Summarizing information, like most writing skills, develops with practice.  Summarizing can be an important skill in paraphrasing.  Summarization is also used in abstracts as well as to conclude essays or other documents. 

Before you can begin consolidating a lot of information into a summary, you must first thoroughly understand that information, and you should assess your audience's needs. Determine the most important points, and omit small details that will detract from the overall message.  Order the information so that it would make sense to a reader while accurately reflecting the content and tone of the original document or situation.  Choose your words carefully; if you are summarizing another author's document, don't use a word that might add meaning (negatively or positively) and leave the potential for your reader to misinterpret it.

Remember to write the summary based on your audience's needs, not your own.  For example, if your audience has read the journal article that you are summarizing, you will be able to omit more information than if your audience has not read that article.   If your summary uses vocabulary that is simple for you but may be difficult for your audience, you should define it before proceeding.

If you are summarizing someone else's words or ideas, always cite them.