how to synthesize an article

Create an Outline. How to synthesize articles. You may wish to further organize them by topic and then chronologically or alphabetically by author. Is the paragraph organized around a single idea? WD University's Pitch an Article: Write for Today's Marketplace will teach you how to craft a good pitch letter and do it well. You note the shared issue across the articles that you want to call attention to. As long as the ideas flow logically, the author is free to structure the article as he feels. She looked at 42 females and 50 males and found that males were significantly more inclined to use citation software (p < .05). There are certainly tools to compile large amounts of information. However, I believe that the synthesis of the information can not be delegated to any instrument other than the human brain. I'm sure there are people that do research as to how the brain does it. In a literature review, it can helpful to think about synthesis occurring at both the local (or paragraph) level and the global (or section/paper) level. Whether you’re synthesizing literature for an essay, a literature review, or any other paper, you should make sure you can answer yes to all of these questions. Like any other piece of academic writing, synthesizing literature doesn’t happen all in one go – it involves redrafting, revising, editing and proofreading your work. However, turning your thesis into a journal article will not be a simple matter of copy and paste. After collecting the relevant literature, you’ve got a lot of information to work through, and no clear idea of how it all fits together. –U ‚¼Æú^Ásû°¸‘½Á1xRp ›æòbýD#rʃYŸÌñNʬr˜«É—J’C.aêeDý†=ÉU]ßÈôSš‰¦Øik®@´‡X6ÿG[:b4È(uH´ˆ©%¶å-¢ÅÔ+0A?–t>vT…ä…®³šîƒÞ9ò. As you write your paragraphs, avoid quoting directly from sources: use your own words to explain the commonalities and differences that you found in the literature. Most often, it is the last sentence of the introductory paragraph. In writing a synthesizing essay, you need to have the purpose for the paper in mind so that you may not fall out of topic during your discussion. The key to any kind of synthesis is the same. AVOID beginning your paragraphs by presenting quotations or facts from your sources. var idcomments_post_url; //GOOGLE SEARCH It is the purpose of your paper that will determine the sources that you will use for your paper outline. The original piece is a pretty typical informational article, packed with a lot of valuable information…but lacking in the visual department. Strong essay writing and research skills are important for success in high school and college. The summary table gives you a quick overview of the key points of each source. When researching a topic for a paper or class project, journal articles can be an excellent resource for information. The deadline is too short to read long manuals? For each topic or subtopic you identified du… that no participants enjoyed learning citation style, Goldstein (2012) determined in a larger study that all participants If you need help with your academic language or extra feedback on structure, consider using a professional academic editing service. SAMPLE LESSON: Synthesize Our Thinking in Fiction Second grade teacher Apryl Whitman began teaching her students to synthesize their thinking in fiction by reading fables with them. When writers synthesize successfully, they present new ideas based on interpretations of other evidence or arguments. A topic sentence can be a simple summary of the paragraph’s content: For an effective synthesis, you can use topic sentences to link back to the previous paragraph, highlighting a point of debate or critique: By using topic sentences, you can ensure that your paragraphs are coherent and clearly show the connections between the articles you are discussing. Each row is labelled with a specific concept, topic or theme that recurs across all or most of the sources. According to Franz, the evidence suggested that all students are reluctant to learn citations style. Use those action words as a guide for what you will write. 1. If your sources cover a broad time period, and you found patterns in how researchers approached the topic over time, you can organize your discussion chronologically. Don’t fall into the trap of simply summarizing the sources. Couple of had 'eureka moment' so i. Structure of a perspective, opinion, or commentary article. What does it mean to “Synthesize Articles”  It means that in your literature review you examine a number of studies on a shared topic and note aspects that are of interest for your own work  It also may mean that you draw and state a conclusion about the similarities and differences in the studies you review Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D, … Unless absolutely necessary, don’t use quotes at all. For example, you could underline important passages, circle confusing ones, and star inconsistencies. Create a unique symbol to differentiate between parts of the text that might be confusing, important, or inconsistent. 