example of research synopsis

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How to Write a Research Synopsis: Template, Examples, & More

Last Updated: May 9, 2024 Fact Checked

Research Synopsis Template

• Organizing & Formatting
• Writing Your Synopsis
• Reviewing & Editing

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Raven Minyard, BA . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 263,002 times.

A research synopsis describes the plan for your research project and is typically submitted to professors or department heads so they can approve your project. Most synopses are between 3,000 and 4,000 words and provide your research objectives and methods. While the specific types of information you need to include in your synopsis may vary depending on your department guidelines, most synopses include the same basic sections. In this article, we’ll walk you step-by-step through everything you need to know to write a synopsis for research.

Things You Should Know

• Begin your research synopsis by introducing the question your research will answer and its importance to your field.
• List 2 or 3 specific objectives you hope to achieve and how they will advance your field.
• Discuss your methodology to demonstrate why the study design you chose is appropriate for your research question.

Organizing Your Research Synopsis

• Find out what citation format you’re supposed to use, as well as whether you’re expected to use parenthetical references or footnotes in the body of your synopsis.
• If you have questions about anything in your guidelines, ask your instructor or advisor to ensure you follow them correctly.

• Title: the title of your study
• Abstract: a summary of your research synopsis
• Introduction: identifies and describes your research question
• Literature Review: a review of existing relevant research
• Objectives: goals you hope to accomplish through your study
• Hypotheses: results you expect to find through your research
• Methodology and methods: explains the methods you’ll use to complete your study
• References: a list of any references used in citations

Tip: Your synopsis might have additional sections, depending on your discipline and the type of research you're conducting. Talk to your instructor or advisor about which sections are required for your department.

• 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.

Writing Your Research Synopsis

• Your title should be a brief and specific reflection of the main objectives of your study. In general, it should be under 50 words and should avoid unneeded phrases like “an investigation into.”
• On the other hand, avoid a title that’s too short, as well. For example, a title like “A Study of Urban Heating” is too short and doesn’t provide any insight into the specifics of your research.

• The introduction allows you to explain to 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 mentions 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.

• For example, try finding relevant literature through educational journals or bulletins from organizations like WHO and CDC.
• Typically, a thorough literature review discusses 8 to 10 previous studies 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.
• Try to use the most current research available and avoid sources over 5 years old.

• For example, an objective for research on urban heating could be “to compare urban heat modification caused by vegetation of mixed species considering the 5 most common urban trees in an area.”
• 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 like “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 have 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, like the facilities and equipment that are available to you to carry out your study.
• For example, your research work may take place in a hospital, and you may use cluster sampling to gather data.

• 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 or objectives.

Tip: Jot down a few notes as you draft your other sections that you can compile for your abstract to keep your writing more efficient.

Reviewing and Editing Your Research Synopsis

• 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, like taking a walk or going 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 you know what you’re talking about. Using jargon can seem like you’re trying to sound like you know more than you actually do.

Tip: Free apps, such as Grammarly and Hemingway App, can help you identify grammatical errors as well as areas where your writing could be clearer. However, you shouldn't rely solely on apps since they can miss things.

• Reference list formatting is very particular. Read your references out loud, with the punctuation and spacing, to pick up on errors you wouldn’t have noticed if you’d just read over them.
• Compare your format to the one 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 isolate spelling errors. Reading backward sentence by sentence helps 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 who isn’t familiar with your area of study look over your synopsis. If they can understand your project, you know your writing is clear. If any parts confuse them, then that’s an area where you can improve the clarity of your writing.

Expert Q&A

• If you make significant changes to your synopsis after your first or second round of editing, you may need to proofread it again to make sure you didn’t introduce any new errors. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://admin.umt.edu.pk/Media/Site/iib1/FileManager/FORMAT%20OF%20SYNOPSIS%2012-10-2018.pdf
• ↑ https://www.scientificstyleandformat.org/Tools/SSF-Citation-Quick-Guide.html
• ↑ https://numspak.edu.pk/upload/media/Guidelines%20for%20Synopsis%20Writing1531455748.pdf
• ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279917593_Research_synopsis_guidelines
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://www.cornerstone.edu/blog-post/six-steps-to-really-edit-your-paper/

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Home » Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Research Summary – Structure, Examples and Writing Guide

Table of Contents

Research Summary

Definition:

A research summary is a brief and concise overview of a research project or study that highlights its key findings, main points, and conclusions. It typically includes a description of the research problem, the research methods used, the results obtained, and the implications or significance of the findings. It is often used as a tool to quickly communicate the main findings of a study to other researchers, stakeholders, or decision-makers.

Structure of Research Summary

The Structure of a Research Summary typically include:

• Introduction : This section provides a brief background of the research problem or question, explains the purpose of the study, and outlines the research objectives.
• Methodology : This section explains the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. It describes the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Results : This section presents the main findings of the study, including statistical analysis if applicable. It may include tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data.
• Discussion : This section interprets the results and explains their implications. It discusses the significance of the findings, compares them to previous research, and identifies any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclusion : This section summarizes the main points of the research and provides a conclusion based on the findings. It may also suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• References : This section lists the sources cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

How to Write Research Summary

Here are the steps you can follow to write a research summary:

• Read the research article or study thoroughly: To write a summary, you must understand the research article or study you are summarizing. Therefore, read the article or study carefully to understand its purpose, research design, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Identify the main points : Once you have read the research article or study, identify the main points, key findings, and research question. You can highlight or take notes of the essential points and findings to use as a reference when writing your summary.
• Write the introduction: Start your summary by introducing the research problem, research question, and purpose of the study. Briefly explain why the research is important and its significance.
• Summarize the methodology : In this section, summarize the research design, methods, and procedures used to conduct the study. Explain the sample size, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Present the results: Summarize the main findings of the study. Use tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent the data if necessary.
• Interpret the results: In this section, interpret the results and explain their implications. Discuss the significance of the findings, compare them to previous research, and identify any limitations or future directions for research.
• Conclude the summary : Summarize the main points of the research and provide a conclusion based on the findings. Suggest implications for future research or practical applications of the results.
• Revise and edit : Once you have written the summary, revise and edit it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and free of errors. Make sure that your summary accurately represents the research article or study.
• Add references: Include a list of references cited in the research summary, following the appropriate citation style.

Example of Research Summary

Here is an example of a research summary:

Title: The Effects of Yoga on Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction: This meta-analysis examines the effects of yoga on mental health. The study aimed to investigate whether yoga practice can improve mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life.

Methodology : The study analyzed data from 14 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of yoga on mental health outcomes. The sample included a total of 862 participants. The yoga interventions varied in length and frequency, ranging from four to twelve weeks, with sessions lasting from 45 to 90 minutes.

Results : The meta-analysis found that yoga practice significantly improved mental health outcomes. Participants who practiced yoga showed a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as stress levels. Quality of life also improved in those who practiced yoga.

Discussion : The findings of this study suggest that yoga can be an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. The study supports the growing body of evidence that suggests that yoga can have a positive impact on mental health. Limitations of the study include the variability of the yoga interventions, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion : Overall, the findings of this meta-analysis support the use of yoga as an effective intervention for improving mental health outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the optimal length and frequency of yoga interventions for different populations.

References :

• Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Langhorst, J., Dobos, G., & Berger, B. (2013). Yoga for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and anxiety, 30(11), 1068-1083.
• Khalsa, S. B. (2004). Yoga as a therapeutic intervention: a bibliometric analysis of published research studies. Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology, 48(3), 269-285.
• Ross, A., & Thomas, S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(1), 3-12.

Purpose of Research Summary

The purpose of a research summary is to provide a brief overview of a research project or study, including its main points, findings, and conclusions. The summary allows readers to quickly understand the essential aspects of the research without having to read the entire article or study.

Research summaries serve several purposes, including:

• Facilitating comprehension: A research summary allows readers to quickly understand the main points and findings of a research project or study without having to read the entire article or study. This makes it easier for readers to comprehend the research and its significance.
• Communicating research findings: Research summaries are often used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public. The summary presents the essential aspects of the research in a clear and concise manner, making it easier for non-experts to understand.
• Supporting decision-making: Research summaries can be used to support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. This information can be used by policymakers or practitioners to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Saving time: Research summaries save time for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders who need to review multiple research studies. Rather than having to read the entire article or study, they can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.

Characteristics of Research Summary

The following are some of the key characteristics of a research summary:

• Concise : A research summary should be brief and to the point, providing a clear and concise overview of the main points of the research.
• Objective : A research summary should be written in an objective tone, presenting the research findings without bias or personal opinion.
• Comprehensive : A research summary should cover all the essential aspects of the research, including the research question, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Accurate : A research summary should accurately reflect the key findings and conclusions of the research.
• Clear and well-organized: A research summary should be easy to read and understand, with a clear structure and logical flow.
• Relevant : A research summary should focus on the most important and relevant aspects of the research, highlighting the key findings and their implications.
• Audience-specific: A research summary should be tailored to the intended audience, using language and terminology that is appropriate and accessible to the reader.
• Citations : A research summary should include citations to the original research articles or studies, allowing readers to access the full text of the research if desired.

When to write Research Summary

Here are some situations when it may be appropriate to write a research summary:

• Proposal stage: A research summary can be included in a research proposal to provide a brief overview of the research aims, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.
• Conference presentation: A research summary can be prepared for a conference presentation to summarize the main findings of a study or research project.
• Journal submission: Many academic journals require authors to submit a research summary along with their research article or study. The summary provides a brief overview of the study’s main points, findings, and conclusions and helps readers quickly understand the research.
• Funding application: A research summary can be included in a funding application to provide a brief summary of the research aims, objectives, and expected outcomes.
• Policy brief: A research summary can be prepared as a policy brief to communicate research findings to policymakers or stakeholders in a concise and accessible manner.

Advantages of Research Summary

Research summaries offer several advantages, including:

• Time-saving: A research summary saves time for readers who need to understand the key findings and conclusions of a research project quickly. Rather than reading the entire research article or study, readers can quickly review the summary to determine whether the research is relevant to their needs.
• Clarity and accessibility: A research summary provides a clear and accessible overview of the research project’s main points, making it easier for readers to understand the research without having to be experts in the field.
• Improved comprehension: A research summary helps readers comprehend the research by providing a brief and focused overview of the key findings and conclusions, making it easier to understand the research and its significance.
• Enhanced communication: Research summaries can be used to communicate research findings to a wider audience, such as policymakers, practitioners, or the general public, in a concise and accessible manner.
• Facilitated decision-making: Research summaries can support decision-making processes by providing a summary of the research evidence on a particular topic. Policymakers or practitioners can use this information to make informed decisions about interventions, programs, or policies.
• Increased dissemination: Research summaries can be easily shared and disseminated, allowing research findings to reach a wider audience.

Limitations of Research Summary

Limitations of the Research Summary are as follows:

• Limited scope: Research summaries provide a brief overview of the research project’s main points, findings, and conclusions, which can be limiting. They may not include all the details, nuances, and complexities of the research that readers may need to fully understand the study’s implications.
• Risk of oversimplification: Research summaries can be oversimplified, reducing the complexity of the research and potentially distorting the findings or conclusions.
• Lack of context: Research summaries may not provide sufficient context to fully understand the research findings, such as the research background, methodology, or limitations. This may lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the research.
• Possible bias: Research summaries may be biased if they selectively emphasize certain findings or conclusions over others, potentially distorting the overall picture of the research.
• Format limitations: Research summaries may be constrained by the format or length requirements, making it challenging to fully convey the research’s main points, findings, and conclusions.
• Accessibility: Research summaries may not be accessible to all readers, particularly those with limited literacy skills, visual impairments, or language barriers.

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How to Write a Great Synopsis for Thesis

A synopsis is a structured outline of a research thesis and the steps followed to answer the research question. The goal of writing a synopsis is to clearly and thoroughly explain the need to investigate a certain problem using particular practical methods to conduct the study. One of the main components of this written work is an extensive literature review containing strong evidence that the proposed research is feasible.

Establishing the Background

A supervisor may ask you to write a synopsis for one or more reasons:

• to help you improve your critical thinking and writing skills
• to help you understand how to design a comprehensive synopsis
• to encourage you to write a comprehensive literature review to make sure that the research problem has not been answered yet
• to make you conduct a logical analysis of the steps that should be followed to meet the objectives of the research

A synopsis should be coherent in terms of research design. Thus, you should ensure that the research problem, aims, and research methods are logically linked and well-considered. Note that all synopses should contain answers for several crucial questions:

• Why should research on the proposed problem be undertaken?
• What is expected to be achieved?
• What has been done by other researchers on the proposed topic?
• How will the objectives of the study be achieved?

The Writing Process

Before proceeding, consider answering the following questions:

• Why am I going to study this topic?
• Why do I consider it to be important?
• Have I conducted an extensive literature review on the topic?
• What problem will the research help to solve?
• How do I incorporate previous studies on the topic?

The structure of a synopsis should correspond to the structure of qualifying research work, and the word count should be 2,500–3,000 words (Balu 38). The basic elements of a synopsis include a title page, contents page, an introduction, background, literature review, objectives, methods, experiments and results, conclusions, and references.

Introduction

As this comprises the first part of the main text, the introduction should convince readers that the study addresses a relevant topic and that the expected outcomes will provide important insights. Also, this section should include a brief description of the methods that will be used to answer the research question. Usually, the introduction is written in 1–3 paragraphs and answers the following questions:

• What is the topic of the research?
• What is the research problem that needs to be meaningfully understood or investigated?
• Why is the problem important?
• How will the problem be studied?

In this section, you should set the scene and better introduce the research topic by proving its scientific legitimacy and relevance. It is important to establish a clear focus and avoid broad generalizations and vague statements. If necessary, you may explain key concepts or terms. Consider covering the following points in this section:

• Discuss how the research will contribute to the existing scientific knowledge.
• Provide a detailed description of the research problem and purpose of the research.
• Provide a rationale for the study.
• Explain how the research question will be answered.
• Be sure to discuss the methods chosen and anticipated implications of the research.

Literature Review

A review of existing literature is an important part of a synopsis, as it:

• gives a more detailed look at scientific information related to the topic
• familiarizes readers with research conducted by others on a similar subject
• gives insight into the difficulties faced by other researchers
• helps identify variables for the research based on similar studies
• helps double-check the feasibility of the research problem.

When writing the literature review, do not simply present a list of methods researchers have used and conclusions they have drawn. It is important to compare and contrast different opinions and be unafraid to criticize some of them. Pay attention to controversial issues and divergent approaches used to address similar problems. You may discuss which arguments are more persuasive and which methods and techniques seem to be more valid and reliable. In this section, you are expected not to summarize but analyze the previous research while remembering to link it to your own purpose.

Identify the objectives of the research based on the literature review. Provide an overall objective related to the scientific contribution of the study to the subject area. Also include a specific objective that can be measured at the end of the research.

When writing this section, consider that the aim of the research is to produce new knowledge regarding the topic chosen. Therefore, the research methodology forms the core of your project, and your goal is to convince readers that the research design and methods chosen will rationally answer the research questions and provide effective tools to interpret the results correctly. It may be appropriate to incorporate some examples from your literature review into the description of the overall research design.

When describing the research methodology, ensure that you specify the approaches and techniques that will be used to answer the research question. In addition, be specific about applying the chosen methods and what you expect to achieve. Keep in mind that the methods section allows readers to evaluate the validity and feasibility of the study. Therefore, be sure to explain your decision to adopt specific methods and procedures. It is also important to discuss the anticipated barriers and limitations of the study and how they will be addressed. Specify what kind of contribution to the existing knowledge on the topic is expected, and discuss any ethical considerations that are relevant to the research.

Experiments and Results

Logically present and analyze the results of the study using tables or figures.

In this section, you should again state the significance of the research and summarize the study. Be sure to mention the study objectives and methods used to answer the research questions. Also, discuss how the results of the study contribute to the current knowledge on the problem.

A synopsis should contain a list of all references used. Make sure the references are formatted according to the chosen citation style and each source presented in this section is mentioned within the body of the synopsis.

The purpose of writing a synopsis is to show a supervisor a clear picture of a proposed project and allow him or her to find any gaps that have not been considered previously. A concisely written synopsis will help you gain approval to proceed with the actual research. While no rigid rules for writing this type of paper have been established, a synopsis should be constructed in a manner to help a supervisor understand the proposed research at first glance.

Balu, R. “Writing a Good Ph.D Research Synopsis.” International Journal of Research in Science and Technology, vol. 5, no. 4, 2015, pp. 38–48.

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How To Prepare A Synopsis | How To Write A Synopsis

If you are a beginner or just starting your research or Ph.D. journey and come across the step of synopsis wiring,

You’re on the right track, and we’ll walk you through the process of creating a synopsis and synopsis structure.

Actually, I have to choose this topic because I got lots of messages and mail that how to write a synopsis and it is really difficult for me to tell them all how to prepare a synopsis for them.

I better decided to prepare an article over this and I am going to prepare this in the English language only, but there is a language translation plugin in my blog and one who has any problem in English can switch to that language in which he/she is compatible with the description of synopsis writing.

What is a synopsis

It is an outline or summary of your research work to be conducted and this is the first stage of your research where you can start your research or your experiment or your work it is the most important step of research and the foremost thing in the synopsis is your topic you should choose the topic as of your interest because if you were not interested in the particular topic then it will be very difficult for you to experiment with that.

If you have no deep knowledge of that topic then it’s difficult for you to work on that particular topic and after choosing that relevant topic as per your the interest you should get an irrelevant guide and the guide should pick sport on that topic and it can be easier for you because, without a guide, it is just like you can’t easily conduct your research work.

So it’s better to choose a topic as per your convenience and your interest in the better guidance of export on that topic and when you provide the title for your topic.

