association, where she volunteers for the webinar team. You can find more about her on  LinkedIn .

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Research Summary Structure, Samples, Writing Steps, and Useful Suggestions

Updated 28 Aug 2024

What is a Research Summary and Why Is It Important?

A research summary is a type of paper designed to provide a brief overview of a given study - typically, an article from a peer-reviewed academic journal. It is a frequent type of task encountered in US colleges and universities, both in humanitarian and exact sciences, which is due to how important it is to teach students to properly interact with and interpret scientific literature and in particular, academic papers, which are the key way through which new ideas, theories, and evidence are presented to experts in many fields of knowledge. A research summary typically preserves the structure/sections of the article it focuses on. Get the grades you want with our professional research paper helper .

How to Write a Research Summary – Typical Steps

Follow these clear steps to help avoid typical mistakes and productivity bottlenecks, allowing for a more efficient through your writing process:

• Skim the article in order to get a rough idea of the content covered in each section and to understand the relative importance of content, for instance, how important different lines of evidence are (this helps you understand which sections you should focus on more when reading in detail). Make sure you understand the task and your professor's requirements before reading the article. In this step, you can also decide whether to write a summary by yourself or ask for a cheap research paper writing service instead.
• Analyze and understand the topic and article. Writing a summary of a research paper involves becoming very familiar with the topic – sometimes, it is impossible to understand the content without learning about the current state of knowledge, as well as key definitions, concepts, models. This is often performed while reading the literature review. As for the paper itself, understanding it means understanding analysis questions, hypotheses, listed evidence, how strongly this evidence supports the hypotheses, as well as analysis implications. Keep in mind that only a deep understanding allows one to efficiently and accurately summarize the content.
• Make notes as you read. You could highlight or summarize each paragraph with a brief sentence that would record the key idea delivered in it (obviously, some paragraphs deserve more attention than others). However, be careful not to engage in extensive writing while still reading. This is important because, while reading, you might realize that some sections you initially considered important might actually be less important compared to information that follows. As for underlining or highlighting – do these only with the most important evidence, otherwise, there is little use in “coloring” everything without distinction.
• Assemble a draft by bringing together key evidence and notes from each paragraph/ section. Make sure that all elements characteristic of a research summary are covered (as detailed below).
• Find additional literature for forming or supporting your critical view (this is if your critical view/position is required), for instance, judgments about limitations of the study or contradictory evidence.

Read Also:  Criminal Justice Research Topics To Impress Your Teacher

Research Summary Structure

The research summary format resembles that found in the original paper (just a concise version of it). Content from all sections should be covered and reflected upon, regardless of whether corresponding headings are present or not. Key structural elements of any research summary are as follows:

• Title – it announces the exact topic/area of analysis and can even be formulated to briefly announce key finding(s) or argument(s) delivered.
• Abstract – this is a very concise and comprehensive description of the study, present virtually in any academic article (the length varies greatly, typically within 100-500 words). Unlike an academic article, your research summary is expected to have a much shorter abstract.
• Introduction – this is an essential part of any research summary which provides necessary context (the literature review) that helps introduce readers to the subject by presenting the current state of the investigation, an important concept or definition, etc. This section might also describe the subject’s importance (or might not, for instance, when it is self-evident). Finally, an introduction typically lists investigation questions and hypotheses advanced by authors, which are normally mentioned in detail in any research summary (obviously, doing this is only possible after identifying these elements in the original paper).
• Methodology – regardless of its location, this section details experimental methods or data analysis methods used (e.g. types of experiments, surveys, sampling, or statistical analysis). In a research summary, many of these details would have to be omitted; hence, it is important to understand what is most important to mention.
• Results section – this section lists in detail evidence obtained from all experiments with some primary data analysis, conclusions, observations, and primary interpretations being made. It is typically the largest section of any analysis paper, so, it has to be concisely rewritten, which implies understanding which content is worth omitting and worth keeping.
• Discussion – this is where results are being discussed in the context of current knowledge among experts. This section contains interpretations of results, theoretical models explaining the observed results, study strengths and especially limitations, complementary future exploration to be undertaken, conclusions, etc. All these are important elements that need to be conveyed in a summary.
• Conclusion – in the original article, this section could be absent or merged with “Discussion”. Specific research summary instructions might require this to be a standalone section. In a conclusion, hypotheses are revisited and validated or denied, based on how convincing the evidence is (key lines of evidence could be highlighted).
• References – this section is for mentioning those cited works directly in your summary – obviously, one has to provide appropriate citations at least for the original article (this often suffices). Mentioning other works might be relevant when your critical opinion is also required (supported with new unrelated evidence).

Note that if you need some model research summary papers done before you start writing yourself (this will help familiarize you with essay structure and various sections), you could simply recruit our company by following the link provided below.

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Research Summary Writing Tips

Below is a checklist of useful research paper tips worth considering when writing research summaries:

• Make sure you are always aware of the bigger picture/ direction. You need to keep in mind a complete and coherent picture of the story delivered by the original article. It might be helpful to reread or scan it quickly to remind yourself of the declared goals, hypotheses, key evidence, and conclusions – this awareness offers a constant sense of direction, which ensures that no written sentence is out of context. It is useful doing this even after you have written a fourth, a third, or half of the paper (to make sure no deviation occurs).
• Consider writing a detailed research outline before writing the draft – it might be of great use when structuring your paper. A research summary template is also very likely to help you structure your paper.
• Sketch the main elements of the conclusion before writing it. Do this for a number of reasons: validate/invalidate hypotheses; enumerate key evidence supporting or invalidating them, list potential implications; mention the subject’s importance; mention study limitations and future directions for research. In order to include them all, it is useful having them written down and handy.
• Consider writing the introduction and discussion last. It makes sense to first list hypotheses, goals, questions, and key results. Latter, information contained in the introduction and discussion can be adapted as needed (for instance, to match a preset word count limit). Also, on the basis of already written paragraphs, you can easily generate your discussion with the help of a conclusion tool ; it works online and is absolutely free of charge. Apart from this, follow a natural order.
• Include visuals – you could summarize a lot of text using graphs or charts while simultaneously improving readability.
• Be very careful not to plagiarize. It is very tempting to “borrow” or quote entire phrases from an article, provided how well-written these are, but you need to summarize your paper without plagiarizing at all (forget entirely about copy-paste – it is only allowed to paraphrase and even this should be done carefully). The best way to stay safe is by formulating your own thoughts from scratch.
• Keep your word count in check. You don’t want your summary to be as long as the original paper (just reformulated). In addition, you might need to respect an imposed word count limit, which requires being careful about how much you write for each section.
• Proofread your work for grammar, spelling, wordiness, and formatting issues (feel free to use our convert case tool for titles, headings, subheadings, etc.).
• Watch your writing style – when summarizing content, it should be impersonal, precise, and purely evidence-based. A personal view/attitude should be provided only in the critical section (if required).
• Ask a colleague to read your summary and test whether he/she could understand everything without reading the article – this will help ensure that you haven’t skipped some important content, explanations, concepts, etc.

For additional information on formatting, structure, and for more writing tips, check out these research paper guidelines on our website. Remember that we cover most research papers writing services you can imagine and can offer help at various stages of your writing project, including proofreading, editing, rewriting for plagiarism elimination, and style adjustment.

Research Summary Example 1

Below are some defining elements of a sample research summary written from an imaginary article.

Title – “The probability of an unexpected volcanic eruption in Yellowstone” Introduction – this section would list those catastrophic consequences hitting our country in  case of a massive eruption and the importance of analyzing this matter. Hypothesis –  An eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would be preceded by intense precursory activity manifesting a few weeks up to a few years in advance. Results – these could contain a report of statistical data from multiple volcanic eruptions happening worldwide looking specifically at activity that preceded these events (in particular, how early each type of activity was detected). Discussion and conclusion – Given that Yellowstone is continuously monitored by scientists and that signs of an eruption are normally detected much in advance and at least a few days in advance, the hypothesis is confirmed. This could find application in creating emergency plans detailing an organized evacuation campaign and other response measures.

Research Summary Example 2

Below is another sample sketch, also from an imaginary article.

Title – “The frequency of extreme weather events in US in 2000-2008 as compared to the ‘50s” Introduction – Weather events bring immense material damage and cause human victims. Hypothesis – Extreme weather events are significantly more frequent nowadays than in the ‘50s Results – these could list the frequency of several categories of extreme events now and then: droughts and associated fires, massive rainfall/snowfall and associated floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, arctic cold waves, etc. Discussion and conclusion – Several types of extreme events indeed became significantly more frequent recently, confirming this hypothesis. This increasing frequency correlates reliably with rising CO2 levels in atmosphere and growing temperatures worldwide and in the absence of another recent major global change that could explain a higher frequency of disasters but also knowing how growing temperature disturbs weather patterns, it is natural to assume that global warming (CO2) causes this increase in frequency. This, in turn, suggests that this increased frequency of disasters is not a short-term phenomenon but is here to stay until we address CO2 levels.

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Let Professionals Help With Your Research Summary

Writing a research summary has its challenges, but becoming familiar with its structure (i.e. the structure of an article), understanding well the article that needs to be summarized, and adhering to recommended guidelines will help the process go smoothly.

Simply create your account in a few clicks, place an order by uploading your instructions, and upload or indicate the article requiring a summary and choose a preferred writer for this task (according to experience, rating, bidding price). Our transparent system puts you in control, allowing you to set priorities as you wish (to our knowledge, few competitors have something equivalent in place). Obviously, we can help with many other essay types such as critical thinking essay, argumentative essay, etc. In particular, the research paper definition article on our website highlights a few popular paper types we work with.

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As a trained writer and an expert in book publishing and finalization, Paul knows how to engage readers in his text. As an author himself, Paul never misses a chance to write. Writing is his true passion as he explores technology, education, and entertainment among many popular subjects these days. His mentoring experience and skills of creative guidance make his writing accessible, clear, and fun to follow.

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Writing Article Summaries

• Understanding Article Summaries 

Common Problems in Article Summaries

Read carefully and closely, structure of the summary, writing the summary.

• Sample Outlines and Paragraphs

Understanding Article Summaries

An article summary is a short, focused paper about one scholarly article that is informed by a critical reading of that article. For argumentative articles, the summary identifies, explains, and analyses the thesis and supporting arguments; for empirical articles, the summary identifies, explains, and analyses the research questions, methods, findings, and implications of the study.

