A complete list of works cited in proper MLA format. On the last days of class, you will each make a presentation of the main ideas and themes of your research project. It will be especially helpful to discuss how your ideas changed during the course of your research, and what kinds of information and input had the most impact on your thinking about the topic. Analysis is the process of breaking complex ideas down into their constituent parts, so that they can be better understood. This is especially important when there are conflicting points of view and complicated interactions.
Good analysis is a necessary preparation for good synthesis.
The synthesis of the ideas raised in various source materials is the heart of this paper, and should demonstrate how the ideas and issues raised in each source confirm, qualify, or contradict each other. In writing this paper, you may be using substantial portions of the papers you have written earlier in the semester. It is critical that the Synthesis Research paper not have a fragmented quality, signaling that it is the product of extensive cutting and pasting, but that it reflect a true integration of the ideas and themes that you have developed.