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  • Introduction, Thesis, and Conclusion
  • Strategies for Citations
  • Determining the Resource This link opens in a new window
  • Citation Examples
  • Paragraph Development
  • Paraphrasing
  • Inclusive Language
  • International Center for Academic Integrity
  • How to Synthesize and Analyze
  • Synthesis and Analysis Practice
  • Synthesis and Analysis Group Sessions
  • Decoding the Assignment Prompt
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Comparative Analysis
  • Conducting an Interview
  • Office Memo
  • Policy Brief
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • White Paper
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  • Research Writing: The 5 Step Approach
  • Step 1: Seek Out Evidence
  • Step 2: Explain
  • Step 3: The Big Picture
  • Step 4: Own It
  • Step 5: Illustrate
  • MLA Resources
  • Time Management

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Learning about Synthesis Analysis

What D oes Synthesis and Analysis Mean?

Synthesis: the combination of ideas to

Synthesis, Analysis, and Evaluation

  • show commonalities or patterns

Analysis: a detailed examination

  • of elements, ideas, or the structure of something
  • can be a basis for discussion or interpretation

Synthesis and Analysis: combine and examine ideas to

  • show how commonalities, patterns, and elements fit together
  • form a unified point for a theory, discussion, or interpretation
  • develop an informed evaluation of the idea by presenting several different viewpoints and/or ideas

Key Resource: Synthesis Matrix

Synthesis Matrix

A synthesis matrix is an excellent tool to use to organize sources by theme and to be able to see the similarities and differences as well as any important patterns in the methodology and recommendations for future research. Using a synthesis matrix can assist you not only in synthesizing and analyzing,  but it can also aid you in finding a researchable problem and gaps in methodology and/or research.

Synthesis Matrix

Use the Synthesis Matrix Template attached below to organize your research by theme and look for patterns in your sources .Use the companion handout, "Types of Articles" to aid you in identifying the different article types for the sources you are using in your matrix. If you have any questions about how to use the synthesis matrix, sign up for the synthesis analysis group session to practice using them with Dr. Sara Northern!

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  • Synthesizing Sources

Once you have analyzed the texts involved in your research and taken notes, you must turn to the task of writing your essay. The goal is here is not simply to summarize your findings. Critical writing requires that you communicate your analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of those findings to your audience .

You analyze and synthesize even before you compose your first draft. In an article called, “Teaching Conventions of Academic Discourse,” Teresa Thonney outlines six standard features of academic writing. Use the list to help frame your purpose and to ensure that you are adopting the characteristics of a strong academic writer as you synthesize from various sources:

  • Writers respond to what others have said about their topic.
  • Writers state the value of their work and announce their plan for their papers.
  • Writers acknowledge that others might disagree with the position they have taken.
  • Writers adopt a voice of authority.
  • Writers use academic and discipline-specific vocabulary.
  • Writers emphasize evidence, often in tables, graphs, and images. (348)

Let’s return to the example of Marvin, who is working on his research assignment. Marvin already learned from the online professor that he should spend time walking (knowing where to find them) and talking (knowing who is conversing about them and what they are saying) with sources. Now Marvin will learn the importance of cooking with his sources, or creating the right recipe for an excellent paper.

Cooking With Your Sources

O-Prof: Let’s take a look at the third metaphor: cooking. When you cook with sources, you process them in new ways. Cooking, like writing, involves a lot of decisions. For instance, you might decide to combine ingredients in a way that keeps the full flavor and character of each ingredient.

Marvin: Kind of like chili cheese fries? I can taste the flavor of the chili, the cheese, and the fries separately.

O-Prof: Yes. But other food preparation processes can change the character of the various ingredients. You probably wouldn’t enjoy gobbling down a stick of butter, two raw eggs, a cup of flour, or a cup of sugar (well, maybe the sugar!). But if you mix these ingredients and expose them to a 375-degree temperature, chemical reactions transform them into something good to eat, like a cake.

Marvin reaches into his backpack and pulls out a snack.

Marvin: You’re making me hungry. But what do chili cheese fries and cakes have to do with writing?

O-Prof: Sometimes, you might use verbatim quotations from your sources, as if you were throwing walnuts whole into a salad. The reader will definitely “taste” your original source. Other times, you might paraphrase ideas and combine them into an intricate argument. The flavor of the original source might be more subtle in the latter case, with only your source documentation indicating where your ideas came from. In some ways, the writing assignments your professors give you are like recipes. As an apprentice writing cook, you should analyze your assignments to determine what “ingredients” (sources) to use, what “cooking processes” to follow, and what the final “dish” (paper) should look like. Let’s try a few sample assignments. Here’s one:

Assignment 1: Critique (given in a human development course)

We’ve read and studied Freud’s theory of how the human psyche develops; now it’s time to evaluate the theory. Read at least two articles that critique Freud’s theory, chosen from the list I provided in class. Then, write an essay discussing the strengths and weaknesses of Freud’s theory.

Assume you’re a student in this course. Given this assignment, how would you describe the required ingredients, processes, and product?

Marvin thinks for a minute, while chewing and swallowing a mouthful of apple.

Marvin: Let’s see if I can break it down:

Ingredients

  • everything we’ve read about Freud’s theory
  •  our class discussions about the theory 
  • two articles of my choice taken from the list provided by the instructor

Processes : I have to read those two articles to see their criticisms of Freud’s theory. I can also review my notes from class, since we discussed various critiques. I have to think about what aspects of Freud’s theory explain human development well, and where the theory falls short—like in class, we discussed how Freud’s theory reduces human development to sexuality alone.

Product : The final essay needs to include both strengths and weaknesses of Freud’s theory. The professor didn’t specifically say this, but it’s also clear I need to incorporate some ideas from the two articles I read—otherwise why would she have assigned those articles?

O-Prof: Good. How about this one?

Assignment 3: Research Paper (given in a health and environment course)

Write a 6–8-page paper in which you explain a health problem related to water pollution (e.g., arsenic poisoning, gastrointestinal illness, skin disease, etc.). Recommend a potential  way or ways this health problem might be addressed. Be sure to cite and document the sources you use for your paper.

Marvin: Oho, trick question! That one sounds familiar.

Ingredients : No specific guidance here, except that sources have to relate to water pollution and health. I’ve already decided I’m interested in how bottled water might help with health where there’s water pollution. I’ll have to pick a health problem and find sources about how water pollution can cause that problem. Gastrointestinal illness sounds promising. I’ll ask the reference librarian where I’d be likely to find good articles about water pollution, bottled water, and gastrointestinal illness.

Process : There’s not very specific information here about what process to use, but our conversation’s given me some ideas. I’ll use scholarly articles to find the connection between water pollution and gastrointestinal problems, and whether bottled water could prevent those problems.

Product : Obviously, my paper will explain the connection between water and gastrointestinal health. It’ll evaluate whether bottled water provides a good option in places where the water’s polluted, then give a recommendation about what people should do. The professor did say I should address any objections readers might raise—for instance, bottled water may turn out to be a good option, but it’s a lot more expensive than tap water. Finally, I’ll need to provide in-text citations and document my sources in a reference list.