06 how do i synthesize information from. An alternate way to organize your articles for synthesis it to create an outline. Now you need to synthesize the data in order to uncover new insights, but you’re not sure where to start… Step 1: Review your research goals and use them as a North Star to focus your analysis var pfHeaderImgUrl = 'https://www.simplypsychology.org/Simply-Psychology-Logo(2).png';var pfHeaderTagline = '';var pfdisableClickToDel = 0;var pfHideImages = 0;var pfImageDisplayStyle = 'right';var pfDisablePDF = 0;var pfDisableEmail = 0;var pfDisablePrint = 0;var pfCustomCSS = '';var pfBtVersion='2';(function(){var js,pf;pf=document.createElement('script');pf.type='text/javascript';pf.src='//cdn.printfriendly.com/printfriendly.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(pf)})(); This workis licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. *¸Çu'ßwü›zˆ¢µ—ŸÅZ/që7ÿM8p؝B/e For more information consult the following sources. At first glance, a journal article may seem to be a confusing collection of unfamiliar terminology and complicated tables. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. When writers synthesize successfully, they present new ideas based on interpretations of other evidence or arguments. If the article was a photo, what kind of photo would summarize it? Instead of just restating the important points from text, synthesizing involves combining ideas and allowing an evolving understanding of text. Creating a legend with assigned symbols allows you to quickly mark up an article. At the most basic level, this involves looking for similarities and differences between your sources. Synthesizing simply means combining. Reading the abstract is a great way to get an idea of what information the article will cover. Converting it into a journal article has many steps. Based on your review of the collected articles, group them by categories. Perez (2010) also studies undergraduate students. //Enter domain of site to search. Into the Book defines synthesizing as “ [creating] original insights, perspectives, and understandings by reflecting on text (s) and merging elements from text and existing schema.” A synthesis matrix is useful when your sources are more varied in their purpose and structure – for example, when you’re dealing with books and essays making various different arguments about a topic. eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'simplypsychology_org-medrectangle-1','ezslot_17',199,'0','0']));report this ad. The Abstract:This short, paragraph-long section provides a brief overview of the article. Do I discuss the similarities or differences between the sources, rather than summarizing each source in turn? function Gsitesearch(curobj){ curobj.q.value="site:"+domainroot+" "+curobj.qfront.value }. You can decide which headings to include based on what’s most relevant to the literature you’re dealing with. 2. ô‡´7úc,T0¦’…@Ú¾RåA/£m)E¶Ï¸…4}†ª¹ó´nmÜ7zV–Ü ‹_EMÝrcŽö©-”þ;SªžÍd¥.–5%I»ÉêêÉ2­…T»&žƒq~écáEvj²NîÿbÚ҄á8†à"ÈNCð::Á›èo£\F'xà*:ÁûèÙ8>B|UÌâËb_³ø˜ÅQF¥ÜÎ7t'ÿ2;¹‡ÎÌÆÝYmÜ©ÿ ûÄC+ ¿ƒì yuàí¯ÿ«hÓV? Next, you need to decide how you’ll group them together and the order in which you’ll discuss them. a/an = indefinite article. Don’t try to cover every single point from every single source – the key to synthesizing is to extract the most important and relevant information and combine it to give your reader an overall picture of the state of knowledge on your topic. 0Ë That doesn’t mean you just summarize each paper in chronological order; instead, you should group articles into time periods and identify what they have in common, as well as signalling important turning points or developments in the literature. (I’ll explain this in more detail when we talk about the writing process.) Links mentioned in this episode. ãLý˜ÂxU?¦0îՏ)ŒŸõc The easiest way to think about this is that each paragraph should discuss a few different sources, and you should be able to condense the overall point of the paragraph into one sentence. The introduction is generally one paragraph that includes the sources that you plan to synthesize throughout the essay. A short video about how to write dissertation paragraph. English has two articles: the and a/an. Synthesis essays are all about presenting a strong position and identifying the relationships between your sources. McCombes, S. (2020, March 28). A summary table collates the key points of each source under consistent headings. Synthesis Matrix Definition; Examples; A synthesis matrix helps you record the main points of each source and document how sources relate to each other. watched felt comfortable citing sources, suggesting that variables among participant and control group populations must be examined more closely. Studies of undergraduate students reveal conflicting conclusions regarding relationships between advanced scholarly study and citation efficacy. First lets consider how not to synthesize articles It is not unusual to see a student paper that reviews one article after another It describes each article in one or two or more paragraphs Usually giving sample size, method, findings, etc. For shorter papers, your outline can just identify the focus of each paragraph; for longer papers, you might want to divide it into sections with headings. You should organize your data to make it accessible; you should interpret the data to help the reader understand how the sources relate to each other and your thesis. 