The topic of research should be catchy and whenever you are talking about your topic with someone then they should express it oh wow you are working on this topic it’s a very good topic very interesting topic and if such types of expressions you must get for your topic you can get positive energy to work on that topic.

Different portions in a synopsis structure

• Introduction
• Review Of Literature
• Scope of topic
• Research Methods
• Bibliography

Introduction in synopsis

Introduce your research topic in a very brief manner in an explanatory way so that even a student can easily understand or the one who doesn’t have any link with that topic can also understand and say oh you have chosen this topic.

This is your purpose of study all these points would be through very clear in your introduction your interests would be reflected in that topic and the positive point should be reflected in what you are going to face a problem it should be quite thoughtful from your introduction after introduction you will come to the literature review.

Literature review in a synopsis

After introducing your topic now the time you will explain, what has been done on the particular topic, and what were the outcomes or drawbacks of the topic with proper referencing.

What were the steps or techniques used to improve the results of the work which has already been conducted, and if any contradictory point is there on that topic then you should also explain it because it always creates an interest in your mind that yes this is contradicted.

How we can conduct our work on this topic and how to overcome this contradictory point should be well explained in them and while explaining the literature review you will also add the significance of your topic by comparing your literature review then after this, the most important thing about your synopsis is the objective

Objective in synopsis

The objective itself explains the whole process and road map of your work with a stepwise procedure in it. All the experiments are conducted stepwise in your research you will note that in the objective and from the objective points themselves viewers or a reader of your synopsis can easily understand what you are going to conduct and what you are going to get.

Like you have started with the first objective that which was going for the data collection or the sample collection in the next objective you have introduced and analyzed the data and samples from different sources and conclusions will perform in the third objective and after that your outcomes respectively. How you are going to continue your hypothesis and how you can get a result of your hypothesis?

Hypothesis in synopsis

Suppose you’re planning for some tool at that time, what do you do? we give the hypothesis, For example, if that will be the rainy season then we should be our reserve car or a sort of reserve vehicle to travel for sampling or instead of going with the hired one in such types of hypotheses you keep in your mind for your research work.

You will also take such a hypothesis that who much amount of sample is expected and this area is very much drawn to particular data or particular sample and you must focus on this particular area and after it is supposed that you will get a good result from that particular sampling or particular data .

In such type of hypothesis, you first came about that, and after you say that after analyzing a sample we can conclude this must of things.

Actually, you are enhancing without or with your imagination that how you can get how you are conducting your experiment in your imaginations you will give a certain hypothesis and after hypothesis, this is your synopsis.

After putting your hypothesis you will then perform your work on that particular hypothesis and then we are either accept or reject your hypothesis.

Scope of the topic in a synopsis

The scope of your topic is what you can get. What is the scope? Why you are conducting this research you are going to answer all why you were conducting this experiment and what is the scope of this experiment. If you are doing this research what are the positive results you are going to come and how it will affect you economically or socially to the environment?

Research methods in the synopsis

This is we can say the techniques you are going to use for your research and what are instrument you are going to apply on that path. When you are going to represent all these things and going to offer any experiment or any research work at that time you are associated with a particular Institute to get the result from the research methods with the help of tools and techniques.

During the research work, you decide whether the expert faculty in that Institute or not or whether you have to turn to an export of your tools from anywhere or whatever the financial status for your research is either you can get from your institute or not. These things can be cleared from the research methods and design .

You can frame a schedule that I am going to complete my first objective in this the first year or in six months and for other objects, you are going to give a tentative duration respectively and it will become specific to you to complete your work in that decision time and if you will not have any tentative durations or any limitations of timing in your research then what will happen you will keep on working on one thing and you will keep on doing out spend lots and lots of time at that particular topic.

You have a tentative duration of research and it should complete your work at that particular time and you should be very attentive to your research work for that, we then finally come to the bibliography

Bibliography in synopsis

This is the referring session and you can also provide a list of all sources you have used in the process of referring or design of your synopsis or writing your synopsis including the research papers, books, academic studies, etc.

All sources you have gone through during the synopsis preparation and updated about your topic and these all kinds of stuff should be included in the synopsis.

So this is all about “How to write a synopsis” and hopefully, this article helps you during the synopsis preparation and it would be easier for you to write a synopsis in the future. KRS is an academic collaborative research platform that regularly updates its information to aid in your professional development.

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General FAQ Related to Synopsis

Q 1. what is a synopsis in research.

A synopsis provides readers with a concise outline of the key ideas and progression of the proposed work.

Q 2. What are the main parts of the synopsis

The meaning and significance of the research

Q 3. Type of synopsis

Two types first is a research synopsis, and the second is a project synopsis.

3 thoughts on “How To Prepare A Synopsis | How To Write A Synopsis”

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• How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

Published on November 23, 2020 by Shona McCombes . Revised on May 31, 2023.

Summarizing , or writing a summary, means giving a concise overview of a text’s main points in your own words. A summary is always much shorter than the original text.

There are five key steps that can help you to write a summary:

• Read the text
• Break it down into sections
• Identify the key points in each section
• Write the summary
• Check the summary against the article

Writing a summary does not involve critiquing or evaluating the source . You should simply provide an accurate account of the most important information and ideas (without copying any text from the original).

Table of contents

When to write a summary, step 1: read the text, step 2: break the text down into sections, step 3: identify the key points in each section, step 4: write the summary, step 5: check the summary against the article, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about summarizing.

There are many situations in which you might have to summarize an article or other source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to show you’ve understood the material
• To keep notes that will help you remember what you’ve read
• To give an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review

When you’re writing an academic text like an essay , research paper , or dissertation , you’ll integrate sources in a variety of ways. You might use a brief quote to support your point, or paraphrase a few sentences or paragraphs.

But it’s often appropriate to summarize a whole article or chapter if it is especially relevant to your own research, or to provide an overview of a source before you analyze or critique it.

In any case, the goal of summarizing is to give your reader a clear understanding of the original source. Follow the five steps outlined below to write a good summary.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

You should read the article more than once to make sure you’ve thoroughly understood it. It’s often effective to read in three stages:

• Scan the article quickly to get a sense of its topic and overall shape.
• Read the article carefully, highlighting important points and taking notes as you read.
• Skim the article again to confirm you’ve understood the key points, and reread any particularly important or difficult passages.

There are some tricks you can use to identify the key points as you read:

• Start by reading the abstract . This already contains the author’s own summary of their work, and it tells you what to expect from the article.
• Pay attention to headings and subheadings . These should give you a good sense of what each part is about.
• Read the introduction and the conclusion together and compare them: What did the author set out to do, and what was the outcome?

To make the text more manageable and understand its sub-points, break it down into smaller sections.

If the text is a scientific paper that follows a standard empirical structure, it is probably already organized into clearly marked sections, usually including an introduction , methods , results , and discussion .

Other types of articles may not be explicitly divided into sections. But most articles and essays will be structured around a series of sub-points or themes.

Now it’s time go through each section and pick out its most important points. What does your reader need to know to understand the overall argument or conclusion of the article?

Keep in mind that a summary does not involve paraphrasing every single paragraph of the article. Your goal is to extract the essential points, leaving out anything that can be considered background information or supplementary detail.

In a scientific article, there are some easy questions you can ask to identify the key points in each part.

If the article takes a different form, you might have to think more carefully about what points are most important for the reader to understand its argument.

In that case, pay particular attention to the thesis statement —the central claim that the author wants us to accept, which usually appears in the introduction—and the topic sentences that signal the main idea of each paragraph.

Now that you know the key points that the article aims to communicate, you need to put them in your own words.

To avoid plagiarism and show you’ve understood the article, it’s essential to properly paraphrase the author’s ideas. Do not copy and paste parts of the article, not even just a sentence or two.

The best way to do this is to put the article aside and write out your own understanding of the author’s key points.

Examples of article summaries

Let’s take a look at an example. Below, we summarize this article , which scientifically investigates the old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Davis et al. (2015) set out to empirically test the popular saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Apples are often used to represent a healthy lifestyle, and research has shown their nutritional properties could be beneficial for various aspects of health. The authors’ unique approach is to take the saying literally and ask: do people who eat apples use healthcare services less frequently? If there is indeed such a relationship, they suggest, promoting apple consumption could help reduce healthcare costs.

The study used publicly available cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were categorized as either apple eaters or non-apple eaters based on their self-reported apple consumption in an average 24-hour period. They were also categorized as either avoiding or not avoiding the use of healthcare services in the past year. The data was statistically analyzed to test whether there was an association between apple consumption and several dependent variables: physician visits, hospital stays, use of mental health services, and use of prescription medication.

Although apple eaters were slightly more likely to have avoided physician visits, this relationship was not statistically significant after adjusting for various relevant factors. No association was found between apple consumption and hospital stays or mental health service use. However, apple eaters were found to be slightly more likely to have avoided using prescription medication. Based on these results, the authors conclude that an apple a day does not keep the doctor away, but it may keep the pharmacist away. They suggest that this finding could have implications for reducing healthcare costs, considering the high annual costs of prescription medication and the inexpensiveness of apples.

However, the authors also note several limitations of the study: most importantly, that apple eaters are likely to differ from non-apple eaters in ways that may have confounded the results (for example, apple eaters may be more likely to be health-conscious). To establish any causal relationship between apple consumption and avoidance of medication, they recommend experimental research.

An article summary like the above would be appropriate for a stand-alone summary assignment. However, you’ll often want to give an even more concise summary of an article.

For example, in a literature review or meta analysis you may want to briefly summarize this study as part of a wider discussion of various sources. In this case, we can boil our summary down even further to include only the most relevant information.

Using national survey data, Davis et al. (2015) tested the assertion that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and did not find statistically significant evidence to support this hypothesis. While people who consumed apples were slightly less likely to use prescription medications, the study was unable to demonstrate a causal relationship between these variables.

Citing the source you’re summarizing

When including a summary as part of a larger text, it’s essential to properly cite the source you’re summarizing. The exact format depends on your citation style , but it usually includes an in-text citation and a full reference at the end of your paper.

You can easily create your citations and references in APA or MLA using our free citation generators.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

Finally, read through the article once more to ensure that:

• You’ve accurately represented the author’s work
• You haven’t missed any essential information
• The phrasing is not too similar to any sentences in the original.

If you’re summarizing many articles as part of your own work, it may be a good idea to use a plagiarism checker to double-check that your text is completely original and properly cited. Just be sure to use one that’s safe and reliable.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Paraphrasing

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

A summary is a short overview of the main points of an article or other source, written entirely in your own words. Want to make your life super easy? Try our free text summarizer today!

A summary is always much shorter than the original text. The length of a summary can range from just a few sentences to several paragraphs; it depends on the length of the article you’re summarizing, and on the purpose of the summary.

You might have to write a summary of a source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to prove you understand the material
• For your own use, to keep notes on your reading
• To provide an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review
• In a paper , to summarize or introduce a relevant study

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

An abstract concisely explains all the key points of an academic text such as a thesis , dissertation or journal article. It should summarize the whole text, not just introduce it.

An abstract is a type of summary , but summaries are also written elsewhere in academic writing . For example, you might summarize a source in a paper , in a literature review , or as a standalone assignment.

All can be done within seconds with our free text summarizer .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, May 31). How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-summarize/

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A Beginner’s Guide To Writing A Research Project Synopsis Or Protocol

Wrirk Research

Introduction:

Writing a research project synopsis or protocol is a crucial step in initiating any research endeavor. It serves as a blueprint that outlines the objectives, methods and anticipated outcomes of your study. In this beginner’s guide, we will walk you through the essential components and key considerations when crafting a research project synopsis or protocol.

Start by understanding the purpose of a research project synopsis or protocol. It is a concise document that provides an overview of your research project, including its rationale, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes. The Synopsis Format For Phd or protocol serves as a roadmap that guides your research journey and helps gain necessary approvals and funding.

To begin, clearly articulate the research problem or question that your study aims to address. Explain the significance and relevance of the topic, highlighting the gap in knowledge or the need for further investigation. This sets the foundation for your research project and provides context for readers.

Identify specific objectives that you aim to achieve through your research. These objectives should be clear, measurable, and aligned with the research problem. State the primary and secondary objectives, ensuring they are achievable within the scope of your study.

Next, describe the research methodology that you will employ to gather data and answer your research questions. Discuss the research design, sampling strategy, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques. Justify your choices by explaining how they align with your research objectives and contribute to the validity and reliability of your findings. Get more interesting information about Phd Thesis Writing Services here.

It is important to address the ethical considerations associated with your research project. Discuss any potential risks to participants and how you plan to mitigate them. Explain your plans for obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality, and adhering to ethical guidelines and regulations. Ethical considerations are crucial to protect the rights and well-being of participants and maintain the integrity of your research. If you want to get more details about Ph.D. research proposal writing services India, you may visit Wrirk.com .

Outline the expected results and potential impact of your research. Discuss the anticipated outcomes and how they contribute to the existing body of knowledge or address the research problem. Consider the potential implications of your findings for academia, industry, or society. Highlight the significance and potential value of your research project.

Develop a realistic timeline that outlines the key milestones and activities of your research project. Consider the duration of each phase, including data collection, analysis, and report writing. Additionally, identify the resources required, such as equipment, materials, or specialized expertise. This helps in planning and resource allocation.

In conclusion, the Research Proposal Writing project and synopsis or protocol require careful planning and attention to detail. By following this beginner’s guide, you will be equipped with the fundamental components and considerations necessary to develop a well-structured and comprehensive document. Remember to seek guidance from your advisor or research committee throughout the process to ensure alignment with your academic institution’s requirements and standards.

As you embark on your research journey, the research project synopsis or protocol will serve as your guiding document, helping you stay focused, organized, and on track.

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Wrirk.com provides the Article writing services for Researchers Tips For Effective Research Paper Writing For Phd Researchers How Wrirk.com Helps You in Your Synopsis, Thesis, Papers, writing? Get Trusted PhD Research Paper Writing Services for Your Success Expert Guidance for Writing a Standout Research Proposal in India: Bibliometrics, Content Analysis, and More

6 Proven Tips for Successful Research Paper Writing: A Guide for Students Expert Research Proposal Creation Services: Boost Your Chances of Approval with Our Work Top 5 Advantages of Using Wrirk.com for Your Ph.D. Paper Writing Needs Get Expert Research Synopsis Writing Assistance at Wrirk.com — Say Goodbye to Struggles! Thesis Writing Guide for PhD Candidates: Tips & Strategies for Success with WRIRK Get Free PhD Research Proposal Sample PDFs for Your Paper | WRIRK Get Expert PhD Synopsis Writing Assistance with Wrirk Where Can I Find Reliable Online Thesis Writing Services In India? Write A Perfect Research Proposal Format For Ph.D. Students With Wrirk The Definitive Guide To Writing An Outstanding Synopsis For Your Thesis Project Top 10 Tips For Writing An Outstanding Synopsis For Your Thesis-Project

Bibliometric And Content Analysis: A Step-By-Step Guide For 2023

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Wrirk provides professional writing services for PhD holders. They specialize in writing academic papers, dissertations, and theses.

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Learn how to prepare and write a synopsis assignment.

• Newcastle University
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• Assignment Types

A synopsis is a brief summary which gives readers an overview of the main points. In an academic context, this is usually a summary of a text (a journal article, book, report etc) but in some instances you might be writing a synopsis of a talk, film or other form of presentation. A synopsis is a neutral summary, objectively capturing the main points, rather than your own perspective or critique, and it focusses directly on the text you’re summarising rather than being a wider discussion of a topic, as an essay might be.

A synopsis aims to give the reader a full, if brief, account of the whole text so that they can follow its main points without having to read it themselves. It’s not a ‘trailer’ designed to tempt your audience to read the text itself, so you don’t have to worry about ‘hooking’ them in with hints and high points or ‘spoiling the ending’ - give the whole text equal coverage, including the conclusions. You could add some commentary which gives the reader a bit of context about the text, including the authors and circumstances it was written in (for example, if it is part of a debate, particular school of thought or its significance and what impact it’s had).

Writing a good synopsis is a skill, and there are a number of challenges: 

• Separating the main points from the minor detail
• Knowing what to leave out as well as what to include
• Giving a sense of the overall narrative as well as listing the key points
• Covering the whole text within a small word limit
• Knowing how closely to stick to the original, especially in terms of the wording
• Whether to give all key points equal treatment, or cover some more briefly, even combining them
• Rephrasing things concisely without losing the meaning or misrepresenting it
• Not leaving out anything crucial to understanding the whole overall message

A good synopsis will allow the reader to feel as if they’d skimread the whole text themselves, understanding the overall gist and highlighting what they need to know. A poor synopsis will get bogged down in detail, giving a confused account of the whole story by just listing points, miss out major points or give an inaccurate or one-sided account or stick so closely to the original that it becomes plagiarism without demonstrating a real understanding by the person summarising it.  

How to prepare a synopsis

Boiling down the key points and overall narrative of the original means good reading and note-taking skills which aim to identify and boil down key points to their essence. You could try some of the following approaches: 

• Read the whole text, and afterwards, without re-reading, jot down your first initial summary in 50 words to capture its overall point. You can check it back for accuracy or anything you left out, but stick within ca 50 words
• Read the introduction and first line of each paragraph to get a sense of the overall structure and key points within it
• Highlight one sentence in each paragraph that you think is essential detail to understanding that section
• Alternatively, with a marker pen, cross out anything that isn’t essential to an understanding of the whole section or text 
• Jot down only key words as a summary of each point rather than whole sentences
• Read each paragraph and summarise it without looking, in one sentence of your own 
• Consider how many points you can make within your word count, and reduce or combine your list of summarised points down to this number

You could start small, identifying just keywords or sentences at first and then work them up into phrases, bullet points and sentences as a rough plan or draft, or you could start big with the original text and reduce each section, paragraph and sentence summary again and again until you have boiled it down to its essence.  