O-Prof: You’re on your way. Think for a minute about these assignments. Did you notice that the “recipes” varied in their specificity?

Marvin: Yeah. The first assignment gave me very specific information about exactly what source “ingredients” to use. But in the second assignments, I had to figure it out on my own. And the processes varied, too. In the second assignment—my own assignment—I’ll have to use content from my sources to support my recommendation.

O-Prof: Different professors provide different levels of specificity in their writing assignments. If you have trouble figuring out the “recipe,” ask the professor for more information. Keep in mind that when  it comes to “cooking with sources,” no one expects you to be an executive chef the first day you get to college. Over time, you’ll become more expert at writing with sources, more able to choose and use sources on your own. You’ll probably need less guidance for writing in your senior year than in your freshman year.

Four puzzle pieces fitting together.

Correctly utilizing and synthesizing your sources is much like fitting together the pieces of a puzzle.

Integrating Material from Sources

Integrating materials from sources into your own text can be tricky; if we consider the metaphor that writing a paper and including sources is a way of facilitating a conversation about a topic, it helps us to think about how this will best work. When you’re discussing a topic in person with one or more people, you will find yourself referencing outside sources: “When I was watching the news, I heard them say that . . . I read in the newspaper that . . . John told me that . . .” These kinds of phrases show instances of using a source in conversation, and ways that we automatically shape our sentences to work references to the sources into the flow of conversation. Think about this next time you try to work a source into a piece of writing: if you were speaking this aloud in conversation, how would you introduce the material to your listeners? What information would you give them in order to help them understand who the author was, and why their view is worth referencing? After giving the information, how would you then link it back to the point you were trying to make? Just as you would do this in a conversation if you found it necessary to reference a newspaper article or television show you saw, you also need to do this in your essays.

  • Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
  • Incorporating Your Sources Into Your Paper. Provided by : Boundless. Located at : https://www.boundless.com/writing/textbooks/boundless-writing-textbook/the-research-process-2/understanding-your-sources-265/understanding-your-sources-62-8498/ . Project : Boundless Writing. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
  • Synthesizing Sources from Chapter 4 and Integrating Sources from Chapter 5: Critical Thinking, Source Evaluations, and Analyzing Academic Writing. Authored by : Denise Snee, Kristin Houlton, Nancy Heckel. Edited by Kimberly Jacobs. Located at : http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/679/734444/Snee_2012_Research_Analysis_and_Writing.pdf . Project : Research, Analysis, and Writing. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
  • Critical Thinking, Source Evaluations, and Analyzing Academic Writing. Authored by : Denise Snee, Kristin Houlton, Nancy Heckel. Edited by Kim Jacobs. Located at : http://digitalcommons.apus.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=epresscoursematerials . Project : Research, Analysis, and Writing. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
  • Synthesis and Your Research Journey. Authored by : MerrillCazierLibrary. Located at : https://youtu.be/vyKAyyYbjy0 . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
  • puzzle image. Authored by : geralt. Located at : https://pixabay.com/en/puzzle-share-four-fit-1152800/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved
  • Table of Contents

Instructor Resources (available upon sign-in)

  • Overview of Instructor Resources
  • Quiz Survey

Reading: Types of Reading Material

  • Introduction to Reading
  • Outcome: Types of Reading Material
  • Characteristics of Texts, Part 1
  • Characteristics of Texts, Part 2
  • Characteristics of Texts, Part 3
  • Characteristics of Texts, Conclusion
  • Self Check: Types of Writing

Reading: Reading Strategies

  • Outcome: Reading Strategies
  • The Rhetorical Situation
  • Academic Reading Strategies
  • Self Check: Reading Strategies

Reading: Specialized Reading Strategies

  • Outcome: Specialized Reading Strategies
  • Online Reading Comprehension
  • How to Read Effectively in Math
  • How to Read Effectively in the Social Sciences
  • How to Read Effectively in the Sciences
  • 5 Step Approach for Reading Charts and Graphs
  • Self Check: Specialized Reading Strategies

Reading: Vocabulary

  • Outcome: Vocabulary
  • Strategies to Improve Your Vocabulary
  • Using Context Clues
  • The Relationship Between Reading and Vocabulary
  • Self Check: Vocabulary

Reading: Thesis

  • Outcome: Thesis
  • Locating and Evaluating Thesis Statements
  • The Organizational Statement
  • Self Check: Thesis

Reading: Supporting Claims

  • Outcome: Supporting Claims
  • Types of Support
  • Supporting Claims
  • Self Check: Supporting Claims

Reading: Logic and Structure

  • Outcome: Logic and Structure
  • Rhetorical Modes
  • Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
  • Diagramming and Evaluating Arguments
  • Logical Fallacies
  • Evaluating Appeals to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
  • Self Check: Logic and Structure

Reading: Summary Skills

  • Outcome: Summary Skills
  • How to Annotate
  • Paraphrasing
  • Quote Bombs
  • Summary Writing
  • Self Check: Summary Skills
  • Conclusion to Reading

Writing Process: Topic Selection

  • Introduction to Writing Process
  • Outcome: Topic Selection
  • Starting a Paper
  • Choosing and Developing Topics
  • Back to the Future of Topics
  • Developing Your Topic
  • Self Check: Topic Selection

Writing Process: Prewriting

  • Outcome: Prewriting
  • Prewriting Strategies for Diverse Learners
  • Rhetorical Context
  • Working Thesis Statements
  • Self Check: Prewriting

Writing Process: Finding Evidence

  • Outcome: Finding Evidence
  • Using Personal Examples
  • Performing Background Research
  • Listening to Sources, Talking to Sources
  • Self Check: Finding Evidence

Writing Process: Organizing

  • Outcome: Organizing
  • Moving Beyond the Five-Paragraph Theme
  • Introduction to Argument
  • The Three-Story Thesis
  • Organically Structured Arguments
  • Logic and Structure
  • The Perfect Paragraph
  • Introductions and Conclusions
  • Self Check: Organizing

Writing Process: Drafting

  • Outcome: Drafting
  • From Outlining to Drafting
  • Flash Drafts
  • Self Check: Drafting

Writing Process: Revising

  • Outcome: Revising
  • Seeking Input from Others
  • Responding to Input from Others
  • The Art of Re-Seeing
  • Higher Order Concerns
  • Self Check: Revising

Writing Process: Proofreading

  • Outcome: Proofreading
  • Lower Order Concerns
  • Proofreading Advice
  • "Correctness" in Writing
  • The Importance of Spelling
  • Punctuation Concerns
  • Self Check: Proofreading
  • Conclusion to Writing Process

Research Process: Finding Sources

  • Introduction to Research Process
  • Outcome: Finding Sources
  • The Research Process
  • Finding Sources
  • What are Scholarly Articles?
  • Finding Scholarly Articles and Using Databases
  • Database Searching
  • Advanced Search Strategies
  • Preliminary Research Strategies
  • Reading and Using Scholarly Sources
  • Self Check: Finding Sources

