Applied Practical Research1 Q1 M17 Synthesizing Information From Relevant Literature
Applied Practical Research1 Q1 M17 Synthesizing Information From Relevant Literature
Applied Practical Research1 Q1 M17 Synthesizing Information From Relevant Literature
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
Quarter 1 - Module 17
Putting All the Pieces Together
Practical Research 1
Quarter 1 – Module 17– Putting All the Pieces Together
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Objectives: Specifically, after working on this module, you should be able to:
1. Define synthesis.
2. Apply the key considerations in synthesizing information.
3. Synthesize information from relevant literature.
Before we start, let’s see how well you know the topic. Do this on a separate sheet of
paper.
I. Which do you think is the synthesized example between these paragraphs below?
A.
Franz (2008) studied undergraduate online students. He looked at 17 females
and 18 males and found that none of them liked APA. According to Franz, the
evidence suggested that all students are reluctant to learn citations style. Perez
(2010) also studies undergraduate students. She looked at 42 females and 50
males and found that males were significantly more inclined to use citation
software (p < .05). Findings suggest that females might graduate sooner.
Goldstein (2012) looked at British undergraduates. Among a sample of 50, all
females, all confident in their abilities to cite and were eager to write their
dissertations.
The Chicago School
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B.
Studies of undergraduate students reveal conflicting conclusions regarding
relationships between advanced scholarly study and citation efficacy. Although
Franz (2008) found that no participants enjoyed learning citation style, Goldstein
(2012) determined in a larger study that all participants watched felt comfortable
citing sources, suggesting that variables among participant and control group
populations must be examined more closely. Although Perez (2010) expanded on
Franz's original study with a larger, more diverse sample...
The Chicago School
II. Cite at least three reasons why you think it is the synthesized example.
1. ______________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________
Directions: Look up their meaning in the dictionary. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. demonstrative -__________________________________________
2. possessive -_____________________________________________
Congratulations, learner!
You did well in preparing yourself with the needed skills to further
understand this lesson. With this, enjoyable tasks await you in your journey.
Good luck!
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YOUR INITIAL TASK
YOUR GUIDE
When you write a literature review or essay, you have to go beyond just summarizing the
articles you’ve read – you need to synthesize the literature to show how it all fits together
(and how your own research fits in).
Synthesizing simply means combining. Instead of summarizing the main points of each
source in turn, you put together the ideas and findings of multiple sources in order to make an
overall point.
At the most basic level, this involves looking for similarities and differences between your
sources. Your synthesis should show the reader where the sources overlap and where they
diverge.
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Here are the key steps in synthesizing information from relevant literature.
There are a few different approaches you can take to help you structure your synthesis.
If your sources cover a broad time period, and you found patterns in how researchers
approached the topic over time, you can organize your discussion chronologically.
That doesn’t mean you just summarize each paper in chronological order; instead, you
should group articles into time periods and identify what they have in common, as well as
signaling important turning points or developments in the literature.
That means that each paragraph or section focuses on a specific theme and explains how
that theme is approached in the literature.
If your topic involves a debate between different schools of thought, you can organize
it theoretically.
That means comparing the different theories that have been developed and grouping
together papers based on the position or perspective they take on the topic, as well as
evaluating which arguments are most convincing.
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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.
A topic sentence can be a simple summary of the paragraph’s content:
For an effective synthesis, you can use topic sentences to link back to the previous paragraph,
highlighting a point of debate or critique:
“While recent research has attempted to address the problem, many of these
studies have methodological flaws that limit their validity.”
By using topic sentences, you can ensure that your paragraphs are coherent and clearly show
the connections between the articles you are discussing.
As you write your paragraphs, avoid quoting directly from sources: use your own words to
explain the commonalities and differences that you found in the literature.
Don’t try to cover every single point from every single source – the key to synthesizing is to
extract the most important and relevant information and combine it to give your reader an
overall picture of the state of knowledge on your topic.
