Synthesizing Information And Integrating Sources Pdf
In this article, you will learn information about Synthesizing Information And Integrating Sources in your writing with Images and Examples. So let’s Start.
What does it mean to synthesize information?
Synthesizing information means taking information from multiple sources and putting the information together in order to make a point.
- Students are often asked to read information from multiple sources and draw conclusions.
- Students then form an opinion based on the information gained from the sources and based on the information the writer already has on a topic.
- Students are asked to write about that opinion in some type of academic writing.
- To effectively prove one’s opinion or point, a writer should synthesize the ideas of multiple sources and explain the point in his or her own words.
- When synthesizing ideas to prove a point, a writer will need to integrate ideas from multiple sources into one piece of writing. It is important that a writer gives credit to the original source to avoid plagiarizing others’ work.
- It is also important to clearly introduce a source and connect it to the other ideas in the paragraph using the proper format. In this case, MLA format.
Integrating Source Example
Take a look at this paragraph that integrates evidence from a source. When citing the information from a source in a piece of writing, it is important to introduce where the information is coming from.
Use a signal phrase
A signal phrase lets the audience know that a quote or paraphrase is coming up in the paragraph.
- Here is a list of commonly used signal phrases. When citing information from a source, it is also important to apply the proper punctuation marks to show which words are yours and which you are borrowing from your source.
- After the information you have directly quoted or paraphrased, include an in-text citation. An in-text citation is written in parentheses and includes the author’s last name and the page number if there is one. The last name of the author you provide should also be found on your Works Cited page at the end of your essay.
- This allows your audience to have the needed information to access the full source if needed.
Dropped Quotation
Notice in this example, the writer did not introduce the source before the quote. This is an example of a dropped quote which is when a writer just drops in a quote in a paragraph without giving the audience any context of the source or introducing where the quote is from.
Integrated Quotation
Writers want to avoid just dropping in a quote. Instead, a writer should integrate the information into his or her own writing and let the audience know who the source of the information is.
AXES format
One format to use to support a writer in integrating sources that support a point that is being made is the AXES format.
Assertion
The AXES format includes an assertion which is the point a writer is making and proving in his or her paragraph.
A paragraph written with the AXES format also includes examples that support the assertion.
Example
The examples are the evidence that a writer is synthesizing.
Explanation
Next, is the explanation that a writer is providing to connect and explain how the evidence a writer includes supports and proves the assertion.
There should be multiple sentences of explanation that are woven throughout a paragraph.
Significance
Finally, a sentence that provides an audience with the significance of the point should close the paragraph. This is an opportunity to connect the paragraph with the thesis statement of the essay.
Here is an example of a student’s paragraph that uses the AXES format to integrate evidence into a paragraph. keep looking at the article to read the student’s paragraph and identify the assertion.
- The evidence
- The sentences of explanation
- The significance statement
In this paragraph, the student’s assertion is To be successful, students need great support and guidance from their teachers to achieve their academic goals. This sentence is showing that in the paragraph, the writer will be proving the point that in order to be successful, students need support and guidance from their teachers.
Examples from two different sources have been integrated into this paragraph to support the writer’s assertion.
- The first piece of evidence that is used is from the reading Cycle of Socialization
- the second is from Jean Anyons Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work.
- Notice how the writer does not just drop in the quotes. Instead, the writer has introduced each with the title and the name of the author, as well as with signal phrases.
- After each quote, the writer includes an in-text citation to show the audience who the authors are for the original work and the page numbers where these quotes can be found.
- The audience can then go to the Works Cited page at the end of the essay to find additional information about these two texts.
- The writer has synthesized information from two different sources but did not include the evidence from the sources back to back. Instead, the writer explained how each of the sources connected to and supported the writer’s assertion.
- In fact, notice all of the underlined sentences. These are the sentences that the writer includes that are explanation sentences.
- The purpose of this paragraph is to prove the point that was found in the assertion, so it is important that the majority of the sentences in a paragraph are the words of the writer.
- A writer should never depend on the quotes he or she integrates to make the argument. The writer Him or Herself needs to be the one to make the argument.