Chapter 10: Synthesis and Drafting
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- To contribute to scholarly conversations, you need to use synthesis to create new meaning or show a deeper understanding of what you learned.
- Your paper’s introduction needs to:
- Concretely (clearly) describe/introduce the topic & focus.
- Give any necessary context or background
- Summarize the state of knowledge (ie. the conversation you are joining).
- What is known? What is unknown?
- Explain your paper’s main argument (your thesis).
- What is it and why does it matter?
- Concretely (clearly) describe/introduce the topic & focus.
- Here is a possible template for the main claim: of your paper
- Your main argument + linking word (ex. “because” or “by” or “through”) + reason why it’s important OR reasons that will prove your overarching argument.
- There are many different ways to write a conclusion. Here’s an effective template you might want to consider:
- Instead of summarizing your argument, summarize how your paper has joined, contributed and modified the larger conversation or the research you’ve read.
- Identify future directions for work on this topic (ideas for research that could help fill knowledge gaps, suggestions for practical applications of your findings, any questions you still have).
- The last sentence: restate your paper’s “so what”? This is the mic dropper! Why does your research matter? What will happen if we don’t address the problems you’ve identified or implement the solutions you’ve suggested?
