Confirmation of Candidature Summarising, paraphrasing and synthesising Helen Thursby

Why write summaries ? to give an overview of the work of one or more authors to give a brief outline of an argument to indicate the support given for and/or against some position you are taking in your argument.

Notemaking Why make notes when reading? enhance comprehension retain content note questions and comments for future reference guide summary writing and paraphrasing

Summarising (a) In your writing you may make a summary from: one or more paragraphs an entire article, chapter or complete work a combination of readings with similar ideas from: one or more paragraphs an entire article, chapter or complete work a combination of readings with similar ideas Activity 2: Identify summaries in academic writing

Summarising (b) When summarising another’s information or ideas, you should: keep the author's main ideas avoid simply copying the author's words make it clear which ideas are the author's and which are your own give reference details. Activity 3 – on handout

Paraphrasing (a) is to rewrite something 'in your own words'. demonstrates that you understand the writing of another (because it is in your own words). Activity 4: How paraphrasing works

Paraphrasing (b) Keep the meaning the same as the original writing Change most of the words except for technical terms Restructure the sentence patterns Blend with the sentence (use reporting words) Reference the source/s of information Activity 5: on handout

Synthesising sources Draws together common ideas between various sources into one statement. Also involves comparing and contrasting with various sources.

Synthesis of sources example Adapted from Tyson, G.A., Lambert, W.G., Beattie, L. (1995). The quality of psychiatric nurses’ interactions with patients: an observational study [Electronic version]. The International Journal of Nursing Studies, 32(1), Relatively little research has been done on the way in which psychiatric nurses spend their working day or on the nature of their interactions. The few observational studies that have been done have shown fairly consistent patterns of activities, despite the use of different methodologies and subject populations (Fairbanks et al., 1977; Handy, 1991; Hodges et al., 1986; McGuire et al., 1977; Poole et al.,, 1981; Sandford and Elzinga, 1990; Sanson-Fisher et al., 1979). A relatively large amount of time, varying from 25 to over 50% was spent on administrative or task- oriented activities. On the other hand, the percentage of total time spent interacting with patients was low, ranging from 8.2 to 42.5%, with a mean of 17.6%. The figure of 42.5% reported in the study by Hodges et al. (1986) was unusually high and possibly reflects the fact that it was obtained in a chronic, closed ward with a very structured program that was designed to foster contact, whereas all the other data come mainly from short-term units.

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