Published on
July 4, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
November 3, 2022.
Synthesizing sources involves combining the work of other scholars to provide new insights. It’s a way of integrating sources that helps situate your work in relation to existing research.
Synthesizing sources involves more than just summarizing. You must emphasize how each source contributes to current debates, highlighting points of (dis)agreement and putting the sources in conversation with each other.
You might synthesize sources in your literature review to give an overview of the field or throughout your research paper when you want to position your work in relation to existing research.
The types of sources you need will depend on the stage you are at in the research process, but all sources that you use should be credible, up to date, and relevant to your research topic.
There are three main places to look for sources to use in your research:
A hanging indent is used to indent all lines of a paragraph except the first.
Hanging indents are used in reference lists in APA, MLA, and Chicago style to visually separate reference entries and allow the reader to easily distinguish between sources.
You can create hanging indents using Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
Published on
May 30, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
November 25, 2022.
Critical thinking is the ability to effectively analyze information and form a judgment.
To think critically, you must be aware of your own biases and assumptions when encountering information, and apply consistent standards when evaluating sources.
Published on
May 19, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
November 11, 2022.
Throughout the research process, you’ll likely use various types of sources. The source types commonly used in academic writing include:
Academic journals
Books
Websites
Newspapers
Encyclopedias
The type of source you look for will depend on the stage you are at in the writing process. For preliminary research like definitions and broad overviews, you might consult an encyclopedia or a website. For original insights or an in-depth analysis of your topic, you might consult scholarly books and journal articles.
Published on
May 19, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
November 4, 2022.
A tertiary source, also called a reference work, is a source that gives an overview of information gathered from primary and secondary sources but does not provide original interpretations or analysis. Examples include:
These sources types compile information from a wide variety of sources. They may also list, summarize, and index sources that provide original data or direct evidence (primary sources) and sources that describe or interpret this evidence (secondary sources).
Tertiary sources are useful for finding background information on your research topic, like key terms or the names of important scholars. But they are usually not cited directly in academic writing.
Published on
May 13, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
December 19, 2022.
Information literacy refers to the ability to find, evaluate, and use sources effectively. The term covers a broad range of skills, including the ability to:
NoteThe term is often used interchangeably with digital literacy, but digital literacy may refer to a broader range of skills, including creating and sharing digital content. Information literacy is more closely focused on the skills that make you a competent researcher.
Published on
May 9, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
August 23, 2022.
A parenthetical citation gives credit in parentheses to a source that you’re quoting or paraphrasing. It contains information such as the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number(s) if relevant.
Parenthetical citations are used in many citation styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago.
Parenthetical citations should be placed at the end of the sentence or clause that contains the cited material, and they must always correspond to a full entry in your reference list.
Example: MLA parenthetical citationOscar Wilde believed that “the only question about a work of art was whether it was well or badly written” (Kiberd 120).