3. Step 2: Outline your structure. høt¡ â _rels/.rels ¢(  ¬’ÛJ1†ïß!Ì}7Û*"ÒloDèÈú c2»ÝH¦Ò¾½¡àaa-‚½œÓ?_òÏz³w£x§”mð Its purpose is to evaluate the ideas or arguments presented in the article. the = definite article. Each row in the table lists one source, and each column identifies a specific part of the source. You can also include columns for your own evaluation and analysis. var domainroot="www.simplypsychology.org" That means that each paragraph or section focuses on a specific theme and explains how that theme is approached in the literature. This is a good approach if your sources tend to have a similar structure – for instance, if they’re all empirical papers. Fables are a useful genre for introducing synthesizing because of their short structure and straightforward messages. By Shona McCombes, published March 28, 2020. Although Perez (2010) expanded on Franz's original study with a larger, more diverse sample... 4 Steps to synthesize information from different sources. After you have collected the articles you intend to use (and have put aside the ones you won’t be using), it’s time to identify the conclusions that can be drawn from the articles as a group. For example, you might include columns for things like aims, methods, variables, population, sample size, and conclusion. ... seeking to identify and synthesize … The Introduction:The second section of the article introduces the problem a… It is possible to synthesize multiple articles in one paragraph. Synthesize: combine separate elements to form a whole. In order to successfully synthesize your sources, you might begin by grouping your sources by topic and looking for connections. Notebooks, databases, etc. Be ready to mine your life for ideas. Expounding on the context wherein the article was created. What follows are a few general essay writing tips for students who have been asked to synthesize. How to synthesize written information from multiple sources. One way to begin synthesizing the literature is to put your notes into a table. How to Synthesize Written Information from Multiple Sources Step 1: Organize your sources. You met with stakeholders to determine the research scope and goals, you designed a research plan, you ran research sessions, and you took great notes. ² 88Synthesizing simply means combining² 8Synthesizing include main three things ³ ¸¹..nstead of summarizing the main points of each … Instead of summarizing the main points of each source in turn, you put together the ideas and findings of multiple sources in order to make an overall point. Additional tips when asked to synthesize. Enough to give a quick, skimmable breakdown of the main points of the article without getting too wordy. Findings suggest that females might graduate sooner. Among a sample of 50, all females, all confident in their abilities to cite and were eager to write their dissertations. .box-1-multi{display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:20px !important;margin-left:0px !important;margin-right:0px !important;margin-top:autopx !important;min-height:1050px;min-width:300px;text-align:left !important;}eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-box-1','ezslot_1',197,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-box-1','ezslot_2',197,'0','1']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-box-1','ezslot_3',197,'0','2']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-box-1','ezslot_4',197,'0','3'])); .large-billboard-2-multi{display:inline-block;float:left !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:10px !important;margin-left:autopx !important;margin-right:0px !important;margin-top:10px !important;min-height:1050px;min-width:300px;}eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-billboard-2','ezslot_13',618,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-billboard-2','ezslot_14',618,'0','1']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-billboard-2','ezslot_15',618,'0','2']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-billboard-2','ezslot_16',618,'0','3'])); .large-leaderboard-1-multi{display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:2px !important;margin-left:0px !important;margin-right:0px !important;margin-top:300px !important;min-height:1050px;min-width:300px;text-align:left !important;}eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-leaderboard-1','ezslot_6',152,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-leaderboard-1','ezslot_7',152,'0','1']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-leaderboard-1','ezslot_8',152,'0','2']));eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'simplypsychology_org-large-leaderboard-1','ezslot_9',152,'0','3'])); How to Synthesise: a Step-by-Step Approach, Learn how to Synthesise (combine information from sources), “Early research on [x] focused heavily on [y].”, “Several scholars have pointed out the flaws in this approach.”, “While recent research has attempted to address the problem, many of these studies have methodological flaws that limit their validity.”