Like any other piece of academic writing, synthesizing literature doesn’t happen all in
one go – it involves redrafting, revising, editing and proofreading your work.
Whether you’re synthesizing literature for an essay, a literature review, or any other
paper, you should make sure you can answer yes to all these questions.
Direction: Choose a minor historical event or a short period in the life of a famous person.
Find what four reputable sources say on the subject and write a narrative combining the
information. Imagine your reader to be a high school student with a strong interest in history.
Then write a 150-to-200-word synthesis incorporating all information that seem relevant to the
topic. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
CRITERIA
Relevance of Sources - 30
Accuracy of Details - 30
Organization - 30
Overall Impact - 10
___________
TOTAL 100
LET’S SUM IT UP
Source 1: As everyone who uses Microsoft PowerPoint knows, it is not actually used to
communicate ideas, but rather to not communicate ideas. Forget the advertisement about how
PowerPoint helps you to “organize, illustrate and deliver your ideas professionally.” It’s not
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used for anything of the sort. A PowerPoint slide presentation, with its neatly ordered bullets,
generic clip art, bold, clear typeface and bright colours effectively hides the fact that you
don’t really have very much to say. Joe Jackson, 2001
Source 2: Most people use the same software for presentations and, inevitably, it makes us
do
things in a similar way. Everything is reduced to a few bullet points, which makes it hard to
introduce complex ideas and guide people through a critical thinking process. PowerPoint
turns almost every presentation into something similar to a sales presentation, when that’s not
always required. Maybe the problem isn’t so much with the software as with the apparent lack
of alternatives. Selena Maranjian, 2003
Source 3: Despite PowerPoint’s bad reputation, it’s still possible to use it as a powerful tool
to enhance your presentation; just follow these three simple steps. First, stop using the
templates, they make the viewing experience boring. Second, don’t use text, fill your slides
with images and colour instead. Finally, make the audience focus on you to explain
everything in your presentation. Cliff Atkinson, 2003
YOUR REFLECTION/S
How will synthesizing the different materials you gathered help in the research you
are conducting? Write your reflections on your notebook.
Congratulations!
You have once again conquered another set of challenges.
See you again in the next module.
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References:
McCombes, S. (2020, March 28). How to synthesize written information from multiple sources. Simply
Psychology.
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ANSWER KEY
Let’s Sum it up
Answers may vary.
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(e.g. Furthermore, Maranjian (2003) believes that because so many people use the same
software, it is inevitable that their presentations look similar. The problem may be lack of
alternatives.)
Step 11: Underline the key ideas in the third paragraph you are going to use:
Despite PowerPoint’s bad reputation, it’s still possible to use it as a powerful tool to enhance
your presentation; just follow these three simple steps. First, stop using the templates, they
make the viewing experience boring. Second, don’t use text, fill your slides with images and
colour instead. Finally, make the audience focus on you to explain everything in your
presentation. Cliff Atkinson, 2003
Step 12: Introduce the last writer’s ideas
(e.g. On the other hand, Atkinson (2003) asserts that)
Step 13: Paraphrase the last writer’s ideas
(e.g. On the other hand, Atkinson (2003) asserts that while PowerPoint has a bad reputation,
it can still be used to support presentations effectively.)
Step 14: Write a sentence to introduce the topic
Although PowerPoint is widely used to make presentations, there are conflicting ideas about
its usefulness.
Step 15: Check the completed synthesis to make sure that there are no changes of meaning.
Although PowerPoint is widely used to make presentations, there are conflicting ideas about
its usefulness. Jackson (2001) claims that people don’t use PowerPoint to communicate ideas;
instead, they use it to hide the fact that they don’t really have any ideas to communicate.
Furthermore, Maranjian (2003) believes that because so many people use the same software,
it is inevitable that their presentations look similar. The problem may be lack of alternatives.
On the other hand, Atkinson (2003) asserts that while PowerPoint has a bad reputation, it
can still be used to support presentations effectively
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