Although article summaries are often short and rarely account for a large portion of your grade, they are a strong indicator of your reading and writing skills. Professors ask you to write article summaries to help you to develop essential skills in critical reading, summarizing, and clear, organized writing. Furthermore, an article summary requires you to read a scholarly article quite closely, which provides a useful introduction to the conventions of writing in your discipline (e.g. Political Studies, Biology, or Anthropology).

The most common problem that students have when writing an article summary is that they misunderstand the goal of the assignment. In an article summary, your job is to write about the article, not about the actual topic of the article. For example, if you are summarizing Smith’s article about the causes of the Bubonic plague in Europe, your summary should be about Smith’s article: What does she want to find out about the plague? What evidence does she use? What is her argument? You are not writing a paper about the actual causes of Bubonic plague in Europe.

Further, as a part of critical reading, you will often consider your own position on a topic or an argument; it is tempting to include an assessment or opinion about the thesis or findings, but this is not the goal of an article summary. Rather, you must identify, explain, and analyse the main point and how it is supported.

Your key to success in writing an article summary is your understanding of the article; therefore, it is essential to read carefully and closely. The Academic Skills Centre offers helpful instruction on the steps for critical reading: pre-reading, active and analytical reading, and reflection.

Argumentative Articles

As you read an argumentative article, consider the following questions:

• What is the topic?
• What is the research question? In other words, what is the author trying to find out about that topic?
• How does the author position his/her article in relation to other studies of the topic?
• What is the thesis or position? What are the supporting arguments?
• How are supporting arguments developed? What kind of evidence is used?
• What is the significance of the author’s thesis? What does it help you to understand about the topic?

Empirical Articles

As you read an empirical article, consider the following questions:

• What is the research question?
• What are the predictions and the rationale for these predictions?
• What methods were used (participants, sampling, materials, procedure)? What were the variables and controls?
• What were the main results?
• Are the findings supported by previous research?
• What are the limitations of the study?
• What are the implications or applications of the findings?

Create a Reverse Outline

Creating a reverse outline is one way to ensure that you fully understand the article. Pre-read the article (read the abstract, introduction, and/or conclusion). Summarize the main question(s) and thesis or findings. Skim subheadings and topic sentences to understand the organization; make notes in the margins about each section. Read each paragraph within a section; make short notes about the main idea or purpose of each paragraph. This strategy will help you to see how parts of the article connect to the main idea or the whole of the article.

A summary is written in paragraph form and generally does not include subheadings. An introduction is important to clearly identify the article, the topic, the question or purpose of the article, and its thesis or findings. The body paragraphs for a summary of an argumentative article will explain how arguments and evidence support the thesis. Alternatively, the body paragraphs of an empirical article summary may explain the methods and findings, making connections to predictions. The conclusion explains the significance of the argument or implications of the findings. This structure ensures that your summary is focused and clear.

Professors will often give you a list of required topics to include in your summary and/or explain how they want you to organize your summary. Make sure you read the assignment sheet with care and adapt the sample outlines below accordingly.

One significant challenge in writing an article summary is deciding what information or examples from the article to include. Remember, article summaries are much shorter than the article itself. You do not have the space to explain every point the author makes. Instead, you will need to explain the author’s main points and find a few excellent examples that illustrate these points.

You should also keep in mind that article summaries need to be written in your own words. Scholarly writing can use complex terminology to explain complicated ideas, which makes it difficult to understand and to summarize correctly. In the face of difficult text, many students tend to use direct quotations, saving them the time and energy required to understand and reword it. However, a summary requires you to summarize, which means “to state briefly or succinctly” (Oxford English Dictionary) the main ideas presented in a text. The brevity must come from you, in your own words, which demonstrates that you understand the article.

Sample Outlines and Paragraph

Sample outline for an argumentative article summary.

• General topic of article
• Author’s research question or approach to the topic
• Author’s thesis
• Explain some key points and how they support the thesis
• Provide a key example or two that the author uses as evidence to support these points
• Review how the main points work together to support the thesis?
• How does the author explain the significance or implications of his/her article?

Sample Outline for an Empirical Article Summary

• General topic of study
• Author’s research question
• Variables and hypotheses
• Participants
• Experiment design
• Materials used
• Key results
• Did the results support the hypotheses?
• Implications or applications of the study
• Major limitations of the study

Sample Paragraph

The paragraph below is an example of an introductory paragraph from a summary of an empirical article:

Tavernier and Willoughby’s (2014) study explored the relationships between university students’ sleep and their intrapersonal, interpersonal, and educational development. While the authors cited many scholars who have explored these relationships, they pointed out that most of these studies focused on unidirectional correlations over a short period of time. In contrast, Tavernier and Willoughby tested whether there was a bidirectional or unidirectional association between participants’ sleep quality and duration and several psychosocial factors including intrapersonal adjustment, friendship quality, and academic achievement. Further they conducted a longitudinal study over a period of three years in order to determine whether there were changes in the strength or direction of these associations over time. They predicted that sleep quality would correlate with measures of intrapersonal adjustment, friendship quality, and academic achievement; they further hypothesized that this correlation would be bidirectional: sleep quality would predict psychosocial measures and at the same time, psychosocial measures would predict sleep quality.

How to Write a Research Paper Summary

One of the most important skills you can imbibe as an academician is to know how to summarize a research paper. During your academic journey, you may need to write a summary of findings in research quite often and for varied reasons – be it to write an introduction for a peer-reviewed publication , to submit a critical review, or to simply create a useful database for future referencing.

It can be quite challenging to effectively write a research paper summary for often complex work, which is where a pre-determined workflow can help you optimize the process. Investing time in developing this skill can also help you improve your scientific acumen, increasing your efficiency and productivity at work. This article illustrates some useful advice on how to write a research summary effectively. But, what is research summary in the first place?  

A research paper summary is a crisp, comprehensive overview of a research paper, which encapsulates the purpose, findings, methods, conclusions, and relevance of a study. A well-written research paper summary is an indicator of how well you have understood the author’s work. 

Table of Contents

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• 2. Invest enough time to understand the topic deeply 

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• Mistakes to avoid while writing your research paper summary 

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Frequently asked questions (faq), how to write a research paper summary.

Writing a good research paper summary comes with practice and skill. Here is some useful advice on how to write a research paper summary effectively.  

1. Determine the focus of your summary

Before you begin to write a summary of research papers, determine the aim of your research paper summary. This will give you more clarity on how to summarize a research paper, including what to highlight and where to find the information you need, which accelerates the entire process. If you are aiming for the summary to be a supporting document or a proof of principle for your current research findings, then you can look for elements that are relevant to your work.

On the other hand, if your research summary is intended to be a critical review of the research article, you may need to use a completely different lens while reading the paper and conduct your own research regarding the accuracy of the data presented. Then again, if the research summary is intended to be a source of information for future referencing, you will likely have a different approach. This makes determining the focus of your summary a key step in the process of writing an effective research paper summary. 

2. Invest enough time to understand the topic deeply

In order to author an effective research paper summary, you need to dive into the topic of the research article. Begin by doing a quick scan for relevant information under each section of the paper. The abstract is a great starting point as it helps you to quickly identify the top highlights of the research article, speeding up the process of understanding the key findings in the paper. Be sure to do a careful read of the research paper, preparing notes that describe each section in your own words to put together a summary of research example or a first draft. This will save your time and energy in revisiting the paper to confirm relevant details and ease the entire process of writing a research paper summary.

When reading papers, be sure to acknowledge and ignore any pre-conceived notions that you might have regarding the research topic. This will not only help you understand the topic better but will also help you develop a more balanced perspective, ensuring that your research paper summary is devoid of any personal opinions or biases. 

3. Keep the summary crisp, brief and engaging

A research paper summary is usually intended to highlight and explain the key points of any study, saving the time required to read through the entire article. Thus, your primary goal while compiling the summary should be to keep it as brief, crisp and readable as possible. Usually, a short introduction followed by 1-2 paragraphs is adequate for an effective research article summary. Avoid going into too much technical detail while describing the main results and conclusions of the study. Rather focus on connecting the main findings of the study to the hypothesis , which can make the summary more engaging. For example, instead of simply reporting an original finding – “the graph showed a decrease in the mortality rates…”, you can say, “there was a decline in the number of deaths, as predicted by the authors while beginning the study…” or “there was a decline in the number of deaths, which came as a surprise to the authors as this was completely unexpected…”.

Unless you are writing a critical review of the research article, the language used in your research paper summaries should revolve around reporting the findings, not assessing them. On the other hand, if you intend to submit your summary as a critical review, make sure to provide sufficient external evidence to support your final analysis. Invest sufficient time in editing and proofreading your research paper summary thoroughly to ensure you’ve captured the findings accurately. You can also get an external opinion on the preliminary draft of the research paper summary from colleagues or peers who have not worked on the research topic. 

Mistakes to avoid while writing your research paper summary

Now that you’ve understood how to summarize a research paper, watch out for these red flags while writing your summary. 

• Not paying attention to the word limit and recommended format, especially while submitting a critical review 
• Evaluating the findings instead of maintaining an objective , unbiased view while reading the research paper 
• Skipping the essential editing step , which can help eliminate avoidable errors and ensure that the language does not misrepresent the findings 
• Plagiarism, it is critical to write in your own words or paraphrase appropriately when reporting the findings in your scientific article summary 

We hope the recommendations listed above will help answer the question of how to summarize a research paper and enable you to tackle the process effectively. 

Summarize your research paper with Paperpal

Paperpal, an AI academic writing assistant, is designed to support academics at every step of the academic writing process. Built on over two decades of experience helping researchers get published and trained on millions of published research articles, Paperpal offers human precision at machine speed. Paperpal Copilot, with advanced generative AI features, can help academics achieve 2x the writing in half the time, while transforming how they research and write.

How to summarize a research paper with Paperpal?

To generate your research paper summary, simply login to the platform and use the Paperpal Copilot Summary feature to create a flawless summary of your work. Here’s a step-by-step process to help you craft a summary in minutes:

• Paste relevant research articles to be summarized into Paperpal; the AI will scan each section and extract key information.
• In minutes, Paperpal will generate a comprehensive summary that showcases the main paper highlights while adhering to academic writing conventions.
• Check the content to polish and refine the language, ensure your own voice, and add citations or references as needed.