When you start to prepare your first plan or draft, try to use your notes or memory and step away from the original as much as you can. You can go back and check it afterwards, but you need to create some distance to be able to create your own account and have confidence in the points you have identified as essential.

Writing a synopsis

The main decisions facing you as you write up your summary are about how closely to stick to the original in terms of structure and style, and how much attention to give to each point. 

• You could begin your synopsis with a brief context, explaining who the authors are, the context and significance of their work, as well as anything you think might help the reader to understand the following summary
• The most common structure is to follow that of the original text, to give a sense of its narrative flow as well as the key points within it. You could choose to depart from it a little though, perhaps glossing over some points faster than others, combining two sections which go together or aren’t enough in their own right, possibly even changing the order a little where it helps to combine two similar points. Careful use of signposting language will help the reader clearly follow the structure (and note anywhere you’ve changed it from the original) so they can identify the bit you’re talking about in the original if they want to
• The style will naturally be strongly influenced by the original wording, but you should phrase it in your own words wherever possible. It’s harder to nibble away words from a much longer original than it is to start again and use your own concise phrasing, and you want to demonstrate your own understanding to the reader. You could use the odd original phrase or quotation here or there, but the synopsis needs to be more than a collage of quotations; it’s a thing in its own right rather than a cut-down version of the original
• You can also show your own response to the text in the way you use language to guide the reader to what you feel are the key points and (briefly) why. Your own voice doesn’t need to be very obvious in the synopsis, as it’s about the text rather than your reaction to it, but you have made analytical decisions about what is important, and might want to explain to the reader why these points are significant in understanding the whole
• What is the main purpose of this text? What did it aim to discover, explain or prove?
• Why was this research done? How significant is it?
• How was the research conducted? What kind of research is it?
• What were the three (or four, five) main things I should be aware of from this paper?
• What is their line of argument?
• What is their overall conclusion, recommendation, finding? Why is that important?

Managing word count

The trick to writing a concise synopsis which keeps within your word limit is not to start from the much bigger original text, but from your own boiled down notes. If you’re over the word count, you could start cutting out words that don’t seem essential, but if you go too far, you end up with a text which does not read well and doesn’t hang together. It might be better to remove whole sentences and perhaps whole points, than nibble away at words here and there.

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Research synopsis writing

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Guidelines for writing a research project synopsis or protocol

"Success is often the result of taking a mis - step in the right direction. "

Al Bernstein

A protocol or a synopsis of a research project is a document submitted to an authority or an institution for the purpose of

• Ethical clearance
• Formal registration to universities for the award of a degree or doctorate
• Peer review
• Financial assistance from organizations like ICMR, DST, NACO, DGHS, and MHRD

Synopsis is the gist of your planned project submitted for approval from competent authorities. It gives a panoramic view of your research for quick analysis by the reviewers.

Thus, a protocol or a synopsis forms an integral part of a research project or a thesis. Many universities have made it mandatory for the postgraduate degree student to prepare a thesis as a part of their postgraduate training. A good knowledge about how a protocol or a synopsis is written is imperative to all people involved in medical research.

Literally, protocol (Greek word, protokollon - first page) means a format procedure for carrying out a scientific research. Synopsis (Greek word, sun - together, opsis - seeing) means brief summary of something. Frequently, both the terms are used as synonyms but the term ′synopsis′ is used more often.

A synopsis should be constructed in a manner that facilitates the reviewer to understand the research project at a glance. It should be brief but precise. A synopsis can be structured in the following manner:

• Statement of the problem and hypothesis
• Aims and objectives
• Review of literature
• Research methodology
• Official requirements

Title The title of the research project should be brief but informative; sensationalization of the title is best avoided. It should neither be too short nor too long. Any name of the institution, the number of cases to be studied should not be included. The hypothesis to be studied can be included.

a. "Study of ectopic pregnancy"

This was a title chosen for university registration. The title is too short. It does not state the problem or the hypothesis and is least informative. More meaningful title shall be, "Study of ectopic pregnancy in relation to morbidity, mortality, and intervention in a referral hospital".

b. "A novel sustained release matrix based on biodegradable poly (esteramides) and, impregnated with bacteriophages and an antibiotic shows promise in management of infected venous stasis ulcer and other poorly healing wounds", (Int. J Dermat vol 8 2002). The title is long and ill conceived. It gives a confusing picture about the study problem. Such long titles are best avoided. Certain amount of sensationalization is also present by using term ′novel′. More meaningful title shall be, "Response of venous stasis ulcers and other poorly healing wounds to a biodegradable matrix impregnated with bacteriophages and an antibiotic". The other details about the new method can be mentioned while stating the problem.

c. "Fine needle aspiration, as a diagnostic tool for papulonodular skin lesions". This is an acceptable, informative, and precise title. It states the hypothesis correctly.

Statement of the problem or hypothesis The problem being studied should be mentioned in precise and clear terms. Understanding the problem aids the researcher in constructing the research proposal. It also allows the person to formulate the hypothesis. The problem under study should be relevant to the present. A brief account of its utility at the local or national level has to be discussed. The present status of the problem and the necessity for taking up the study needs to be mentioned.

Hypothesis is mentioned as a tentative prediction or explanation of the relationship between two or more variables. Hypothesis should not be a haphazard guess but should reflect the knowledge, imagination, and experience of the investigator. Hypothesis can be formulated by understanding the problem, reviewing the literature on it, and considering other factors. A researcher can state the problem and the hypothesis in about 200 words covering all the aspects described above.

Aims and objectives All research projects should have objectives and aims and every effort should be made to achieve them. The objectives and aims should be only a few (2-3). They must pertain to the study problem. Usages of terms like "first study", "the only study", etc. should be avoided.

Review of literature Review of literature is a very important part of a research project. It achieves the following:

• Familiarizes the reader to the problem under study.
• It describes the work done by others either at local or international level on it or similar subject.
• It helps the researcher to understand the difficulties faced by others and the corrective steps taken or modifications made by them. The researcher can anticipate similar or additional problems during the study and review of literature helps him in anticipating them.
• Research methodology of the researcher can be structured and modified after reviewing the literature.
• The review assists in identifying various variables in the research project and conceptualizes their relationship.
• Review of literature in a synopsis helps the reviewer in assessing the knowledge of the researcher. The reviewer can assess the work put in by the researcher and also assists in assessing the feasibility of the study.

The review of literature in a synopsis need not be exhaustive. The relevant information should be covered in about 300 words quoting 8-10 authentic, easily retrievable references. Literature can be reviewed by using various scientific-information-gathering methods. These are journals, national or international; bulletins of organizations like WHO, CDC, and ICMR; books; computer-assisted searches like Medline and Medlar; and personal communications with other researchers. Internet provides a vast avenue for information gathering. Care must be taken to retrieve only relevant information. In this era of information technology review of literature is literally "just a click away".

Research methodology In a synopsis the research methodology adopted should be mentioned in about 150-200 words. The research methodology forms the core of the research project. The methodology should cover the following aspects:

• Study design

Study settings

• Study methods - examinations or investigations
• Data collection
• Data analysis

Study design The methodology starts with selection of study design. A single study design or a combination can be selected e.g.:

Descriptive designs

Cross-sectional study or survey

Epidemiological description of disease occurrence

Community diagnosis

Study of natural history of a disease

Observational analytical designs

Prospective study

Retrospective study

Follow-up study

Experimental designs

Animal studies

Therapeutic clinical trials - drugs

Prophylactic clinical trials- vaccines

Field trials

Operational designs

A mention about the research setting should be made. This includes information about the institution, facilities available, time of study, and population of study.

Sampling Sampling is selecting a sample of appropriate size for the study. The sample size depends on the study design. The study population can be population of cases, population of people, or population of recipients of certain treatment.

There are many methods for sampling like simple random, systemic and stratified sampling, cluster sampling, etc. Care should be taken to ensure that the sample size is adequate to produce meaningful results. The sample size should be adequate to apply all relevant tests of statistical significance. The samples should be representative of the population and should be reliable. This minimizes sampling errors.

Variables Variables are the factors that can change. These changes can affect the outcome of a research project. Thus, it is important to identify the variables at the planning stage. They should be quantified with a measurable unit. Knowledge of the various variables in a research project will assist in refining the objectives. Usually, objectives of a research will be to see the effect of independent variables on dependent variables. There are four types of variables.

Independent variables

These are the variables that can be manipulated by the researcher and the effects of that are observed on the other variables. For example, predisposing factors, risk factors and cause.

Dependent variables

The changes occur as a result of independent variables. For example, disease and outcome.

Intervening variables

These may influence the effect of independent variables on the dependent variables. For example, while studying the response of HIV-AIDS to HAART the outcome may be influenced by the presence of antitubercular drugs.

Background variables

These are changes that are relevant in the groups or population under study. These need to be included in the study. For example, age, sex, and ethnic origin.

Controls Control groups increase the validity of the research project. They usually consist of units of same population but differ in some respects. Controls are not necessary for all research projects. As far as possible they should be used in all analytical studies, drug trials, and intervention programs.

Study methods Here the researcher will have to describe the method of data collection, which may be in the form of:

• Questionnaire
• Medical examination
• Laboratory investigations
• Screening procedures

A sample of the proforma should be prepared and attached. The possible cost involved and any financial assistance received must be mentioned.

Data collection A brief note on how data are collected should be included. The information should be about:

• The organizational setup
• Training to data collecting team
• Logistic support
• Plans for collaboration with other organization should be included

Data analysis Data analysis is an important part of a research project. A good analysis leads to good results. The plans for data analysis should be mentioned under the following heads Statistical methods, Computer program used, and Data sorting method. A general statement "appropriate statistical methods will be used." must be avoided.

Ethical clearance Wherever necessary, ethical committee clearance from the institute should be obtained. The certificate must be attached. Ethical clearance is required in all human and animal studies.

References All references quoted in review of literature and anywhere else in the synopsis should be listed here. There are two styles for writing references, Vancouver style and Harvard style. Vancouver style is easy to follow as it depends on the numbers as quoted in text.

Official requirements A synopsis is incomplete if it does not contain the following information:

• Name of the researcher and designation
• Name and designation of the guide
• Name and designation of head of department\institution
• Name of the institution
• Signatures of all with official seal

Synopsis writing is an important step in a research project. A good synopsis will give maximum information in minimum words. A well-conceived synopsis will go a long way in convincing the reviewer about the ability of the researcher to conduct the project. In cases of need for financial assistance, the request will be considered favorably. Thus, all research workers should make efforts to prepare a well-structured synopsis.

Acknowledgments

The author is thankful to M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers for their permission to reproduce this article from the "Handbook on Health Professional Education" published by them. [21] [Table 1]

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Research Summary Structure, Samples, Writing Steps, and Useful Suggestions

Updated 24 Jul 2024

What is a Research Summary and Why Is It Important?

A research summary is a type of paper designed to provide a brief overview of a given study - typically, an article from a peer-reviewed academic journal. It is a frequent type of task encountered in US colleges and universities, both in humanitarian and exact sciences, which is due to how important it is to teach students to properly interact with and interpret scientific literature and in particular, academic papers, which are the key way through which new ideas, theories, and evidence are presented to experts in many fields of knowledge. A research summary typically preserves the structure/sections of the article it focuses on. Get the grades you want with our professional research paper helper .

How to Write a Research Summary – Typical Steps

Follow these clear steps to help avoid typical mistakes and productivity bottlenecks, allowing for a more efficient through your writing process:

• Skim the article in order to get a rough idea of the content covered in each section and to understand the relative importance of content, for instance, how important different lines of evidence are (this helps you understand which sections you should focus on more when reading in detail). Make sure you understand the task and your professor's requirements before reading the article. In this step, you can also decide whether to write a summary by yourself or ask for a cheap research paper writing service instead.
• Analyze and understand the topic and article. Writing a summary of a research paper involves becoming very familiar with the topic – sometimes, it is impossible to understand the content without learning about the current state of knowledge, as well as key definitions, concepts, models. This is often performed while reading the literature review. As for the paper itself, understanding it means understanding analysis questions, hypotheses, listed evidence, how strongly this evidence supports the hypotheses, as well as analysis implications. Keep in mind that only a deep understanding allows one to efficiently and accurately summarize the content.
• Make notes as you read. You could highlight or summarize each paragraph with a brief sentence that would record the key idea delivered in it (obviously, some paragraphs deserve more attention than others). However, be careful not to engage in extensive writing while still reading. This is important because, while reading, you might realize that some sections you initially considered important might actually be less important compared to information that follows. As for underlining or highlighting – do these only with the most important evidence, otherwise, there is little use in “coloring” everything without distinction.
• Assemble a draft by bringing together key evidence and notes from each paragraph/ section. Make sure that all elements characteristic of a research summary are covered (as detailed below).
• Find additional literature for forming or supporting your critical view (this is if your critical view/position is required), for instance, judgments about limitations of the study or contradictory evidence.

Read Also:  Criminal Justice Research Topics To Impress Your Teacher

Research Summary Structure

The research summary format resembles that found in the original paper (just a concise version of it). Content from all sections should be covered and reflected upon, regardless of whether corresponding headings are present or not. Key structural elements of any research summary are as follows:

• Title – it announces the exact topic/area of analysis and can even be formulated to briefly announce key finding(s) or argument(s) delivered.
• Abstract – this is a very concise and comprehensive description of the study, present virtually in any academic article (the length varies greatly, typically within 100-500 words). Unlike an academic article, your research summary is expected to have a much shorter abstract.
• Introduction – this is an essential part of any research summary which provides necessary context (the literature review) that helps introduce readers to the subject by presenting the current state of the investigation, an important concept or definition, etc. This section might also describe the subject’s importance (or might not, for instance, when it is self-evident). Finally, an introduction typically lists investigation questions and hypotheses advanced by authors, which are normally mentioned in detail in any research summary (obviously, doing this is only possible after identifying these elements in the original paper).
• Methodology – regardless of its location, this section details experimental methods or data analysis methods used (e.g. types of experiments, surveys, sampling, or statistical analysis). In a research summary, many of these details would have to be omitted; hence, it is important to understand what is most important to mention.
• Results section – this section lists in detail evidence obtained from all experiments with some primary data analysis, conclusions, observations, and primary interpretations being made. It is typically the largest section of any analysis paper, so, it has to be concisely rewritten, which implies understanding which content is worth omitting and worth keeping.
• Discussion – this is where results are being discussed in the context of current knowledge among experts. This section contains interpretations of results, theoretical models explaining the observed results, study strengths and especially limitations, complementary future exploration to be undertaken, conclusions, etc. All these are important elements that need to be conveyed in a summary.
• Conclusion – in the original article, this section could be absent or merged with “Discussion”. Specific research summary instructions might require this to be a standalone section. In a conclusion, hypotheses are revisited and validated or denied, based on how convincing the evidence is (key lines of evidence could be highlighted).
• References – this section is for mentioning those cited works directly in your summary – obviously, one has to provide appropriate citations at least for the original article (this often suffices). Mentioning other works might be relevant when your critical opinion is also required (supported with new unrelated evidence).

Note that if you need some model research summary papers done before you start writing yourself (this will help familiarize you with essay structure and various sections), you could simply recruit our company by following the link provided below.

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Research Summary Writing Tips

Below is a checklist of useful research paper tips worth considering when writing research summaries:

• Make sure you are always aware of the bigger picture/ direction. You need to keep in mind a complete and coherent picture of the story delivered by the original article. It might be helpful to reread or scan it quickly to remind yourself of the declared goals, hypotheses, key evidence, and conclusions – this awareness offers a constant sense of direction, which ensures that no written sentence is out of context. It is useful doing this even after you have written a fourth, a third, or half of the paper (to make sure no deviation occurs).
• Consider writing a detailed research outline before writing the draft – it might be of great use when structuring your paper. A research summary template is also very likely to help you structure your paper.
• Sketch the main elements of the conclusion before writing it. Do this for a number of reasons: validate/invalidate hypotheses; enumerate key evidence supporting or invalidating them, list potential implications; mention the subject’s importance; mention study limitations and future directions for research. In order to include them all, it is useful having them written down and handy.
• Consider writing the introduction and discussion last. It makes sense to first list hypotheses, goals, questions, and key results. Latter, information contained in the introduction and discussion can be adapted as needed (for instance, to match a preset word count limit). Also, on the basis of already written paragraphs, you can easily generate your discussion with the help of a conclusion tool ; it works online and is absolutely free of charge. Apart from this, follow a natural order.
• Include visuals – you could summarize a lot of text using graphs or charts while simultaneously improving readability.
• Be very careful not to plagiarize. It is very tempting to “borrow” or quote entire phrases from an article, provided how well-written these are, but you need to summarize your paper without plagiarizing at all (forget entirely about copy-paste – it is only allowed to paraphrase and even this should be done carefully). The best way to stay safe is by formulating your own thoughts from scratch.
• Keep your word count in check. You don’t want your summary to be as long as the original paper (just reformulated). In addition, you might need to respect an imposed word count limit, which requires being careful about how much you write for each section.
• Proofread your work for grammar, spelling, wordiness, and formatting issues (feel free to use our convert case tool for titles, headings, subheadings, etc.).
• Watch your writing style – when summarizing content, it should be impersonal, precise, and purely evidence-based. A personal view/attitude should be provided only in the critical section (if required).
• Ask a colleague to read your summary and test whether he/she could understand everything without reading the article – this will help ensure that you haven’t skipped some important content, explanations, concepts, etc.

For additional information on formatting, structure, and for more writing tips, check out these research paper guidelines on our website. Remember that we cover most research papers writing services you can imagine and can offer help at various stages of your writing project, including proofreading, editing, rewriting for plagiarism elimination, and style adjustment.

Research Summary Example 1

Below are some defining elements of a sample research summary written from an imaginary article.

