Synthesizing the Literature Objectives Differentiate between summary and

Synthesizing the Literature Objectives: • Differentiate between summary and synthesis • Examine writing skills associated with synthesizing information for literature reviews • Evaluate peer-reviewed scholarship to establish if it is germane to a research question • Integrate disparate information into a cohesive narrative • Recognize the qualities of sound social science writing Activities: • Welcome and Overview (5 min. ) • Synthesis Presentation Q&A (15 min. ) • Hands-On Activity, Part 1: Summarize (15 min. ) • Hands-On Activity, Part 2: Synthesize (15 min. ) • Wrap-Up and Next Steps (10 min. )

Video and Presentation Debrief Recall the following questions you considered while watching the seminar videos: • What is synthesis? • What differentiates synthesis from summary? • Why is synthesis important to doctoral-level writing? • How does the concept of synthesis apply to the literature review?

Article Excerpt Groups • Take a few minutes to read all the excerpts and consider how to summarize each of them • Break into groups A, B and C • Focus on the article that matches your group designation

Small Group Activity • Describe with a one-sentence summary what your excerpt is about • What possible dissertation title would trigger you to read your assigned article?

Wrap-Up and Next Steps 1. Consider one insight with regard to synthesis and the literature review 2. Remember to critically examine what you read, think, write