Research Process: Source Analysis

  • Outcome: Source Analysis
  • Evaluating Sources
  • CRAAP Analysis
  • Evaluating Websites
  • Self Check: Source Analysis

Research Process: Writing Ethically

  • Outcome: Writing Ethically
  • Academic Integrity
  • Defining Plagiarism
  • Avoiding Plagiarism
  • Using Sources in Your Writing
  • Self Check: Writing Ethically

Research Process: MLA Documentation

  • Introduction to MLA Documentation
  • Outcome: MLA Documentation
  • MLA Document Formatting
  • MLA Works Cited
  • Creating MLA Citations
  • MLA In-Text Citations
  • Self Check: MLA Documentation
  • Conclusion to Research Process

Grammar: Nouns and Pronouns

  • Introduction to Grammar
  • Outcome: Nouns and Pronouns
  • Pronoun Cases and Types
  • Pronoun Antecedents
  • Try It: Nouns and Pronouns
  • Self Check: Nouns and Pronouns

Grammar: Verbs

  • Outcome: Verbs
  • Verb Tenses and Agreement
  • Non-Finite Verbs
  • Complex Verb Tenses
  • Try It: Verbs
  • Self Check: Verbs

Grammar: Other Parts of Speech

  • Outcome: Other Parts of Speech
  • Comparing Adjectives and Adverbs
  • Adjectives and Adverbs
  • Conjunctions
  • Prepositions
  • Try It: Other Parts of Speech
  • Self Check: Other Parts of Speech

Grammar: Punctuation

  • Outcome: Punctuation
  • End Punctuation
  • Hyphens and Dashes
  • Apostrophes and Quotation Marks
  • Brackets, Parentheses, and Ellipses
  • Semicolons and Colons
  • Try It: Punctuation
  • Self Check: Punctuation

Grammar: Sentence Structure

  • Outcome: Sentence Structure
  • Parts of a Sentence
  • Common Sentence Structures
  • Run-on Sentences
  • Sentence Fragments
  • Parallel Structure
  • Try It: Sentence Structure
  • Self Check: Sentence Structure

Grammar: Voice

  • Outcome: Voice
  • Active and Passive Voice
  • Using the Passive Voice
  • Conclusion to Grammar
  • Try It: Voice
  • Self Check: Voice

Success Skills

  • Introduction to Success Skills
  • Habits for Success
  • Critical Thinking
  • Time Management
  • Writing in College
  • Computer-Based Writing
  • Conclusion to Success Skills

Analysis and Synthesis

Why it matters: analysis and synthesis.

The skills of analysis and synthesis are vital to academic writing; they are necessary for you to establish your ethos with fellow scholars and professionals in your field. In academic writing, you must first research and understand the conversation around a specific topic before you can attempt to add to it. In order to understand this conversation, you need to locate credible and recent academic sources on the topic, analyze them individually, and then synthesize them in order to identify patterns, trends, gaps, limitations, etc.

In this unit, we will discuss the importance of analyzing each source individually, and then synthesizing them with other, similar sources to understand the current state of the research surrounding the topic. Basically, if you want to learn more about your field, you must read credible sources that are backed by primary and secondary research; you must learn to understand these sources in isolation as well as how they fit together.

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Summarizing and synthesizing

Part 3: Chapter 10

Questions to consider

A. What distinguishes a synthesis from a summary?

B. How much “author voice” is present relative to source material?

C. What is the nature of the material contributed to a synthesis by the author?

The purpose of synthesizing

Combining separate elements into a whole is the basic dictionary definition of synthesis. It is a way to make connections between numerous and varied source materials. A literature review presents a synthesis of material, grouped by topic, to create a broad and comprehensive view of the literature relevant to a research question. Here, the research questions are often modified to the realities of the information, or information may be selected or rejected based on relevance. This organizational approach helps in understanding the information and structuring the review.

Because research is an iterative process, it is not unusual to go back and search information sources for more material while remaining within the parameters of the topic and research questions. It can be difficult to cope with “everything” on a topic; the need to carefully select based on relevancy is ongoing.

The synthesis must demonstrate a critical analysis of the papers assembled as well as an integration of the analytical results. All included sources must be directly relevant and the synthesis writer should make a significant contribution. As part of an introduction or literature review, the syntheses not only illustrate the evolution of research on an issue, but the writer’s own commentary on what this information means .

Many writers begin the synthesis process by creating a grid, table, or an outline organizing summaries of the source material to discover or extend common themes with the collection. The summary grid or outline provides a researcher an overview to compare, contrast and otherwise investigate the relationships and potential deficiencies. [1]

Language in Action

  • How many different sources are used in the synthesis (excerpted from “Does international work experience pay off? The relationship between international work experience, employability and career success: A 30-country, multi-industry study” ) that follows? (IWE: international work experience)
  • How do the sources contribute to the message of the paragraph?
  • What are the elements of a strong synthesis?
  • What information is contributed by the authors themselves?

1 Taking stock of the literature, several characteristics stand out that limit our understanding of the IWE−career success relationship. 2 First, many studies focus on individuals soon after their return from an IWE or while they are still expatriates (Kraimer et al., 2016). 3 These findings may therefore report results pertaining to a short-lived career phase. 4 Given that careers develop over time, and success, especially in the form of promotions and salary increases, may take some time to materialise, it is perhaps not surprising that findings have been mixed. 5 Some authors note that there are short-term, career-related costs of IWE and the career ‘payoff’ occurs after a time lag for which cross-sectional studies may not account (Benson & Pattie, 2008; Biemann & Braakmann, 2013). 6 Second, the majority of studies use samples consisting only of individuals with IWE (Jokinen et al., 2008; Stahl et al., 2009; Suutari et al., 2018). 7 Large samples that include both individuals with and without IWE are needed to provide the variance needed to identify the influence of IWE on career success (e.g., Andresen & Biemann, 2013). 8 Third, studies tend to focus on the baseline question of whether IWE or IWE-specific characteristics (e.g., host country, developmental nature of assignment) are related to a particular career success variable (e.g., Bücker et al., 2016; Jokinen et al., 2008; Stahl et al., 2009). 9 Yet there may be an indirect relationship between IWE and career success (Zhu et al., 2016). 10 More complex models that examine the possible impact of mediating variables are thus needed (Mayrhofer et al., 2012). 11 Lastly, while studies acknowledge that findings from specific countries/nationalities, industries, organisations or occupational roles may not be transferable to all individuals with IWE (Biemann & Braakmann, 2013; Schmid & Wurster, 2017; Suutari et al., 2018), the specific role of national context is rarely considered. 12 However, careers do not develop in a vacuum. 13 Contextual factors play an important role in moderating the career impact of various career experiences such as IWE (Shen et al., 2015). [2]

Organizing the material

Beginning the synthesis process by creating a grid, table, or an outline for summaries of sources offers an overview of the material along with findings and common themes. The summary, grid, or outline will allow quick comparison of the material and reveal gaps in information. [3]

analysis and synthesis in academic writing pdf

The process of building a “library” from which to draw information is critical in developing the defense, argument or justification of a research study. While field and laboratory research is often engaging and interesting, understanding the backstory and presenting it as an explanation of a proposed method or approach is essential in obtaining funding and/or the necessary committee approval.