Title – “The probability of an unexpected volcanic eruption in Yellowstone” Introduction – this section would list those catastrophic consequences hitting our country in  case of a massive eruption and the importance of analyzing this matter. Hypothesis –  An eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would be preceded by intense precursory activity manifesting a few weeks up to a few years in advance. Results – these could contain a report of statistical data from multiple volcanic eruptions happening worldwide looking specifically at activity that preceded these events (in particular, how early each type of activity was detected). Discussion and conclusion – Given that Yellowstone is continuously monitored by scientists and that signs of an eruption are normally detected much in advance and at least a few days in advance, the hypothesis is confirmed. This could find application in creating emergency plans detailing an organized evacuation campaign and other response measures.

Research Summary Example 2

Below is another sample sketch, also from an imaginary article.

Title – “The frequency of extreme weather events in US in 2000-2008 as compared to the ‘50s” Introduction – Weather events bring immense material damage and cause human victims. Hypothesis – Extreme weather events are significantly more frequent nowadays than in the ‘50s Results – these could list the frequency of several categories of extreme events now and then: droughts and associated fires, massive rainfall/snowfall and associated floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, arctic cold waves, etc. Discussion and conclusion – Several types of extreme events indeed became significantly more frequent recently, confirming this hypothesis. This increasing frequency correlates reliably with rising CO2 levels in atmosphere and growing temperatures worldwide and in the absence of another recent major global change that could explain a higher frequency of disasters but also knowing how growing temperature disturbs weather patterns, it is natural to assume that global warming (CO2) causes this increase in frequency. This, in turn, suggests that this increased frequency of disasters is not a short-term phenomenon but is here to stay until we address CO2 levels.

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Let Professionals Help With Your Research Summary

Writing a research summary has its challenges, but becoming familiar with its structure (i.e. the structure of an article), understanding well the article that needs to be summarized, and adhering to recommended guidelines will help the process go smoothly.

Simply create your account in a few clicks, place an order by uploading your instructions, and upload or indicate the article requiring a summary and choose a preferred writer for this task (according to experience, rating, bidding price). Our transparent system puts you in control, allowing you to set priorities as you wish (to our knowledge, few competitors have something equivalent in place). Obviously, we can help with many other essay types such as critical thinking essay, argumentative essay, etc. In particular, the research paper definition article on our website highlights a few popular paper types we work with.

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How to Write a Synopsis of an Article: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Have you ever been tasked with writing a synopsis of an article and had no idea where to begin? Don't worry, you're not alone. A synopsis is a brief summary of an article, and can be an essential tool when trying to convey the main points of a lengthy piece of writing. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps of creating a strong synopsis that effectively communicates the article's key takeaways.

Understanding the Purpose of a Synopsis

Before we dive into the specifics of writing a synopsis, it's important to first understand why they are so important. Synopses serve as a quick reference for busy readers who are unable to read the entire article. They also help to clarify the article's purpose and make it easier to analyze the author's arguments.

When it comes to reading articles or research papers, time is of the essence. Many readers are looking for specific information and don't have the luxury of reading an entire article from start to finish. This is where a synopsis comes in handy. It provides a brief overview of the article's main points, allowing readers to quickly determine whether or not the article is worth their time.

Why Synopses are Important

Synopses provide a concise summary of an article's main points, making it easier for readers to quickly grasp the author's intended message. They are also useful for researchers who are looking for specific information, as a synopsis can help them determine whether or not an article is relevant to their needs.

Moreover, synopses are essential for professionals who are constantly on the go. Business executives, for instance, may not have the time to read an entire report, but they need to be informed about the key takeaways. A synopsis provides them with a quick and easy way to get up to speed.

Different Types of Synopses

There are several different types of synopses, each catering to a different audience. For example, an executive summary is a type of synopsis that is aimed at business professionals, while an abstract is a synopsis that is typically used in academic writing. Regardless of the type of synopsis that you are writing, the same basic principles apply.

One type of synopsis that is gaining popularity is the social media synopsis. With the rise of social media, many readers are looking for bite-sized pieces of information that they can easily share with their followers. A social media synopsis provides a concise summary of an article's main points, making it easy for readers to share the information with their network.

In conclusion, synopses are an essential part of effective communication. They provide readers with a quick and easy way to understand an article's main points, making it easier for them to determine whether or not the article is relevant to their needs. By understanding the purpose and importance of synopses, you can create effective summaries that will engage and inform your readers.

Preparing to Write Your Synopsis

Now that we've covered the importance of synopses, let's dive into the steps involved in creating one.

Read the entire article thoroughly

Before you can begin writing your synopsis, you need to thoroughly read the article that you are summarizing. It's important to understand the author's intended message and the supporting arguments that are used to make that message. Take notes as you read, highlighting key points and information that will be useful when writing your synopsis.

Identify the main points and arguments

Once you've read the article, you need to identify the main points and arguments that the author is making. These will typically be found in the introduction and conclusion of the article, but you may also find them throughout the body of the text. It's important to identify all of the main points so that you can ensure that your synopsis accurately represents the author's message.

Take notes and outline the article's structure

In addition to identifying the main points, you should also take notes on the article's structure. This includes identifying subheadings and sections, as well as any transitions or supporting evidence that the author uses. By organizing your notes in this way, you can ensure that your synopsis accurately reflects the structure of the original article.

Writing a Strong Introduction for Your Synopsis

Now that you've prepared for writing your synopsis, it's time to dive into actually writing it. The beginning is a crucial aspect of your synopsis, as it sets the tone for the rest of the summary.

Hook the reader with a compelling opening

Just like a full-length article, the introduction of your synopsis should hook the reader and make them want to continue reading. This can be done by using a surprising statistic, an interesting anecdote, or a thought-provoking quote. Whatever method you choose, make sure that it grabs the reader's attention.

Introduce the article's main topic and purpose

After you've hooked the reader, it's important to provide context for the article. This means introducing the topic and purpose of the original article, as well as the main arguments that the author makes. By providing this information up front, you can ensure that the reader has a basic understanding of the article's message before diving deeper into the details.

Provide context and background information

Finally, it's important to provide context and background information for the article. This may include information on the author, the publication where the article appeared, and any relevant historical or societal context that helps to explain the article's message.

Summarizing the Article's Main Points

Once you've written a strong introduction for your synopsis, it's time to dive into the details. This is where you'll summarize the article's main points in a clear and concise manner.

Be concise and clear

When summarizing the article, it's important to be concise and clear. Use your notes from the article to identify the main points and supporting arguments, and present them in a way that accurately represents the original author's message. Avoid using lengthy quotes or unnecessarily wordy descriptions, as this can detract from the clarity of your summary.

Use your own words

While it's important to accurately represent the author's message, it's also important to use your own words when summarizing the article. This means avoiding copying entire sections of the article word for word, and instead rephrasing the author's arguments in a way that is both accurate and concise.

Maintain the original article's tone and style

Finally, it's important to maintain the tone and style of the original article when writing your synopsis. This means using the same type of language, voice, and style as the author, so that the reader can get a sense of the author's intended message.

ChatGPT Prompt for Writing a Synopsis of an Article

Use the following prompt in an AI chatbot . Below each prompt, be sure to provide additional details about your situation. These could be scratch notes, what you'd like to say or anything else that guides the AI model to write a certain way.

Please compose a concise and thorough summary of a written piece, including all relevant information and main points, in order to provide a clear understanding of the article's content.

[ADD ADDITIONAL CONTEXT. CAN USE BULLET POINTS.]

In conclusion, writing a synopsis of an article may seem like a daunting task, but by following these simple steps, you can create a summary that accurately represents the author's message and purpose. Remember to thoroughly read the article, identify the main points and arguments, and present them in a concise and clear manner. By doing so, you can create a synopsis that effectively communicates the article's key takeaways, and ensures that your readers are able to quickly and easily understand the author's intended message.

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Home » Blog » How to Write a Good Research Project Synopsis or Proposal

How to Write a Good Research Project Synopsis or Proposal

Table of Contents

Writing a Good Research Project Synopsis or Proposal

Final year research project is initiated with the development of project proposal. For new researchers and scholars, this is first step to begin the research work. Research proposal is a blueprint of the researcher’s idea. The length of this document ranges between 500 to 1000 words. But we cannot draw any hard and fast rule on this. It is subjective decision depending on the nature of area and level of research activity.

For the undergraduate degree research proposal may requires less than 1000 words. On the other hand, for the PhD level it may extends to the range of 1000 to 3000 words. Whenever student is registered for higher education degree program, research proposal is required during or at the end of the program.

For PhD degree it is sometime required even before the registration and considered as one of the admissions prerequisite. Research proposal is a formal agreement between the institution and researcher on some per-defined terms and conditions. These terms and conditions provide directions and mutual understanding between two parties during research process. There are number of websites and books which explain the details about these areas of mutual consent.

It is pertinent to note that Synopsis and research proposal are used side by side. Synopsis of research, the synopsis of a novel, and the synopsis of a movie etc. are summaries or outlines of researcher’s work. It is always good to write these outlines in advance, but many writers develop synopsis in the end. Proposals on the other hand, has both summary and feasibility. It is better to use the word outlines instead of summary when we write proposals. Another synonym is Abstract. This should be understood as similar to the synopsis but lesser in the length. It is a concise paragraph or a summary of the synopsis. Likewise Synopsis or Abstract should not be confused with the Executive summary. It is more inclined towards business reports. Executive summary is the mini form of the entire report or thesis. This is normally written when we have finished with our work and compiling it into final shape. Executive summary is placed before the content page and after the title. Young researchers must avoid cut and paste from the original document into synopsis or executive summary. There should be a logical flow of ideas developed in the entire document with appropriate transition within each point.

Following are the normal steps which are included in the research proposal at any level. Universities also set some exclusive criterion for their research students. They provide templates or specific format for development of the research proposals.

The very first step is to give the title of the research. Title must include the main determinants or factors which govern the objective of the research project. It should clearly indicate the dependent and main independent variables. It must describe the nature of the research activity. For example; the topic like “Study on the behavior of working mothers in Middle East during family disputes”. Here objective is the “behaviour of working mothers”, and the underlying main factor is the “working women”. Similarly location is also indicated wiz the “Middle East region”. This topic provides sufficient information about the topic and the direction of research. Before paraphrasing the title researcher should list the answers to following question;

· What is the main objective (dependent variable) of the research.

· What are the main factors (explanatory or independent variables) of the research objective.

· How can researcher group all factors into one word.

· What are the time period and the location where research will be executed.

The background of the study

In this step researcher explains the background of the research area by answering questions like;

· What is the broad environment which will be referred during research.

· Is there any historical perspective which might have governed the objective of the research project.

The objective of the study

In this step researcher explains the research objective by answering following questions. The objective of the study should be in line with the background explained in previous step by narrowing the broad perspective view into a concise statement.

· What motivates researcher to investigate on this issue or field.

· How topic of the research project relates to the issue or field.

. Broad problem area to the problem statement (Literature Review)

In this step the researcher explains about the possible literature he would be reviewing.

Here researcher starts writing about the broad problem area and then narrows it down to the precise problem statement. This is to-the- point statement and set the direction of the research activity. Here by using the techniques of literature review-which is the mention of the known theories on the subject, research tries to explore the topic to the extent that it justifies the pursuit for the new (current) research activity. Literature review in the research proposal should not be written as it is written in original thesis. Here researcher can refer to few examples of similar work in the past (but not all), which may relates to his current research objective. In this step, researcher must justify up to some extent that current objective was not taken up seriously in the past by any other researcher, and he/she has done sufficient study to reach this conclusion. In this stage researcher tries to answer following questions;

· From where, researcher should take a start to discover facts in this entire issue.

· How can researcher develop a chain of ideas or proven theories in the past.

· What are main factors (identified so far)-which govern objective of the study.

· How to write a precise statement explaining the problem behind the study.

Formulation of the hypothesis

Out of the theoretical framework researcher develops a series of relationship among variables-called process of theoretical framework, and then summarized the most appropriate relation in the problem statement. These relationships are subject to verification. Because it is researcher’s own point of view, on which he/she has reached after thorough review of the literature and preliminary investigation on the subject. The statements about each relationship is called hypothesis. There may be more than one hypothesis in one research project. For example hypothesis can be:

· Only old people are emotionally attached with products. Or

· Emotional attachment depends on the age of the consumer etc.

Hypothesis set the exact route on which researcher will move forward in order to meet the objectives of research project.

At proposal level researcher is not able to list all possible hypotheses. Therefore he/she is required to frame at least one research hypothesis which he could form out of his existing knowledge.

Scope and limitations

In this step the researcher writes the scope and limitations of the of the research activity by answering following questions;

· What else would benefit from the results derived in this research.

· Who else can be benefited from these findings.

· What researcher would not be able to finish in this research.

· What serious constraints researcher could face during investigation.

Research Methodology (Research Design)

In this step researcher writes the proposed research design which may lead him/her to the completion of the project. Research design is a way to collect real life evidence which may support your argument (hypothesis). Research methodology covers following questions:

· What type of research design is taken up.

· Who are the respondents in data collection.

· What is the sample size.

· Which research instrument will be used in data collection.

· How data would be analyzed.

Time line is a necessary step in research proposal. It explains how serious researcher is in doing research. How deeply he/she has worked out plan to complete the research project. It covers all essential steps spread over the entire timeline. It is like a Gantt chart developed by project managers. Researcher in this stage tries to give the answer to following questions;

· How much time is needed to complete this research.

· How total time will be allocated in different activities to complete the project.

· If anything goes wrong during research, what extra time would be available to handle the project.

Researcher in this stage tries to give the answer to following questions;

· Where this research activity will be undertaken.

· Who would be the respondents.

· How these respondents would be approached.

Cost estimation is another essential information which should be included in research proposal. Some universities do not make it mandatory part of the proposal at lower grades. But as my advice it should be there even it is not required. This will provide an economic viewpoint of the activity. Researcher should be able to chalk down all explicit and implicit costs involved in this report. Explicit costs are those expenses which researcher will be paying during research project. Like traveling cost, stationary cost, library expenses etc. And implicit cost includes all opportunity cost which is measured as the value of the sacrifices researcher is going to bear during the research. For example, the sacrifice of his salary; as researcher would be able to earn, if he spends time on research. Here the researcher is trying to answer following questions;

· What explicit cost is expected during research.

· What implicit cost is expected during research.

· How would the researcher manage those expenses.

· When and where those expenses will incur.

If you like this article, see others like it:

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Synopsis Examples and Writing Tips

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The term synopsis refers to a piece of work that is a summarization of a larger piece of work. A synopsis can be written in the form of tables and charts, as prose, as an abridgment, or even as a consolidated re-write of the original work. Explore what a synopsis is in more depth and several synopsis examples.

By definition, a synopsis is a summary of a composition like a book, movie, TV show, or academic paper. A synopsis is often written but can also take verbal or visual form. An individual can give a shortened verbal account of an event or written work, which would be a synopsis. Additionally, the production of a video synopsis exists as well, in which a longer piece of work is summarized in a shorter video.

A synopsis typically includes information about the story's main events and style along with information about the characters . Depending on the purpose of the synopsis, it might provide more or less detail.

Synopsis Examples of Literature

Typically, when you look at the back of a book, you can find a short synopsis. Publishers generally use this type of synopsis to entice the reader into reading the entire novel . A literary synopsis might also be used by academic institutions to provide a student with a clear overview of a story or by a writer to provide an overview to publishers. Dive into a variety of short literature synopsis examples.

Synopsis Example of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

In her second installment of the Harry Potter saga, J.K. Rowling takes readers through the adventures of Harry Potter at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A mysterious warning from an elf keeps Harry on his toes as he begins to unlock the secrets of Tom Riddle, talking spiders and a unique journal.

Synopsis Example of Les Miserables

In Victor Hugo’s 1860s novel, a man is arrested for stealing a loaf of bread. He spends 20 years in jail, gets out and remakes himself as a new man and a town mayor. He rescues the child of a poor woman and raises her. A police detective cannot see that he is changed and haunts the man, but when they encounter each other during the French Revolution, the former thief lets the detective go with his life.

Fairy Tale Story Synopsis Examples

While generally under the heading of literature, fairy tales are unique because they have so many adaptations. However, the general synopsis for this type of literature is still the same.

Synopsis Example of Cinderella

The well-known fairy tale of Cinderella explores her servant-like relationship with her cruel stepsisters and a cruel stepmother. When a prince invites the whole family to a ball, Cinderella tries to join them only to be knocked down by her family. A fairy godmother visits her and dresses her up to go to the ball, and the prince falls in love with her. Losing her shoe at midnight, it becomes a hunt for the prince to find his true love at the odds of her stepfamily.

Synopsis Example of The Little Mermaid

In this classic fairy tale, a mermaid, Ariel, falls in love with a man and tries desperately to become human so that the man will fall in love with her as well. After giving her voice to a sea witch, she can eventually triumph and become human, so she can live happily ever after with the man she loves. However, the witch has a few tricks up her sleeve to keep Ariel from getting her heart’s desire.

Synopsis Example of Plays

Another common area you might see a synopsis is of a play. Much like a literature synopsis, a play synopsis is meant to entice you to watch a live performance, or it could just be used to provide an overview for students. Read through a few examples of famous play synopsis examples.

Synopsis Example of Romeo and Juliet

One of William Shakespeare's greatest plays, Romeo and Juliet , follows two people from warring families as they meet and fall in love despite their family’s disapproval. Through several missed chances and miscommunications, they end up killing themselves for love.

Synopsis of Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller’s famous play Death of a Salesman follows the last 24 hours of a Willy Loman’s life. Unable to accept change, Willy starts to lose his identity due to his self-centered nature. Through an array of memories and arguments with family members, viewers start to understand what leads to Willy’s suicide.

Film Synopsis Examples

A synopsis is commonly found on movie posters or digital streaming sites. Studios often release a synopsis for watchers that outlines the show. See a few film synopsis examples in action.

