Find out what citation format you’re supposed to use as well, and whether you’re expected to use parenthetical references or footnotes in the body of your synopsis.
Title Abstract Introduction Literature Review Objectives Hypotheses Methodology and methods References
Keep in mind that you might not end up using all the sources you initially found. After you’ve finished your synopsis, go back and delete the ones you didn’t use.
The introduction gives you the opportunity to set out for your reader exactly why the question you’re trying to answer is vital and how your knowledge and experience make you the best researcher to tackle it. Support most of the statements in your introduction with other studies in the area that support the importance of your question. For example, you might cite a previous study that mentioned your problem as an area where further research needs to be done. The length of your introduction will vary depending on the overall length of your synopsis as well as the ultimate length of your eventual paper after you’ve finished your research. Generally, it will cover the first page or two of your synopsis.
Typically, you should be able to conduct a thorough literature review by discussing 8 to 10 previous studies that are related to your research problem. As with the introduction, the length of your literature review will vary depending on the overall length of your synopsis. Generally, it will be about the same length as your introduction.
Generally, the overall objective doesn’t relate to solving a specific problem or answering a specific question. Rather, it describes how your particular project will advance your field. For specific objectives, think in terms of action verbs such as “quantify” or “compare. " Here, you’re hoping to gain a better understanding of associations between particular variables.
Specify the sources you used and the reasons you arrived at your hypotheses. Typically, these will come from prior studies that have shown similar relationships. For example, suppose a prior study showed that children who were home-schooled were less likely to be in fraternities or sororities in college. You might use that study to back up a hypothesis that home-schooled children are more independent and less likely to need strong friendship support networks.
Expect your methodology to be at least as long as either your introduction or your literature review, if not longer. Include enough detail that your reader can fully understand how you’re going to carry out your study. This section of your synopsis may include information about how you plan to collect and analyze your data, the overall design of your study, and your sampling methods, if necessary. Include information about the study setting, including the facilities and equipment that are available to you to carry out your study.
Use between 100 and 200 words to give your readers a basic understanding of your research project. Include a clear statement of the problem, the main goals or objectives of your study, the theories or conceptual framework your research relies upon, and the methods you’ll use to reach your goals of objectives.
If you don’t have that kind of time because you’re up against a deadline, at least take a few hours away from your synopsis before you go back to edit it. Do something entirely unrelated to your research, such as take a walk or go to a movie.
Eliminate sentences that don’t add any new information. Even the longest synopsis is a brief document — make sure every word needs to be there and counts for something. Get rid of jargon and terms of art in your field that could be better explained in plain language. Even though your likely readers are people who are well-versed in your field, providing plain language descriptions shows that you know what you’re talking about. Using a lot of jargon can seem like you’re trying to make yourself sound like you know more than you actually do.
Reference list formatting is very particular. Reading your references out loud, including the punctuation and spacing, can help you pick up on errors you wouldn’t have noticed if you’d just read over it. Compare your format to the format in the stylebook you’re using and make sure all of your entries are correct.
Read your synopsis backward by starting on the last word and reading each word separately from the last to the first. This helps you isolate spelling errors. Reading backward sentence by sentence will help you isolate grammatical errors without being distracted by the content. Print your synopsis and circle every punctuation mark with a red pen. Then go through them and focus on whether they’re correct. Read your synopsis out loud, including the punctuation, as though you were dictating the synopsis.
Have at least one person look over your synopsis who isn’t familiar with your area of study. If they can understand your project, that tells you that your writing is clear. If there are any parts that confuse them, you know that’s an area where you can improve the clarity of your writing.
If you make significant changes to your synopsis after your first or second round of editing, you may need to proofread again to make sure you didn’t introduce any new errors. Don’t be surprised if you go through several drafts of your synopsis before it reaches its final form.