Returning to the foundational skill of producing a summary , and combining that with the maintenance of a system to manage source material and details, an annotated bibliography can be both an intellectual structure that reveals connections among sources and a means to initiating – on a manageable level – the arduous writing.

Example – Two entries from an annotated bibliography

Nafisi, A. (2003). Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. New York: Random House.

A brave teacher in Iran met with seven of her most committed female students to discuss forbidden Western classics over the course of a couple of years, while Islamic morality squads staged raids, universities fell under the control of fundamentalists, and artistic expression was suppressed. This powerful memoir weaves the stories of these women with those of the characters of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov and extols the liberating power of literature.

Obama, B. (2007). Dreams from My Father. New York: Random House.

This autobiography extends from a childhood in numerous locations with a variety of caregivers (a single parent, grandparents, boarding school) to an exploration of individual heritage and family in Africa, revealing a broken/blended family, abandonment and reconnection, and unresolved endings. Obama describes his existence on the margins of society, the racial tension within his biracial family, and his own identity conflict and turmoil.

Using a chart or grid

Below is a model of a basic table for organizing source material.

Exercise #1

  • Read the excerpts from three sources below. Determine the common topic and themes.
  • Complete a table like the one above using information from these three sources.

1 Completion of a dissertation is an intense activity. 2 For both groups [completers and non-], the advisor and the student’s family and spouse served as the major source of emotional support and are most heavily invested in the dissertation. 3 Other students and the balance of the dissertation committee were rated as providing little support. 4 Since work on the dissertation is highly individual and there are no College organized groups of students working on the dissertation that meet regularly, the process can be a lonely one. 5 Great independence and a strong sense of direction is required. 6 Although many students rated themselves as having little experience with research, students are dependent on their own resources and on those closest to them. 7 It was noted that graduates rated emotional support from all sources more highly than students rated it. 8 This may be a significant factor associated with dissertation completion.

9 The scales and checklists suggest that there are identifiable differences between the two groups. 10 Since the differences are not great, the implications are that with some modification of procedures, a greater proportion of students can become graduates. 11 Emotional support, financial support, experience with research, familiarity with university and college dissertation requirements, and ready access to university resources and advisors may be factors to build into a modified system to achieve a greater proportion of graduates.

Kluever, R., Green, K. E., Lenz, K., Miller, M. M., & Katz, E. (1995). Graduates and ABDs in colleges of education: Characteristics and implications for the structure of doctoral programs. In  Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved from the ERIC database .

1 In this writing group, students evaluated their goal achievement, reflected on the obstacles before them, and set new targets. 2 This process encouraged them to achieve their goals, and they could modify or start a new target instead of giving up. 3 The students also received positive feedback and support from other members of the group. 4 This positive environment helped the students view failure as part of the nature of writing a thesis.

5 On the other hand, daily monitoring encouraged the students to focus more on the process and less on the outcome; therefore, they experienced daily success instead of feeling a failure when the goals were not achievable.

Patria, B., & Laili, L. (2021). Writing group program reduces academic procrastination: a quasi-experimental study.  BMC Psychology ,  9 (1), 1–157. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00665-9

1 The promotion of awareness of the tension between core qualities and ideals, and inner obstacles, in particular limiting thoughts, in combination with guidelines for overcoming the tension by being aware of one’s ideals and character strengths is characteristic of the core reflection approach and appears to have a strong potential for diminishing academic procrastination behavior. 2 These results make clear that a positive psychological approach focusing on strengths can be beneficial for diminishing students’ academic procrastination. 3 In particular, supporting and regenerating character strengths can be an effective approach for overcoming academic procrastination.

Visser, L., Schoonenboom, J., & Korthagen, F. A. J. (2017). A Field Experimental Design of a Strengths-Based Training to Overcome Academic Procrastination: Short- and Long-Term Effect. Frontiers in Psychology , 8, 1949–1949. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01949

A topical outline is another tool writers may use to organize their material. It begins as a simple list of facts gleaned from various sources and arranged by category. [4]

A topical outline might look like this:

a. fact #1/source #1

b. fact #2/source #1

a. fact #3/source #1

b. fact #4/source #2

Exercise #2

Identify relevant facts presented by the three sources in Exercise #1. Determine the relationships between them. Consider how to categorize and arrange them in order to support or extend a related concept.

Exercise #3

A word about primary sources

Primary source material is information conveyed by the author(s) of the publication. The information they use to support or extend their ideas – their source material – is secondary source material for their readers. Anything considered for inclusion in research writing should be derived from primary sources. When writers find very valuable material cited, they retrieve the original work rather than paraphrase what has already been paraphrased.

Example – Synthesis

The excerpted synthesis below is the work of Joellen E. Coryell, Maria Cinque, Monica Fedeli, Angelina Lapina Salazar, and Concetta Tino. The two primary sources they use in the paragraph were authored by Niehaus and Williams (2016), and Urban, Navarro, and Borron (2017). Because research writers are urged to only use primary sources, further investigation into the paper of Niehaus and Williams would be required in order to use their work as a source. As discussed in Identifying and deploying source material , an effective strategy in finding useful sources is to explore the references of particularly valuable articles or papers.

University Teaching in Global Times: Perspectives of Italian University Faculty on Teaching International Graduate Students

1 Other researchers (Niehaus & Williams, 2016; Urban et al., 2017) offered analyses of faculty’s experiences participating in various training programs for internationalization of their courses.  2 Niehaus and Williams (2016) studied a 4-year global faculty development program aimed at transforming faculty perspectives and internationalizing the curriculum.  3 Findings indicated that participants integrated international and comparative topics to support their learners’ development of global perspectives.  4 They worked to integrate international students’ viewpoints on research, and participants reported professional and personal gains defined by expanded professional networks of faculty members and higher standing that comes with teaching international students.  5 Similarly, Urban et al. (2017) reported findings from a training program that assisted teaching staff to internationalize their courses.  6 The program included a 12-day field trip to a different country.  7 Semi-structured interviews with faculty members, 6 years after participating in the program, affirmed updated course content, new and broader perspectives, and a supportive environment for implementing the internationalized courses and teaching activities.

Primary source:

Coryell, J. E., Cinque, M., Fedeli, M., Lapina Salazar, A., & Tino, C. (2022). University Teaching in Global Times: Perspectives of Italian University Faculty on Teaching International Graduate Students. Journal of Studies in International Education , 26(3), 369–389. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315321990749

Secondary sources:

Niehaus, E., & Williams, L. (2016). Faculty Transformation in Curriculum Transformation: The Role of Faculty Development in Campus Internationalization. Innovative Higher Education, 41(1), 59–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-015-9334-7

Urban, E., Navarro, M., & Borron, A. (2017). Long-term Impacts of a Faculty Development Program for the Internationalization of Curriculum in Higher Education. Journal of Agricultural Education, 58(3), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2017.03219

analysis and synthesis in academic writing pdf

Experienced researchers often have a strong hypothesis and search for evidence that supports or extends this. However, students often learn about their topic during the research process and formulate a hypothesis as they learn what is established in the field on their topic. Both approaches are acceptable, as is a hybrid.

