Project 1 Part 2: Synthesis Essay
Now that your annotated bibliographies are finished, it is time to synthesize your research into a more rhetorically powerful format. In this essay, your challenge is to present your research and then think through the implications of this research for the public and/or practitioners in the field.
Your essay should be grounded by an overall appeal to the reader about why this issue matters and how your sources and research contribute to a limited, yet informed view of the academic/professional discourse surrounding this problem or issue.
As you write your essay, your goal is not to explain whether you agree or disagree with your sources or to argue a position on the topic; however, your sources can and will present varying perspectives and perhaps even oppose one another.
One challenge is to faithfully represent the arguments of the original authors/sources. Focus on constructing summary and analysis of your sources so accurately that the original authors would have no issue with the way you have represented their ideas and research.
Furthermore, you will need to write carefully to distinguish between each source and your own voice. This can be one of the most challenging aspects of this writing process, but we will work on it together throughout the coming weeks.
Finally, practice modeling your language, vocabulary, and tone to align with the professional and/or academic discipline you are writing within. These essays should aim for a more formal tone, remaining appropriate to the discourse conventions of the profession.
- APA 7th edition style throughout (no abstract or running head needed)
- Reference page required
- Incorporation of 4 sources from your annotated bibliography
- Statement of limitations included in the introduction or conclusion
- 4-6 pages
- Note: you do not need to utilize all sources equally, but one source should not dominate the essay
Organization
Part 1 Introduction:
Briefly introduce the research question that you explored through the construction of your annotated bibliography. End your introduction with a thesis that makes clear the importance of the issue within the chosen field or discipline.
For example, suppose you are going into a healthcare profession and have selected a research question that explores how medical professionals can better identify and prevent abuse of geriatric patients. A sample thesis may look like this:
As the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 6 older adults experience some form of abuse in institutional settings (Yon et al., 2018), identification and prevention of elder abuse is an important aspect of providing quality healthcare for geriatric patients.
Part 2 Presentation of Research:
Utilize at least 4 sources from your annotated bibliography to summarize and synthesize the main points of your research for your reader. Your goal is to highlight the most current/relevant research, but you may also need to provide some historical background if that helps the reader better understand the current situation.
This section should include some synthesis of your sources. In other words, you will build connections between these sources by thinking in terms of the focus and scope, similarities, differences, disagreements, etc. to form an organized and cohesive narrative that could be used to inform your readers of the current research on this issue.
Part 3 Potential implications and Recommendations
The concluding section of your essay will present your analysis of this research.
This section should respond to the following question: how might this research inform or impact practitioners in your chosen field? This can be approached from a first- or third-person point of view, depending on your preferences. You should choose one or the other, however.
In this section, you will need to avoid making sweeping generalizations or coming to definite conclusions. Keep the research prominent in your observations, analysis, and discussion.
Building on the example provided above about elder abuse, this section might focus on the following question:
After gathering and synthesizing high-quality research on elder abuse in healthcare settings, how might this impact your eventual work with elderly patients in your chosen field of healthcare?