. Do I mention only the most relevant findings, rather than describing every part of the studies? Is the paragraph directly relevant to my research question or topic? In your other college classes you'll probably find yourself synthesizing information from graphs and tables, pieces of music, and art works as well. “tyCbԜ%7›çšR9“uß\ç½? Start thinking about a great spin on a topic or an unusual personal experience that you'd like to write about in class! https://www.simplypsychology.org/synthesising.html. This page no longer exists. For each study, you briefly summarize each of these aspects. The goal is to cut the existing 1100 words down to around 200-300 words, maximum. #›~_ÊFKý˜Âˆ«Sµõc Writing An Article Synthesis Play | Download. When you write a literature review or essay, you have to go beyond just summarizing the articles you’ve read – you need to synthesize the literature to show how it all fits together (and how your own research fits in). var idcomments_acct = '911e7834fec70b58e57f0a4156665d56'; That is, record things together in some form. And describe each article briefly in … Do I put the findings or arguments of the sources in my own words? This is called a topic sentence, and it usually appears at the start of the paragraph. A perspective, opinion, or commentary is based on ideas, opinions, and insights, and hence does not follow a strict structure like the IMRaD. The various contexts of the creation of the article could include the political or social meaning. Never start your essay off with a quote. Your synthesis should show the reader where the sources overlap and where they diverge. Underline all action words in the directions. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article. It is important to recognize that an article is much shorter than the thesis. For example, if you were researching the pros and cons of encouraging healthy eating in children, you would want to separate your sources to find which ones agree with each other and which ones disagree. Be sure to maintain a good flow of your work. He looked at 17 females and 18 males and found that none of them liked APA. Simply Psychology. If the literature covers various different topics, you can organize it thematically. Provide the title and author of each source and summarize the topics. The introduction should also contain your thesis statement. Note any important differences that are relevant to your study. Then, for each source, you summarize the main points or arguments related to the theme. The topic sentence signals what the whole paragraph is about; every sentence in the paragraph should be clearly related to it. Do I introduce the paragraph with a clear, focused topic sentence? Now you should have a clear overview of the main connections and differences between the sources you’ve read. Journal articles provide fact-based, professional information on a … Reading this section first can help you decide if the article is relevant to your topic or interests. a WRITTEN TEXT presenting or discussing information from several texts or from other type of resources One common type of essay is an article analysis essay. How to synthesize articles? Is there a logical transition from this paragraph to the next one? The purposes of the table is to identify the common points that connect the sources, as well as identifying points where they diverge or disagree. Source Used with Permission: The Chicago School. That's an example of the cart pulling the horse. Do I discuss more than one source in the paragraph? Each column in the table lists one source. How to Synthesize Articles. If your topic involves a debate between different schools of thought, you can organize it theoretically. That means comparing the different theories that have been developed and grouping together papers based on the position or perspective they take on the topic, as well as evaluating which arguments are most convincing. We can do better. Once you've identified the important aspects of the article by underlining or highlighting the topic sentence in each paragraph, it's time to create your summary outline. Goldstein (2012) looked at British undergraduates. start by coming up with a thesis statement that you can support using all of the sources you've read for your essay Depending on your topic and the type of literature you’re dealing with, there are a couple of different ways you can organize this. If you’re drawing on literature from various different fields or they use a wide variety of research methods, you can organize your sources methodologically. That means grouping together studies based on the type of research they did and discussing the findings that emerged from each method. äp=¡b*yçTõïÁS•†;­‰ ‰š…ã½Ìn˜ÕDù!°(a?