The abstract and research paper summary serve similar purposes but differ in scope, length, and placement. The abstract is a concise yet detailed overview of the research, placed at the beginning of a paper, with the aim of providing readers with a quick understanding of the paper’s content and to help them decide whether to read the full article. Usually limited to a few hundred words, it highlights the main objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. On the other hand, a research paper summary provides a crisp account of the entire research paper. Its purpose is to provide a brief recap for readers who may want to quickly grasp the main points of the research without reading the entire paper in detail.

The structure of a research summary can vary depending on the specific requirements or guidelines provided by the target publication or institution. A typical research summary includes the following key sections: introduction (including the research question or objective), methodology (briefly describing the research design and methods), results (summarizing the key findings), discussion (highlighting the implications and significance of the findings), and conclusion (providing a summary of the main points and potential future directions).

The summary of a research paper is important because it provides a condensed overview of the study’s purpose, methods, results, and conclusions. It allows you to quickly grasp the main points and relevance of the research without having to read the entire paper. Research summaries can also be an invaluable way to communicate research findings to a broader audience, such as policymakers or the general public.

  When writing a research paper summary, it is crucial to avoid plagiarism by properly attributing the original authors’ work. To learn how to summarize a research paper while avoiding plagiarism, follow these critical guidelines: (1) Read the paper thoroughly to understand the main points and key findings. (2) Use your own words and sentence structures to restate the information, ensuring that the research paper summary reflects your understanding of the paper. (3) Clearly indicate when you are paraphrasing or quoting directly from the original paper by using appropriate citation styles. (4) Cite the original source for any specific ideas, concepts, or data that you include in your summary. (5) Review your summary to ensure it accurately represents the research paper while giving credit to the original authors.

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• How to Write a Conclusion for Research Papers (with Examples)
• Publish or Perish – Understanding the Importance of Scholarly Publications in Academia

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A Complete Guide to Writing a Research Summary

A summary is a key part of any research. So, how should you go about writing one?

You will find many guides on the Internet about writing research. But, any article seldom covers the prospect of writing a research summary. While many things are shortened versions of the original article, there’s much more to research summaries.

From descriptive statistics to writing scientific research, a summary plays a vital role in describing the key ideas within. So, it begs a few questions, such as:

• What exactly is a research summary?
• How do you write one?
• What are some of the tips for writing a good research summary ?

In this guide, we’ll answer all of these questions and explore a few essential factors about research writing. So, let’s jump right into it.

What is a Research Summary?

A research summary is a short, concise summary of an academic research paper. It is often used to summarize the results of an experiment, summarize the major findings and conclusions, and provide a brief overview of the methods and procedures used in the study.

The purpose of a research summary is to provide readers with enough information about an article to decide whether they want to read it in its entirety. It should be no more than two paragraphs long and should include:

• A brief introduction summarizing why the article was written
• The main idea of the article
• The major findings and conclusions
• An overview of how the study was conducted

In order to write effective research summaries, it is important that you can capture the essential points of the research and provide a concise overview. The key step in writing a good summary is to read through the article and make notes of the key points.

This can be done by underlining or highlighting key phrases in the article. One essential thing is to organize these points into an outline format, which includes an introduction and conclusion paragraph.

Another best and quick way to generate a precise summary of your research paper is to take assistance from the online text summarizer, like Summarizer.org .

The online summarizing tool gets the research paper and creates a precise summary of it by taking the important points.

Finally, you must edit your work for grammar and spelling errors before submitting it for grading.

The purpose of the research summary is to provide a comprehensive sum of everything that’s in the research. This includes a summarization of scientific/literal research, as well as of the writer’s aim and personal thoughts.

As for the summary length, it shouldn’t be more than 10% of the entire content. So, if your research is around 1000-words or so, then your summary should be 100-words. But, considering how most research papers are around 3000-4000 words, it should be 300-400 words.

Key pillars of a Research Summary

The summary of any research doesn’t just include the summarized text of the entire research paper. It includes a few other key things, which we’ll explore later on in this article. But, the purpose of a summary is to give proper insights to the reader, such as:

• The writer’s intention
• sources and bases of research
• the purpose & result.

That’s why it’s important to understand that the summary should tell your reader all these elements. So, the fundamentals of any summary include:

• Write a section and state the importance of the research paper from your perspective. In this section, you will have to describe the techniques, tools, and sources you employed to get the conclusion.
• Besides that, it’s also meant to provide a brief and descriptive explanation of the actionable aspect of your research. In other words, how it can be implemented in real life.
• Treat your research summary like a smaller article or blog. So, each important section of your research should be written within a subheading. However, this is highly optional to keep things organized.
• As mentioned before, the research summary shouldn’t exceed 300-400 words. But, some research summaries are known to surpass 10000-words. So, try to employ the 10% formula and write one-tenth of the entire length of your research paper.

These four main points allow you to understand how a research summary is different from the research itself. So, it’s like a documentary where research and other key factors are left to the science (research paper), while the narration explains the key points (research summary)

How do you write a Research Summary?

Writing a research summary is a straightforward affair. Yet, it requires some understanding, as it’s not a lengthy process but rather a tricky and technical one. In a research summary, a few boxes must be checked. To help you do just that, here are 6 things you should tend to separately:

A summary’s title can be the same as the title of your primary research. However, putting separate titles in both has a few benefits. Such as:

• A separate title shifts attention towards the conclusion.
• A different title can focus on the main point of your research.
• Using two different titles can provide a better abstract.

Speaking of an abstract, a summary is the abstract of your research. Therefore, a title representing that very thought is going to do a lot of good too. That’s why it’s better if the title of your summary differs from the title of your research paper.

2. Abstract

The abstract is the summarization of scientific or research methods used in your primary paper. This allows the reader to understand the pillars of the study conducted. For instance, there has been an array of astrological research since James Webb Space Telescope started sending images and data.

So, many research papers explain this Telescope’s technological evolution in their abstracts. This allows the reader to differentiate from the astrological research made by previous space crafts, such as Hubble or Chandra .

The point of providing this abstract is to ensure that the reader grasps the standards or boundaries within which the research was held.

3. Introduction

This is the part where you introduce your topic. In your main research, you’d dive right into the technicalities in this part. However, you’ll try to keep things mild in a research summary. Simply because it needs to summarize the key points in your main introduction.

So, a lot of introductions you’ll find as an example will be extensive in length. But, a research summary needs to be as concise as possible. Usually, in this part, a writer includes the basics and standards of investigation.

For instance, if your research is about James Webb’s latest findings , then you’ll identify how the studies conducted by this Telescope’s infrared and other technology made this study possible. That’s when your introduction will hook the reader into the main premise of your research.

4. Methodology / Study

This section needs to describe the methodology used by you in your research. Or the methodology you relied on when conducting this particular research or study. This allows the reader to grasp the fundamentals of your research, and it’s extremely important.

Because if the reader doesn’t understand your methods, then they will have no response to your studies. How should you tend to this? Include things such as:

• The surveys or reviews you used;
• include the samplings and experiment types you researched;
• provide a brief statistical analysis;
• give a primary reason to pick these particular methods.

Once again, leave the scientific intricacies for your primary research. But, describe the key methods that you employed. So, when the reader is perusing your final research, they’ll have your methods and study techniques in mind.

5. Results / Discussion

This section of your research needs to describe the results that you’ve achieved. Granted, some researchers will rely on results achieved by others. So, this part needs to explain how that happened – but not in detail.

The other section in this part will be a discussion. This is your interpretation of the results you’ve found. Thus, in the context of the results’ application, this section needs to dive into the theoretical understanding of your research. What will this section entail exactly? Here’s what:

• Things that you covered, including results;
• inferences you provided, given the context of your research;
• the theory archetype that you’ve tried to explain in the light of the methodology you employed;
• essential points or any limitations of the research.

These factors will help the reader grasp the final idea of your research. But, it’s not full circle yet, as the pulp will still be left for the actual research.

6. Conclusion

The final section of your summary is the conclusion. The key thing about the conclusion in your research summary, compared to your actual research, is that they could be different. For instance, the actual conclusion in your research should bring around the study.

However, the research in this summary should bring your own ideas and affirmations to full circle. Thus, this conclusion could and should be different from the ending of your research.

5 Tips for writing a Research Summary

Writing a research summary is easy once you tend to the technicalities. But, there are some tips and tricks that could make it easier. Remember, a research summary is the sum of your entire research. So, it doesn’t need to be as technical or in-depth as your primary work.

Thus, to make it easier for you, here are four tips you can follow:

1. Read & read again

Reading your own work repeatedly has many benefits. First, it’ll help you understand any mistakes or problems your research might have. After that, you’ll find a few key points that stand out from the others – that’s what you need to use in your summary.

So, the best advice anyone can give you is to read your research again and again. This will etch the idea in your mind and allow you to summarize it better.

2. Focus on key essentials in each section

As we discussed earlier, each section of your research has a key part. To write a thoroughly encapsulating summary, you need to focus on and find each such element in your research.

Doing so will give you enough leverage to write a summary that thoroughly condenses your research idea and gives you enough to write a summary out of it.

3. Write the research using a summarizing tool

The best advice you can get is to write a summary using a tool. Condensing each section might be a troublesome experience for some – as it can be time-consuming.

To avoid all that, you can simply take help from an online summarizer. It gets the lengthy content and creates a precise summary of it by using advanced AI technology.

As you can see, the tool condenses this particular section perfectly while the details are light.

Bringing that down to 10% or 20% will help you write each section accordingly. Thus, saving precious time and effort.

4. Word count limit

As mentioned earlier, word count is something you need to follow thoroughly. So, if your section is around 200-word, then read it again. And describe it to yourself in 20-words or so. Doing this to every section will help you write exactly a 10% summary of your research.

5. Get a second opinion

If you’re unsure about quality or quantity, get a second opinion. At times, ideas are in our minds, but we cannot find words to explain them. In research or any sort of creative process, getting a second opinion can save a lot of trouble.

There’s your guide to writing a research summary, folks. While it’s not different from condensing the entire premise of your research, writing it in simpler words will do wonders. So, try to follow the tips, tools, and ideas provided in this article, and write outstanding summaries for your research.

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• Writing an article REVIEW

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A critique asks you to evaluate an article and the author’s argument. You will need to look critically at what the author is claiming, evaluate the research methods, and look for possible problems with, or applications of, the researcher’s claims.

Introduction

Give an overview of the author’s main points and how the author supports those points. Explain what the author found and describe the process they used to arrive at this conclusion.

