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Synthesizing Information

Synthesizing involves combining different ideas to form new understandings. It requires summarizing, paraphrasing, analyzing, and inferring from sources. The RES method is outlined for synthesizing which involves reading sources, editing notes, and synthesizing ideas. A multi-step process for synthesizing literature is also provided.

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31 views3 pages

Synthesizing Information

Synthesizing involves combining different ideas to form new understandings. It requires summarizing, paraphrasing, analyzing, and inferring from sources. The RES method is outlined for synthesizing which involves reading sources, editing notes, and synthesizing ideas. A multi-step process for synthesizing literature is also provided.

Uploaded by

ianeintia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Synthesizing Information

What is Synthesizing?

The prefix “syn” in synthesis means together. Hence,


synthesizing is pulling together different ideas to come up with a
new, bigger idea. It is an on-going process where old and new
knowledge, experiences, opinions add up, blend, and fit together
to create new understanding.
To illustrate: Idea 1 + Idea 2 + Own Ideas = New Ideas
To be able to synthesize, you must also know how to:
Summarize -To shorten a long text by writing the main points
in your own words Paraphrase -To put a passage from
source material into your own words similar in length as the
original Analyze - To break complex topic into smaller parts.
Example: breaking down a cake into its ingredients.Infer- To
use observation and background to reach a logical
conclusion

How to Synthesize?
The RES Method

For you to be able to synthesize essential information, this


approach could help you.
R – Read two different sources about a topic and jot
down important ideas.

E – Edit notes and put together similar concepts.


S – Synthesize by combining notes with what you
already know about the topic.

However, to help you declutter your ideas in synthesizing


essential information, the following steps can also be of
great help;
Step 1: Organize your sources

After collecting the relevant literature, you need to organize


your notes in a way that allows you to see the relationships
between sources. You can get relevant information from the
following sources. Print Sources Books and Textbooks,
Newspapers, Academic and Trade Journals, Government
Reports and Legal Documents, Press Releases and
Advertising, Flyers, Pamphlets, and Leaflets Digital and
Electronic Sources Multimedia, Websites, Blogs and personal
websites, Social media pages and message boards.
Step 2: Outline your structure

With a clear overview of the main connections and


differences between the sources you’ve read, you need to
decide how you’ll group them together and the order in which
you’ll discuss them.
Step 3: Write paragraphs with topic sentences

What sets a synthesis apart from a summary is that it


combines various sources. 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.This is called a
topic sentence, and it usually appears at the start of the
paragraph. The topic sentence signals what the whole
paragraph is about; every sentence in the paragraph should
be clearly related to it.
Step 4: Revise, edit and proofread

Like any other piece of academic writing, synthesizing


literature involves redrafting, revising, editing and
proofreading. In writing your synthesis, the following verbs
can be of help. DON’T FORGET, to use the following terms
when quoting your source.
asserts, highlights, illustrates, portrays, suggests, aurgues,
conveys, contends, explains, claims

To show agreement, use the following:


Similarly, also, likewise, equally, furthermore

To show disagreement, the following words can be used:


On the other hand, on the contrary unlike, Although, despite,
otherwise, Conversely where

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