Discovery phase

Researchers typically begin by paraphrasing any important facts or arguments, tracking their discoveries in a table, outline or spreadsheet. Some good examples include definitions of concepts, statistics regarding relevance, and empirical evidence about the key variables in the research question. The original source information (citations in the appropriate style and format) is as important as the content under consideration.  As shown in the model syntheses here, multiple sources often support a common finding.

Evaluation and analysis phase

A strong synthesis must demonstrate a critical analysis of the papers as well as an integration of analytical results; this is the voice of the synthesis writer, interpreting the relationships of the cited works as they are assembled. Each paper under consideration should be critically evaluated according to its relevancy to the topic and the quality of its content.

Writers first establish relationships between cited concepts and facts by continuously considering these questions:

A. Where are the similarities within each topic or subtopic?

B. Where are the differences?

C. Are the differences methodological or theoretical in nature?

The answers will produce general conclusions for each topic or subtopic as the entire group of studies relate to it.

As the material is organized logically using a grid, table or outline, the most logical order must be determined. That order might be from general to specific, sequential or chronological, or from cause to result. [5]

Review and Reinforce

Summarizing and synthesizing are key building blocks in research writing. Read with an awareness of

A. what information has been added for support;

B. what the source of that information is; and

C. how the information was incorporated (quotations or summaries) and documented (integral or parenthetical citations) into the material.

Research writing is a process itself that synthesizes new information, stylistic tendencies, and established conventions with the background knowledge of the researcher.

Media Attributions

  • chameleon © Frontierofficial is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
  • 5182866555_18ae623262_c © rarebeasts is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
  • Adapted from Frederiksen, L., & Phelps, S. F. (2017). Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students . Open Textbook Library. ↵
  • Andresen, M., Lazarova, M., Apospori, E., Cotton, R., Bosak, J., Dickmann, M., Kaše, R., & Smale, A. (2022). Does international work experience pay off? The relationship between international work experience, employability and career success: A 30-country, multi-industry study. Human Resource Management Journal , 32(3), 698–721. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12423 ↵
  • Adapted from DeCarlo, M. (2018). Scientific Inquiry in Social Work . Open Textbook Library. ↵
  • Adapted from DeCarlo, M. (2018). Scientific Inquiry in Social Work. Open Textbook Library. ↵
  • Adapted from Frederiksen, L., & Phelps, S. F. (2017). Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students . Open Textbook Library.   ↵

combining separate elements into a whole, generally new, result

a condensed version of a longer text

a list of sources on a particular topic, formatted in the field specific format, which includes a brief summary of each reference

a reference presenting their own data and information

reference material used and cited by a primary source

Sourcing, summarizing, and synthesizing:  Skills for effective research writing  Copyright © 2023 by Wendy L. McBride is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Literature reviews: synthesis.

  • Criticality

Synthesise Information

So, how can you create paragraphs within your literature review that demonstrates your knowledge of the scholarship that has been done in your field of study?  

You will need to present a synthesis of the texts you read.  

Doug Specht, Senior Lecturer at the Westminster School of Media and Communication, explains synthesis for us in the following video:  

Synthesising Texts  

What is synthesis? 

Synthesis is an important element of academic writing, demonstrating comprehension, analysis, evaluation and original creation.  

With synthesis you extract content from different sources to create an original text. While paraphrase and summary maintain the structure of the given source(s), with synthesis you create a new structure.  

The sources will provide different perspectives and evidence on a topic. They will be put together when agreeing, contrasted when disagreeing. The sources must be referenced.  

Perfect your synthesis by showing the flow of your reasoning, expressing critical evaluation of the sources and drawing conclusions.  

When you synthesise think of "using strategic thinking to resolve a problem requiring the integration of diverse pieces of information around a structuring theme" (Mateos and Sole 2009, p448). 

Synthesis is a complex activity, which requires a high degree of comprehension and active engagement with the subject. As you progress in higher education, so increase the expectations on your abilities to synthesise. 

How to synthesise in a literature review: 

Identify themes/issues you'd like to discuss in the literature review. Think of an outline.  

Read the literature and identify these themes/issues.  

Critically analyse the texts asking: how does the text I'm reading relate to the other texts I've read on the same topic? Is it in agreement? Does it differ in its perspective? Is it stronger or weaker? How does it differ (could be scope, methods, year of publication etc.). Draw your conclusions on the state of the literature on the topic.  

Start writing your literature review, structuring it according to the outline you planned.  

Put together sources stating the same point; contrast sources presenting counter-arguments or different points.  

Present your critical analysis.  

Always provide the references. 

The best synthesis requires a "recursive process" whereby you read the source texts, identify relevant parts, take notes, produce drafts, re-read the source texts, revise your text, re-write... (Mateos and Sole, 2009). 

What is good synthesis?  

The quality of your synthesis can be assessed considering the following (Mateos and Sole, 2009, p439):  

Integration and connection of the information from the source texts around a structuring theme. 

Selection of ideas necessary for producing the synthesis. 

Appropriateness of the interpretation.  

Elaboration of the content.  

Example of Synthesis

Original texts (fictitious): 

  

Synthesis: 

Animal experimentation is a subject of heated debate. Some argue that painful experiments should be banned. Indeed it has been demonstrated that such experiments make animals suffer physically and psychologically (Chowdhury 2012; Panatta and Hudson 2016). On the other hand, it has been argued that animal experimentation can save human lives and reduce harm on humans (Smith 2008). This argument is only valid for toxicological testing, not for tests that, for example, merely improve the efficacy of a cosmetic (Turner 2015). It can be suggested that animal experimentation should be regulated to only allow toxicological risk assessment, and the suffering to the animals should be minimised.   

Bibliography

Mateos, M. and Sole, I. (2009). Synthesising Information from various texts: A Study of Procedures and Products at Different Educational Levels. European Journal of Psychology of Education,  24 (4), 435-451. Available from https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03178760 [Accessed 29 June 2021].

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WRITING / Synthesis

Academic Synthesis

 What is  synthesis ?

Synthesis is a key feature of analytical academic writing. It is the skill of being able to combine a number of sources in a clause, paragraph or text to either support an argument or refute it. We also synthesise sources to be able to compare and contrast ideas and to further expand on a point. It is important that the writer shows the reader that they have researched the subject matter extensively in order to not only demonstrate how a variety of sources can agree or disagree but also to present more balanced arguments.

Academic Synthesis Video

A short 8-minute video on what synthesis is.

PDF Lesson Download

  Academic Synthesis: synthesising sources

This lesson is designed to support students in their understanding and use of synthesising sources. It includes noticing the use of sources in context, a language focus with examples, two guided writing practice activities, a freer practice paragraph writing task with model answer and teacher’s notes – see worksheet example. Time: 120mins.   Level *** ** [ B1/B2/C1]   TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Paragraph example of synthesis.

Look at this paragraph containing synthesised sources. Highlight the citations / in-text references and their corresponding point made.