Synopsis Example of The Sound of Music

This classic musical follows as the nun, Maria, leaves the convent to be a nanny for the Von Trapp family, including a widowed naval captain and seven children. She falls in love with the father and leaves the country with them to escape the Nazis.

The Lion King Synopsis Example

A Disney animated classic, The Lion King , follows the turbulent growth of Simba. A baby lion is born to be King, but his cruel uncle, Scar, kills his father, Mufasa, and sends the baby away. The baby lion returns to fight his uncle and take his rightful place.

Synopsis Examples of TV Shows

If producers didn’t give you a clue what a TV show might be about, would you be as interested in it? Probably not. Therefore, TV stations and producers use engaging synopsis for their shows to get viewers to watch.

The Sopranos Synopsis Example

Featuring several seasons, The Sopranos follows Tony Soprano and his mob boss family. A New-Jersey based Italian-American, he sees a psychiatrist and discusses work and family problems.

Synopsis Example of Seinfeld

A staple TV show of the 90s, Seinfeld showed four friends who lived their lives in New York City. It follows the antics of Jerry Seinfield, a stand-up comedian. His friends, George, Elaine and Kosmo, help him get through several hilarious situations found in everyday life.

Research Synopsis Example

When it comes to academic research, the papers can get long. Therefore, these typically have a synopsis, formally called an abstract, at the beginning of the article. This abstract provides readers information on what is included in the research study and other pertinent information they might need to decide if this paper will be helpful to them. Research paper abstract examples can help show you how these synopses are composed. Explore an abstract example from Med Hypotheses .

"As the current COVID-19 pandemic develops and epidemiological data reveals differences in geographical spread and risk factors for developing a severe course of illness, hypotheses regarding possible underlying mechanisms need to be developed and tested. In our hypothesis, we explore the rational for a role of MTHFR polymorphism C677T as a possible explanation for differences in geographical and gender distribution in disease severity."

How to Write a Synopsis

Now that you’ve seen some synopsis examples in action, you can start writing a synopsis for yourself. Explore the different steps in writing a synopsis.

Map Out Characters and Plot Points

In a fiction work, like a novel or TV show, this includes the inciting incident, rising action, climax, and resolution. You also give the readers a quick overview of your characters, personality traits or motivations. In a non-fiction work, you provide an overview of what the paper or work is about.

Highlight Unique Points

It’s important to highlight the unique parts of the non-fiction or fiction work. Provide the readers with something to entice them into reading the document or work, along with why they should. For example, you can point out the voice, unique plot twists or points of view of a novel.

Write Clearly

A synopsis isn’t very long, so it’s important to get your points across fast. Therefore, after writing your synopsis, read it over to see if there is any way you can tweak it to make it more clear. Explore areas that you might have gotten a bit too wordy on.

Using Synopsis Examples

Now that you have seen lots of different synopsis examples, try making one of your own. You can also explore how to write a shorter synopsis, known as a logline . Need more examples in your life? Give plot of story examples a look through.

How to Make the Research Synopsis as Ph.D. and PG. level

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How to Write a Synopsis

Updated for 2024.

Hey friends! A lot of people were interested in how to write a book synopsis. I’m not surprised, really—synopsis writing can feel overwhelming.

I read a lot of synopses in my former day job in publishing, and through LuckyAuthor.com , I work with many people to make their synopsis clear and compelling. I’m going to give you my take on how to write a synopsis.

But first, let’s talk about the function of the synopsis! For me, a good synopsis does three things.

A good synopsis convinces me it’s a good story.

It tells me there are engaging characters who have clear motivations for their actions, a well-laid-out plot, enough conflict to keep things interesting, and a satisfying ending.

A word about motivation: the bigger the action, the clearer the motivation needs to be . “On a whim” often doesn’t cut it for big actions, like adopting a tiger for a pet or selling your house and driving an RV across the country.

I should also point out here that I pass on good stories all the time—and I’m not the only one. Our publishing house has a pretty specific vibe. Additionally, editors pass all the time on projects because they just acquired one or two in the same vein. That’s why you should never take a rejection as a sign that you’re a bad writer. There’s an element of luck to this business, and sometimes a rejection has nothing to do with the quality of your writing.

A good synopsis convinces me it’ll be an easy book to sell.

If I think it’s going to be easy to present the book to the salespeople, easy for the salespeople to pitch to retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and Books a Million, and easy to pitch to consumers through a compelling description on the back cover, then naturally, I’m a lot more interested.

A good synopsis is a useful tool for discussing the story with others.

I need approval to acquire a book, and sometimes I’m talking to producers about the possibility of making the book into a movie. All these people can’t read every book (though the producers do read the whole book if they’re interested), so we use the synopsis.

So as you can see, the dreaded synopsis is, unfortunately, vital.

Here’s what a good synopsis is not : an overview of every single thing that happens in the book.

If the agent or editor asks for a synopsis of 2 to 4 pages, don’t send them a synopsis of 10 pages or more. And yes, it’s annoying that different people ask for different lengths. Try to give them what they want, as much as you can, and if you’re going to err, err on the side of brevity.

My top synopsis writing advice is:

If possible , write the synopsis before you write the book.

In my book Blank Page to Final Draft , I explain how getting upfront feedback on a synopsis helps you identify and fix plot holes and weaknesses before you even write the book. Yes, you’ll still have to revise your synopsis later, because writing will lead you to unexpected twists and turns. But you’ll likely avoid a brutal rewrite of your entire manuscript.

If you’re reading this and you’re thinking, “Well, that’s great and everything, Bryn, but I already wrote the book and I’m trying to figure out how to write a synopsis now,” no worries! Here’s my advice.

1. Start with a one- or two-sentence logline.

That’s right—this is basically a synopsis of the synopsis, haha. But it’s really effective. Here are a few made-up examples:

•A history teacher in Massachusetts is transported back to the Revolutionary War era, where she attempts to shorten the war and save thousands of lives by changing the course of a battle.

•A CIA agent is falsely accused of mishandling information and fired. His personal quest to find out who framed him leads to the discovery of a terrorist plot.

•Zoe, a teenager in the Chicago suburbs, is forced to spend the summer with her grandmother on a farm with spotty WiFi. As she gets involved with her grandma’s quirky quilting circle, a romance with a farmhand, and a state fair scandal, it turns out to be her most exciting summer yet.

2. Introduce each main character and their character arc.

A main character is usually a point of view character. A “character arc” means the way a character grows and changes throughout the story. (For a better understanding of this, you can check out my post on “ What Is a Character Arc ,” which includes examples.)

It can feel corny and overly simplistic to write out a character arc, but doing this will help people understand your story. I’ve written a few treatments for books and movies, and I’ve learned to always do this up front.

Here are examples of how to do this.

•ELIZA MCBRAYER, a thirty-two year-old history teacher who struggles with shyness in the classroom, discovers new depths of courage and daring within herself as she becomes involved in Revolutionary War-era tactics and espionage.

•MARCUS STONE, a CIA agent, always followed orders. After being wrongfully fired and discovering a terrorist plot, he learns that he has a real talent for making the strategic decisions himself.

•ZOE BURROWS, a suburban teenager, loves art and making videos, and is quick to dismiss people and places as “boring.” She learns that all people—and all places—are interesting in their own way.

3. Identify the inciting incident, three or four scenes that are major turning points, and the ending.

Your “inciting incident” is the event that kicks everything into motion.

Your “turning points” are your big scenes that move the story forward and show a progression in your character arcs—in other words, a character is learning, changing, or growing. In a mystery, a turning point might be a major clue (or a major red herring.) In a romance, it’s a scene that brings the characters together—or makes one or both of them pull back. In any genre, it might be a triumph, a heartbreaking loss, or a big decision for one of your characters.

Write out a short description of the inciting incident, these major turning point scenes, and the ending.  (Note: actual lines of dialogue generally don’t belong in a synopsis.) Take more time on the beginning and the ending than anything else.

Now, what if you have this one great scene that’s not really a turning point, but you’re very proud of it because it’s hilarious or just plain cool? Go ahead and put that one in there, too.

4. Now add the connective tissue between the big scenes.

By “connective tissue,” I mean summary that is short on the details. For instance:

•Eliza settles into the boardinghouse, and after a couple of failed attempts, finds a position as a maid.

•By hiring someone to hack into the CIA’s files, Marcus discovers the connection between his former boss and the terrorist cell.

•Zoe is entertained by the quilters’ colorful stories and the next time they meet, she tries her hand at quilting herself.

Now you’ve got a draft of a synopsis.

Congratulations!

If writing a synopsis makes you realize you need to do more revision of your novel—to clarify a character’s motivation, increase the conflict, trim a subplot, or so on—you’re not alone. Don’t feel bad about it! Embrace the insight and the opportunity to make the book better before you send it out.

Otherwise, just get some feedback from others on your synopsis—don’t be shy. Tweak it as necessary. Make an English major who loves you proofread it. And then it’s good to go.

Do you have your own tips for writing a great synopsis? Please share them in the comments! And if you have questions, go ahead and ask those, too—I’ll answer them if I can. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

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29 thoughts on “ how to write a synopsis ”.

I started writing my story as a screenplay after several false starts as a novel, quite a while back. Then I decided to start over and write the synopsis to clear things up in my head (the document I used to plan the screenplay came together through a variety of sources, from some books on writing novels/screenplays, to some courses on MasterClass.com, to guidance on this blog and the Blank Page to Final Draft book I found out about here).

What it then became was this (funny that you used the name Zoe in one example and a fired CIA agent in another your example; it made me want to make a quick reply here 🙂 : “A 33-year-old Korean-American CIA technical officer is booted from the agency due to the onset of a mental disorder, and begins life anew in Boston in pursuit of a business and law degrees as the country descends into unrest due to a pandemic that brings on grave social disorder. With an old friend, they moonlight as entrepreneurs, trying to build a massive door-to-door marijuana and hallucinogen vaping business, while fending off violent rivals and law enforcement.”

And I have gotten feedback from a number of sources, including one set of comments from my wife (who is a Journalism major) and then, most recently, from a screenplay coach I hired, the latter of which is below: “Very compelling concept. There is a lot going on, but not necessarily in a bad way. This clearly is inspired partially by current events, but it also deals with some other issues the world is facing (mental illness, economy…etc.). The strength of a story like this will come down to the characters and their development. I can see a lot of struggle with the protagonist going from a CIA officer to a door-to-door marijuana salesman (essentially). Lots of conflict there, both internal and external. Overall, I’m intrigued, but I want a bit more information. What is the theme? What is the genre? This will help to dictate the direction and tone of the story, which in turn can impact what kind of characters you develop next week.”

At the end of the course I had a 120 page screenplay, though it got a grade of “pass” (and not the academic definition of “pass”), and I got some detailed advice at the end, though I’m still not sure I agree with it (that the academic aspect be removed entirely).

What was good about going through the process (of learning from a variety of sources and applying it) was that I now have both a “pitchable” synopsis and with my screenplay, almost a detailed outline and a strong definition of how the characters “sound” when they talk in the novel.

As you’ve probably all seen from my WIP posts, I’m not terribly strong at description. But I’m now almost more motivated to write the book, as I think I’d have more room to add in the academic plot line.

I guess the lesson I learned was, could I hook somebody I was telling the story to in an elevator before we reached their floor? Can I sell my story succinctly?

Still working on that.

Thanks for sharing your writing journey. I am not sure I get your concept. Is the business and law degree a goal in itself? Is it important? Not too interesting to me, unless the degree was to advance some other mission. I assume the social disorder is an obstacle to the protagonist but it is not clear. Is this a buddy story? Then, something about the dynamic with the old friend would be a factor.

I assume this is a criminal enterprise, a downward arc for the protagonist.

The academics were initially to help them advance their careers, but then ended up helping them figure out how to best run a criminal enterprise.

Again, there is likely too much going on here, but deciding what to keep and what to leave out is perplexing. Perhaps I have two separate stories here.

I’ve got a lot of scenes in my head that I’d like to get down but am trying to filter out at the same time, which goes to the heart of the comments I got from the screenplay coach.

Hi Chris! It’s certainly an interesting story, and you’ve done a great job of getting the shape of the plot down. I’m curious about the motivation (why that business, exactly?) and the character arc (how does he change, or what does he learn?), which I think you have in your head.

I don’t think I noticed that you struggle with description…but everyone has trouble with one element or another, and you can definitely learn it. It could even become a strength of yours in the end! And of course, in screenplays, you need very little description 🙂

Thanks for commenting! Hope you’re having a good week (and not working TOO hard!)

Thanks for the feedback and questions.

I think I chose that line of business because it was both illegal but also seemed borderline legitimate (both in the way liquor was when outlawed and also in that many states have begun legalizing marijuana but in a highly restrictive way through licensing), ripe for operational optimization and also that it would ensnare her group with a lot of dangerous criminal elements who have had a long time in that business.

You’re right about having her character arc in my head. A good amount involves her learning to have confidence and trust herself despite living with an illness, and then finding her career identity.

Doing my best to not work too too hard! Thanks!

I can’t find the like button for this post. And the normal comment field is missing. Is my WP account acting up?

Hi friend! You know what, I had to change themes, and I didn’t even notice the likes were gone until you mentioned it. I think the comments need fiddling with, too. 🙂 I’ll work on it this weekend!

Thank you ?.

Thank you for these guidelines on synopsis writing. You have given me a lot to think about and right at the perfect time. I will be pitching very soon.

I’m so glad it was helpful, Naomi—I hope the pitching goes great!

Thank you for taking the time to teach us a great way to write a synopsis! Valuable information is always a plus in my book!

You bet, Kay. Thanks for reading, and for the kind words!

Hi Bryn. I’d like to know where you keep the crystal ball you use when you decide on a post for your website. You have done it again with this one. Exactly what I need. Thanks. I have attempted to write synopsizes for several of my books. It is such an overwhelming task! To make it at least possible, I have tried different approaches. Not for the finished product, but as a beginning. Once I sat my character down and did an interview first and then wrote the synopsis from the interview. The most recent first attempt was a spreadsheet with every scene in every chapter one column for each main character and rows for each chapter. I have most recently started a college level writing class and am getting acquainted with another technique. I really love the simplicity you use to explain complicated things. Thank you again

Jessie, hahaha—I’m so glad it came at the right time! It can be so challenging because you’re boiling down so much material into such a short piece. I hope this approach works for you!

Thanks Bryn I have just written and Illustrated and unusual and I think quite unique short book , only 21 pages of script and 21 pages of Illustrations. It is about a bull who falls in love with a dolphin and their offspring is a sort of mythical underwater superman. So as you can imagine I am having trouble writing a synopsis to hopefully entice a publisher. Your post could not have come at a better time, thanks again. Warren

Warren, I’m so glad it came at a good time! It does sound like a unique story, and I think if you add to the pitch what the characters learn or the moral or “theme” of the story, it’ll be complete. Good luck!

This was so helpful. I am a beginner in the book writing field. I have always been a journal writer. I love writing but I don’t know about the formalities. I am learning many important things from you.

Hi Stephanie! Well, everyone starts out a beginner, and if you do a lot of journal writing, you’ve got a head start. I’m so glad this is helpful. You might want to check out my book BLANK PAGE TO FINAL DRAFT… https://amzn.to/3kzx68U

I have plenty of free resources, too. Check out my post on how to begin a story: https://www.bryndonovan.com/2016/01/12/what-happens-on-page-one-30-ways-to-start-a-novel/

and the character arc post I mentioned above: https://www.bryndonovan.com/2019/06/26/what-is-a-character-arc-a-definition-plus-7-examples-from-movies-and-books/

If you sign up for the blog (there’s a place on the lefthand side of the page), you won’t miss new writing posts. I hope you have great luck with your writing, and I hope you love it!

I usually write a logline and a one pager before I start the book. I like to draw from the one pager to help with my synopsis after.

That is so smart, Denise! I know that for me, the one-pager would serve as a guidepost whenever I got lost in the weeds. 🙂

This is so useful. Thank you. I can see how this is going to help me figure out the plot issues with my manuscript and really make it shine.

Erin, so glad it seems helpful! Though it kind of seems like your manuscript is shining already 🙂

Hi, Bryn! Thank you so much for putting this information out there. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find the breakdown on how to write a great synopsis. And your first piece of advice is something I discovered recently and makes a world of difference, (it’s even better than outlining – IMO) – “If possible, write the synopsis before you write the book.” Many thanks, and wishing you a wonderful week.

Bryn, Thank you for this helpful blog! Question —I was advised by a fiction writer that the two or three main character names should always be capitalized in a synopsis. What are your thoughts? I am not a fan of unnecessary caps, but if it is helpful, I will do it.

Hey, Bryn, Thanks for the awesome post. I’m going to use it as a template against my already prepared synopsis. Seems I’m always missing something or other. Practice makes perfect (or darn close). LOVE your new picture!

Thanks for the tips!

Hi Brynn, I have a silly question. As far as structure of a synopsis, do you typically recommend laying it out as “paragraphs” so to say for each section (logline, characters, and summary sections) with indentations, or more of a bullet point layout like your examples show above?

Hi Meg! Not a silly question at all! A synopsis is generally written out in paragraphs. I definitely recommend introducing the characters as I show in #2 – capitalizing their names and writing one or two sentences about who they are and what their character arc is. They don’t need the bullet point, though; that formatting was just for this article. 🙂

Thank you, Brynn! I so appreciate your kindness and genuine desire to help aspiring writers. This is very helpful, and I am grateful for your reply 🙂

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Research Summary

Ai generator.

A research paper analyzes a perspective or argues a point. It is an expanded essay based on your interpretation, evaluation or argument about a certain topic.

