1. Synthesizing the Literature
Amber Cook
Associate Director
Writing Center
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2. Unique Writing Center Slide Decks
Slide decks for Writing Center-led residency sessions are not located in Blackboard or SharePoint
Instead, the unique slide decks for all Writing Center-led residency sessions are uploaded to the Writing Center’s Residencies Webpage 5 days before the first day of each residency

3. Learning Objectives After this session, you will be able to:
Define paraphrasing, summary, and synthesis
Identify synthesis within individual paragraphs and in a complete draft/paper
Synthesize literature to successfully meet academic writing standards

4. Synthesis is both local and global:
PARAGRAPHS
SECTIONS

5. Local: The Building Blocks of Synthesis
Summary: Broad overview of important general information in your own words and sentence structure.
Paraphrase: Articulation of a specific passage or idea in your own words and sentence structure.
Synthesis: New interpretation of summarized or paraphrased details in your own words and sentence structure.

6. Summary Example
Jones (2010) argued that electronic medical records (EMRs) make care for patients more reliable and thorough. The author cited many instances of medication mismanagement and lack of treatment records that could have been avoided with consistently applied EMRs (Jones, 2010). The evidence in the article was persuasive, but Jones did not address the training and implementation costs of such systems.

7. Effective Paraphrasing Strategy
5. Cite
4. Look for borrowed phrasing
3. Compare with original
2. Write in your own words
1. Read to understand
So, if paraphrasing is essential to paragraphs in academic writing, how do we effectively paraphrase the outside sources we choose to use? To create an effective summary of a source, there are five sure fire steps to take.
They include: reading to understand, writing in your own words, comparing your paraphrase with the original, using quotation marks to highlight any borrowed phrasing, and inserting a citation at the end of each sentence that contains paraphrased information.
Now that we have an outline of the paraphrasing process, lets go into a little more depth with each of these items on the list.

8. Ineffective Paraphrasing Strategies
1. Avoid switching out or changing around of a few words in an author's sentence(s) for use in your paper.
2. Avoid failing to acknowledge (through an in-text citation or direct quotes) the outside source from which you obtained your information or ideas.
3. Avoid acknowledging the author in an in-text citation but failing to include quotation marks around any terms or phrasing that you have borrowed from the author.
Note that any of the unsuccessful elements of paraphrasing are considered plagiarism in your essay, even if these paraphrasing missteps are unintentional.

9. Paraphrase Example
Original: “Patients trusted their providers and believed that their healthcare was safe and of high quality, despite considerable empirical evidence to the contrary.” (Hyman & Silver, 2012, p. 417)
First-draft paraphrase: Patients believed providers and trusted in the safety and quality of their healthcare, despite much evidence suggesting otherwise (Hyman & Silver, 2012).
Revised paraphrase: Even though researchers raised safety and quality concerns for patient care, patients still placed trust in their healthcare providers (Hyman & Silver, 2012).

10. From Paraphrasing to Synthesis
…to form a new narrative using your own words and sentence structure
Combining source information…

11. Introduction to Synthesis
Remember, synthesis is a new interpretation of summarized or paraphrased details in your own words and sentence structure to create a new whole.
Detective
Identify a research problem;
Draw key ideas from literature about that problem;
Connect those ideas in a logical narrative.
Lawyer
Build a case about connections between key ideas;
Persuade readers in a logical narrative.
Puzzle master
Fit arguments together to reveal the state of this topic.

12. Synthesis: Imagine a dinner party…
Author B
Author C
Author A
Author D
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

13. Synthesis Strategies Word choice Sentence Paragraph
Synthesis should be present throughout your text.
Word choice
Sentence
Paragraph

14. Synthesis Example
First-draft synthesis: Horsley (2015) found that teacher workshops that were only 1 day long were more intellectually superficial. Porter (2016) noted that teachers reported being less satisfied with 1-day workshops.
Revised synthesis: Horsley (2015) found that teacher workshops that were only 1 day long were more intellectually superficial. Additionally, Porter (2016) noted that teachers reported being less satisfied with 1-day workshops. Administrators should avoid these short workshops, aiming for longer workshops that teachers perceive as more substantial.

15. Synthesis Strategies: Paragraph Organization
Main idea: Your topic sentence stating the focus of the paragraph (usually no citation necessary). Evidence: Your paraphrase (or, rarely, direct quotation) from source(s) to support your topic sentence’s focus. Analysis: Your explanation and evaluation of the evidence you provided and its relevance in your own words. Lead out: Your wrap-up for paragraph, leading your reader to transition to the next paragraph (and the next point).

16. MEAL Plan: Example
Research on social media’s effect on high school students is still in its preliminary stages with no clear conclusions.
While Peterson (2008) noted that 83% of teenagers claimed that social media had no impact on their academic performance, Carol (2010) found teenagers who used social media reported a higher dissatisfaction with their academics than did teenagers who use little or no social media.
However, both authors neglect the possibility that the students are simply not aware of the negative aspects of social media.
We can not be sure, therefore, exactly how social media might effect high school students until more studies are conducted in this area.

