Essay On Analyzing, Summarizing And Synthesizing Of Sources

In the two chapters, chapter thirteen and fourteen, much focus is emphasized on sources and their summarizing and analyzing of sources respectively. The author, in particular, dwells on the use of catalogues and databases in arriving at desired information. The catalogs and databases in this case are reservoirs of the critical information needed by researchers. It “involves not simply gathering information but also engaging the theories, assumptions, perspectives and outright argument of others.” The text also offers invaluable information on how to extract, summarize information to meet the desired expectations. This, however, requires research skills that go on to effectively ease the retrieval and dissection of the information from the various catalogues and databases. The extraction, summarizing and analytical dissection is essential for information derived from catalogues and databases.
It is prudent for any researcher to understand where to extract the information needed for his or her work. In most instances, this refers to nonfiction published works such as books, government documents, periodicals (journals, magazines and newspapers) et cetera. The text describes a source as “anything written, reported recorded or performed”. Dwelling on sources, catalogues are the most common platforms for accessing literal sources. In this digital dispensation, much of the catalogues are found on online platforms as online catalogues. It is almost universally accepted that in all libraries that online catalogues are integral in aiding researchers in acquiring needed information. Through a computerized search process, many researchers can access information based on “author search, title search, subject search, or a keyword search”. These search domains allow an individual narrow down his or her research in order to increase the probability of stumbling upon the desired data.
Periodical databases, on the other hand, are often different from the online catalogues. For newspapers and magazines, information can be extracted from their own individual websites. It is prudent to note that periodical databases are not necessarily found on the web despite being accessible via internet. They gather and categorize articles mostly those already published in print prior being digitized. The author cites that most of the databases are mostly accessed on subscription by institutions or an individual. Databases such as JSTOR and Academic Search Elite are only accessed once one has paid the subscription fee and acquired log in details. In order to enhance the search experience in databases, the text notes that a researcher ought to use Boolean operators. The Boolean operators essentially mean one using words such as “and, or, and not, and near” to narrow his or her search.
On acquiring and understanding best how to extract information, it is imperative that one comprehends the content and context of these sources. In chapter fourteen of the text, summarizing and analyzing of sources based on their content and context. The author defines a source’s content as the qualities, functions and purposes of the source. Each source is unique and requires a reader or a researcher to analyze or read it devoid of generalizations or bias in order to grasp its content. The text highlights that summarizing is the most effective way of understanding a source. This entails reading and explaining the main concept as accurately as possible. Nevertheless, this can be challenging. The summarizing if done incorrectly can blur “the source’s specific insight”. The context of a source, on the other hand, centers on the publication cycle and audience of the source. The publication cycle describes the different publication platforms that are reader-centric. For instance, Newsweek, which is a political magazine, cannot portend to avail academic data. The audience on the other hand refers to the “intended readership”. This audience is further the individuals that are inclined to study, read or buy the source. With the audience in mind, any individual analyzing the source can understand an author’s bias, narration style or even information flow that he or she has fused in the source.
It is critical to understand common source types after summarizing and analyzing them. Books and E-Books are some of the common source types. The two come “in a huge variety: fiction (novels, short story collections) and nonfiction (everything else), textbooks, trade books and single-authored books and edited collections.” The books are available in libraries while the e-books are easily accessed online. In order to ease access and comprehension of the books context, authors and publishers have tools that they incorporate to enable this. Through prefaces and information snippets and remarks on book covers, readers can easily grasp the context of the books. Periodicals, as the next common source types, include magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals. The first two offer information touching on mainstream news but more often than not avoid in-depth analysis of issues. However, there are newspapers and magazines that tackle issues analytically going beyond common perspective e.g. The New Yorker. Scholarly journals are “usually specific t to one discipline offering very detailed and well-developed opinions on endless range of topics”. Government documents, reference works and audiovisual are additionally some of the other common source types.