Establishing the Position of a Source

For Synthesis essays, you need to incorporate sources.  Below is a list of practices to avoid when integrating sources, as well as a set of questions to consider when establishing the position of a source.

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Avoid

1. Pretending the author’s argument is yours
2. Out of context referencing
3. Partial referencing (“freeway quoting”)
4. Ignoring the source

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Establishing Positions

1. What is the title of the source?
2. Where was it published? When?
3. Why is the author an expert?
4. What is the subject of the source material?
5. What’s the author’s purpose?
6. What is the context of the original quotation?
7. How does the author’s point connect to what you want to discuss?
8. Have you introduced and set-up quotes?
9. Have you cited the author correctly in text and in a references page?

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Example of Establishing a Source

In his 1953 song, “Lobachevsky,” mathematician and satirist Tom Leher mocks society’s tendency to reward poor quality and minimal effort. Shortly after listing a number of terrible reviews of his terrible book, he brags, “Metro-Goldwyn-Moskva buys movie rights for six million rubles” (Lehrer).