Transition Devices & Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Synthesizing in RRL

Flashcards cover definitions, examples, and best practices for transition devices, as well as the distinctions among paraphrasing, summarizing, and synthesizing in research writing.

What are transition devices in academic writing?

Words or phrases that smoothly connect ideas, sentences, or paragraphs so the text flows naturally.

List three reasons transition devices are important in a Review of Related Literature (RRL).

They connect studies together, help compare or contrast findings, and emphasize, summarize, or conclude ideas.

Name four transition words used to add information.

Moreover, furthermore, in addition, also.

Give three transition words or phrases that signal comparison.

Similarly, likewise, in the same way.

Which transition devices commonly introduce a contrast?

However, on the other hand, nevertheless, although.

Provide three examples of cause-and-effect transition words.

Because, therefore, as a result.

Which transition words emphasize an important point?

Indeed, in fact, notably, most importantly.

What phrases can be used to conclude or summarize a discussion?

In conclusion, to sum up, overall, in summary.

In the sample paragraph, which transition word was used to introduce a contrasting idea about internet access?

However.

State two tips for using transition devices effectively.

Don't overuse them—use them naturally and meaningfully, and vary your transitions to avoid repetition.

Define paraphrasing in the context of an RRL.

Restating someone else’s idea in your own words without changing the meaning, usually keeping about the same length.

How does summarizing differ from paraphrasing in focus and length?

Summarizing keeps only the main points of a longer text and is much shorter, whereas paraphrasing restates one idea at roughly the same length.

What is summarizing?

Shortening the main ideas from a longer text in your own words to provide an overview.

Define synthesizing in literature review writing.

Combining ideas from multiple sources to create a new understanding or show relationships among studies.

When should you paraphrase, summarize, and synthesize in an RRL?

Paraphrase to explain a sentence or idea, summarize to give an overview of an article, and synthesize to combine two or more sources.

Rewrite this sentence as a paraphrase: "Students who get at least 8 hours of sleep perform better in school compared to those who sleep less."

Cruz (2020) found that students tend to do better academically when they sleep for 8 hours or more.

What overall conclusion was synthesized from Cruz (2020) and Reyes (2021) about sleep and academic success?

Good sleeping habits are essential for academic success because adequate sleep boosts performance while deprivation lowers focus and test scores.

Give two citation-related tips for paraphrasing, summarizing, and synthesizing.

Always write in your own words and provide citations even when you paraphrase or summarize.