Body Paragraphs

Interpret the information from the article:

• Does the author review previous studies? Is current and relevant research used?
• What type of research was used – empirical studies, anecdotal material, or personal observations?
• Was the sample too small to generalize from?
• Was the participant group lacking in diversity (race, gender, age, education, socioeconomic status, etc.)
• For instance, volunteers gathered at a health food store might have different attitudes about nutrition than the population at large.
• How useful does this work seem to you? How does the author suggest the findings could be applied and how do you believe they could be applied?
• How could the study have been improved in your opinion?
• Does the author appear to have any biases (related to gender, race, class, or politics)?
• Is the writing clear and easy to follow? Does the author’s tone add to or detract from the article?
• How useful are the visuals (such as tables, charts, maps, photographs) included, if any? How do they help to illustrate the argument? Are they confusing or hard to read?
• What further research might be conducted on this subject?

Try to synthesize the pieces of your critique to emphasize your own main points about the author’s work, relating the researcher’s work to your own knowledge or to topics being discussed in your course.

From the Center for Academic Excellence (opens in a new window), University of Saint Joseph Connecticut

Additional Resources

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Writing an Article Critique (from The University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center)

How to Critique an Article (from Essaypro.com)

How to Write an Article Critique (from EliteEditing.com.au)

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Research Summary

Ai generator.

A research paper analyzes a perspective or argues a point. It is an expanded essay based on your interpretation, evaluation or argument about a certain topic.

According to Sunny Empire State College , “When you write a research paper you build upon what you know about the subject and make a deliberate attempt to find out what experts know. A research paper involves surveying a field of knowledge in order to find the best possible information in that field.” Whatever type of research paper you choose to write, it should present your own ideas backed with others’ (especially experts on the field) information and data.

Every research paper has a research summary. A research summary is a brief overview of what the whole research is about. It is a professional piece of writing that describes your research to the readers. It concisely yet perfectly captures the essence of the research as a whole. You may also see What Should Be in an Executive Summary of a Report?

Fundamentals of a Research Summary

Having a good template for a research summary is nothing if you don’t know its importance and basic function. Before you start writing your research summary, you should first know its fundamentals on the areas you need to pay attention to such as its content, style and organization.

• The content of your research summary must briefly discuss the techniques and tools used in the research and the importance of the research as a whole. Explain how the research can be of benefit for the people.
• To organize your research summary, each topic must be discussed in separate paragraphs. How you came up with a factual research must be briefly explained in a separate paragraph.
• If you have a lengthy research paper, try not to write not more than 10% of the entire paper. If it’s not as lengthy, you should not write more than 300 words in your summary.

However, rules may vary according to your research professor’s standards. This is just the basic fundamentals on how to write your research summary. Also see  Thesis Outline Examples

How to Write a Research Summary

It is apparent that a research summary is a condensed version of the main idea of your research paper. Because of this, it is advised that the summary of your paper is written after you are done with your entire research. This is to ensure that all the added information in your research can be written in your summary as well and all of those that removed can be edited out. Here are a few steps on how to write a research summary:

Read your paper

It should be a fact you should know beforehand; the importance of reading your entire research paper thoroughly to write an effective research summary. Along the way, take notes of the important details and key findings that you want to highlight in your paper. This will help you organize your summary better. Remember that your research summary is a mini-paper of your study and it should contain the main ideas of your entire research.

Write a draft

For your first draft, focus on the content rather than the length of your summary. Your draft is your first outline on what to include in the final summary. Writing a draft ensures you write a clear, thorough and coherent summary of your research paper. Also see  How to Write a Rough Outline

Identify main points

Within your research paper, you must identify the major points that will encourage prospective readers to go through your research paper. These major points must thoroughly and completely explain what the paper is trying to convey.

Separate sections

Identify the differences of the main section in your paper. Write a few sentences describing the main ideas of each section. In short, you should be able to present and thoroughly describe what each main section is focused on. It should have these basic sections:

• Introduction, brief opening statement
• Purpose of the study
• Data gathering method
• Summary of findings
• Description of recommendations with actual justification.

Combine Information

All the information you have gathered must be then used to make your summary. Remember that your summary is just an overview of your research paper as a whole. It should be not be more than 10% of your whole paper. Also see  5 Summary Writing Examples and Samples

Making The First Draft

After establishing the basic way of writing a research summary, it is a must to write a first draft. It should follow the flow of the original paper. Here’s a few steps on how to make a first draft:

First, state the research question in the introduction of your summary. This holds the ground as to the summary’s direction. Provide an explanation why your research is interesting and how it can help your target recipients.

Second, state the hypothesis you wish to prove. This will help you and your readers stay grounded on the topic at hand.

Third, briefly discuss the methodology used in your research. Discuss and describe the procedure, materials, participants, design, etc. The analysis of your data must also be included. You may also see  How to Write a Successful Thesis Proposal

Fourth, describe the results and significance of your research. And lastly, briefly discuss the key implications of your research. The results and its interpretation should directly coincide with your hypothesis.

Editing your Research Summary

A research paper is a formal piece of writing. Your summary should be tailored to your expected readers. Say for example the prospective readers are your classmates, so the style of your paper should be clearly understood by them.

Eliminate wordiness. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Write in a way it would be easier for your readers to understand. It is common for research papers to establish a word count. Avoid elongating your sentences when it has shorter versions.

Being vague in describing and explaining the points of your paper might lead to confusion in your readers part. Use specific, concrete language when presenting results. Use reliable and specific examples and references as well. You should also use scientifically accurate language to help support your claims. Avoid informal words and adjectives to describe the results of your research.

Paraphrase the information you want to include in your research paper. Direct quoting the information you have read from a different source is not oftenly used in formal writings. To give the exact credit for the information you paraphrased, follow the citation format required by your professor.

Reread your paper and let others read it as well. This way minor errors you were not able to notice can be quickly pointed out and corrected.

Research Summary Writing Tips

Your research summary should not be more than 10 pages long or not more than 10% of your original document. This keeps your research summary concise and compact. It should be short enough for your readers to read through but long enough for you to clearly explain your study.

Copy and paste

Avoid simply copy and pasting different parts of your paper into your summary. You should paraphrase parts that you want to include. As most research advisers read through all of your paper, it can easily be identified if you have copy-pasted parts from your research and might give you a bad grade.

Consider the readers

Although not a requirement from your professor, catering your summary to what the readers need is sometimes required. As some studies are given out to different influential people in the field, writing a summary that caters to the readers’ necessities might be required.

Research Article Summary Template

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Research Writing Summary Tips (continuation)

Clarity and organization.

One of the common mistakes in writing a research is publishing an unclear and unpolished summary. Bear in mind that your readers are likely reading about the topic of your research for the first time, avoid unclear and uncertain explanations and a disorganized summary.

Use strong and positive language

Use precise and strong words to help strengthen the foundation of your summary. Your summary should be able to stand alone despite it being a part of the research paper. Once you have convinced your readers with the recommendations regarding the topic of your paper, the readers should be able to find concrete evidence and explanations within your summary. Avoid pleas and biased statements in your summary, but make sure you are able to relay the sense of urgency for the recommendations you have given.

Divide into parts

To make things easier for you, divide your paper into different sections and headings, much like creating an outline. With this in mind, every point should be explained limited to its essence. In this way, you avoid writing too much information about your paper in your summary.

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Peer Reviewed and Scholarly Articles

What are they? Peer-reviewed articles, also known as scholarly or refereed articles are papers that describe a research study. 

Why are peer-reviewed articles useful? They report on original research that have been reviewed by other experts before they are accepted for publication, so you can reasonably be assured that they contain valid information. 

How do you find them?  Many of the library's databases contain scholarly articles! You'll find more about searching databases below.

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We are often told that scholarly and peer-reviewed sources are the most credible, but, it's sometimes hard to understand why they are credible and why we should trust these sources more than others. This video takes an in depth approach at explaining the peer review process. 

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What Are Library Databases? 

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Many students use ProQuest , JSTOR , and Google Scholar for their initial search needs. These are multi-disciplinary and not subject-specific, and they can supply a very large number of  search results.

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Why Should You Use Library Databases?

Unlike a Google search, the Library Databases will grant you access to high quality credible sources. 

The sources you'll find in library databases include:

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Database Filters & Limits Most databases have Filters/Limits. You can use these to narrow down your search to the specific dates, article type, or population that you are researching.

Here is an example of limits in a database, all databases look slightly different but most have these options:

Keywords and Starting a Search

What are Keywords?

• Natural language words that describe your topic 
• Allows for a more flexible search - looks for anywhere the words appear in the record
• Can lead to a broader search, but may yield irrelevant results

Keyword searching  is how we normally start a search. Pull out important words or phrases from your topic to find your keywords.

Tips for Searching with Keywords:

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• Example:  "climate change" AND policy
• Example: comput* will return all words starting with four letters; computing, computer, compute, etc.  
• Example: wom?n will find both woman and women.

What are Subject Headings?

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• Makes for a less flexible search - only the subject fields will be searched
• Targeted search; results are usually more relevant to the topic, but may miss some variations

Subject Terms and/or Headings are pre-defined terms that are used to describe the content of an item. These terms are a controlled vocabulary and function similarly to hashtags on social media. Look carefully at the results from your search. If you find an article that is relevant to the topic you want to write about, take a look at the subject headings. 

Hot Tip: Make a copy of this Google Doc to help you find and develop your topic's keywords.

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A narrative review: research progress of adjuvant intensive endocrine therapy for early breast cancer

1 The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China;

2 Postgraduate Training Base Alliance of Wenzhou Medical University (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou, China;

Xiaojia Wang

3 Department of Breast Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China

Associated Data

The article’s supplementary files as

Background and Objective

Hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR + /HER2 − ) breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent subtype of all BCs. The primary treatment modality is endocrine therapy (ET). Traditional adjuvant ET for early-stage breast cancer (EBC) has undergone extensive exploration and is relatively well-established. However, patients at high risk of recurrence may still experience early relapse, necessitating consideration of intensified adjuvant ET to reduce recurrence risk. The objective of this narrative review is to examine various strategies for intensifying adjuvant ET in EBC, thoroughly analyze key clinical studies, and summarize the most effective treatment approaches supported by current evidence-based medicine. Furthermore, it addresses unresolved challenges that necessitate further refinement and investigation.

As of March 2024, a comprehensive literature search, compilation, and analysis were conducted across PubMed, Baidu Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, and relevant academic conferences.

