Study Techniques & the Power of Summaries
A sharper way to learn than re-reading the same page—again.
Based on Dunlosky et al. (2013), two of the most time-efficient, high-impact tactics for students are targeted summarization and self-testing.
What the Research Says
Dunlosky and colleagues evaluated ten common study techniques—from highlighting to interleaving practice. Their rubric balanced effect size, ease of use, and breadth of situations (textbook chapters, technical diagrams, lecture notes, etc.).
| Technique | Utility Rating* | Why It Shines (or Doesn’t) |
|---|---|---|
| Summarization | Moderate → High | Forces students to extract gist and condense ideas. |
| Practice Testing | High | Generates retrieval cues and flags gaps. |
| Distributed Practice | High | Beats cramming by spacing sessions. |
| Elaborative Interrogation | Moderate | Works well with factual material. |
| Highlighting | Low | Often too passive to change memory trace. |
| Passive Rereading | Low | Familiarity ≠ understanding. |
*Utility ratings collapse several experimental metrics into a single “how much bang for your hour” score.
The takeaway: Rereading feels safe but stalls retention, while summaries plus frequent self-tests create deeper, flexible knowledge.
From Theory to Tomorrow’s Chapter: A Three-Step Workflow
-
Skim & Map (5 min)
- Preview headings, bold terms, and charts.
- Jot a mini outline or concept map—only the structure, not details.
-
Write Micro-Summaries (20–30 min)
- After each logical chunk (section, subheading, or two-page spread), close the book and distill the key points in 3–5 sentences.
- Keep language your own; avoid copy-pasting phrases.
- Add one concrete example or analogy—this anchors abstract ideas.
Tip:Struggling to paraphrase? Imagine explaining it to a friend who missed class.
-
Self-Test & Iterate (10 min)
- Convert each micro-summary into one recall question (“How does distributed practice improve long-term retention?”).
- Quiz yourself later that day and again 48 hours out.
- Edit summaries if answers feel wobbly—tighten wording, add missing links.
Implementation Tips & Variations
- Use margins wisely. Write summaries on sticky notes or in the doc’s comment pane so they sit beside the source, not below where they’re invisible.
- Chunk length matters. Dense philosophy prose? Summarize every paragraph. Intro bio textbook? Whole subsection is fine.
- Leverage peer review. Swap summaries with a classmate; if they can’t answer your recall question, refine wording.
- Blend with spaced practice. Schedule quick review sessions (5–10 min) across the week to refresh memory traces.
- Track what sticks. After quizzes or problem sets, mark which summary blocks helped most. Drop or rework the rest—your notes should evolve.
Rule of thumb: If you can’t turn a paragraph into a two-sentence gist plus a quiz question, you don’t own the idea yet.
Closing Thought
Summaries aren’t busywork; they’re compression algorithms for your brain. Pair them with low-stakes self-tests, and tomorrow’s dense reading transforms from a wall of words into a portable set of mental flashcards—ready whenever the exam sneaks up.
Happy studying—and may your highlights finally mean something!