According to Sunny Empire State College , “When you write a research paper you build upon what you know about the subject and make a deliberate attempt to find out what experts know. A research paper involves surveying a field of knowledge in order to find the best possible information in that field.” Whatever type of research paper you choose to write, it should present your own ideas backed with others’ (especially experts on the field) information and data.

Every research paper has a research summary. A research summary is a brief overview of what the whole research is about. It is a professional piece of writing that describes your research to the readers. It concisely yet perfectly captures the essence of the research as a whole. You may also see What Should Be in an Executive Summary of a Report?

Fundamentals of a Research Summary

Having a good template for a research summary is nothing if you don’t know its importance and basic function. Before you start writing your research summary, you should first know its fundamentals on the areas you need to pay attention to such as its content, style and organization.

• The content of your research summary must briefly discuss the techniques and tools used in the research and the importance of the research as a whole. Explain how the research can be of benefit for the people.
• To organize your research summary, each topic must be discussed in separate paragraphs. How you came up with a factual research must be briefly explained in a separate paragraph.
• If you have a lengthy research paper, try not to write not more than 10% of the entire paper. If it’s not as lengthy, you should not write more than 300 words in your summary.

However, rules may vary according to your research professor’s standards. This is just the basic fundamentals on how to write your research summary. Also see  Thesis Outline Examples

How to Write a Research Summary

It is apparent that a research summary is a condensed version of the main idea of your research paper. Because of this, it is advised that the summary of your paper is written after you are done with your entire research. This is to ensure that all the added information in your research can be written in your summary as well and all of those that removed can be edited out. Here are a few steps on how to write a research summary:

Read your paper

It should be a fact you should know beforehand; the importance of reading your entire research paper thoroughly to write an effective research summary. Along the way, take notes of the important details and key findings that you want to highlight in your paper. This will help you organize your summary better. Remember that your research summary is a mini-paper of your study and it should contain the main ideas of your entire research.

Write a draft

For your first draft, focus on the content rather than the length of your summary. Your draft is your first outline on what to include in the final summary. Writing a draft ensures you write a clear, thorough and coherent summary of your research paper. Also see  How to Write a Rough Outline

Identify main points

Within your research paper, you must identify the major points that will encourage prospective readers to go through your research paper. These major points must thoroughly and completely explain what the paper is trying to convey.

Separate sections

Identify the differences of the main section in your paper. Write a few sentences describing the main ideas of each section. In short, you should be able to present and thoroughly describe what each main section is focused on. It should have these basic sections:

• Introduction, brief opening statement
• Purpose of the study
• Data gathering method
• Summary of findings
• Description of recommendations with actual justification.

Combine Information

All the information you have gathered must be then used to make your summary. Remember that your summary is just an overview of your research paper as a whole. It should be not be more than 10% of your whole paper. Also see  5 Summary Writing Examples and Samples

Making The First Draft

After establishing the basic way of writing a research summary, it is a must to write a first draft. It should follow the flow of the original paper. Here’s a few steps on how to make a first draft:

First, state the research question in the introduction of your summary. This holds the ground as to the summary’s direction. Provide an explanation why your research is interesting and how it can help your target recipients.

Second, state the hypothesis you wish to prove. This will help you and your readers stay grounded on the topic at hand.

Third, briefly discuss the methodology used in your research. Discuss and describe the procedure, materials, participants, design, etc. The analysis of your data must also be included. You may also see  How to Write a Successful Thesis Proposal

Fourth, describe the results and significance of your research. And lastly, briefly discuss the key implications of your research. The results and its interpretation should directly coincide with your hypothesis.

Editing your Research Summary

A research paper is a formal piece of writing. Your summary should be tailored to your expected readers. Say for example the prospective readers are your classmates, so the style of your paper should be clearly understood by them.

Eliminate wordiness. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Write in a way it would be easier for your readers to understand. It is common for research papers to establish a word count. Avoid elongating your sentences when it has shorter versions.

Being vague in describing and explaining the points of your paper might lead to confusion in your readers part. Use specific, concrete language when presenting results. Use reliable and specific examples and references as well. You should also use scientifically accurate language to help support your claims. Avoid informal words and adjectives to describe the results of your research.

Paraphrase the information you want to include in your research paper. Direct quoting the information you have read from a different source is not oftenly used in formal writings. To give the exact credit for the information you paraphrased, follow the citation format required by your professor.

Reread your paper and let others read it as well. This way minor errors you were not able to notice can be quickly pointed out and corrected.

Research Summary Writing Tips

Your research summary should not be more than 10 pages long or not more than 10% of your original document. This keeps your research summary concise and compact. It should be short enough for your readers to read through but long enough for you to clearly explain your study.

Copy and paste

Avoid simply copy and pasting different parts of your paper into your summary. You should paraphrase parts that you want to include. As most research advisers read through all of your paper, it can easily be identified if you have copy-pasted parts from your research and might give you a bad grade.

Consider the readers

Although not a requirement from your professor, catering your summary to what the readers need is sometimes required. As some studies are given out to different influential people in the field, writing a summary that caters to the readers’ necessities might be required.

Research Article Summary Template

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Research Writing Summary Tips (continuation)

Clarity and organization.

One of the common mistakes in writing a research is publishing an unclear and unpolished summary. Bear in mind that your readers are likely reading about the topic of your research for the first time, avoid unclear and uncertain explanations and a disorganized summary.

Use strong and positive language

Use precise and strong words to help strengthen the foundation of your summary. Your summary should be able to stand alone despite it being a part of the research paper. Once you have convinced your readers with the recommendations regarding the topic of your paper, the readers should be able to find concrete evidence and explanations within your summary. Avoid pleas and biased statements in your summary, but make sure you are able to relay the sense of urgency for the recommendations you have given.

Divide into parts

To make things easier for you, divide your paper into different sections and headings, much like creating an outline. With this in mind, every point should be explained limited to its essence. In this way, you avoid writing too much information about your paper in your summary.

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Blog • Understanding Publishing

Posted on Sep 12, 2018

How to Write an Incredible Synopsis in 4 Simple Steps

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

Your novel is fully written, edited, and polished to perfection — you’re ready to pitch it to agents! But you’re missing a critical piece of persuasion: the synopsis. Even after putting together your entire book, you may have no idea how to write one, or even how to approach it.

Luckily, we’ve got answers for you. Read on for our best tips on writing a synopsis that’s clear, concise, captivating… and may even lead to an all-out agent battle over your novel!

What is a synopsis?

A synopsis is a summary of a book that familiarizes the reader with the plot and how it unfolds. Although these kinds of summaries also appear on the pages of school book reports and Wikipedia, this guide will focus on constructing one that you can send out to agents (and eventually publishers).

Your novel synopsis should achieve two things: firstly, it should convey the contents of your book, and secondly, it should be intriguing!

While you don’t need to pull out all the marketing stops at this stage, you should have a brief hook at the beginning and a sense of urgency underlying the text that will keep your reader going. It should make potential agents want to devour your whole manuscript — even though they’ll already know what happens.

While writing your synopsis, make sure that it includes:

• A complete story arc
• Your own voice and unique elements of your story
• The ending or resolution ( unlike in a blurb )

As for the ideal length for this piece, it varies from project to project. Some authors recommend keeping it to 500 words, while others might write thousands. However, the standard range is about one to two single-spaced pages (or two to five double-spaced pages). And if you're interested in knowing how to format the whole of your manuscript for submission, we recommend downloading this manuscript format template. 

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You may also want to have an additional “brief” summary prepared for agents who specifically request a single page or less. Remember: as hard as it will be to distill all your hard work into that minimal space, it’s crucial to keep your synopsis digestible and agent-friendly.

How to write a novel synopsis in 4 steps

1. Get the basics down first

When it comes to writing a synopsis, substance is the name of the game. No matter how nicely you dress it up, an agent will disregard any piece that doesn’t demonstrate a fully fleshed out plot and strong narrative arc. So it stands to reason that as you begin writing, you should focus on the fundamentals.

Start with major plot points

Naturally, you want agents to be aware of your story's plot . So the best way to start summarizing your story is to create a list of those plot points, including:

• The inciting incident — what sparks the central conflict of your story?
• The events of the rising action — what happens in the interlude between the inciting incident and the climax, and how does this build tension ?
• The height of the action, or climax , of your story — this one is the most important, as it should be the most exciting part of your book !
• The resolution or ending — again, unlike a blurb, a synopsis doesn’t need to dangle the carrot of an unknown ending to the reader; you can and should reveal your story’s ending here, as this brings the plot and narrative arc to a close.

Listing these points effectively maps out the action and arc of your story, which will enable the reader to easily follow it from beginning to end.

Include character motivations

The key here is not to get too deep into characterization, since you don’t have much room to elaborate. Instead, simply emphasize character goals and motivations at the beginning and end of your synopsis — first as justification for the inciting incident, then again to bring home the resolution. For example:

Beginning: “Sally has spent the past twenty years wondering who her birth parents are [motivation]. When a mysterious man offers her the chance to find them, she spontaneously buys a ticket to Florence to begin her journey [inciting action].”

Ending: “She returns to the US with the man who was her father all along [resolution], safe in the knowledge that she’ll never have to wonder about him again [restated motivation].”

Also note how the text here is written in third person, present tense, as it should be regardless of the tense or POV of your actual book. Writing a synopsis in first or second person doesn’t really work because it’s not meant to be narrated — just summarized. Basically, the present tense works to engage the reader while the third person allows the story to be told smoothly.

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2. Highlight what’s unique

Now it’s time to spice up your synopsis by highlighting the elements that make it unique. Agents need to know what’s so special about your book in particular — and moreover, is it special enough to get readers to pick it up? Below are some features you might employ to grab an agent’s attention and assure them of your book’s appeal.

Your writing voice is an essential tool here: it conveys your novel’s tone and is one of the most important factors in making your work stand out. However, it’s also one of the most difficult elements to evoke in such a small amount of space.

The best way to capture voice in a synopsis is through extremely deliberate word choice and sentence structure. So if you were Jane Austen, you’d use clever words to magnify your wit: “When Darcy proposes to her apropos of nothing, Elizabeth has the quite understandable reaction of rejecting him.” You may not be able to use all the elaborate prose of your novel, but your synopsis should still reflect its overall feeling.

Plot twists

Even though they’re one of the oldest tricks in the book, readers will never tire of juicy plot twists. If your novel contains one or more of these twists, especially at the climax, make sure your synopsis accentuates it. But don’t hint too much at the twist, as this will make it seem more dramatic when it comes; a couple of words in the intro will suffice as foreshadowing.

For instance, if you were writing a summary of Gone Girl , you might open with “Nick Dunne wakes up one morning to find that his wife, Amy, has apparently disappeared. ” This implies that she may not be as “gone” as we think she is, setting the stage for the later reveal.

Point of view

Another aspect that might set your book apart is a distinctive point of view . Since you’ll be giving your synopsis in third person, you can limit this inclusion to an introductory sentence: “This book is narrated from the point of view of a mouse.”

Although this strategy works best for books with a highly unusual point of view (such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, in which the story is told by Death), it can also be very helpful to remember for seemingly bog-standard narrators. If one of your characters narrates in first person, make sure to address their individual narrative quirks as well as any biases or limitations; highlighting a narrator who's not the most reliable can really add to your novel’s intrigue!

3. Edit for clarity and excess

Don’t shroud your synopsis in mystery; this is very frustrating to agents who just want to know what happens in your book! With that in mind, after you’ve written the bulk of your summary, it’s time to edit for clarity. You also may have to delete some text, so you can get it right in that couple-page sweet spot.

Editing for clarity

The paramount rule of synopses is a real doozy: tell, don’t show. It’s the opposite of that classic adage that writers have heard their whole lives, and it’s exactly what you need to write a successful synopsis. 

As you return to what you’ve written, scan for sentences that are vague or unclear, especially toward the beginning. Many writers fall into the trap of trying to hook agents by opening with a sentence akin to the first murky line of a literary novel. Again, though you do want your intro to be intriguing, it has to cut to the chase pretty quickly.

When it comes to opening a synopsis, you need to think like Tolkien, not Tolstoy. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Crisp, clear, and to the point: one of the very few times you should tell, rather than show.

Editing excess words

If your synopsis is longer than a couple of pages at this point, you need make some serious cutbacks. Read through what you have, scrutinizing every sentence and word, even if you think you’ve chosen them carefully. Reduce any run-on sentences or subordinate clauses that unnecessarily lengthen your piece.

Finally, eliminate irrelevant details — anything that doesn’t lead to the next plot point or directly contribute to your voice or other distinctive elements. It’s unlikely you’ll have included any of these in the first place, but just in case they’ve slipped through, cut them. Save the frills for your book; remember, your synopsis is all about substance .

4. Make sure it flows

By the time it’s finished, your synopsis should read like a summary from an excellent book review — or at the very least SparkNotes or Shmoop. This means not only clearly and concisely hitting every important point, but also reading in a smooth manner, placing just the right amount of emphasis on the critical moments and unique aspects we’ve discussed.

Get test readers

A great way to ensure that your synopsis is paced precisely and flows well is to give it to test readers, either someone you know or a professional editor . You’ve spent way too much time with these words to be objective about them, so pay attention to what other people suggest: possible word substitutions, transitions, and which details to emphasize versus delete.

Use professional synopses as models

You don’t want to look at examples of other synopses too soon, otherwise yours will come out sounding formulaic and stale. That said, professional synopses can be a very valuable tool for refining toward the end of the process! Compare and contrast them to the synopsis you’ve written, and adapt any techniques or turns of phrase you feel would enhance it.

Here’s an example of a strong (albeit brief) synopsis of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens , courtesy of the Oxford Companion to English Literature:

Phillip Pirrip, more commonly known as “Pip,” has been brought up by his tyrannical sister, wife of the gentle Joe Gargery. He is introduced to the house of Miss Havisham who, half-crazed by the desertion of her lover on her bridal night, has brought up the girl Estella to use her beauty as a means of torturing men. Pip falls in love with Estella and aspires to become a gentleman.

Money and expectations of more wealth come to him from a mysterious source, which he believes to be Miss Havisham. He goes to London, and in his new mode of life meanly abandons the devoted Joe Gargery, a humble connection of whom he is now ashamed.

Misfortunes come upon him. His benefactor proves to be an escaped convict, Abel Magwich, whom he as a boy had helped. Pip’s great expectations fade away and he is penniless. Estella meanwhile marries his sulky enemy Bentley Drummle, by whom she is cruelly ill treated.

In the end, taught by adversity, Pip returns to Joe Gargery and honest labor. He and Estella, who has also learnt her lesson, are finally reunited.

This synopsis works well because it includes:

• The inciting incident (Pip moving in with Miss Havisham), the rising action (him being in London), the climax (returning to Joe Gargery), and the resolution (reuniting with Estella)
• Character motivations (Miss Havisham wants to punish all men because her fiancé betrayed her; Pip wants to become a gentleman so Estella will fall in love with him)
• A plot twist (Pip’s benefactor being a criminal — whom he knows from his childhood!)
• Distinctive voice (formal yet engaging, doesn’t detract from the plot) and smoothly written style (events are chronological and progress quickly)

Your synopsis is one of the biggest deciding factors in whether an agent wants to see more from you or not. No matter how chipper your query letter , the bottom line is that this summary tells agents (and later publishers) what they really need to know: what your book is about, what makes it unique, and most importantly, if they can sell it. 

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That’s why it’s vital that you make your synopsis airtight. Fortunately, if you’ve followed these steps, yours will be chock full of plot details with a touch of your own special writing sauce: a synopsis that any agent (hopefully) won’t be able to resist. 

Many thanks to Reedsy editors (and former agents) Sam Brody and Rachel Stout  for consulting on this piece!

Do you have any tips for writing an irresistible synopsis? Leave them in the comments below!

2 responses

Elizabeth Westra says:

12/09/2018 – 22:10

This looks interesting, and I will read every word, but this would be different for a picture book. You only get one page to query for many children's books.

Dorothy Potter Snyder says:

14/10/2018 – 20:11

I am curious if anyone has ideas on how translators can write a synopsis for agents / publishers of works in translation? Might there be something about why this author is important in his/her country of origin and literary tradition? Which authors more known to English language readers might relate to this author (they've never heard of before)?

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Economic Stability

About This Literature Summary

This summary of the literature on Employment as a social determinant of health is a narrowly defined examination that is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all dimensions of the issue. Please note: The terminology used in each summary is consistent with the respective references. For additional information on cross-cutting topics, please see the High School Graduation , Housing Instability , and Poverty literature summaries. 

Related Objectives (3)

Here's a snapshot of the objectives related to topics covered in this literature summary. Browse all objectives .

• Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults who aren't in school or working — AH‑09
• Increase employment in working-age people — SDOH‑02
• Increase the proportion of children living with at least 1 parent who works full time — SDOH‑03

Related Evidence-Based Resources (2)

Here's a snapshot of the evidence-based resources related to topics covered in this literature summary. Browse all evidence-based resources .

