Methodology: Synthesis

Methodology: Synthesis (LV2)

Goal and length

Bring 3 documents together into a single, coherent ≈ 400-word essay. No personal opinion; everything must come from the corpus.

Method

1. Read all three documents and identify their genre, date, source.
2. Find the common thread — the question every document addresses.
3. Distribute the key ideas of each document across 2 or 3 axes.
4. Plan: introduction → 2 parts → conclusion. Each part must cite all 3 documents.
5. Write neutrally, using attribution verbs: Doc A reports, Doc B argues, Doc C illustrates.
6. Re-read for grammar (subject-verb agreement, tenses, articles).

Useful attribution structures

• According to Document 1, …
• The author of Document 2 underlines that …
• This view is challenged in Document 3, which shows …
• Documents 1 and 3 converge on the idea that …

What to avoid

• "I think", "in my opinion".
• Long literal quotations.
• Describing each document one after the other (this is not a corpus presentation).
• Adding outside knowledge.

Time management (90 min)

Phase	Time
Read & annotate	15 min
Plan & link ideas	15 min
Write	50 min
Re-read	10 min

Common pitfalls

• Forgetting one document → automatic penalty.
• Copying full sentences → counts as not done.
• No problematic in the introduction → entire essay loses focus.