How to write a sampled and reconstructed paper.

This is a technique for focussing your attention on the important points in a paper.

(1) First you sample. This means copy verbatim a sentence or a major fragment of a sentence
to your report. The copied sentence is typically the first or the last sentence of a
paragraph; it is the sentence that makes the important point of the paragraph. 
The sample set should always include the thesis statement and the concluding
statement of the article.  Put those sentences in italics.

The number of samples you take will depend on the length of your report. You need to
capture the salient points of the paper.
In decreasing order of importance:
Thesis statement, Concluding statement of paper
Thesis statements and concluding statements of each section
Thesis statements and concluding statements of each paragraph.

(2) Then you reconstruct.  Following the path shown to you by the author, write sentences
that make the linkages between each of the sampled statements.  You are radically 
abridging here. You are not changing the author's arguments at all, you are just 
shortening them to about 1/10 - 1/4 of their original length.

You must use your own words here as much as possible -- copy and paste is very much 
frowned upon, though not disallowed completely, because you can't shorten the argument 
using the same words the author did.

(3) Format of the sampled and reconstructed paper.

Abridgement of Paper's Title
Citation (where the original paper can be found, original author, etc)

sampled statement   	// in italics
your text		// in plain

sampled statement	// in italics
your text		// in plain

etc.

You can end either with a sampled statement or your reconstruction.

(4) Practice (in class) this on: http://www.volokh.com/2012/10/18/the-knockoff-economy-and-the-power-of-performance-and-brands/