Coursework versus examination assessment

Using assignment essays for assessment supports learning better than the traditional examination system. It is considered that course-work assignment essays can lessen the extreme stress experienced by some students over ‘sudden death’ end of semester examinations and reduce the failure rate (Langdon, 2016). Study skills research by Peters et al. (2018) support assessment by assignment because research assignments can be used to assess student learning mid-course and so provide them with helpful feedback. They also consider that assignment work lends itself to more critical approaches which help the students to learn the discourse of their subjects. In contrast, Abbot (2008) and Cane (2018) both argue that assignments are inefficient, costly to manage and are the cause of plagiarism problems in universities. A key argument is that “assessment by examination is a clean-cut approach as you obtain students’ knowledge under supervised circumstances” (Bable, 2008, p.20). The weight of evidence, however, would suggest that it is a fairer and more balanced approach to have some assessment by assignment rather than completely by examinations.

Using assignment essays for assessment supports learning better than the traditional examination system. It is considered that course-work assignment essays can lessen the extreme stress experienced by some students over ‘sudden death’ end of semester examinations and r educe the failure rate (Langdon, 2016) . Study skills research by  Peters et al. (2018) support assessment by assignment because r esearch assignments can be used to assess student learning mid-course and so provide them with helpful feedback. They also consider that assignment work lends itself to more critical approaches which help the students to learn the discourse of their subjects . In contrast, Abbot (2008) and Cane (2018) both argue that assignments are inefficient, costly to manage and are the cause of plagiarism problems in universities. A key argument is that “assessment by examination is a clean-cut approach as you obtain students’ knowledge under supervised circumstances” (Bable, 2008, p.20) . The weight of evidence, however, would suggest that it is a fairer and more balanced approach to have some assessment by assignment rather than completely by examinations.

Language Focus

The writer synthesises two sources to be able to support their argument for assignment examinations.

It is considered that course-work assignment essays can lessen the extreme stress experienced by some students over ‘sudden death’ end of semester examinations and reduce the failure rate  (Langdon, 2016) . Study skills research by  Peters et al. (2018)  support assessment by assignment because research assignments can be used to assess student learning mid-course and so provide them with helpful feedback.

The writer synthesises two connected sources to be show the opposing views to assignment based examinations.

In contrast,  Abbot (2008)  and  Cane (2018)  both argue that assignments are inefficient, costly to manage and are the cause of plagiarism problems in universities.

The writer synthesises another relevant source through quotation to further support the point  against assignment-based examinations.

A key argument is that “assessment by examination is a clean-cut approach as you obtain students’ knowledge under supervised circumstances”   (Bable, 2008, p.20) .

The writer could synthesise a number of sources together to show they have applied comprehensive academic research into the topic.

Study skills research by Jones et al. (2010), UCL (2016), Wilson (2017) and Peters (2018) support assessment by assignment because research assignments can be used to assess student learning mid-course and so provide them with helpful feedback.

Study skills research supports assessment by assignment because research assignments can be used to assess student learning mid-course and so provide them with helpful feedback (Jones et al., 2010; UCL, 2016; Wilson, 2017 & Peters, 2018) .

Integral and non-integral referencing

When synthesising sources, it is important to incorporate and reference them accurately. This can be done in two ways:

  • Integral citations are where the author is the main subject of clause and only the year is placed in brackets. A reporting verb ( argue, claim, suggest etc.) is required to introduce the rest of the clause.

2. In non-integral citations, both the author and year is stated in parenthesis at the end of a clause. There must also be a comma separating the name and year.

Synthesis Practice

Suggested answer

Although the main goal of the World Bank is to reduce poverty and foster economic growth in developing countries (Johnson, 2018) , Williams (2019) highlights that there has been an increase in the level of poverty in Africa.

For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the  download below.

Arnold (2019) asserts that the decline of printed newspapers is mainly due to increased online activity overall. As we spend more time on the Internet in general than we did ten years previously, the more likely we are to search for news stories through search engines or blogs (James, 2020).

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  Academic Synthesis: synthesising sources 

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Referencing Guide: Harvard

 This is a basic reference guide to citing and creating a reference list or a bibliography. It shows the correct way to create in-text citations and reference lists for books, journals, online newspapers and websites.   Web page link . TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Referencing: harvard referencing worksheet 1 .

Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list.  Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]  Example  / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Referencing: Harvard Referencing Worksheet 2

This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of Harvard referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task.   Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]  Example  / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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analysis and synthesis in academic writing pdf

Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list. Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example   / Webpage link   / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of APA referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task. Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example   / Webpage link   / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

analysis and synthesis in academic writing pdf

How to use www.citethisforme.com

This lesson is an introduction to using the online reference generator: www.citethisforme.com. It begins by providing a step-by-step guide to using the application and its many functions. The lesson is a task-based activity where students use the reference generator to create bibliography citations.   Worksheet example  Time: 60mins.   Level *** ** [ B1/B2/C1]  / Video / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Paraphrasing Lesson – how to paraphrase effectively

 It starts by discussing the differences between quotation, paraphrase and summary. It takes students through the basics of identifying keywords, finding synonyms and then changing the grammatical structure. There is plenty of practice, all with efficient teacher’s notes.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]   Example  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Paraphrasing Lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills

This lesson helps students to improve their paraphrasing skills. The guided learning approach includes a text analysis activity where students identify the paraphrasing strategies, five sentence-level tasks to practise the strategies and two paragraph-level exercises to build on the previous tasks..  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]   Example  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Students are given a worksheet with nine quotes taken from The New Scientist, BBC News, The Economist, etc… and choose only three. They use these three quotes to write a paragraph trying to paraphrase the quotes and produce a cohesion piece of writing.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Reporting Verbs 

 Use the verbs in the box to put into the sentences on the worksheet. Each sentence has a description of the type of verb needed. Check the grammar of the verb too! Web page link . TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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OASIS: Writing Center

Using evidence: analysis.

Beyond introducing and integrating your paraphrases and quotations, you also need to analyze the evidence in your paragraphs. Analysis is your opportunity to contextualize and explain the evidence for your reader. Your analysis might tell the reader why the evidence is important, what it means, or how it connects to other ideas in your writing.

Note that analysis often leads to synthesis , an extension and more complicated form of analysis. See our synthesis page for more information.

Example 1 of Analysis

Without analysis.

Embryonic stem cell research uses the stem cells from an embryo, causing much ethical debate in the scientific and political communities (Robinson, 2011). "Politicians don't know science" (James, 2010, p. 24). Academic discussion of both should continue (Robinson, 2011).

With Analysis (Added in Bold)

Embryonic stem cell research uses the stem cells from an embryo, causing much ethical debate in the scientific and political communities (Robinson, 2011). However, many politicians use the issue to stir up unnecessary emotion on both sides of the issues. James (2010) explained that "politicians don't know science," (p. 24) so scientists should not be listening to politics. Instead, Robinson (2011) suggested that academic discussion of both embryonic and adult stem cell research should continue in order for scientists to best utilize their resources while being mindful of ethical challenges.