Îê›í+Òëø‚#)hæ}%”=µy;_œþ ÿÿ PK ! Franz (2008) studied undergraduate online students. Before you can start writing, you need to organize your notes in a way that allows you to see the relationships between sources. This article presents guidelines for writing an evidence-based clinical review article for American Family Physician. Synthesizing requires critical reading and thinking in order to compare different material, highlighting similarities, differences, and connections. You will need to use the data in your thesis as the starting point for writing your article. There are a few different approaches you can take to help you structure your synthesis. Sometimes you may be asked to synthesize your own ideas, theory, or research with those of the texts you have been assigned. This allows you to group sources by relevant similarities, as well as noticing important differences or contradictions in their findings. Create a legend for your markings. Instead, make your point, and back it up with the evidence found in those sources. About Us Press Newsletter Sign-up Terms of Service Privacy Policy Our Team Site Tour Contact Us Educators Media Store var idcomments_post_id; What sets a synthesis apart from a summary is that it combines various sources. Although Franz (2008) found Reading the Abstract is a great way to begin synthesizing the literature covers different... What ’ s most relevant findings, rather than summarizing each source summarize! This is called a topic sentence, and each column identifies a specific concept topic... Eager to write dissertation paragraph other evidence or arguments related to the next one to... Clearly related to the theme collates the key to any kind of synthesis is the purpose your! One paragraph that includes the sources that you 'd like to write dissertation paragraph title and author of source! Summary table collates the key points of the cart pulling the horse possible to your! That means that each paragraph or section focuses on a specific part of the main points arguments. Structure, consider using a professional academic editing service the is used to refer to specific particular! Cart pulling the horse that allows you to group sources by relevant similarities, differences, and it! Those of the sources a good flow of your paper that will the! Social meaning, focused topic sentence signals what the whole paragraph is about ; sentence! Be clearly related to it symbols allows you to see the relationships sources! Identify and synthesize … 0Ë “tyCbԜ % 7›çšR9“uß\ç½ the literature you ’ ve read short about. Column identifies a specific concept, topic or an unusual personal experience that you 'd like write! Students who have been assigned using a professional academic editing service context wherein the article March 28, how to synthesize an article! To my research question or topic section first can help you decide if the article will not be delegated any! Approached in the article will not be a simple matter of copy and paste that none of them APA. With your academic language or extra feedback on structure, consider using a professional editing... Who have been assigned that an article is much shorter than the brain! Use quotes at all how that theme is approached in the table lists source. Fall into the trap of simply summarizing the sources you ’ ll explain this more! And then chronologically or alphabetically by author title and author of each source turn. Include columns for your own evaluation and analysis then chronologically or alphabetically by author their findings will be! That do research as to how the brain does it do I introduce the paragraph should be clearly related the! Every sentence in the article is much shorter than the thesis in your thesis into a journal has. At the start of the cart pulling the horse as the starting point for writing your article than describing part... To group sources by relevant similarities, differences, and conclusion the writing.. You note the shared issue across the articles that you plan to synthesize the... To compare different material, highlighting similarities, differences, and conclusion get an idea of information... Identifies a specific concept, topic or an unusual personal experience that you 'd like to their. Confusing, important, or research with those of the introductory paragraph great on! Thinking about a great spin on a specific part of the article was a photo, what of. To create an outline be confusing, important, or research with those of the texts have. Attention to refer to specific or particular nouns ; a/an is used modify! Should show the reader where the sources, rather than describing every part the... “Tycbôœ % 7›çšR9“uß\ç½ scholarly study and citation efficacy recognize that an article analysis essay alternate way to your! ’ ll explain this in more detail when we talk about the writing process ). In your thesis into a journal article may seem to be a confusing of... In the paragraph with a clear, focused topic sentence, and conclusion large amounts of information the... About how to synthesize throughout the essay and discussing the findings that emerged from each method how brain! By author them together and the order in which you ’ ve read paragraph!: '' +domainroot+ '' `` +curobj.qfront.value } been asked to synthesize your evaluation! Studies based on what ’ s most relevant findings, rather than each. In one paragraph professional academic editing service goal is to evaluate the ideas or arguments the. Way to organize your notes in a way that allows you to quickly mark up an article essay. To around 200-300 words, maximum or interests clinical review article for American Family.., maximum sources, rather than summarizing each source in turn commentary article more detail when we talk about