Key Content and Findings

There are numerous methods to intensify adjuvant ET: (I) combining ovarian function suppression (OFS) to reduce estrogen levels in the body and induce a state of artificial menopause to enhance the efficacy of ET; (II) individual extension of the duration of ET based on patients’ varying risks of recurrence, with high-risk patients covering two peak recurrence periods; (III) the addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) can significantly extend invasive disease-free survival and reduce the risk of recurrence, serving as the main intensive treatment for high-risk patients; (IV) combination with bone-modifying drugs (BMD) can significantly reduce rates of bone metastasis and slightly enhance prognosis but is not commonly used in adjuvant settings; (V) combined with poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, current studies only show a trend towards benefit in HR + patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations; more data are still needed to support its clinical benefit. This narrative review examines various strategies for intensifying adjuvant ET in EBC, critically evaluates key clinical studies, and summarizes the most effective treatment approaches supported by current evidence-based medicine. Furthermore, it addresses unresolved challenges that necessitate further refinement and investigation.

Conclusions

In the context where traditional adjuvant ET is relatively well-established, the emergence of novel ET has notably addressed issues of endocrine resistance more effectively. Various intensified adjuvant ET has shown potential in further reducing recurrence risk among high-risk patients. However, additional research and time are essential to determine the optimal approaches for intensified adjuvant ET.

Introduction

According to the 2020 Global Cancer Statistics report, breast cancer (BC) has surpassed lung cancer to become the most prevalent cancer worldwide ( 1 ). The treatment of BC is based on molecular subtypes, including hormone receptor-positive (HR + ) (luminal type), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2 + type), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Over 90% of patients are diagnosed with early-stage BC (EBC) at the time of initial diagnosis, with approximately 70% classified as HR + /HER2 − . While HR + EBC is not as poor in prognosis compared to other subtypes, but it is also prevalent, with a persistent risk of recurrence over the long term. Approximately half of patients experience recurrence after 5 years post-surgery, although adjuvant ET effectively delays this. However, due to significant variability in baseline clinical characteristics among these patients, standard ET may not suffice for those at high risk of recurrence, who often experience poorer outcomes. To further extend disease-free survival (DFS)/invasive DFS (iDFS), and reduce the risk of recurrence, intensified adjuvant ET has been introduced. In recent years, a myriad of strategies for intensified adjuvant ET has emerged, including extending the duration of adjuvant ET, combining it with ovarian function suppression (OFS), and incorporating CDK4/6 inhibitors. This review primarily explores the present situation and recent advancements in various intensified adjuvant ET strategies for EBC treatment. It assesses the optimal benefits of each strategy and identifies patient populations likely to derive the greatest benefit. Figure 1 delineates a general adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) approach for HR + /HER2 − EBC based on current available data. We present this article in accordance with the Narrative Review reporting checklist (available at https://tbcr.amegroups.org/article/view/10.21037/tbcr-24-16/rc ).

This figure delineates the recommended approach for adjuvant endocrine therapy in hormone receptor-positive, HER2 − early-stage breast cancer, drawing upon evidence from evidence-based medicine and pertinent clinical studies. The principal determinants influencing recurrence risk predominantly encompass lymph node involvement, in conjunction with histological grade, tumor size, Ki-67 expression, genetic testing results, and the consideration of adjuvant (neo)chemotherapy. The BCI genetic test can assess the need for extending adjuvant endocrine therapy. (I) If accompanied by BRCA1/2 mutation, consideration may be given to administering olaparib for 1 year. (II) For N0 patients considering ribociclib in combination therapy, the following criteria should be met: (i) grade 2, with Ki-67 ≥20% or genetic testing showing high risk or other high-risk factors; (ii) grade 3. (III) Ribociclib has not been approved by the FDA for use in EBC, based solely on the currently available data. HR + , hormone receptor-positive; HER2 − , human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative; EBC, early-stage breast cancer; y, year; TAM, tamoxifen; AI, aromatase inhibitor; OFS, ovarian function suppression; T, tumor; G, grade; BCI, Breast Cancer Index; FDA, Food and Drug Administration.

This narrative review delineates the evolution of adjuvant intensified ET for EBC, gathering significant articles from different countries, and encompassing clinical studies and meta-analyses. Literature sources included PubMed, Baidu Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, and relevant academic conferences ( Table 1 ). These articles were synthesized and analyzed, incorporating the authors’ individual perspectives and insights. Table 2 presents the search strategy. All figures and tables in this study are original and created by the authors unless otherwise stated.

This table presents the latest follow-up results from recent clinical studies regarding adjuvant endocrine therapy in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer. HR + , hormone receptor-positive; EBC, early-stage breast cancer; CDK4/6, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6; ER + , estrogen receptor-positive; TAM, tamoxifen; ET, endocrine therapy; LN+, lymph node-positive; CPS + EG, clinical pathological stage plus ER and grade; ANA, anastrozole; LET, letrozole; OFS, ovarian function suppression; EXE, exemestane; AI, aromatase inhibitor; NSAI, nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor; DFS, disease-free survival; HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; RR, relative risk; iDFS, invasive DFS; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

CDK4/6, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6; OFS, ovarian function suppression; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

Traditional adjuvant ET

Numerous studies have linked estrogen to an increased risk of BC ( 2 , 3 ). The precise mechanism remains unclear, but the prevailing theory suggests that estradiol stimulates cell proliferation via estrogen receptor α (ERα), initiating misreplication prior to mitosis and leads to mutation occurrence. Cumulative mutations over time culminate in neoplastic transformation. ET aims to reduce circulating estrogen levels or block its signaling pathways through various mechanisms, the brief mechanisms of several common methods to lower estrogen levels can be seen in Figure 2 . Conventional therapeutic drugs primarily include selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM) such as tamoxifen (TAM) and toremifene, mainly utilized in premenopausal patients. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs)—steroidal exemestane, and nonsteroidal letrozole and anastrozole (NSAI)—are indicated for postmenopausal patients or in combination with OFS in premenopausal patients.

The figure above outlines several pivotal adjuvant endocrine therapy options and their concise mechanisms for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer. This includes the modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to achieve partial estrogen suppression. Figure created with BioRender.com. HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; LH, luteinizing hormone; CDK4/6, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6.

The Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) conducted a meta-analysis involving 21,457 patients across 20 studies ( 4 ), revealing that in ER + patients, 5 years of TAM significantly reduced recurrence rates, with a maximum absolute benefit of 14.2% at 10 years, sustained thereafter. TAM also reduced 15-year mortality by about one-third. No additional benefit of TAM was observed in patients with low expression of ER (1–9%). Higher expression of ER appears to be associated with a better prognosis. Toremifene is structurally and mechanistically similar to TAM. To evaluate the efficacy differences and adverse reactions between TAM and toremifene, a meta-analysis was conducted that included four randomized controlled trials. These trials predominantly involved postmenopausal patients, with some peri-menopausal individuals included. The findings revealed no significant disparities in overall survival (OS) or DFS between TAM and toremifene. Similarly, there were no significant differences observed in adverse reactions between the two treatments ( 5 ). Another study compared the efficacy of TAM and toremifene specifically in premenopausal patients. Data with a median follow-up of 50.8 months suggested comparable OS rates between the two groups. However, toremifene demonstrated a significant advantage in recurrence-free survival. Adverse reactions were generally similar between the groups, although toremifene showed a marginally higher incidence of hot flashes, which reached statistical significance (P<0.001) ( 6 , 7 ). Patients with CYP2D6 enzyme mutations experienced a significant 23% increase in DFS after 5 years of toremifene treatment, primarily due to drug metabolism enzyme involvement, particularly prevalent in Chinese patients. However, there is currently limited clinical data available for toremifene in research studies. Therefore, if patients cannot tolerate TAM, have contraindications, or have mutations in the CYP2D6 enzyme, toremifene can be used as a substitute for TAM ( 8 ).

BIG1-98 is a randomized, phase III clinical trial that includes two- and four-arm experimental groups. In the two-arm comparison, the efficacy of 5 years of TAM vs. 5 years of letrozole is evaluated. The four-arm comparison examines the efficacy of 5 years of monotherapy with letrozole, 5 years of monotherapy with TAM, 2 years of TAM followed by 3 years of letrozole, and 2 years of letrozole followed by 3 years of TAM. The initial analysis in 2005, with a median follow-up of 25.8 years, did not involve crossover therapy. Data from the two monotherapy groups showed DFS rates of 84% for letrozole and 81.4% for TAM (P=0.003) ( 9 ). At a median follow-up of 71 months, the first analysis after completing crossover therapy confirmed significant benefits of letrozole over TAM in DFS and OS. However, there were no significant differences observed between the sequential therapy group and the letrozole monotherapy group ( 10 ). In the latest report at a median follow-up of 12.6 years, the letrozole monotherapy group continued to demonstrate relative DFS benefits over the TAM monotherapy group beyond the initial 10 years, although the magnitude of benefit decreased, particularly within the first 5 years of treatment. Conversely, the sequential therapy group did not show significant differences in DFS compared to the TAM monotherapy group after the initial 10 years. OS did not differ significantly across all four groups. Interestingly, AIs significantly reduced contralateral BC recurrence rates compared to TAM within the first 10 years. However, after 10 years, TAM exhibited a reversal effect. These changing trends observed after 10 years may be attributed to TAM’s carry-over effect ( 11 ). In 2015, EBCTCG conducted a meta-analysis involving 31,920 postmenopausal patients, revealing significantly lower recurrence rates with AIs compared to TAM (P<0.00001) over a 10-year period. Sequential therapy did not provide significant additional benefit compared to AIs monotherapy, suggesting the need for individualized medication adjustments based on contraindications or intolerance. These findings align with those of the BIG1-98 and ATAC trials ( 12 ). Presently, in clinical practice for postmenopausal patients, AI-oriented extension programs are predominant, reflecting the established evidence from these studies. The specific detailed studies can be found in Table 1 .

