Synthesize your findings. Your findings are your evaluation of the literature reviewed: what you consider the strengths and weakness of the studies reviewed; the comparison you did between studies; research trends and gaps in the research that you identified, etc.
Across the articles that you read, pay attention to the:
- Common/contested findings
- Important trends
- Influential theories
Identifying these elements as you are reading and writing notes about your sources will help you later when you start writing.
- Do not over quote. If you only quote from every single article you found, you are not showing any original thinking or analysis. Use quotes judiciously. Use quotes to highlight a particular passage or thought that exemplifies the research, theory or topic you are researching.
- Instead, use paraphrasing. Restate the main ideas of a paragraph or section to highlight, in your own words, the important points made by the author.
- Summarize findings, important sections, a whole article or book: This is different from paraphrasing since you are not re-stating the author words but summarizing the main point of what you are reading in a concise matter for your reader.
Note: In all cases, do not forget to give credit to these sources since they are not your original ideas but someone else's. Check the specific citation style you are using for the appropriate in-text citation format.
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