Synthesis Summary

Synthesis Summary Guidelines

Semester 2, 2011/12

Kinds of articles (sources) to be used (with guidance from lecturers)

1. Book

2. Journal

3. Newspaper

These articles must be on the same subject.

* e.g. If the student is looking at the influence of fashion on adolescents, both articles will need to speak to the influence of such. The articles will therefore need to cover enough ground on the narrowed topic identified so as to have sufficient themes/points of focus to compare and contrast.

Synthesis assignment

1. Students will summarise each of the two articles independently in no more than 150-200 words Reference detail is to be included in APA format.

2. Synthesize both summaries in approximately 250-300 words, using the preferred strategy of comparison and contrast.  These techniques will enable students to examine two subjects (or sources) in terms of one another. By comparing and contrasting, students perform a multifaceted analysis that often suggests subtleties that otherwise might not have come to their attention.

3. To organize a comparison/contrast analysis, students must carefully read sources in order to discover significant criteria for analysis. A criterion is a specific point to which both of your authors refer and about which they may agree or disagree. The best criteria are those that allow you not only to account for obvious similarities and differences between sources but also to plumb deeper, to more subtle and significant similarities and differences. See two structures for such analysis below:

 BY SOURCE |  BY CRITERIA |

I. Introduce essay, state thesis |  I. Introduce essay, state thesis |

II. Summarize passage A |  II. Introduce Criterion 1 |

  A. View on Criterion I |   A. Passage A's viewpoint |

  B. View on Criterion 2 |   B. Passage B's viewpoint |

III. Summarize passage B | III. Introduce Criterion 2 |

  A. View on Criterion 1 |   A. Passage A's viewpoint |

  B. View on Criterion 2...