Note that in the first example, the reader cannot know how the quotation fits into the paragraph. Also, note that the word both was unclear. In the revision, however, that the writer clearly (a) explained the quotations as well as the source material, (b) introduced the information sufficiently, and (c) integrated the ideas into the paragraph.

Example 2 of Analysis

Trow (1939) measured the effects of emotional responses on learning and found that student memorization dropped greatly with the introduction of a clock. Errors increased even more when intellectual inferiority regarding grades became a factor (Trow, 1939). The group that was allowed to learn free of restrictions from grades and time limits performed better on all tasks (Trow, 1939).

In this example, the author has successfully paraphrased the key findings from a study. However, there is no conclusion being drawn about those findings. Readers have a difficult time processing the evidence without some sort of ending explanation, an answer to the question so what? So what about this study? Why does it even matter?

Trow (1939) measured the effects of emotional responses on learning and found that student memorization dropped greatly with the introduction of a clock. Errors increased even more when intellectual inferiority regarding grades became a factor (Trow, 1939). The group that was allowed to learn free of restrictions from grades and time limits performed better on all tasks (Trow, 1939). Therefore, negative learning environments and students' emotional reactions can indeed hinder achievement.

Here the meaning becomes clear. The study’s findings support the claim the reader is making: that school environment affects achievement.

Analysis Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

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Synthesis and Novelty for Developing the Framework in Academic Writing

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Philippine Social Science Journal

In academic writing, the authors have to cite other references as the basis of the arguments they have to assert. This citation is important in academic writing. However, writing all the statements in a research paper or article needs analyzing and synthesizing. From this activity, the authors can develop the frameworks for creating the novelty. This article attempts to explain how to quote the statements based on the references and build the framework by synthesizing and creating the novelty. First, the texts cited are rearranged and analyzed using the concept of cohesiveness and coherence. They are presented in tables to see the differences and similarities. Then, they are synthesized. Thus, all references cited are finally ended with the refined arguments as the new ideas as the novelty of the research paper. It can be inferred that by using the concept of cohesiveness and coherence, the authors of academic writing can synthesize all the citations and create novelty. The authors ...

Related Papers

Ambika Prasad Poudel

Academic writing is a kind of formal style of writing practiced mainly in the universities and in publications. Cohesion and coherence, which refer to intra-text connectedness, and the contextual fitness of the ideas, are the essential properties of the texts in academic writing so as to create them (the texts) more comprehensible. This article makes an attempt to acquaint the readers with academic writing; and introduce cohesion and coherence, which add quality in the standard of textuality in academic writing.

analysis and synthesis in academic writing pdf

Writing requires a suitable and strategic use of language with communicative potential and structural correctness. The use of coherence and cohesion helps create communicative potential and structural correctness in texts. This study aims to investigate the use of cohesive items in the abstracts of Pakistani research articles and thereby determine what type of cohesive items are frequently used by writers. In addition, the study aims to know what functions the said writers achieve through the most frequently used cohesive items. For this purpose, 50 abstracts were retrieved from two famous Pakistani research journals (25 articles per journal), which were developed into a corpus for the study and analysed through AntConc. 3.4.4.0. The results revealed that Pakistani research writers used reference items the most frequently to achieve "directive" as well as "referential" functions. On the basis of these findings, the study concluded that Pakistani research article writers organised information in abstracts using reference items the most frequently and they were mainly concerned with directive as well as referential functions of meaning. The results also showed that the said writers organised texts on a syntactic level only, which implied that they should organise texts on a semantic level also. This would be possible with the use of repetition devices.

Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics

Sulis Triyono

FABRIZIO MACAGNO

The Logic of Academic Writing was developed from a practical educational need, namely teaching early-year Ph.D. students some basic ideas on how they can structure their arguments in ways that may make sense for an academic paper to be written and consequently published. The authors' research expertise is in argumentation studies: the discipline that analyzes how arguments are produced, evaluated, and addressed, considering the pragmatic, logical, and dialectical levels. Since academic writing is characterized by supporting an original idea through proofs or arguments, the book focuses on the “logic” of writing, that is, on the reasoning we use for structuring ideas, paragraphs, and papers...the reasoning mechanisms that we use when we develop and organize our ideas, connect them with other ideas, and support them through arguments.

Journal of Language and Education

Elizaveta Smirnova

This paper focuses on referential coherence, which is seen as a crucial attribute of effective academic writing. Findings are reported from a corpus study of Russian students’ research proposals. The learners’ use of anaphoric expressions is compared with a reference corpus, which comprises research articles published in peer-reviewed journals. It was hypothesised that learners use anaphora less frequently than professional writers and face some difficulties when using anaphoric expressions. The results of the analysis partly confirmed the hypothesis and allowed the identification of particular problems connected with the students’ use of anaphoric expressions, which were then classified into several groups. Examples of exercises aimed at dealing with the identified problems are also provided. It is hoped that the reported findings, as well as the author’s suggested reasons for the problems and possible ways of dealing with them, will be useful for EAP practitioners, researchers, an...

Yudi Juniardi

This study is aimed to describe and explain the coherence unity of students' research paper abstract at English department of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University. Then also, this study is to investigate meaning relationship in process coherence and unity of the text. In this study, qualitative descriptive method was applied. The data of the research were sentences or paragraphs of students abstract of research paper. Data were collected through observation and documentation technique. Data were verify through contextual semantic and the reliability of data was analyzed through stability technique, observe and read the data continuously. Classified and reduced data were analyzed through descriptive technique and principle of discourse analysis approach. Various analysis approach also were used in analyzed coherence of abstract discourse. This analyses applied Shiffrin rule which explained that structure consists of syntagmatic and paradigmatic structure This study conclude that students abstract research have narrative style. Semantic relations in building coherence of abstract discourse are causality, amplicative, and extensive relationship. The variety of sentence and the way in expressing content need to be improved. Students should use their creativity in composing an abstract. In other word, students are less optimal in their language productivity.

Gerhard Jaritz

espanolLos paisajes culturales “representan el trabajo combinado de la naturaleza y el hombre” (UNESCO). En la Baja Edad Media, imagenes de paisajes lograron convertirse en un medio habitual para crear o fortalecer la identidad de los observadores al mostrar, por ejemplo, vistas de su hermosa ciudad, su comunidad minera exitosa o sus territorios bien gobernados. Hoy en dia, los metodos para crear y preservar identidad con la ayuda de paisajes culturales y de su representacion son, sin duda, en cierta forma distintos a aquellos de la epoca medieval, pero son tambien sorprendentemente similares y en ninguna manera menos importantes. EnglishCultural landscapes “represent the combined work of nature and man” (UNESCO). In the late Middle Ages, images of them could become a popular means to create or strengthen the identity of their beholders showing, for instance, views of one’s beautiful town, one’s successful mining community or one’s well governed territory. Today’s methods to create ...