17. Synthesis Strategies: Transitions
Signify connections among ideas, assertions, assessments, and research
Used at the individual sentence and paragraph levels
Show the following relationships:
Additional Information, Causation, Chronology, Concession, Contradiction, Examples, Sequence, Summary, Conclusion/Summation
Detailed list of transition examples

18. Synthesis Strategies: Common Mistakes
Instead of this…
Do this…
Two or more sources in a paragraph —period
Make a relationship between sources apparent...be descriptive and precise
Random synthesis word “thrown in” for good measure
Use words deliberately. Ex. A word like “agrees” should be reserved for occasions when a real relationship is being explored
Quotes upon quotes
Paraphrase and write with purpose: Are these quotes furthering my own ideas, or am I just compiling quotes?
Too much of one source
Use and explore multiple sources
Organization based solely on authors, not ideas
Organize your paper around ideas, not authors

19. Knowledge Check: Identifying Synthesis in Paragraphs
Table Chat: Is the following paragraph an example of effective synthesis? Why or why not?
Use of academic writing centers can be an effective way for students to improve writing assignment grades. In particular, Marks and Smith (2017) found students who used the writing center at least three times during one academic semester scored, on average, four points higher in the course than their peers who did not use the center. However, Marks and Smith (2017) also pointed out that after the third visit, subsequent writing center visits did not further increase the student’s overall grade. Based on these findings, it appears that students should make a point to schedule three writing center sessions per term to ensure the best writing grades in their courses.

20. Knowledge Check: Identifying Synthesis in Paragraphs
Table Chat: Is the following paragraph an example of effective synthesis? Why or why not?
In an online learning environment, encouraging active student participation is a unique challenge. Because students cannot physically raise their hands or participate in an on-site course discussion, instructors often use an asynchronous virtual discussion board as a replacement for traditional classroom engagement (Harper, 2017). Barnes and Cook (2015) found one effective method of encouraging student participation in the virtual discussion board was to require regular discussion and responses as part of students’ weekly participation grade. However, Riner, Cooper, and Hawks (2016) pointed out that attaching discussion responses to students’ participation grade often resulted in superficial engagement from students. To encourage substantive responses and active participation in the discussion board, instructors should use a rubric to grade not only initial discussion posts but also student responses.

21. Global: Synthesis and the Bigger Picture
local
global
PARAGRAPHS
SECTIONS

22. Global: Synthesis and the Bigger Picture
NOT only created by connecting ideas in paragraphs and sections.
Must also think about synthesis at the global or whole-paper level.
Your goal is to create a cohesive narrative in your text:
Reasserting main ideas
Organizing by themes
Using clear transitions between paragraphs and sections
Using clear and logical headings
Arranging your headings in an overall structure

23. Global Synthesis: Remember that dinner party…
Author B
Author C
Author A
Author D
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

24. Global: Synthesis and the Bigger Picture

25. Global-Level Synthesis: Organization
Use an Outline or a Mind Map
Arrange major themes and their supporting ideas according to their relevance to your project
Establish a hierarchy oriented around a single focus for your research
Put your ideas in a logical, beginning-to-end order

26. Global-Level Synthesis: Organization
Research Notes
Author A (2011): single mothers, working parents, wage gaps
Author B (2013): childcare cost increases, demographics at daycare, single fathers
Author C (2010): parent-child relationships, role of working caregivers, styles of parenting
Thematic Outline
Financial cost to single parenting: Author A (2011), Author B (2013)
Socioeconomic status and parenting styles: Author B (2013), Author C (2010)
Working and raising children: Author A (2011), Author C (2010)

27. Global-Level Synthesis: Organization
Overall Focus
Major Topic
Sub-Topic
Minor Point

28. Use the Matrix to Create an Outline1.
Read articles and fill out the matrix 2.
Analyze and reflect on the articles based on the categories in the matrix 3.
Take notes on any relationships you discover/formulate between ideas, themes, concepts, theories, etc. 4.
Determine if the articles are useful and pertinent to your research or topic 5.
Rank the materials to discern what is most applicable 6.
Create an outline based on your findings in the matrix

29. Organizing Sources to Create Synthesis: Literature Review Matrix

30. Global-Level Synthesis: Outline Example
Single Parenting
Financial Costs: Author A, B, & C
Emotional Costs: Author B & C
Parenting Methods
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian: Author C
Authoritative: Author B
Permissive: Author A & C
Uninvolved: Author B & C
Impact on Child Development…

31. Global Level Synthesis: Use Headings to Convey Organization
Single Parenting Financial Costs Emotional Costs Parenting Methods Parenting Styles Authoritarian. Authoritative. Permissive. Impact on Child Development
Review APA guidelines for heading levels

32. Activity: Organize the following headings to create cohesive global-level organization
Student engagement in virtual residencies
Student table discussions
Student chat box responses
Student engagement in face-to-face residencies
Meeting with support staff
Networking with fellow students
Student use of webcams
Question and answer sessions
Paper Assignment: Compare and Contrast student engagement in Walden’s residency environments

33. Global-Level Synthesis: Dissertation Example
Dr. Wayne Wallace, 2016 Harold L. Hodgkinson Award winner (download Wallace’s dissertation)

34. Global-Level Synthesis: Dissertation Example
Dr. Saulat Jahan, 2014 Harold L. Hodgkinson Award winner (download Wallace’s dissertation)
Reflect: Do these headings flow? Are they organized well? Do they give you narrative clues as a reader?

35. Synthesis Revisited
Synthesis requires knowledge of the building blocks of summary and paraphrasing
Develop synthesis by writing across the literature, organizing by relationships between ideas
Synthesis occurs within and between paragraphs and sections of a draft
Synthesis occurs at the global or complete-draft level

36. Writing Help at the Residency and Beyond
Additional help AT the residency:
Advising
Other Writing Center sessions
or chat us AFTER the residency:
Website and other services