Novel endocrine therapies

Traditional ET remains the cornerstone for treating HR + EBC; however, an increasing number of patients encounter resistance, primarily due to ESR1 gene mutations ( 13 ). Selective estrogen receptor downregulators (SERDs) like fulvestrant, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for advanced breast cancer (ABC), have reshaped treatment paradigms by effectively degrading ER. Compared to SERMs, SERDs offer enhanced efficacy of ET in patients with ESR1 mutations, thereby addressing endocrine resistance more comprehensively. Challenges such as intramuscular administration, low bioavailability, and poor blood-brain barrier permeability have prompted the development of next-generation SERDs. Elacestrant represents a promising SERD currently under investigation and is the sole FDA-approved oral treatment for ER + /HER2 − metastatic BC with ESR1 mutations. Significant therapeutic benefits have been demonstrated in ABC, as evidenced by the EMERALD trial—a randomized, open-label phase III study. In this trial involving HR + ABC patients previously treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors, where 47.8% harbored ESR1 mutations, elacestrant exhibited a median progression-free survival (PFS) benefit with an hazard ratio of 0.70 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.55–0.88, P=0.002] over a median follow-up of 15.1 months. Although adverse reactions were more pronounced, they remained manageable within clinical thresholds ( 14 ). Numerous phase III trials are currently investigating the efficacy of SERDs in EBC, including Amcenestrant’s AMEERA-6 (NCT05128773), Imlunestrant’s EMBER-4 (NCT04647487), Giredestrant’s lidERA (NCT04961996), Camizestrant’s CAMBRIA-1 (NCT05774951), and CAMBRIA-2 (NCT05952557). SERM/SERD hybrids exert dual effects by antagonizing and degrading ERα. Lasofoxifene has demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity compared to fulvestrant in mouse models of endocrine-resistant BC, particularly when combined with palbociclib, leading to a significant reduction in distant metastasis. However, its clinical benefit in humans remains unverified by phase III trials ( 15 ). Another SERM/SERD hybrid, bazedoxifene, not only antagonizes ER in mammary tissue but also exhibits osteogenic properties, effectively preventing osteoporosis ( 16 ). Innovative approaches like Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are also being explored, it can reduce estrogen levels by degrading the ER. Even in patients with ESR1 mutations and consequent endocrine resistance, PROTAC therapies—either as monotherapy or in combination with other targeted agents—have demonstrated robust anti-tumor effects in ABC settings ( 17 ). Selective estrogen receptor covalent antagonists (SERCAs), exemplified by compounds like 29c, represent a novel class of drugs designed to covalently bind and degrade ER, thereby disrupting ERα protein dynamics and function. These developments hold promise, albeit in early clinical stages, offering potential advancements beyond traditional SERMs like TAM ( 18 ). Complete ER antagonists (CERANs) such as OP1250 are also undergoing clinical trials, targeting the ligand-binding pocket to achieve complete antagonism of ER transcriptional processes mediated by AF1 and AF2 ( 19 ). Numerous new types of ET have emerged, but most remain in the clinical research phase. Trials focusing on EBC are notably scarce; however, their demonstrated efficacy and potential to overcome endocrine resistance are highly anticipated ( 20 , 21 ).

Adjuvant intensive ET

Combined ofs.

Tumors in younger BC patients often display a more aggressive nature, with age serving as an independent factor influencing the heightened risk of recurrence and mortality ( 22 ). In recent years, OFS has emerged as a useful approach to mitigating the risk of recurrence in premenopausal BC patients. Achieving postmenopausal status typically involves surgical ablation or pharmacological intervention in premenopausal women. Surgical ablation represents a permanent solution that achieves menopausal status swiftly. However, it is irreversible and carries potential long-term adverse effects due to extended estrogen deprivation. Medicine suppression primarily utilizes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues that competitively bind to GnRH receptors, thereby antagonizing normal GnRH activity and reducing estrogen secretion. A 2020 evaluation assessing OFS in premenopausal women with HR + EBC encompassed 15 studies involving 11,538 patients. The findings suggest that using medication for OFS significantly improves DFS and OS compared to not using OFS. Conversely, surgical ablation did not demonstrate significant differences in DFS and OS when compared to not using OFS ( 23 ). Hence, medication-based OFS may offer a more practical and effective approach.

The initial analysis of the SOFT study showed that the combination of OFS with TAM provided only a relative benefit compared to TAM alone, with higher-risk patients benefiting more noticeably (such as those who had previously received chemotherapy) ( 24 ). With a median follow-up of 12 years, recent data revealed a significant DFS benefit in the OFS group compared to TAM monotherapy across the overall population, the maximum absolute benefit reached 7.1%. The exemestane combination group reduced the risk of BC recurrence by approximately one-third at the 12-year mark. Significant DFS benefits were consistently observed for the exemestane combination group at all assessed time points. Overall, the exemestane combination group demonstrated the most favorable efficacy. However, at the 12-year OS endpoint, there was no significant difference observed between the OFS group and TAM monotherapy group. It is noteworthy that the exemestane combination group showed an OS benefit in follow-up beyond 5 years. It is intriguing that treatment effects display ongoing heterogeneity in subgroup analyses based on HER2 status ( 25 ).

The TEXT data, with a median follow-up of 13 years, shows that the exemestane group exhibited sustained DFS benefit compared to the TAM group. The absolute improvement in 12-year DFS was 4.6%, with DFS rates of 80.5% and 75.9%, respectively (P<0.001) ( 26 ). Both the TEXT and SOFT trials showcase the favorable efficacy of OFS, particularly accentuated in the AI combined with OFS group or in high-risk recurrent patients. Despite these promising results, there appears to be no significant difference in OS following 12 years of follow-up.

The use of OFS in the two seminal studies mentioned involved monthly injections over a period of 5 years. However, a study conducted a decade ago focused on premenopausal EBC patients with ER + tumors compared the efficacy of goserelin injections combined with TAM, administered either monthly (3.6 mg) or every 3 months (10.8 mg). The findings indicated that all patients achieved menopausal status within 24 weeks, with no significant differences observed in DFS or safety between the two dosing schedules. This suggests that both monthly and every 3 months regimens of OFS yield comparable clinical outcomes ( 27 ). Recently, a retrospective study published by American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) analyzed the effectiveness of goserelin combined with AI, comparing monthly vs. every 3 months administration. This study, which included a substantial proportion of HER2 − EBC patients, indirectly assessed estrogen levels over varying time intervals. Results showed that a greater proportion of patients receiving goserelin every 3 months maintained consistently lower estrogen levels (below 2.72 pg/mL) throughout the treatment period. This implies that the every 3 months schedule of OFS may more effectively suppress estrogen and sustain menopausal levels. Despite differences in baseline patient characteristics between these studies, the evidence suggests that the every 3 months strategy for OFS is equally, if not more, effective compared to the monthly approach. The optimal duration of OFS use remains unclear, as previous clinical investigations examining OFS durations of 2, 3, and 5 years have reported varying degrees of benefit ( 25 , 26 , 28 , 29 ). In the latest National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, it is recommended for premenopausal BC patients at high risk of recurrence to use standard ET combined with 5 years of OFS, or undergo surgical ablation, with consideration of adding CDK4/6 inhibitors to the ET ( 30 ).

Certainly, alongside OFS, prolonged estrogen deprivation leads to various adverse effects across several domains. The primary concerns include vascular constriction, gynecological and sexual dysfunction, musculoskeletal issues, and gastrointestinal disturbances ( 31 ). In the 2015 combined analysis of SOFT and TEXT trials, the impact on quality of life in OFS-treated groups was assessed. Hot flashes emerged as the most prevalent adverse effect, notably peaking at 6 months post-baseline, with significantly higher incidence in the TAM plus OFS group compared to AI plus OFS (P<0.0001). Moreover, significant changes were observed over the 5-year treatment period in gynecological and sexual symptoms, including vaginal dryness and impaired sexual arousal relative to baseline. While some symptoms showed improvement over time compared to the 6-month assessment, certain adverse effects failed to return to baseline levels. Overall, 14% of patients discontinued treatment due to adverse reactions ( 32 ). In previous investigation, we noted that premenopausal patients face the risk of ovarian insufficiency and even amenorrhea following adjuvant chemotherapy ( 33 ). Multiple clinical studies and meta-analyses have shown that chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea significantly benefits DFS and OS in BC, particularly in ER + BC patients. However, the specific mechanisms through which it affects BC prognosis remain unclear, partly due to the reduction in endogenous estrogen levels caused by amenorrhea, thereby decreasing stimulation of BC cells. In other words, while chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea is a side effect of chemotherapy, it is advantageous for the prognosis of BC patients ( 34 , 35 ). A randomized clinical trial examining the impact of OFS on long-term ovarian function and pregnancy outcomes during BC chemotherapy, with a median follow-up of 7.3 years, demonstrated the efficacy of OFS in enhancing the long-term recovery of ovarian function among BC patients. However, no significant difference in DFS was observed ( 36 ). The latest study from China included 330 premenopausal BC patients, who were randomized 1:1 to receive chemotherapy with or without OFS. One year after completing chemotherapy, the probability of experiencing ovarian insufficiency was 10.3% in the OFS group compared to 44.5% in the non-OFS group (P<0.001) ( 37 ). Currently, OFS is widely used in patients at high risk of recurrence, and most experts and guidelines recommend early administration of OFS during or after adjuvant chemotherapy to preserve ovarian function.

Extended adjuvant ET

Despite the coverage of the peak recurrence period of 2 to 3 years by the standard 5-year ET regimen, recurrence in HR + BC remains indefinite, with most recurrences occurring late. In conjunction with the findings from the EBCTCG study on the long-term recurrence risk of BC after 5 years of ET, meta-analysis has revealed that the long-term recurrence rate of BC is associated with various baseline characteristics. Among these, tumor size and lymph node status emerge as the two most closely correlated factors, with the correlation of the 20-year cumulative distant recurrence rate approximating an additive relationship, patients with T2N4-9 tumors have a high distant recurrence rate of up to 41% over 20 years ( 38 ). In 2022, experts utilized the RAND consensus method to initially screen 21 characteristics associated with high-risk features in HR + /HER2 − EBC. Following two rounds of expert selection, 12 features were identified as relevant high-risk factors for recurrence. Each high-risk feature underwent comprehensive literature review to assist clinical practitioners in optimizing personalized ET decisions for EBC patients ( 39 ). Prolonging adjuvant ET emerges as a critical strategy to mitigate recurrence and improve prognosis, particularly among patients with identified high-risk characteristics.

The ATLAS and aTTOM trials aimed to assess the efficacy of 5 vs. 10 years of TAM therapy in patients with EBC ( 40 , 41 ). The findings revealed that extending TAM treatment to 10 years could further reduce both recurrence and mortality rates in patients. ATLAS results indicated that while there was no significant difference in recurrence rates during the initial 5 years of continued treatment. However, significant disparities were observed during subsequent follow-up periods, with the curves gradually diverging from this time point onwards. Notably, at 15 years of follow-up from diagnosis, the cumulative incidence of recurrence was 25.1% in the extended-therapy group compared to 21.4% in the discontinuation-therapy group, yielding an absolute benefit increase of 3.7% (P=0.002). Similarly, a survival benefit was observed, with roughly a 20% reduction in mortality at the 15-year mark. The most recent aTTOM report supported the ATLAS findings; however, the mortality benefit did not achieve statistical significance (21% vs. 24%). This discrepancy may be attributed to the presence of ER-negative patients within the study population. Both major TAM extension studies have thus far only reported 10-year follow-up data, necessitating further investigation to determine the optimal duration of therapy. The majority of extended therapy regimens discussed above are predominantly employed in premenopausal patients. Subsequent studies have indicated that extended AI therapy may confer greater benefits than TAM in postmenopausal patients.