Mattia Soldan

In this paper, we introduce the task of retrieving relevant video moments from a large corpus of untrimmed, unsegmented videos given a natural language query. Our task poses unique challenges as a system must efficiently identify both the relevant videos and localize the relevant moments in the videos. This task is in contrast to prior work that localizes relevant moments in a single video or searches a large collection of already-segmented videos. For our task, we introduce Clip Alignment with Language (CAL), a model that aligns features for a natural language query to a sequence of short video clips that compose a candidate moment in a video. Our approach goes beyond prior work that aggregates video features over a candidate moment by allowing for finer clip alignment. Moreover, our approach is amenable to efficient indexing of the resulting clip-level representations, which makes it suitable for moment localization in large video collections. We evaluate our approach on three rec...

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  1. LibGuides: Writing Resources: Synthesis and Analysis

    Synthesis: the combination of ideas to. form a theory, system, larger idea, point or outcome. show commonalities or patterns. Analysis: a detailed examination. of elements, ideas, or the structure of something. can be a basis for discussion or interpretation. Synthesis and Analysis: combine and examine ideas to.

  2. PDF ACADEMIC WRITING

    Academic writing is built upon three truths that aren't self-evident: - Writing is Thinking: While "writing" is traditionally understood as the expression of thought, we'll redefine "writing" as the thought process itself. Writing is not what you do with thought. Writing is thinking. - Writing is a Process: Both the ...

  3. PDF Introduction: On Academic Writing and Chapter 1: The Interrelated

    Writing well takes work, and all writers can become better through practice, self-analysis, and assistance. The book is organized according to the three "acts" of academic writing: summary (identifying key information), analysis (examining how a text works), and synthesis (creating independent scholarship).

  4. PDF Synthesis EXAMPLE AEUK

    Synthesis. Aim: To understand and be able to synthesise sources. Time: 60 minutes & homework task. Delivery: This lesson can be delivered face-to-face or online. For online delivery, each worksheet could be placed in a class document on OneDrive.

  5. PDF Writing A Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix

    The synthesis matrix is a chart that allows a researcher to sort and categorize the different arguments presented on an issue. Across the top of the chart are the spaces to record sources, and along the side of the chart are the spaces to record the main points of argument on the topic at hand. As you examine your first source, you will work ...

  6. PDF Synthesizing Sources: Definitions and Guiding Questions What is Synthesis?

    academic writing, including literature reviews, relies heavily on synthesis. Writing a synthesis is like building a quilt. Imagine yourself taking each of your sources, tearing ... Remember that summary is intended only to provide background for your analysis of the links and patterns that connect the texts. You only need to summarize the ...

  7. Synthesizing Sources

    Critical writing requires that you communicate your analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of those findings to your audience. You analyze and synthesize even before you compose your first draft. In an article called, "Teaching Conventions of Academic Discourse," Teresa Thonney outlines six standard features of academic writing.

  8. Why It Matters: Analysis and Synthesis

    Why It Matters: Analysis and Synthesis. The skills of analysis and synthesis are vital to academic writing; they are necessary for you to establish your ethos with fellow scholars and professionals in your field. In academic writing, you must first research and understand the conversation around a specific topic before you can attempt to add to it.

  9. Synthesis

    A common example in academic writing is a scholarly paragraph that includes a main idea, evidence from multiple sources, and analysis of those multiple sources together. Global Synthesis Global synthesis occurs at the paper (or, sometimes, section) level when writers connect ideas across paragraphs or sections to create a new narrative whole.

  10. PDF A Sequence for Academic Writing

    Guidelines for Writing Syntheses 103 Writing an Explanatory Synthesis 103 Demonstration: Explanatory Synthesis— The "Idea" of Money 104 Exercise 6.1: Exploring the Topic 104 A Brief History of Money: Or, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Abstraction—James Surowiecki 105 Apple, Banks in Talks on Mobile

  11. PDF 1. Planning a Synthesis Paper

    students better use synthesis in their writing and will offer strategies in the areas of: (1) pre-writing, (2) writing, (3) recognizing and (4) revising for synthesis. A common strategy for planning a synthesis paper is to create a "grid of common points." To create a grid follow these steps (note: be sure to see example grid on next page): 1.

  12. Summarizing and synthesizing

    Writing group program reduces academic procrastination: a quasi-experimental study. ... Evaluation and analysis phase. A strong synthesis must demonstrate a critical analysis of the papers as well as an integration of analytical results; this is the voice of the synthesis writer, interpreting the relationships of the cited works as they are ...

  13. Synthesis

    A common type of synthesis in academic writing, for example, is a literature review in which the researcher-writer collects, compares, and shows connections or differences among different scholarly sources as well as gaps in the research. With academic writing foremost in mind, Lumen Learning defines synthesis as "analysis across sources ...

  14. Synthesis

    Synthesis is an important element of academic writing, demonstrating comprehension, analysis, evaluation and original creation. With synthesis you extract content from different sources to create an original text. While paraphrase and summary maintain the structure of the given source (s), with synthesis you create a new structure.

  15. (PDF) Developing students' academic writing skills through the use of

    The professional development goal focuses on developing students' academic writing skills through the strategic implementation of Bloom's taxonomy strategies, specifically analysis, synthesis, and ...

  16. Synthesis of sources / how to synthesis in academic writing

    Synthesis is a key feature of analytical academic writing. It is the skill of being able to combine a number of sources in a clause, paragraph or text to either support an argument or refute it. We also synthesise sources to be able to compare and contrast ideas and to further expand on a point. It is important that the writer shows the reader ...

  17. Analysis

    Analysis is your opportunity to contextualize and explain the evidence for your reader. Your analysis might tell the reader why the evidence is important, what it means, or how it connects to other ideas in your writing. Note that analysis often leads to synthesis, an extension and more complicated form of analysis.

  18. PDF www.ijcer.net Writing Synthesis Texts: Effect of Synthesis Text Writing

    synthesis writing education, content learning, and literacy activities in the synthesis text writing process were examined. De La Paz and Felton (2010) examined the impact of historical reasoning strategy instruction in their ... center of Hatay in the 2017-2018 academic year. There were 26 students in the experimental group and 25

  19. Synthesis

    In a summary, you share the key points from an individual source and then move on and summarize another source. In synthesis, you need to combine the information from those multiple sources and add your own analysis of the literature. This means that each of your paragraphs will include multiple sources and citations, as well as your own ideas ...

  20. (PDF) Written Synthesis in Academic Writing

    Written Synthesis in Academic Writing. Silvia Del Longo. 2011, 1st Interdisciplinary Linguistics Conference. This exploratory study is part of a larger investigation on the writing competences of Italian college students who will become primary school teachers. In that research 120 freshers were administered a writing test, suitably designed to ...

  21. Academic Reading & Writing

    Academic reading & Writing - Analysis and Synthesis of Academic Writing Material - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free.

  22. (PDF) Synthesis and Novelty for Developing the Framework in Academic

    This study provides examples of analysis based on the references cited, then presented in paragraphs to show the difference between the academic writing that is not synthesized and synthesized. This is based on the concepts of coherence, cohesion, synthesis, novelty as in the framework of this study (see Figure 2).

  23. (PDF) Writing from Sources for Academic Purposes: A Synthesis of Recent

    planning, writing, revising, and editing; relevance and authority of. achieve purposes, express. contradictions, etc. (Thompson, Morton, & Storch, 2013) (2) Students "lacked the confidence and ...