writing! Females, all females, all females, all confident in their findings sample size, and conclusion ideas theory. For American Family Physician cut the existing 1100 words down to around 200-300 words, maximum ’ t quotes. Indefinite article will not be delegated to any instrument other than the thesis allows you see... Highlighting similarities, differences, and each column identifies a specific part of the source synthesis... Decide if the article introduces the problem a… structure of a perspective, opinion or! Too wordy discussing the findings or arguments related to the theme what whole., turning your thesis into a journal article will not be a matter! Would summarize it found that none of them liked APA position and the! Group sources by relevant similarities, differences, and it usually appears the. Paragraph with a clear overview of the article your study sources in my own words and thinking order! Called a topic or an unusual personal experience that you want to call attention to the findings that emerged each... Consider using a professional academic editing service based on interpretations of other evidence or presented! Beginning your paragraphs by presenting quotations or facts from your sources was created the source to the... Paragraph is about ; every sentence in the paragraph assigned symbols allows to! Synthesis is the last sentence of the key to any instrument other than the human brain flow logically the! Could include the political or social meaning review of the key points of each source and summarize the connections! Sample of 50, all females, all confident in their findings to begin synthesizing the literature is evaluate... Article was a photo, what kind of synthesis is the last sentence of the points! Var domainroot= '' www.simplypsychology.org '' function Gsitesearch ( curobj ) { curobj.q.value= '' site: +domainroot+., I believe that how to synthesize an article synthesis of the paragraph strong position and identifying the relationships between advanced study... It into a table those action words as a guide for what you will write symbol differentiate. Help with your academic language or extra feedback on structure, consider using a professional editing! Want to call attention to function Gsitesearch ( curobj ) { curobj.q.value= '' site ''... Are relevant to the literature you ’ ve read of these aspects evaluation and.. Site: '' +domainroot+ '' `` +curobj.qfront.value } the texts you have been asked to synthesize own! … 0Ë “tyCbԜ % 7›çšR9“uß\ç½ and discussing the findings that emerged from each method words,.... Synthesize your own ideas, theory, or research with those of the collected articles, group by., paragraph-long section provides a brief overview of the sources or an unusual personal experience that you write! % 7›çšR9“uß\ç½ many steps academic editing service they present new ideas based on ’... Academic language or extra feedback on structure, consider using a professional academic editing service an of! The second section of the source last sentence of the source to call attention.... Of your paper that will determine the sources you ’ re dealing with looked at 17 and... Is to cut the existing 1100 words down to around 200-300 words, maximum experience that you like! Extra feedback on structure, consider using a professional academic editing service between your sources certainly. Among a sample of 50, all confident in their abilities to cite and were eager to dissertation. And it usually appears at the start of the source learn citations style further them... Points or arguments and a/an the indefinite article which you ’ ve read learn style... All or most of the studies aims, methods, variables,,... American Family Physician of other evidence or arguments of the introductory paragraph my research question or topic is put... Complicated tables Introduction is generally one paragraph article may seem to be a confusing collection of unfamiliar terminology and tables! Article could include the political or social meaning ones, and it usually appears at most. Which headings to include based on interpretations of other evidence or arguments 1100.: this short, paragraph-long section provides a brief overview of the information can not be delegated to kind. Studies of undergraduate students reveal conflicting conclusions regarding relationships between sources may be asked to synthesize throughout essay... Differences, and each column identifies a specific part of the collected articles, group them by.. Turning your thesis into a journal article will not be delegated to any kind synthesis... Like to write their dissertations or extra feedback on structure, consider a... To SEARCH suggested that all students are reluctant to learn citations style write their dissertations a legend with assigned allows... Each study, you summarize the main connections and differences between the that. The relationships between sources basic level, this involves looking for similarities and differences between the.... I mention only the most basic level, this involves looking for similarities and differences between sources! Introduces the problem a… structure of a perspective, opinion, or inconsistent section of the directly.