• New Perspectives on Creating Jobs: Final Impacts of the Next Generation of Subsidized Employment Programs
• Strengthening TANF Outcomes By Developing Two-Generation Approaches To Build Economic Security

Literature Summary

Every day, many people are either working or looking for work. 1 , 2 , 3 Multiple aspects of employment — including job security, the work environment, financial compensation, and job demands — may affect health. This summary describes how several of these aspects of employment influence health.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines the labor force as individuals who are either employed (i.e., those who are working for pay or profit) or unemployed (i.e., those who are jobless but are available to work and have actively looked for work in the past 4 weeks). 2 , 4 People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not part of the labor force. 2 , 4 As of December 2019, approximately 260 million people in the United States were eligible for the labor force. Of those eligible, 63 percent participated (i.e., were employed or unemployed), and the remaining 37 percent were out of the labor force (e.g., retired). 5

In addition, some workforce participants are underemployed, a term that indicates “involuntary part-time employment, poverty-wage employment, and insecure employment (i.e., intermittent unemployment).” 6 Underemployment includes situations where the social status and income of a job does not match an employee’s education, abilities, and skills. 7 , 8 , 9

Harmful workplace conditions, including psychosocial stress, can increase the risk for negative health outcomes. 1 , 10 , 11 In 2019, there were 2.8 million nonfatal and 5,333 fatal injuries at work. 12 , 13 Workers are prone to injuries and illness if their job includes repetitive lifting, pulling or pushing heavy loads; 1 , 14 poor-quality office equipment (e.g., keyboards and chairs); 1 , 15 long-term exposure to harmful chemicals such as lead, pesticides, aerosols, and asbestos; 1 , 16 , 17 or a noisy work environment. 1 , 18 , 19 In addition, highly demanding jobs and lack of control over day-to-day work activities are sources of psychosocial stress at work. 10 Other sources of workplace stress include high levels of interpersonal conflict, 20 working evening shifts, working more than 8 hours a day, and having multiple jobs. 1 , 21 These stressors put people at risk for mortality 22 and depression, 23 and they may be correlated with increased parent-child conflict and parental withdrawal. 24 People in highly stressful jobs may also exhibit unhealthy coping skills such as smoking or alcohol abuse. 25  

Level of educational attainment is linked to disparities in employment because it affects the type of work people do, the working conditions they experience, and the income they earn. Workforce participants have different skill levels and educational backgrounds, which creates inequalities in wages, opportunities for advancement, job security, and other work benefits. 26 Individuals with less education have fewer employment choices, which may force them into positions with low levels of control, job insecurity, and low wages. 9 Individuals with less education are also more likely to have jobs that are physically demanding or include exposure to toxins. 9

Gender i is also an influential source of workplace disparities. Men are more likely to work longer hours, hold higher-status jobs, and have more physically demanding jobs. However, women report more work-related physical and mental health problems. 27 Men tend to receive less support from coworkers and supervisors, 27 while women are more likely to experience sexual harassment 28 , 29 and related alcohol abuse. 28 , 30

Racial and ethnic disparities also exist in the workforce. White people are more likely to work in white-collar clerical jobs and to assume managerial positions, while Black people are more likely to work in blue-collar service jobs. 26 Some racial/ethnic minority groups are also more likely to be unemployed. 31 In October 2019, the unemployment rate for Black people was 5.4 percent, compared to 3.2 percent for White people. 31 Additionally, Black people are more likely than White people to work in jobs that have a higher exposure to environmental risk factors and a higher risk for injury or illness. 32 Workplace inequalities among racial/ethnic minority groups may cause anxiety, depression, and physical pain. 30  

Unemployment can also have negative health consequences. Those who are unemployed report feelings of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, demoralization, 6 , 8 worry, and physical pain. 33 Unemployed individuals tend to suffer more from stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 stroke, heart attack, heart disease, and arthritis. 8 , 38 , 39 In addition, experiences such as perceived job insecurity, downsizing or workplace closure, and underemployment also have implications for physical and mental health. 8

Some strategies have been implemented to mitigate the negative health effects of unemployment and improve employee health and well-being. The Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program provides temporary financial assistance to eligible workers who lost a job for reasons beyond their own control. 40 Although unemployment benefits vary by state laws, some research indicates that larger state unemployment benefits may alleviate poor health outcomes associated with unemployment. 41 A federal agency that supports workers is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which helps regulate safe work environments. OSHA outlines the rights of workers and offers opportunities for workers to request a workplace inspection or file a safety complaint. 42 Finally, employers may offer a range of resources and benefits to improve the well-being of their employees, including health insurance, paid sick leave, and parental leave. Employer health insurance provides access to affordable medical care and financial protection from unexpected health care costs. 43 , 44 In 2019, 71 percent of civilian workers and 69 percent of private industry workers had access to health insurance, while 89 percent of state and local government employees had access. 45 Additionally, paid sick leave allows employees to seek medical care for themselves or dependent family members without losing wages. 46 Some employers also offer parental leave after the birth of a child, which is frequently unpaid. Maternity leave has been associated with a number of positive health outcomes for both women and children. 47

Additional research is needed to better understand the beneficial effects of employment on health and to promote interventions that address disparities in employment and health. This additional evidence will facilitate public health efforts to address employment as a social determinant of health.

i The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define gender as “the cultural roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes expected of people based on their sex.”

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2008). Work matters for health . http://www.commissiononhealth.org/PDF/0e8ca13d-6fb8-451d-bac8-7d15343aacff/Issue%20Brief%204%20Dec%2008%20-%20Work%20and%20Health.pdf

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2017). The employment situation: October 2017. News Release . https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_11032017.pdf

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2017). American time use survey — 2016 results. News Release . https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/atus_06272017.pdf

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). Labor force statistics from the current population survey: How the government measures unemployment . http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Employment situation news release . https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_01102020.htm#cps_empsit_annual_c.f.1

Dooley, D., Fielding, J., & Levi, L. (1996). Health and unemployment. Annual Review of Public Health, 17 , 449–465.

Friedland, D. S., & Price, R. H. (2003). Underemployment: Consequences for the health and well‐being of workers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 32 (1), 33–45.

Avendano, M., & Berkman, L. F. (2014). Labor markets, employment policies, and health. In Social Epidemiology (pp. 182–233). Open University Press.

Berkman, L. F., Kawachi, I., & Theorell, T. (2014). Working conditions and health. In Social Epidemiology (pp. 153–181). Open University Press.

Shain, M., & Kramer, D. M. (2004). Health promotion in the workplace: Framing the concept; reviewing the evidence. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 61 (7), 643–648.

Brooker, A., & Eakin, J. M. (2001). Gender, class, work-related stress and health: Toward a power-centred approach. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 11 (2), 97–109. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.620

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses (annual) news release . https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/osh_11042020.htm

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). Table A-7: Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics and event or exposure, all United States . https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0333.htm

O’Neil, B. A., Forsythe, M. E., & Stanish, W. D. (2001). Chronic occupational repetitive strain injury. Canadian Family Physician, 47 (2), 311–316.

Ross, P. (1994). Ergonomic hazards in the workplace: Assessment and prevention. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal, 42 (4), 171–176.

Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2004). Worker health chartbook, 2004 . https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-146/pdfs/2004-146.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2004146 

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Adult blood lead epidemiology and surveillance — United States, 2003–2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55 (32), 876–879.

Hager, L. D. (2002). Hearing protection. Didn’t hear it coming ... Noise and hearing in industrial accidents. Occupational Health and Safety, 71 (9), 196–200.

Nelson, D. I., Nelson, R. Y., Concha-Barrientos, M., & Fingerhut, M. (2005). The global burden of occupational noise-induced hearing loss. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 48 (6), 446–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20223

Schieman, S., & Reid, S. (2009). Job authority and health: Unraveling the competing suppression and explanatory influences. Social Science & Medicine, 69 (11), 1616–1624.

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Sabbath, E. L., Mejía-Guevara, I., Noelke, C., & Berkman, L. F. (2015). The long-term mortality impact of combined job strain and family circumstances: A life course analysis of working American mothers. Social Science & Medicine, 146 , 111–119.

Simmons, L. A., & Swanberg, J. E. (2009). Psychosocial work environment and depressive symptoms among U.S. workers: Comparing working poor and working non-poor. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 44 (8), 628–635. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-008-0479-x

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Campos-Serna, J., Ronda-Pérez, E., Artazcoz, L., Moen, B. E., & Benavides, F. G. (2013). Gender inequalities in occupational health related to the unequal distribution of working and employment conditions: A systematic review. International Journal for Equity in Health, 12 , 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-57

Gradus, J., Street, A. E., Kelly, K., & Stafford, J. (2008). Sexual harassment experiences and harmful alcohol use in a military sample: Differences in gender and the mediating role of depression. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69 (3), 348–351.

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Okechukwu, C. A., Souza, K., Davis, K. D., & Castro, A. B. (2014). Discrimination, harassment, abuse, and bullying in the workplace: Contribution of workplace injustice to occupational health disparities. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 57 (5), 573–586.

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Frumkin, H. E., Walker, D., & Friedman-Jiménez, G. (1999). Minority workers and communities. Occupational Medicine, 14 (3), 495–517.

James, S. A., LaCroix, A. Z., Kleinbaum, D. G., & Strogatz, D. S. (1984). John Henryism and blood pressure differences among Black men. II. The role of occupational stressors. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 7 (3), 259–275.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2013). How does employment — or unemployment — affect health? Health policy snapshot . http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2013/rwjf403360

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012). A profile of the working poor, 2010. News Release . https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/working-poor/archive/workingpoor_2010.pdf

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration. (n.d.). State unemployment insurance benefits . https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/uifactsheet.asp

Cylus, J., Glymour, M., & Avendano, M. (2015). Health effects of unemployment benefit program generosity. American Journal of Public Health, 105 (2), 317–323. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302253

U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). OSHA worker rights and protections. https://www.osha.gov/workers

Institute of Medicine Committee on Health Insurance. (2009). America’s uninsured crisis: Consequences for health and health care . National Academies Press.

Sommers, B. D., Gawande, A. A., & Baicker, K. (2017). Health insurance coverage and health — what the recent evidence tells us. New England Journal of Medicine, 377 (6), 586–593.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). Employee benefits in the United States news release . https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ebs2_09192019.htm

DeRigne, L., Stoddard-Dare, P., & Quinn, L. (2016). Workers without paid sick leave less likely to take time off for illness or injury compared to those with paid sick leave. Health Affairs (Millwood), 35 (3), 520–527.

Burtle, A., & Bezruchka, S. (2016). Population health and paid parental leave: What the United States can learn from two decades of research. Healthcare (Basel), 4 (2).

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Project 2025: A wish list for a Trump presidency, explained

A proposed Republican party platform has been approved at the party’s national convention, but a much more detailed proposal from a conservative think tank has also been drawing attention.

Project 2025 was created by the Heritage Foundation and runs for more than 900 pages.

Trump has disavowed Project 2025, though critics have pointed out it was led by former officials in his administration.

The document calls for the sacking of thousands of civil servants, expanding the power of the president, dismantling the Department of Education, sweeping tax cuts, a ban on pornography, halting sales of the abortion pill, and more.

There is agreement between many parts of the official Republican platform and Project 2025, although the think-tank document is much more detailed and in some policy areas goes much further than the party line.

There is a sharper contrast between the two when it comes to the issue of abortion, with Heritage urging much more aggressive anti-abortion policies.

Who wrote Project 2025?

It is common for Washington think tanks of all political stripes to propose policy wish lists for potential governments-in-waiting.

The conservative Heritage Foundation first produced policy plans for future Republican administrations in 1981, when Ronald Reagan was about to take office.

It has produced similar documents in connection with subsequent presidential elections, including in 2016, when Trump won the presidency.

A year into his term, the think tank boasted that the Trump White House had adopted nearly two-thirds of its proposals.

The Project 2025 report was unveiled in April 2023, but liberal opposition to the document has ramped up now that Trump has extended his polling lead.

The Republican nominee himself has distanced himself from the proposal.

"I know nothing about Project 2025," he posted on his social media website, Truth Social. "I have no idea who is behind it.

"I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal."

But the team that created the project is chock-full of former Trump advisers, including director Paul Dans, who was chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management while Trump was president.

Mr Dans left the project in late July, clearing the way for Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts to take over. He said he was leaving during the presidential election season in order to "direct all my efforts to winning, bigly".

Russell Vought, another former Trump administration official, wrote a key chapter in the document and also serves as the Republican National Committee’s 2024 platform policy director.

More than 100 conservative organisations contributed to the document, Heritage says, including many that would be hugely influential in Washington if Republicans took back the White House.

The Project 2025 document sets out four main policy aims: restore the family as the centrepiece of American life; dismantle the administrative state; defend the nation's sovereignty and borders; and secure God-given individual rights to live freely.

Here's an outline of several of its key proposals.

Project 2025 proposes that the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Department of Justice, be placed under direct presidential control - a controversial idea known as "unitary executive theory".

In practice, that would streamline decision-making, allowing the president to directly implement policies in a number of areas.

The proposals also call for eliminating job protections for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by political appointees.

The document labels the FBI a "bloated, arrogant, increasingly lawless organization". It calls for drastic overhauls of this and several other federal agencies, as well as the complete elimination of the Department of Education.

What does the Republican party platform say?

The party platform includes a proposal to "declassify government records, root out wrongdoers, and fire corrupt employees", pledges to slash regulation and government spending. But it stops short of proposing a sweeping overhaul of federal agencies as outlined in Project 2025.

Immigration

Increased funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border - one of Trump's signature proposals in 2016 - is proposed in the document.

Project 2025 also proposes dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and combining it with other immigration enforcement units in other agencies, creating a much larger and more powerful border policing operation.

Other proposals include eliminating visa categories for crime and human trafficking victims, increasing fees on immigrants and allowing fast-tracked applications for migrants who pay a premium.

Not all of those details are repeated in the party platform, but the overall headlines are similar - the party is promising to implement the "largest deportation programme in American history".

What a Trump second term would look like

Climate and economy.

The document proposes slashing federal money for research and investment in renewable energy, and calls for the next president to "stop the war on oil and natural gas".

Carbon-reduction goals would be replaced by efforts to increase energy production and energy security.

The paper sets out two competing visions on tariffs, and is divided on whether the next president should try to boost free trade or raise barriers to imports.

But the economic advisers suggest that a second Trump administration should slash corporate and income taxes, abolish the Federal Reserve and even consider a return to gold-backed currency.

The party platform does not go as far as Project 2025 in these policy areas. The platform instead talks of bringing down inflation and drilling for oil to reduce energy costs, but is thin on specific policy proposals.

Abortion and family

Project 2025 does not call outright for a nationwide abortion ban.

However, it proposes withdrawing the abortion pill mifepristone from the market, and using existing but little-enforced laws to stop the drug being sent through the post.

The document suggests that the department of Health and Human Services should "maintain a biblically based, social science-reinforced definition of marriage and family".

On this issue at least, the document differs fairly substantially from the Republican platform, which only mentions the word "abortion" once. The platform says abortion laws should be left to individual states and that late-term abortions (which it does not define) should be banned.

It adds that that access to prenatal care, birth control and in-vitro fertilisation should be protected. The party platform makes no mention of cracking down on the distribution of mifepristone.

Tech and education

Under the proposals, pornography would be banned, and tech and telecoms companies that allow access would be shut down.

The document calls for school choice and parental control over schools, and takes aim at what it calls "woke propaganda".

It proposes to eliminate a long list of terms from all laws and federal regulations, including "sexual orientation", "gender equality", "abortion" and "reproductive rights".

Project 2025 aims to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools and government departments as part of what it describes as a wider crackdown on "woke" ideology.

Project 2025's proposals in this policy area are broadly reflected in the Republican platform, which in addition to calling for the abolishing the Department of Education, aims to boost school choice and parental control over education and criticises what the party calls the "inappropriate political indoctrination of our children".

Social Security

Although Heritage has long supported reforming the country's public pension plan, Project 2025 barely touches this third rail of American politics.

The platform says Social Security is a "lifeline" for millions of retired Americans and Republicans will "restore Economic Stability to ensure the long-term sustainability" of the programme.

The plan's future

Project 2025 is backed by a $22m (£17m) budget and includes strategies for implementing policies immediately after the presidential inauguration in January 2025.

Heritage is also creating a database of conservative loyalists to fill government positions, and a programme to train those new workers.

Democrats led by Jared Huffman, a congressman from California, have launched a Stop Project 2025 Task Force.

And many of the proposals would likely face immediate legal challenges from Trump's opponents if implemented.

Four surprises that could upend the 2024 US election

Where biden and trump stand on key issues, four things that could decide who wins us election.

Phishing Email Example: RESEARCH POSITION AVAILABLE

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Organic Matter and Soil Amendments

Compost (dark brown material) mixed with soil to create planting mounds for squash. The area is covered with residues of a cover crop that was cut down in late April.

• Organic matter includes plants and animals that are alive, dead, or in some stage of decomposition .
• Organic matter is a major contributor to soil health . Most garden and landscape plants benefit from increases in soil organic matter.
• Soil amendments are materials applied to or mixed into the topsoil to change or change soil properties and improve plant growth. For example, compost improves soil structure and lime increases soil pH. Most soil amendments supply some plant nutrients and some compost and manure products double as fertilizers with a guaranteed nutrient analysis.

Organic matter 

• Soil organic matter (OM) is made up of living, dead, and decomposing plants, small animals, and microorganisms. Materials we think of as dead, like brown, dried up leaves or banana peels, are teeming with microbial life. There can be a billion microorganisms in a teaspoon of compost or soil!
• Adding organic matter improves soils high in clay or sand .
• Soils high in OM retain more moisture, have a crumbly structure that resists soil compaction, and contain a reservoir of nutrients that are slowly released over time.
• OM improves soil aeration, water drainage, root growth, and biological activity.
• Compost and pine bark fines are good peat moss substitutes (a mined and non-renewable natural resource).
• Most garden and landscape plants perform best when the  soil organic matter level is at least 2%  (the goal for vegetable and flower beds should be 5%-10%). These soils are loose, easy to prepare for planting seeds and plants and have a large number of earthworms.
• Organic matter is measured by weight, not volume. Most soil testing labs include the organic matter test in their basic soil test.

Soil amendments

• Soil amendments are applied to or mixed into the topsoil to improve soil properties and plant growth.  
• Practice sustainable gardening by using no-cost or low-cost amendments such as locally available manure and compost and "home-grown" compost, leaves, grass clippings, cover crops, and kitchen scraps.
• pH adjusters (lime and sulfur) can be found on the Soil Testing page.
• Listed products are only examples and not endorsements. Read all product label instructions before you open the bag.

