Before you begin any writing assignment, look closely at the prompt and determine what information you have been asked to find. You may want to make a checklist that includes the subject, a list of requirements, and any open-ended questions the prompt expects you to answer. Plan plenty of time for your research.

-When you start your investigation, relax and jot down all the sources you find along the way. You never know which source you may need more information from when you start writing.
-Write down interesting information and facts that support your answers to the prompt questions. Remember, every bit of evidence in your notes may not make it into your research paper. However, when writing your first draft, too much information is better than too little in your notes.
-Notes do not need to be perfect, but they need to withstand the test of time. Would you still be able to read and understand your notes if you had to stop researching for a few days? Could you relocate the original source if you needed extra information for your final draft? If not, slow down, write neatly, and add more details to your notes.
-Make sure your notes are in your own words. This will help you to avoid plagiarism when you begin writing. If you do like a quote, make sure you include quotation marks in your notes, or else you might accidentally use those words as your own.

Since you are writing a summary about an argument, you must gather information about both sides. Every argument has at least two sides. These sides are called claim and counter claim. Summaries of arguments require at least one paragraph summarizing the primary source's claim. For this essay, the summary paragraph about claim should not hold your personal opinion.

The summary of the counter claim will offer several details contesting the original claim. This paragraph should offer facts in the same straightforward fashion as in the summary of the claim. The counter claim paragraph will point out mistaken assumptions that the other side might hold or may have missed. By the end of your summary paragraphs, you should have an unbiased account of each side of the argument.