“Synthesizing
is like putting a puzzle together. You
have to sort out your thinking and put it in the right place.”
-Clay-
Information
Organization: An overview
•
Step 5 of the research process (Big 6)
involves organization.
•
Many elements contribute to effective
organization of information
The importance of
effective Organization of Information
•
Information must be organized logically to communicate the intended
message effectively.
•
Effectively organized information allows people to understood
•
Well organized information in
professional reports and presentations will contribute to the success of organization.
•
Material that is organized in a logical
and meaningful fashion is more readily used and
applied than disorganized data/information/document
•
By organizing information
systematically, people will maximize the opportunity for
audience to receive an accurate message.
Organizational
Strategies
•
Organization by Category or Concept
Ø Separate
ideas combine to produce a concept must
be understood individually before their synthesis makes sense.
Ø Organization
by concept also is effective when
constructinga case to support premise.
Ø A
variation on organization by concept is to begin with a major concept and break
it down into the elements that form the central idea.
Ø Organization
by concept uses analysis of a concept by breaking it down into its respective
parts.
•
Chronological Organization
Ø Organization according to time, called
chronological organization.
Ø is used when the sequence of events influences
an outcome.
Ø Chronological organization of information is
necessary for a sequence of events to make sense and explain an outcome.
Ø Certain information that is organized
chronologically involves transition from one phase to the next.
•
Hierarchical Organization
Ø is used when information is best conveyed in a
specific order.
Ø from most to least important or from least
complex to most complex.
•
Alphabetical
Organization
Ø Example : Dictionaries
and telephone dictionaries
Ø Glossaries and
directories- alphabetical organization is effective and appropriate.
Ø Presenting the
information alphabetically is a method of organization that does not imply any
type of order based on any attribute and characteristics.
Organizing Graphic for
Presentation
Graphics- figures, tables, charts- must be
appropriate to the content of your document or presentation and accurately
convey the message you sending.
•
The reader can easily understand the
graphic.
•
The graphic elaborates on the
information in the documents.
•
The image is selected for its ability to
convey an accurate.
•
A table, chart, or graphic is able to
stand alone.
•
A table or chart simplifies information.
•
An effective graphic is as simple as
possible.
•
Data are presented in relationship to a
context.
•
Pictures or cartoons illustrate ideas in
the text.
Summarizing vs.
Synthesizing
•
Summarizing
is identifying key points and organizing thoughts, a listing of the parts.
Summarizing usually occurs at the end.
•
Synthesizing
is the creation of a whole. It goes on
throughout the process of reading—not just at the end. It is bringing together different ideas and
facts and weaving them together into a tapestry, something much larger than all
the threads.
Ellin Keene