The NSABP B-33 trial investigated the efficacy of continuing letrozole for 5 years in postmenopausal, HR + patients who had previously received 5 years of TAM therapy. Despite premature unblinding influenced by findings from the MA.17 study, which led to 44% of the placebo group crossing over to letrozole, data at a median follow-up of 30 months still indicated no significant benefits (P=0.07) for the initially sequenced treatment group. Significant DFS benefits were particularly pronounced in subgroups with positive lymph nodes, those who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, and tumors larger than 2 cm. This to some extent suggests that extending treatment in postmenopausal HR + high-risk patients may be beneficial, a notion further supported by subsequent studies conducted by the research team. The B-42 trial investigated the extension of letrozole for 5 years following 5 years of ET. With a median follow-up of 10.3 years, the extended letrozole group demonstrated a 3.3% absolute benefit, with certain subgroups, such as those with node-positive disease, previous TAM use, bone mineral density ≤−2.0, and mastectomy, exhibiting an absolute benefit of 5 percentage points or more. Notably, in contrast to a median follow-up of 6.3 years, significant new differences in bone mineral density emerged in this multivariate analysis. Specifically, in patients with bone mineral density ≤−2.0, the extended-therapy arm appeared to confer a superior DFS benefit. This observation may be attributed to some patients with low bone mineral density already receiving bisphosphonates at enrollment. This may lead to imbalance between groups, thereby reducing the significance of DFS benefit in this subgroup ( 42 ). In the MA17R study, the duration of AI treatment was prolonged to 10 years. Following a median follow-up of 6.3 years, DFS was 95% in the letrozole group compared to 91% in the placebo group (P=0.01). Simultaneously, the letrozole group demonstrated significant advantages over the placebo group in reducing the incidence of contralateral BC. Additionally, in the analysis of recurrence events, it was observed that the rate of local recurrence and bone metastasis was reduced to a greater extent in the extended treatment group ( 43 ).

Therefore, we think that extending ET to 10 years rather than 5 years may confer benefits to certain high-risk patients. To gain a better understanding of the optimal duration of treatment, extensive clinical studies and literature reviews have explored and summarized this topic ( Table 1 ) ( 44 , 45 ).

The IDEAL trial compared the extension of letrozole therapy for 2.5 vs. 5 years following 5 years of initial ET. With a median follow-up of 6.6 years, no significant benefit was observed in the extended 5-year group. This suggests that the benefits of 10 years of ET may be realized earlier, with 7.5 years or less of ET providing comparable advantages ( 46 ). The ABCSG-16 trial, similar to the IDEAL study, compared the extension of anastrozole therapy for 2 vs. 5 years. Although the results aligned with those of IDEAL, showing no additional advantage with 5 years of anastrozole, a comparison of the extension durations (7.5 vs. 10 years in IDEAL vs. 7 vs. 10 years in ABCSG-16) suggests that the benefits of extended therapy may be more pronounced within the initial 2 years. Perhaps, considering the low recurrence risk profile of most enrolled patients, a 2-year extension may already be sufficient ( 47 ). The DATA study randomized patients who had previously received 2–3 years of TAM therapy in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 3 or 6 years of extended anastrozole treatment. The latest follow-up data are consistent with previous analyses, with 10-year adapted DFS rates of 69.2% and 66% respectively (hazard ratio =0.86, 95% CI: 0.72–1.01; P=0.07). There was a trend towards benefit, with the upper limit of the CI consistently hovering around the critical value of 1. Subgroup analysis indicated that patients at higher risk of recurrence derived greater benefit from the 6-year treatment regimen ( 48 ). The GIM4 study investigated the comparative efficacy between 2–3 years of TAM followed by either 2–3 years of letrozole or 5 years of letrozole. Following a median follow-up period of 11.7 years, the group receiving a 5-year extension (with a total treatment duration of 7–8 years) demonstrated a significant improvement in both DFS and OS compared to the group receiving a 2–3-year extension (with a total treatment duration of 5 years). This study stands out as one of the few where extended therapy contributed to improved OS outcomes ( 49 ). Both the DATA and GIM4 studies investigated the sequential use of AI following 2–3 years of adjuvant TAM, with differing durations of AI treatment. Interestingly, despite similar total treatment durations (DATA: 5–6 vs. 8–9 years; GIM4: 5 vs. 7-8 years), the outcomes differed between the two studies. This variation could be attributed to differences in the primary endpoints (DATA: adapted DFS; GIM4: DFS) or the type of AI used in the extended treatment. Although the FATA-GIM3 study indicated no significant difference in efficacy among different AIs ( 50 ), the ALIQUOT study demonstrated that letrozole significantly reduced plasma hormone levels compared to anastrozole ( 51 ). Therefore, the reasons for these differences are not yet clear. Currently, the most recommended genetic testing method to predict whether BC patients can benefit from extended ET alone is the Breast Cancer Index (BCI). The efficacy of BCI has been validated in populations included in the aTTOM trial and IDEAL study ( 52 , 53 ).

Combined with CDK4/6 inhibitor targeted therapy

CDK4/6 inhibitors are cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors that block the phosphorylation of Rb protein, thereby inhibiting the transition of cells from G1 phase to S phase, achieving the goal of suppressing tumor cell proliferation ( 54 ). In both first-line treatment and treatment after progression of ABC, CDK4/6 inhibitors have shown significant benefits. In several phase III clinical studies of ABC, the hazard ratio was mostly around 0.55, with PFS improving by approximately one year ( 55 - 59 ). However, in EBC, different CDK4/6 inhibitors have markedly different effects ( Table 1 ). In the PENELOPE-B trial, which included high-risk patients with CPS + EG (clinical pathological stage plus ER and grade) ≥3 or CPS + EG =2 and positive lymph nodes who had received adjuvant chemotherapy. CPS + EG is a BC staging system integrating clinical cancer stage, final pathological stage, ER status, and nuclear grade. Its utility in neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been validated in prior studies. A higher score generally reflects heightened clinical and pathological risk factors, correlating with a poorer prognosis ( 60 ). Results from a median follow-up of 49 months indicate that the palbociclib treatment group did not show any benefit in iDFS compared to the placebo group. However, on the Kaplan-Meier curve for iDFS during palbociclib treatment, there was a brief separation between the two treatment groups, but after discontinuation of treatment, they quickly converged or even crossed over again ( 61 ). Based on an exploratory analysis combining previous findings, longer duration and intensity of palbociclib treatment were associated with improvements in iDFS ( 62 ). And palbociclib primarily exerts its effects through anti-proliferative mechanisms, suggesting potential benefits in subgroups with high Ki-67 levels. However, the PENELOPE-B trial did not include high Ki-67 as an inclusion criterion; in the baseline analysis of the entire patient cohort, only 14% of patients had Ki-67 >25%. Unlike the high-risk inclusion criteria in the PENELOPE-B trial, PALLAS did not screen for high-risk patients at enrollment. Data from a median follow-up of 31 months still showed no significant improvement in iDFS with 2 years of palbociclib treatment. Approximately 42.2% of patients discontinued palbociclib prematurely, with most stopping due to adverse events, primarily neutropenia. Early discontinuation may impact drug levels and consequently treatment efficacy ( 62 , 63 ). The negative results from both trials suggest that palbociclib may not yet be suitable for EBC, although the specific reasons for these failures remain unclear and require further clinical investigation.

The first CDK4/6 inhibitor shown to significantly benefit EBC is abemaciclib, and the MonarchE trial overcome the limitation that CDK4/6 inhibitors only benefit patients with ABC. The trial included two cohorts: one based on clinical pathological characteristics and the other based on Ki-67, with the latter having a smaller sample size ( 64 ). In the latest median follow-up data of 54 months, the 5-year iDFS for the abemaciclib plus ET group vs. the ET alone group were 83.6% and 76%, respectively (hazard ratio =0.68, 95% CI: 0.599–0.772, P<0.001). There were similar significant benefits in most subgroups, with consistent benefits in cohort one and the intention-to-treat population (ITT). The benefit of abemaciclib has persisted since the end of the 2-year abemaciclib treatment, as evidenced by the continuous separation of the Kaplan-Meier curves for the two treatment groups, showing an increasing trend. This indicates that the carry-over effect of abemaciclib continues. Although the data for cohort two are still immature, we found that in the Ki-67 subgroups of cohort one, regardless of the Ki-67 value, we observed benefits in the abemaciclib combination treatment group ( 65 ). However, on the other hand, although the OS values in both treatment groups are still immature, there is still a trend of OS benefit in the ITT, and significant OS benefit is even observed in the high Ki-67 subgroup of cohort one. This may indicate that Ki-67 may be an independent factor in predicting patient prognosis. In previous studies, Ki-67 has been shown to affect prognosis and is a predictive factor for observing treatment response ( 66 ).

At the latest San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), final iDFS data from NATALEE ( 67 ) were presented. At a median follow-up of 33.3 months, which increased by 5.6 months from the second interim analysis, approximately 42.8% of patients completed 3 years of ribociclib in combination with NSAI therapy. The ribociclib combination therapy group demonstrated a 3-year iDFS of 90.7% compared to 87.6% in the NSAI group, showing an absolute benefit of 3.1% (P=0.001). Additionally, the ribociclib combination group reduced the risk of recurrence by 25.1% compared to the NSAI group. Subgroup analyses showed significant iDFS benefits with ribociclib combination therapy in stage II, III, and lymph node-positive patients. However, in lymph node-negative patients, there was only a trend towards benefit in the final analysis, with a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.723 (0.412–1.268). Regarding OS, there were 84 events (3.3%) in the ribociclib combination group and 3.4 events (3.4%) in the NSAI group, with an hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.892 (0.661–1.203). OS data remains immature, because the proportion of events occurring in both treatment groups is less than 4%. The ribociclib dose in NATALEE was 400 mg, consistent with two-thirds of the dose used in ABC, suggesting improved tolerance and compliance. Compared to the second interim analysis, the additional 5.6 months of follow-up did not reveal new safety signals. Discontinuation due to adverse events increased to 19.5%, slightly higher than the increase observed in the previous interim analysis (<1%). Neutropenia was the most common adverse event leading to discontinuation.

