This document provides instructions for an assignment requiring students to synthesize information from three sources on a topic of their choosing. Students are to first write down what they already know about the topic, including facts and opinions. They should then develop questions for further research. Using the NCC library databases, students should find one magazine article, one newspaper article, and one scholarly journal article published within the last five years. By reading these sources, students should aim to answer their initial questions and gain new knowledge on the topic. Their final paper should be 2-5 pages synthesizing what they learned from these sources, showing how their understanding changed, and reflecting on new insights.

1. Spring 2014
Dr. Novins

2. 
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It is important to remember that every time you
read anything you are reading for a purpose.
Sometimes we use this newly acquired information
by itself.
Other times we may synthesize (combine) the
information with other knowledge already possess.
The purpose of this module is to 1) have you read
a few different articles to find questions you have
about a topic and 2) synthesize that information.

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During this semester I have been assigning
different types of readings.
Each time you read, you have been expected to
think about what you are reading and find
meaning in the text.
In this module, you will be finding & reading texts
that add to your knowledge regarding one topic
(see social issues list on next slide) and
synthesizing information from three sources.
The next few slides explain the assignment that
you will be completing.

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Write in either bullet form or paragraph form
what you already know about the topic.
Be sure to organize your thoughts into two
categories:
1.
2.
Facts that can be proven through research
Opinions that I have regarding this topic
(You will be integrating this information into your
synthesis.)

6. 
Before you begin reading about your topic, I
want you to come up with a few questions that
you have about your topic. (These will be
worked into your synthesis as well. You will see
how this works in the sample given later on in
this PowerPoint.) You should have at least five
questions before you being reading. Some of
your questions can be simple questions while
others should be a bit deeper and thought
provoking.

7. 
For this assignment I want you to do some
quality reading about your chosen topic. I want
you to find a few magazine articles, newspaper
articles, and maybe even a few scholarly
journal articles that can give you information
that answers your questions and furthers your
knowledge about your topic.

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The most efficient way to find your reading for this
module is to use the Nassau CC Library website to
search through specific databases.
On the following slides, I will show you how to
search successfully for magazine articles,
newspaper articles, and scholarly journal articles.
Please note: You should be using articles that have
been published during the last 5 years. Anything
older would not be acceptable for this assignment.

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It is possible to just do a Google search and find information,
but not all of that information will fulfill the requirements of this
assignment.
Going through the NCC Library website will ensure that the
texts you choose to read will follow the guidelines of the
assignment.
Remember, any source that you use must be cited so don’t take
info off a website without putting it on your reference page.
Also note that you only need to use THREE sources for this
module as long as one is a magazine article, one is a
newspaper article, and one is a scholarly journal.
If you want to use additional sources that is fine, but be sure to
give credit where credit is due (or else it is called plagiarism).

10. 
Go to NCC Library website

11. Type your topic
in the space!
But you aren’t
done yet!
We need to
narrow your
results!
See next slide!

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I will be showing you an example using the
topic of spousal abuse. Please note that you
cannot choose to do your reading on this topic.
When I searched for spousal abuse, my results
numbered 5,701. That is way too broad to start
reading AND I didn’t put my guidelines on my
search yet.
See next slide!

13. I will choose
FULL TEXT
I will use the
dates 20082013
I will now
choose
MAGAZINES

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When you are done reading magazine articles,
then uncheck MAGAZINES and check NEWS.
After you are done with NEWS, then unclick
NEWS and choose ACADEMIC JOURNALS.
Remember: You only need one of each as long
as the text you choose answers your questions
and gives you new knowledge regarding your
topic.

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Although you will be putting your citations at
the end of your synthesis, I thought it would be
a good idea to show you how you can get your
formatted citations from this website as well.
Once you read your article you will see a CITE
option on the right (see next slide).
You will then scroll down to MLA (which is used
on the undergrad level and copy and paste it
into your assignment.

16. Choose CITE

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As you read your different texts, you will need to
read for information that is new to you and
information that answers some of the
questions you posed earlier.
It is important that you do not write a
SUMMARY for each text you read. That is not
the assignment. The assignment is to
synthesize the information.

18. 
Summary definition: When readers summarize, they
“identify key elements and condense important
information into their own words during and after
reading to solidify meaning.”
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Synthesis definition: When readers synthesize they
merge new information with prior knowledge to form a
new idea, perspective, or opinion or to generate insight.”
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Therefore, synthesis is an ongoing process. As new
knowledge is acquired, it is synthesized with prior
knowledge to generate new ideas.

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The reason you are completing a synthesis for
your topic is to show me that you are able to
read different types of texts and pull out main
ideas and supporting details. This is what good
critical reading do when they read.

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The assignment that you hand in to me can be
written in a less formal manner than a regular
research paper. As always, you must still follow
the conventions of print and grammatical rules
of English, but your tone may be a little less
“research-like” and a bit more “insightful.”
See next slide for example.

21. 
Sample final product:
When I first began thinking about researching a topic I realized I
was interested in spousal abuse because I recently saw an old
episode of Oprah and was so torn by women who were telling their
stories about their horrible marriages and relationships. One of
the questions I wrote first for this assignment was “What type of
women allow themselves to be abused?” When I started research
spousal abuse I was thinking that it was only men who abused
women, but as I started reading about Lisa Robin Kelly who was
an actress on The 70’s Show, I realized that men can also be
victims. I guess I thought that since men are usually larger and
stronger than their wives, the women would always be the victims
but two of the articles I read contrasted this idea. I think had to
shift my question to “What type of people allow themselves to be
abused by their spouses?” (This would continue discussing these
ideas and what I found AND what I think AND how my thinking
changed – if it did)

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The main question all students want to know
is the length of the final product.
Your final product should be a minimum of
two-typed pages. I do not see how it would be
possible to synthesize information from your
three cites and share your insights in a shorter
amount of space.
Your paper should not be longer than fivetyped pages. This is not a research paper, but
a synthesis paper. I want to make sure you
can extract information from texts and make
sense of it.

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Of course you will have a list of your citations
using MLA format at the end of your
assignment.
Please note you do not need a cover page.
I often use Turnitin.com to ensure that all
student work is original. Plagiarism is ground
for dismissal from class and from the college.

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Use this assignment to learn information about a topic
that interests you.
Be sure to put enough time aside during the next two
weeks to complete this assignment satisfactorily.
If you have any problems finding information about your
topic, you can get assistance through the NCC Library or
email me.
Have fun with this assignment – show me that you
learned some interesting information about your topic!
Don’t write a research paper! That isn’t the assignment.
Talk me through your synthesis. Read the sample given.