The Small Words That Keep a Summary Honest

A summary can keep all the important nouns and still change the meaning by dropping one small word: because, unless, although, but.

Try a “connector pass” when editing a short summary: check whether the original’s cause, condition, or contrast still survives. For example, in a hypothetical update, “The pilot met its target, but staffing for a wider rollout is unconfirmed” should not become “The pilot met its target, so the wider rollout is ready.” The facts may sound close; the relationship between them is not.

A useful summary is shorter without making a qualification disappear. Before sharing one, ask: Did I preserve not only what happened, but how the ideas in the source relate?