They Found It--Now Do They Bother? An Analysis of First-Year Synthesis

Abstract

This paper presents assessment data from a first-year writing library partnership to examine the relationship between student source use and written synthesis. It finds that first-year students could locate peerreviewed, scholarly sources but that these sources were poorly integrated in their arguments-if they were used at all. In contrast, it finds that students attempted to synthesize their in-class reading material, suggesting that students "tack on" outside sources. Ultimately, this paper argues that librarians may want to consider shifting their instructional focus from traditional one-shot sessions to other solutions recommended by the literature. IntroductionInformation literacy (IL) knows few bounds, covering everything within libraries from mutable technology to the art of research. Academic librarians embrace these challenges, educating diverse student populations in many informational contexts.

Trauma-informed librarianship: an exploratory literature review of trauma-informed approaches in school, academic and public libraries

“…By using TIEP in one-shots or other instruction, librarian instructors can resist teaching topics that “tokenize” students' experiences at the expense of being “topical and relatable” since the traditional one-shot session does not provide the opportunity to “process or critically reflect” on the “power and privilege” inherent in information gathering (Gohr and Nova, 2020, p. 190). The limitations of one-shot instruction have been heavily documented (Bowles-Terry and Donovan, 2016; Carlozzi, 2018; Ding, 2022; Mery et al. , 2012; Pagowsky, 2021), and an application of trauma-informed teaching principles to library instruction may be yet another reason to move away from the one-shot model.…”

Using Turnitin to help students understand plagiarism

“…In fact, some research suggests that many students have no intent to deceive when they plagiarize (Chandrosoma, Thompson, & Pennycook, 2004;Currie, 1998;Pecorari, 2003). Students may be ill-prepared for the rigors and complexities of academic reading (MacMillan & Rosenblatt, 2015) and lack the ability to synthesize material (Carlozzi, 2018;Rosenblatt, 2010), factors which may complicate the writing process. A lack of knowledge of academic writing conventions, including students' confusion over how to paraphrase, synthesize source work, and cite sources may affect students' likelihood to plagiarize (Abasi & Graves, 2008;Gullifer & Tyson, 2010;Shi, 2012).…”