JISC

How to write a non-specialist project summary

All JISC projects are in some way providing information, advice, guidance, new tools etc. for the higher and further education sector in the UK.  This guide will help you to write a summary of your project in no more than 350 words for a non-specialist (but non-specific) reader in the sector, for example, a senior manager, research director, policy maker, administrator, press officer, academic in a different discipline, funder etc. – that is someone who needs to know whether they should pay attention to your project.

1. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes. What will they want to know about your project?

2. Are you writing about a new project (project plan), or has it completed (final report)?

• If your project is about to begin your summary should say what you hope to find out or achieve.
• If your project has completed it should focus on what you found out or achieved, rather than what you did. Which of the outputs or outcomes will the reader want to know about? What seems like a minor output/outcome to you, may be of particular interest to a general reader.

3. Your first paragraph should capture the essentials about your project.
Enabling the reader to see at a glance whether to read on. The essentials are:

• the context i.e. why the work is important and to whom
• the problem facing that person
• the solution i.e. how your project is going to solve (or has solved) the problem. 

The order in which you address these three points will depend on the project. As a general rule, it’s good practice to start with what the project will do / has done  i.e. the solution, but with many technical projects a sentence or two of context will be required first for the reader to understand the solution and its relevance

The first paragraph should be no more than three or four sentences long. A good first paragraph can stand alone as an even shorter summary of your project and be useful for many purposes, such as your website or publicity material.

4. Your summary should not beg important questions.
For example, if your project has reduced the length of time taken to do something, don’t beg the question ‘by how much?’. If you cannot answer this question, say so and outline any plans you have for finding the answer in future.

The following are general tips about good writing

• Think about your reader’s prior knowledge and avoid or explain terms they will not know. Use plain English.
• Avoid acronyms, but expand and explain if you have to use them.
• Write in the active rather than the passive voice. Don’t be afraid to say ‘we found this’ rather than ‘this was found’.
• Aim for clarity and brevity. Keep to the point.
• Keep sentences short.
• You will know what you mean, but will a non-expert? Ask one to read your summary before you finalise it . Summarising complex information in a few words for a general audience is difficult, especially if you know all the details.

Example summaries

• ASPIS Final Report Summary
• ASSERT Final Report Summary
• eUptake Final Report Summary