Academic Writing and Communication

Synthesis
Week 10

MGMT SCHOOL

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Analysis vs. Synthesis
Analysis Essay
• Break up a text into its
component parts
• Examine the relationship of
these parts to each other and
the text as a whole
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Synthesis Essay
• Perform these analysis operations
on two or more texts
• Identify and group textual
components that share common
attributes
• Repackage these components into
a new composition
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Comparative Analysis vs. Synthesis
Comparative-contrast Synthesis

• Texts converge on the same • Texts may focus on separate

topic discrete topics or issues
• Share similarities and differences • need to identify constituent
elements of interlocking
materials

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Characteristics of Synthesis:
• Draws upon multiple sources;
• Uses summary and critical analysis as a basis but goes beyond both;
• Tightly woven and not a pastiche of summaries
• Uses selected ideas and information from each source the that allow
the writer to achieve their purpose in the best way possible;
• Writer determines the purpose and direction of the essay and not the
sources

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Questions for Analysing Writing Assignments (p. 33 pdf
53)

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Compare the assignments, answer assignment analysis
questions from slide 4 and decide which essay would be more
demanding for a student:

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Purposes for Synthesis
1. To provide background and explain a topic, problem or issue to readers -
Exploratory Synthesis
• offers a thorough but relatively non-judgmental analysis of the texts in order to
present informative results in a straightforward manner
• emphasizes coverage of the data rather than its interpretation
2. To provide background and explain a topic, problem or issue to readers by
examining a wide array of published research studies – Literature Review
• to communicate the research findings to an interested audience
• to demonstrate their grasp of the research field
3. To extract from the sources textual evidence and material that will support
your thesis – Thesis-Driven Synthesis
• Thesis – not a neutral statement, but advances the author’s interpretation or
position
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Baseline Questions

Explanatory
synthesis or
literature
review

Thesis-
driven
synthesis

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In-Depth Questions

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The process of writing a synthesis essay:
• Task 1. Read the three texts (Material 1, week 10 files) and briefly
answer baseline questions on slide 8.
• Task 2. Assume that your goal is to write an explanation of money as
an idea: an account of how money came to be; how it is used; and
why, in and of itself, it is worthless aside from the value we mutually
attach to it. The goal: to present information but not advance a
particular opinion on the subject.
• List the ways the texts suggest that money is less a thing than an idea. Make
your list as specific and detailed as you can.
• Assign a source to each item on the list.

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Assignments
• For this week’s seminar
• Read and analyse a sample synthesis essay on pp.173-176 (pdf.193-196) paying
particular attention to its organization, ways of merging different sources and
comments in the margins.
• Do ex.6.3. on p.177(197)
• For the lecture in Week 11:
• Read Material 2 in Week 10 files and be ready to discuss the process of writing a
synthesis essay as well as differences between the first and final drafts produced by
the student.
• Prepare an outline of a synthesis essay based on the texts by Sharkey, Kaminer and
the Economist. Follow the structure below:
Thesis:
Paragraph 1. Topic sentence. Texts used
Paragraph 2. Topic sentence. Texts used
Paragraph 3. Topic sentence. Texts used
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Assignment for Week 13
• Prepare a 5-page literature review on any academic topic in the field
of your study, e.g. management, finance, computing, etc. The text
should ideally synthesize 6 sources or more, and meet genre
requirements and APA referencing and citation conventions. The
literature review should be uploaded to teams assignments before
lecture time in Week 13.
• Prepare a 5-minute individual presentation of your literature review
to be presented in front of the class from Week 13 to Week 15. Be
ready to answer any follow-up questions. You will find assessment
rubrics in the syllabus.

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