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...is based entirely on a very helpful tool created by the University of Bedford. Please don't open the full PDF yet - you are welcome to do so after the lesson.

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The investigations to date may indicate a fundamental flaw in this approach. It certainly shows a need for more research on this topic.

Peters (2015) is misguided when she inaccurately claims that nurses need
to be shown how to use online learning tools to be effective learners.

Furthermore, it appears that Lane et al. (2002) may have overlooked some key data when they raise the possibility that ethnicity is the key indicator for hypertension amongst the UK population.

(based on work from the University of Melbourne (no date)

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It is important not to be neutral in your assignments but instead present your own position within your work based on the evidence you have synthesised; this is called ‘own voice’. This can be done by using a combination of caution, hedging, evaluative adjectives, adverbs and verbs. By using either positive or negative language to present your evaluation, you demonstrate your own position to your reader.

Can you see how the author expresses his position in the following three examples?

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"Using assignment essays for assessment supports learning better than the traditional examination system. It is considered that course-work assignment essays can lessen the extreme stress experienced by some students over ‘sudden death’ end of semester  examinations and reduce the failure rate (Peters, 2008; Wonderland University, 2006). Study skills researchers (Jones et al., 2004; Peters, 2008; Wonderland University, 2006) defend assessment by assignment because research assignments can be used to assess student learning mid-course and so provide them with helpful feedback. They also consider that assignment work lends itself to more critical approaches which help the students to learn the discourse of their subjects. In contrast, Abbot (2008) argues that assignments are inefficient, costly to manage and are the cause of plagiarism problems in universities. He states that “assessment by examination is a clean-cut approach as you get students’ knowledge under supervised circumstances” (Abbot, 2008, p.20). The weight of evidence, however, would suggest that it is a fairer and more balanced approach to have some assessment by assignment rather than completely by examinations."

Source: University of New England, 2016

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Remember: each main idea or argument + evidence from sources relevant to this idea = one paragraph

Consider this example of a paragraph with synthesis. Can you find examples where:
1) one source is summarised, with a short quote?
2) two sources are synthesised, with a summary of their findings (in one sentence)?
3) three sources are synthesised, with a summary of their findings (in two sentences)?
4) we see evidence of the author's own position, based on the evidence?

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...and identify the arguments from each author

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STEP 4: Complete the grid by making bullet points... 

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STEP 4: Complete the grid by making bullet points... 

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...of the main ideas from each source.

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STEP 3: Create a grid using one box for each source... 

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STEP 3: Create a grid using one box for each source... 

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...according to the authors and information.

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STEP 2: Make notes from each source using your own words

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STEP 2: Make notes from each source using your own words

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This is where your paraphrasing and summarising skills come in!

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i.e. the articles, books, etc, you have found while researching your assignment.

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"It seems to be agreed upon that the process of reviewing the literature is continual and cyclical as the research project progresses (Hart, 1998; Randolph, 2009). This is also in line with Creswell’s (2014) suggestion that qualitative research questions are likely to develop and change throughout the research process. The insights gained through the literature review were considered in the subsequent phase of operationalising the research questions, which will be discussed in the following section."

(extract from a student assignment on ‘Developing Research Questions: Evaluating and Enhancing the Teaching and Learning of Academic Writing’ - Skills Edge materials 2015)

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"During this session, there were problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy (PSRN) activities that were both adult-led (bowling) and free to be independently chosen by children (PSRN exploration table). This is significant because both the Study of Pedagogical Effectiveness in Early Learning (SPEEL) (Moyles et al, 2002) and the Research Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) (Siraj-Blatchford et al, 2002) research agree that there needs to be a sensitive balance of child-initiated and adult-led activity in effective Early Years settings.

(extract from a student assignment on ‘Supporting Early Learning’ – Skills Edge 2015)

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Definition of 'synthesis' in academic writing

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Definition of 'synthesis' in academic writing

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Read and summarise:
"Synthesis is an important academic skill and a form of analytical writing which involves grouping together ideas from others within the body of your assignment.

Synthesis does not focus on a single author (or academic source), it is more
complex and draws on insights from a range of literature (or academic sources) to identify both similar and contradictory ideas with a view to establishing links, tensions and ‘threads’ to support your argument."