Article: Take the question your teacher gave you, and read through it carefully. Look up any words and phrases you don't understand to get a better grasp of the question. Establish what the issue at hand is.  For instance, maybe the question is, "Immigration has been a heated topic on the national level for many years. With issues like the DREAM Act and President Trump's stances on policy, it's likely to remain a central issue. Using authoritative resources to back up your argument, take a stance on immigration policy, establishing whether you think it should be more or less strict and why." You can establish that the main topic is immigration policy from the sentence, "Take a stance on immigration policy." If you're having trouble understanding the question, don't be afraid to talk to the professor. They can help you better understand what they're asking for. If you don't know much about the topic, do some reading to understand it better, starting with your textbook if it has information on the topic. Otherwise, use the internet to research the topic for this part, making sure to choose credible sources on both sides of the issue.  If your essay will be based off a discussion had in class, ask your instructor if you can use class notes as a primary source. Look for respected news sources, as well as websites with ".edu" and ".gov" extensions. You may need to look up information on the DREAM Act or President Trump's policies to help you understand the question, for example. For this part, you don't need to take extensive notes, as you're just trying to get a feel for the subject. After reading about both sides carefully, decide what position you want to take. Write your position at the top of a sheet of paper or at the top of a word processing document to start your outline. If you were given a text to base your essay on, make sure that text has enough evidence to support your chosen position. After taking a side, think about the initial reading you did. What main points persuaded you to take that position? You can use those as the main points in your paper. Use Roman numerals on your page to mark your main ideas. Write a main point by each Roman numeral. You should only cover 3 to 4 main points in a relatively short essay, such as one that's 3 to 5 pages. Now it's time to dig into your research. Head to the library or use your library's academic databases online. Find credible resources that you can use to establish your argument. Your main sources should be books or ebooks, journal articles from academic journals, and credible websites. You can also use high quality news articles if they're applicable to your topic. You can take handwritten notes or use a computer for this. As you read from relevant sources, take notes as you go along. Write the book title or article information at the top of the page, and add the page number by each section you take notes on or quote, if applicable.  For a book, you should include the author's name, the editor's name (if applicable), the title of the book, the publication year, the publication city, the edition, and the title of the book chapter in an anthology by multiple authors. For a journal, include the author's name, the journal title, the article title, the digital object identifier (DOI), the ISSN, the publication date, the volume (if applicable), the issue (if applicable), and the page numbers for the journal article. If you're searching in a database, you can often ask the database to save this information for you, but you should include identifiers on your notes. Once you've taken your notes, add 3-4 bullet points underneath each main idea. Fill in points to back up the main idea, adding notes from your research.  For example, if one of your main points is "Immigration increases diversity," some of your points underneath might be "Brings in new cuisines," and "Brings in new art." Find examples from your research, and add notes to each point to fill them in.

What is a summary?
Work through the question to make sure you understand it. Perform initial research to understand the issue. Take a side on the issue to begin outlining your essay. Add the main points you'd like to cover to your outline. Find research to support your points. Take notes that include citations. Fill in your outline to finish planning your essay.