Summary

Abstract

Many people are taught that when writing a manuscript, it is useful to apply three organizational principles. First, an introduction should describe what the text of the article or the subsequent chapters of the book are about. Second, the remaining text should expand upon that basic structure. Third, the summary should reiterate the basic “bullet points” that were presented in the preceding sections. In other words, the writer(s) should initially focus upon what he/she will be writing about or presenting. Then, the substantive information should be written. Finally, the summary should tell the reader about what was just previously presented. One of the co-authors of this series once attended a conference where the presenter stated: “first I tell them what I’m going to say; then I say it. Then I tell them what I spoke about.” In ending this manuscript, we are essentially following that simple organizational framework, with an occasional deviation for the purpose of integration. At the end, what might be termed an “epilogue” is presented, but in this case, it is more of a summary of a summary.

“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.”

Albert Einstein

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”

John F. Kennedy