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Language: en

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Have you ever given any thought to the way
you process information? The truth is, you

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do it all the time - not just online, but
at home, at work, and in the conversations

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you have every day. You read a negative review
for the latest Steven Spielberg movie... you

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hear from a friend that it's actually pretty
good. You put both of those sources together,

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and use them to form an opinion based on what
you already know. You know you like Steven

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Spielberg - but maybe you're not really interested
in the movie. You decide to wait 'til it comes

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out on DVD.

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Believe it or not, there's a word for that.
It's called synthesis - but for our purposes,

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it may be easier to think of it as putting
things together in your head.

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Synthesis is something that happens naturally
in everyday life. You hear or read about something

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new (in this case, differing opinions about
the latest Spielberg movie). Then you file

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that information away in your own personal
database. Also in that database are little

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bits of memory, and other things that you've
learned or experienced - all throughout your

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life. These things combine to form an understanding
of the subject. This is also how you form

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an opinion on the subject.

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The same thing happens when you consume information
online; for example, when you read an article,

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or watch a video.

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But what if you had to form more than an opinion?
What if you had to produce something tangible

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- like a blog post, a presentation, or a research
paper for school? The process is remarkably

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similar. First, it wouldn't be right
to just throw your research together, save

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it in a Word document, and call it a day.
Your work should be like your opinions…

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your work should be unique.

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Instead, think about your sources, and start
putting them together in your head (in this

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example, articles that talk about green living).
Look for connections between the materials

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that might help you understand the subject
a little better. Look for connections in your

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personal database - for example, any experience
you have with recycling or saving energy at

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home. This will help you draw your own conclusions,
so you can eventually put your thoughts into

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your own words. That's synthesis!

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But really, it's as simple as putting all
the information together, and combining it

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in order to create something new. Remember
that, and your next writing project is sure

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to be a success.