Synthesis Notes

Synthesis Skills

• Reading and understanding sources
• Making connections between sources
• Analyzing, comparing, and contrasting their arguments
• Integrating the ideas and drawing your own conclusions from the analysis

The Process of Synthesis

• Compare and contrast different authors' views on an issue
• Group authors who draw similar conclusions
• Note areas in which authors are in disagreement
• Highlight exemplary studies
• Highlight gaps or problem areas in research
• Summarize what the literature says

Writing the Synthesis

• As you are reading, jot down questions you may have
• Asking questions will elicit controversies and push your thinking further
• Note where you are skeptical or disagree with the source
• Focus on problem areas where the solutions are unsatisfactory or conflicting
• Pinpoint where the points of disagreement are in the sources
• Note down the ideas or viewpoints that interest you most

Creating Cohesion

• In order to synthesize and integrate ideas, use appropriate transitional words
• Group authors who draw similar conclusions, using linking words such as: also, additionally, again, similarly
• Show conflicts and differences between authors and ideas: however, conversely, on the other hand, nonetheless
• Use examples to support your claims: thus, namely, to illustrate, for example, according to

Synthesis Structure

INTRODUCTION

• significance of the topic
• preview of major trends/patterns

BODY

• Headings present the clusters or subtopics you identified
• Topic sentences signal similarities and differences and conflicts
• Paragraphs contain analysis and comparisons/contrast of sources

CONCLUSION – overview

• survey of the implications
• questions that remain to be answered

Creating a Well-Argued Synthesis

• Make your organizing principles clear in the  introduction, and explain your logic
• Acknowledge differing opinions and  indicate which one you support and why
• Support your presentations of the ideas e.g.  Examples, citation and quotations
• Connect the sections logically
• Present summary statements at the end of  each section to draw conclusions

Synthesis Diction

• Use formal, neutral language
• Avoid emotive words like “The author feels/believes”
• Instead, say “Roberts states/argues/claims,” or “According to Brown”

Synthesis Organization

• Have you organized your material according to issues or trends?
• Is there a clear logic to the way you organized the material?
• Does the amount of detail included on an issue relate to its importance?
• Have you been sufficiently critical of design and methodological issues?
• Have you indicated when results were conflicting or inconclusive and discussed possible reasons?
• Do you summarize the state of the field at the end, synthesizing all the issues?