Comparing the MonarchE and NATALEE studies, the baseline characteristics of the enrolled patients are significantly different. NATALEE included a broader population, notably incorporating N0 patients. However, data regarding iDFS benefits in this subgroup are still preliminary, and recent findings at the 2024 ASCO conference indicated no significant iDFS difference between the ribociclib combination and NSAI groups in the N0 subset. Additionally, both trials have data that are still maturing; MonarchE’s Cohort 2 and ITT for OS, as well as overall data from NATALEE, require longer trial completion and follow-up to ensure more robust conclusions. Furthermore, the control groups differed between the studies. MonarchE utilized standard ET, whereas NATALEE used NSAI. Historically, transitioning from TAM to AI therapies has demonstrated superior efficacy in ET, potentially contributing to the observed higher iDFS in the MonarchE study. In summary, both abemaciclib and ribociclib are oral CDK4/6 inhibitors with established safety profiles in ABC research. However, from the current evidence and data maturity perspective, abemaciclib benefits from 5 years of clinical use data, demonstrating more established efficacy and safety compared to ribociclib. Moreover, abemaciclib is currently the sole FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitor for high-risk EBC and is covered by insurance. Therefore, currently, when patients meet enrollment criteria for both MonarchE Cohort 1 and the NATALEE study, abemaciclib appears to be the preferred choice.

Other intensive adjuvant therapy

In adjuvant ET for EBC, bone loss to varying degrees is inevitable. Previous investigations have also explored whether addressing bone loss could impact overall patient prognosis. In a meta-analysis involving 18,766 patients treated with bisphosphonates, adjuvant therapy for 2 to 5 years demonstrated significant improvements in overall recurrence rates, distant recurrence rates, and BC mortality. These benefits were particularly pronounced in postmenopausal patients, notably in reducing the incidence of bone metastases with a relative risk (RR) of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73–0.94, P=0.004), translating to a 1.1% absolute benefit over 10 years. This underscores why bisphosphonate therapy is more effective at reducing distant recurrence risks compared to other forms of recurrence. Conversely, no significant impact of bisphosphonates on outcomes was observed in premenopausal women. Given the strong association between age and menopausal status, current data do not specify the correlation between these factors and the observed benefits. Moreover, the meta-analysis found no notable differences in efficacy between different types of bisphosphonates ( 68 ). Further detailed investigations into bisphosphonate drugs are warranted. The SWOG S0307 trial compared the efficacy of different bisphosphonate drugs and found no significant differences in primary endpoints between them, both overall and in subgroup analyses ( 69 ). As for the optimal duration of adjuvant bisphosphonate therapy, it remains unclear. The SUCCESS trial compared the efficacy of adjuvant zoledronic acid therapy for 2 vs. 5 years in EBC patients following chemotherapy. Approximately 80% of the patients opted for combined ET with zoledronic acid following chemotherapy. The results showed no significant differences DFS and OS between the 5-year and 2-year treatment groups, irrespective of menopausal status. Conversely, the 5-year treatment group reported higher incidences of adverse events such as bone pain and joint pain ( 70 ). Therefore, the latest NCCN guidelines tentatively recommend a duration of 2 to 3 years. The ZO-FAST trial investigated patients receiving adjuvant AI therapy in the HR + EBC, randomly assigned to immediate or delayed (due to fractures or low bone density) zoledronic acid treatment. In the final analysis at 60 months of follow-up, patients receiving immediate zoledronic acid showed significant benefits in lumbar spine BMD compared to those with delayed treatment, with increases of +4.3% and −5.4%, respectively. Furthermore, analysis based on prior chemotherapy showed significant differences in BMD between the two treatment groups. Patients with prior chemotherapy in the immediate zoledronic acid group had a BMD increase of +3.65%, while the delayed treatment group showed a decrease of −5.784%. This suggests that both chemotherapy and AI therapy may adversely affect bone density in EBC patients ( 71 ). In postmenopausal patients, the evidence regarding the use of adjuvant bisphosphonates is relatively comprehensive. However, the HOBOE-2 trial compared the efficacy of single-agent TAM, single-agent letrozole, and letrozole combined with zoledronic acid in premenopausal patients. With a median follow-up of 64 months, significant differences were observed among the three groups. Subsequent pairwise comparisons revealed that, across all groups, the zoledronic acid group demonstrated the most pronounced DFS benefit. But there was no significant difference in OS among the three groups ( 72 ).

Another bone-modifying agent, denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that can bind to the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) to block its binding with RANK, is a precise bone-targeted drug commonly used to improve bone loss and counteract bone metastasis. ABCSG-18 investigated the correlation between denosumab and DFS and OS in postmenopausal EBC patients. Multiple data reports consistently indicated that the denosumab group had benefits over the placebo group. Absolute benefits at 5 and 8 years were 1.9% and 3.1%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 73 months, the denosumab group continued to benefit in terms of DFS (95% CI: 69–98%, Cox P=0.02), with similar rates of adverse events and serious adverse events between the two groups ( 73 ). However, the D-CARE study’s conclusions seem contradictory to ABCSG-18. Denosumab for 5 years appeared to not significantly improve the primary endpoint bone metastasis-free survival compared to placebo, with no significant benefits observed in any subgroup, specifically focusing on postmenopausal patients, similarly yielding no benefits. The specific reasons for the contradictory results of the two studies are unclear, but D-CARE employed a more intensive dosing regimen and higher drug doses ( 74 ). Currently, there are no head-to-head studies comparing the efficacy of zoledronic acid and denosumab in EBC. However, in a trial comparing denosumab with zoledronic acid, denosumab was shown to delay the time to first skeletal-related event but did not demonstrate significant benefits in terms of DFS or OS. Whether this study’s conclusions can be extrapolated to EBC is uncertain. Apart from the above, the established advantages of denosumab include minimal renal toxicity and simpler administration. Therefore, based on previous research, the latest NCCN guidelines only recommend the use of zoledronic acid as adjuvant therapy to improve bone density and prognosis in postmenopausal women, with no clear evidence supporting the definite benefits of adjuvant denosumab use in this stage.

Olaparib is a poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that induces tumor cell death by blocking the repair of damaged DNA in cancer cells, particularly those with inherent BRCA gene mutations, which already have defective DNA repair mechanisms ( 60 ). The Olympia trial enrolled HER2 − EBC patients with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and high-risk clinical-pathological features who received local treatment and (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. The study evaluated the efficacy difference between 1 year of olaparib and placebo. At a median follow-up of 3.5 years, the olaparib treatment group demonstrated sustained benefit over placebo iDFS, with an absolute benefit of 7.3% at 4 years. Unlike the initial interim analysis where significant differences in 4-year OS first appeared, the olaparib group showed an absolute benefit of 3.4% in OS. Additionally, focusing on HR + /HER2 − patients, who constituted 17.8% of the total population, a smaller subset was enrolled. Given that most mutations in HR + BC patients are of the BRCA2 type, we observed a trend towards benefit in both the BRCA2 and HR + /HER2 − subgroups, although less pronounced compared to the overall population ( 75 , 76 ). In HR + BC, according to European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines, olaparib is recommended for patients who have completed (neo)adjuvant therapy and have four or more positive lymph nodes or non-pathological complete response with a CPS + EG score ≥3.

When patients meet the enrollment criteria for both MonarchE Cohort 1 and the Olympia study, although there is no specific clinical trial demonstrating the efficacy of abemaciclib in combination with olaparib for HR + high-risk BC patients, current evidence from comprehensive systematic reviews suggests that this combined treatment may be beneficial. Both national and international experts, along with the latest NCCN guidelines, consider the addition of olaparib to abemaciclib as a potentially beneficial alternative for patients eligible for abemaciclib who also have BRCA1/2 mutations. However, the optimal sequence of administration remains unclear.

In summary, while HR + BC generally has a better prognosis compared to other subtypes, patients with certain clinical high-risk factors still face a heightened risk of recurrence. Adjuvant ET intensification has shown potential to further reduce recurrence risk in high-risk patients and improve DFS or iDFS, significantly improving patient outcomes. In recent years, with the maturation of evidence-based medicine, the introduction of novel agents such as SERDs, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and PARP inhibitors has diversified treatment options. Despite these advancements offering hope, further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment duration, sequencing, and combination strategies to achieve superior therapeutic outcomes. Looking ahead, precision medicine based on molecular characteristics will continue to advance the individualization and precision of BC treatment, ultimately enhancing both survival and quality of life for patients.

Supplementary

Acknowledgments.

The authors would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to their mentor and all the teachers who have supported them throughout this journey. Their guidance and encouragement have been invaluable to our academic and personal growth. Thanks for their unwavering support and dedication.

Funding: The review was supported by the following funding sources: (I) National Key Research and Development Program/International Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation/Key Special Projects of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation (Grant No. 2019YFE0196500 ); (II) Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Medical Development Foundation (Grant No. KC2021-JX-0170-11 ).

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Reporting Checklist: The authors have completed the Narrative Review reporting checklist. Available at https://tbcr.amegroups.org/article/view/10.21037/tbcr-24-16/rc

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tbcr.amegroups.org/article/view/10.21037/tbcr-24-16/coif ). X.W. serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Translational Breast Cancer Research from December 2022 to November 2024. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

• Transl Breast Cancer Res. 2024; 5: 20.

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Nursing Faculty and Alumna Publish Paper on Cognitive Dysfunction in Chronic Illness

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A new study by The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing researchers, including assistant professors Heather Cuevas, PhD, APRN, ACNS, FCNS , and Beth Heitkemper, PhD, RN , along with alumna Jeeyeon Kim, PhD, explores subjective cognitive dysfunction in nondementia-related chronic illnesses.

Their work, titled " Subjective Cognitive Dysfunction in Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis ," was published in the August 2024 edition of the Western Journal of Nursing Research. 

The study systematically reviewed 25 qualitative studies and developed a model to explain how individuals with chronic illnesses experience and adapt to cognitive dysfunction. The findings are organized into four key themes: symptoms, health care, self-perception and relationships. The research highlights the impact of cognitive dysfunction on health care interactions and personal life and suggests that further research is needed to understand its role in chronic illness.