Common soil amendments and sources of organic matter

U.S. EPA Class A "Exceptional Quality" biosolids (composted sewer sludge) are allowed for use around all types of garden plants. Examples:

• BLOOM , a product of Washington, D.C. biosolids
• Milorganite , a product of Milwaukee biosolids that have been heat-dried resulting in a relatively high guaranteed nutrient analysis (5-2-5). 
• This is a relatively new soil amendment for the U.S. Research studies are attempting to determine biochar’s effects on soil carbon storage, soil reclamation, and improving the nutrient and water retention of soils.
• Biochar is charred organic matter, made by burning biomass such as wood waste and agricultural residues in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis).
• The end product is a fine-grained charcoal that is stable (resists further decomposition), porous, and variable depending on the feedstock and the process used.
• Although low in nutrients, biochar can hold nutrients that might otherwise be lost to leaching or runoff.
• Commercial products are available for gardeners and farmers but their value, relative to the many other ways of increasing soil organic matter, has not yet been established.
• Home-made compost or purchased compost can be added at any time of year and can be used as a top-dressing or mulch during the growing season.
• To improve the soil where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials are planted, remove mulch, spread an inch of compost over the area, and move the mulch back in place.
• Incorporate 2-4 inches of compost into new plant beds that are high clay or have thin topsoil.
• Organic matter moves downward through the soil profile and is continuously used up through oxidation. It should be replenished each year in flower and vegetable beds. Just 1 inch of compost per year can help maintain garden productivity.
• 8.33 cubic feet of compost will cover a 100 sq. ft. garden to a depth of one inch; 3 cubic yards of compost will cover a 1,000 sq. ft. garden to a depth of one inch.
• One cubic ft. of compost weighs about 40 lbs. And one cubic yd. weighs about 1,100 lbs. This will vary depending on moisture content.
• Plant-based composts have an N-P-K analysis of approximately 1.0-0.5-1.0. Only 5%-10% of the N (nitrogen) is mineralized (plant-available) in the year of application. Most of the K (potassium) and a small percentage of the P (phosphorus) are available in the first year.
• Manure-based composts are higher in nutrients and more of the N and P is in an inorganic, plant-available form.
• Make your own backyard compost from leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and other materials. Every gardener can recycle at least some of their organic waste into compost and keep it out of the landfill.
• Purchase compost
• Commercial composts are made from a wide variety of organic materials such as agricultural and food wastes, animal manure, grass clippings, and leaves. Many commercial composts are made using U.S. Composting Council guidelines and are regularly tested for content, quality, and contaminants.
• The risk from pesticide residues in commercially available compost is extremely low. Herbicides are short-lived in soil and compost and rarely show up as a problem. Producers and sellers have their composts tested regularly and should be able to provide result reports. However, a few long-residual herbicides (aminopyralid and clopyralid) have contaminated manure and commercial compost in recent years.
• Purchase compost by the bag or cubic yard (pick-up truck size load). LeafGro® is an example of a commercial compost made from yard waste and food scraps. Some county/city solid waste and recycling units make and sell compost for pickup. Check with your local agencies.

Compost tea

• Made by "steeping" compost in a bucket of water (5 parts water to 1 part compost by volume) for 1-3 days, then straining and applying the liquid to plants. Make compost tea using plant-based compost or vermicompost (worm compost). Do not use compost made from animal manure. Compost tea is low in a wide range of nutrients and good for fertilizing seedlings and transplants.

Cover crops

• Growing plants year-round is a great way to store carbon in the soil and support the soil food web. Cover crops reduce soil erosion and recycle nutrients which can reduce the need for fertilizers. They can also be used as a mulch after cutting and are an essential part of no-till farming and gardening.

Corn gluten

• Has a relatively high N organic fertilizer (10-0-0) content and is also labeled as a preemergent herbicide. However, it is not recommended for use on Maryland lawns as an organic preemergent herbicide because the recommended rate for weed control would exceed the amount of nitrogen allowed by Maryland's Lawn Fertilizer Law .
• A highly soluble form of magnesium (10%) and sulfur (13% sulfur). It should not be applied to the soil unless recommended in a soil test report. Epsom salt will not prevent or reverse blossom end rot of vegetables. A shortage of calcium causes the cell wall breakdown resulting in the sunken, brown/black areas on the bottoms and sides of fruits. Excess magnesium can make the problem worse by making calcium less available for plant uptake.
• A mineral that does not affect soil pH. It is approximately 23% calcium and 18% sulfur by weight. The calcium is quickly available making it a good choice for mixing into soil to prevent blossom end rot in vegetable crops. Despite the "clay-buster" claim on product bags, gypsum does not improve the structure of clayey soils in Maryland. Gypsum can be applied to soil at a rate of ½ lb. per square foot to prevent salt injury to plants from de-icing salts and salt spray (removes sodium from the soil).
• Animal manure has a higher plant-available nutrient content than plant-based or manure-based compost. Poultry, sheep, and rabbit manure are higher in nutrients than cow or horse manure.
• Horse manure, even if "aged," may contain many viable weed seeds.
• Lightly incorporate manure into soil to prevent nutrients from washing away or volatilizing.
• Never add dog or cat manure to your compost pile or vegetable garden soil.
• Bagged manure products are usually composted or dehydrated (17% moisture) and often carry an N-P-K fertilizer guarantee on their label.

Reduce Human Pathogen Risks

• Fully composted manures can be applied to the soil at any time of the year. Manures are considered fully composted when a static, aerated pile reaches at least 131ºF. for 3 consecutive days. This kills most plant and human diseases. Temperatures >145 ºF. will kill weed seeds. Not all farmers actively manage and monitor their manure to this standard. So, it's best to treat any local animal manure as un-composted and add it to gardens in the fall.
• You can safely mix un-composted manures (ranging from fresh through well-decomposed) into the topsoil in fall and then cover the soil with mulched leaves, if possible, to reduce leaching, run-off, and erosion risks.
• You can also spread and incorporate un-composted manure during the growing season at least 90 days prior to harvesting crops with edible parts off the ground (pepper, tomato, corn, eggplant) and 120 days prior to harvesting crops with edible parts touching the soil (leafy greens, root crops, bush beans). These guidelines reduce the likelihood of un-composted manure contacting your food. And, of course, always wash produce prior to fresh eating or preparation.

Organic mulches, including tree leaves, grass clippings, straw, wood bark, and wood chips, decompose and contribute to soil organic matter. Using organic materials available from your yard or neighboring yards keeps them out of landfills and recycles nutrients from plants to soil and back to plants.

• Mulched or shredded leaves rot faster than whole leaves and are an excellent substitute for wood or bark mulches. They can also be spread on vegetable and flower beds to protect soil over the winter. Move the leaves to plant in spring and then re-apply them as mulch.
• Grass clippings (no herbicides) can be used as a mulch around plants or added to your compost pile.
• Leave plant roots in the soil to decompose by cutting off the tops of annual plants when their season is over.

Mushroom compost

• Compost from mushroom farming (aka "mushroom soil" or "spent mushroom substrate") is made from a variety of materials including manures, wheat straw, corn cobs, feathermeal, peanut meal, peat moss, and lime. Once the mushrooms are harvested the compost they grew in is removed, steam-sterilized, and sold. According to Penn State Extension , it contains 1.5-3.0% nitrogen, 0.5-2.0% phosphorous (phosphate), and 1.0-3.0% potassium (potash).The approximate N-P-K analysis is 2.75-1.5-1.5. It may contain higher soluble salt levels than other composts. Mixing it into the soil or watering the compost prior to use to leach excess salts will reduce the risk of salt injury to plant roots. 

Mycorrhizae

• Beneficial fungi that occur naturally in soil and grow symbiotically on plant roots (ectomycorrhizae) or in plant roots (endomycorrhizae). It's estimated that 80% of all land plants on Earth are colonized by endomycorrhizae.They extend the root system by sending out tiny filaments to forage for water and nutrients used by plants. They have been shown to also help plants fend off pathogens. Some crops, like blueberry, rely heavily on mycorrhizae for nutrient uptake. These fungi are prevalent in Maryland soils. Research does not show any benefit to garden plants when mycorrhizae are purchased and applied to soil. This is especially true when plant nutrients and soil moisture are plentiful, and also because commercial mixes contain a narrow subset of mycorrhizal species. You can increase the populations of beneficial fungi through plant diversity (especially native plants), reduced soil disturbance, and planting cover crops.
• Peat partially composted moss mined from prehistoric non-renewable bogs. Peat moss is light and porous, absorbing 10-20 times its weight in water. It contains little nutrient value, but has a high nutrient-holding capacity. Harvesting peat releases CO2, a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change . More sustainable options like compost and pine bark fines should be substituted when possible. Learn more about this topic: peat-free potting mixes . 

Pine bark fines

• Finely shredded pine bark product that retains moisture. Sometimes a component of soilless growing media. It can be incorporated into annual and perennial beds. Very acidic, so watch soil pH levels if large quantities are used.
• Can be used to improve soil for succulents, but a minimum of 50% by volume is necessary. Use only coarse builder's sand, not play sand. Adding organic matter, not sand, on a yearly basis is the key to improving clayey soils.
• Only well-decayed sawdust should be incorporated into the soil. Fresh sawdust can burn plant roots and "tie up" nitrogen as it decomposes. (Soil microbes that break down the high-carbon sawdust need nitrogen and can access available nitrogen more easily than plant roots.) Good for mulching blueberry beds.
• There are no quality standards for topsoil and it is not a regulated product in Maryland. If you plan to buy topsoil in bulk, go to a reputable nursery or topsoil dealer and ask for soil test results and information on the origin of the soil, on-site mixing, and storage practices. Examine the soil before purchase or delivery. Topsoil should be dark and crumbly with an earthy smell. Do not purchase soil that is very high in sand or clay, foul-smelling, or has grayish mottling or a chalky, sticky, or rough texture. Some businesses sell a topsoil/compost mix which can make an excellent growing media for raised beds .
• The bags of "organic soil" you may see for sale typically don't contain topsoil (i.e. mineral soil with clay, silt, and sand particles). These products contain various combinations of wood waste, bark fines, compost, peat moss, and other organic materials.
• Ashes from wood and pellet stoves contain large amounts of potash (10%) and calcium carbonate (25%). For liming purposes, two pounds of wood ash is equivalent to approximately one pound of calcitic limestone or dolomitic limestone. Use ashes based on soil test results and don't exceed 20 lbs./1,000 sq. ft. per year. Apply wood ashes in the fall or winter. Dispose of excess ashes in the trash, not the compost bin.

Worm castings

• Worm 'poop' produced by red wiggler (Eisenia fetida) and other earthworms that is rich in nutrients and microbes. Commercial castings are produced by vermicompost businesses that use worms to convert organic materials into compost in a controlled environment. Vermicompost is a combination of worm castings and partially decomposed organic materials. You can produce your own vermicompost in a homemade or purchased bin.

Related information

Soil Testing and Soil Testing Labs

Soil Basics

Soil for Containers

Soil to Fill Raised Beds

How to Make Your Own Compost 

Author: Jon Traunfeld, Director HGIC, Extension Specialist, Fruits and Vegetables. 11/2020

Still have a question? Contact us at Ask Extension .

A Deeper Dive Into the Carry Trade

Adam Turnquist | Chief Technical Strategist

Last Updated: August 08, 2024

Over the last several days, LPL Research has published an array of publicly available content related to the jump in equity market volatility, including: 

• Thoughts on the Market Selloff  
• Navigating the Storm: Insights on Market Volatility  
• More Pullback Perspective  
• Market Signals Podcast: Bond Market Perspective on the Selloff  
• The Talking Point: Tough Week for Market as Selloff Continues  
• Global Selloff Thoughts and the Dollar's Path to Decompressing

What Happened?  

In short, the recent sell-off was underpinned by three primary factors, including: 1) overbought conditions coming into August — especially in big tech; 2) waning confidence for a soft landing due to last week’s weak Institute of Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing and employment data; and 3) the rapid unwinding of the crowded yen carry trade.   

What Should Investors Do? 

To boil down the conclusion of our research into one simple message, don’t panic. Pullbacks and corrections are quite common, even during a strong bull market. Over the last 70+ years, the S&P 500 has experienced an average maximum peak-to-trough drawdown of 13.7% during a calendar year, suggesting the current 8.5% drawdown is still below average. Volatility also brings opportunity, and forward market returns after sizable drawdowns tend to be above average. Furthermore, it is important to remember the markets long-term uptrend remains intact and most breadth metrics are holding up well. 

What’s Next?  

From a technical perspective, the risk of additional selling pressure appears elevated. Market bottoms are often a process and begin to form after oversold conditions reach extremes — something yet to fully materialize amid the current drawdown. As highlighted in panels two and three below, only around 12% of S&P 500 stocks reached oversold levels based on the Relative Strength Index (RSI), well below readings above 20% that typically overlap with bottoms. The percentage of new four-week lows across the index also failed to trigger a washed-out reading. Based on this backdrop, there is insufficient technical evidence to make the case that a durable bottom has formed.  

In the event of further selling pressure, watch for support at 5,254 (March high), 5,227 (Fibonacci retracement level — Fibonacci retracement levels are lines that indicate where support and resistance are likely), 5,119 (August low), and 5,026 (200-day moving average (dma)). Resistance sets up at 5,312 (price gap/Fibonacci retracement level), 5,321 (May high), 5,347 (price gap), and near 5,400 (July low).  

Volatility measures have been notable and point to abating fear in the market. The CBOE Volatility Index — more commonly called the VIX or ‘fear gauge’ — surged to its highest reading since March 2020 on Monday. Historically, major spikes in the VIX often occur near major capitulation points in equity markets, especially when the curve moves sharply into backwardation (as was the case this week), characterized by spot VIX trading at a premium to longer-term contracts.   

S&P 500: A Relief Rally or a Durable Bottom?

Source: LPL Research, Bloomberg 08/07/24 Disclosures: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All indexes are unmanaged and can’t be invested directly.  

A Closer Examination of the Carry Trade 

Ultra-low rates and easy monetary policy made the yen an attractive funding currency for the carry trade, where investors borrow in currencies with low rates to fund purchases in higher-yielding securities elsewhere. However, recent tightening from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) pulled the proverbial thread on this crowded trade, and it started to unravel over the last few weeks, sparking a surge in yen buying as investors covered short positions.  

As highlighted below, the USD/JPY pulled back through support from its prior highs near 152 and violated its longer-term uptrend. The pair finally found their footing near the December lows (141), where a relief rally off extremely oversold conditions subsequently developed. For context, the RSI indicator reached its lowest level since 1997, a period known as “Asian Contagion” as currency devaluations in the region turned into systemic market risk.  

Determining the size of the carry trade can be challenging due to the opaqueness of currency positioning and transactions. For example, analysts speculate yen carry-trade borrowing could range anywhere from $1 to $4 trillion in total, with recent reports estimating that 75% of carry trades have now been closed. Regardless, the path of least resistance for the USD/JPY is no longer higher, implying risk for additional downside volatility is elevated. Technicals provide a framework for assessing this risk, and a close below support at 141 would point to another potential leg lower for the pair. In contrast, a rally back above 152 would recapture the 200-dma and prior uptrend, suggesting reduced carry trade volatility and downside risk.   

The Dollar/Yen is Also Searching for a Bottom

Source: LPL Research, Bloomberg 08/08/24 Disclosures: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All indexes are unmanaged and can’t be invested in directly. Any futures referenced are being presented as a proxy, not as a recommendation. 

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) provides a more definitive estimate of the overall change in yen short positions. The bottom panel of the chart above highlights combined short yen futures contracts for non-commercial (often hedge funds/large speculators) and non-reportable (generally considered small speculators) traders. While this cohort represents a significantly smaller portion of the aggregate yen carry trade, it can at least be used as a proxy for sentiment and direction of short yen positions. Collectively, this group is currently short 179,000 futures contracts, equivalent to around $15.3 billion in notional dollar terms. To square these positions up to levels where they started the year (127,000 contracts), traders would need to buy back or cover another 52,000 contracts. As you may notice, short yen positions and the USD/JPY are also positively correlated, and a simple regression analysis between weekly changes in short contracts and the USD/JPY suggests an unwinding of yen short positions back to January levels could lead to another 16% decline in the currency pair. While a drop of this magnitude is unlikely, especially given the recent dovish commentary from BOJ Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida, who suggested they would not raise rates if financial markets were unstable, the data suggests the unwinding of yen short positions could have more room to go.   

Summary 

Stocks have rebounded off their recent lows as better-than-expected economic data recently helped suppress recession risks. While volatility measures point to a potential capitulation point, the degree of shorter-term technical damage and lack of widespread oversold conditions leaves us skeptical of the lows being set. Currency market volatility has also abated as the unwinding of the yen carry trade slowed. However, the dollar/yen is no longer in an uptrend, and it is too early to consider the latest rebound in the pair as anything more than a relief rally off oversold levels. Overall, we remain cautious on a near-term basis until there is sufficient technical evidence of a durable low being set for the S&P 500.  

Important Disclosures

This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. There is no assurance that the views or strategies discussed are suitable for all investors. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, please consult your financial professional prior to investing.

Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. No investment strategy or risk management technique can guarantee return or eliminate risk.

Indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. Index performance is not indicative of the performance of any investment and does not reflect fees, expenses, or sales charges. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.

This material was prepared by LPL Financial, LLC. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.

Unless otherwise stated LPL Financial and the third party persons and firms mentioned are not affiliates of each other and make no representation with respect to each other. Any company names noted herein are for educational purposes only and not an indication of trading intent or a solicitation of their products or services.

Asset Class Disclosures –

International investing involves special risks such as currency fluctuation and political instability and may not be suitable for all investors. These risks are often heightened for investments in emerging markets.

Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity.

Municipal bonds are subject and market and interest rate risk and potentially capital gains tax if sold prior to maturity. Interest income may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. Municipal bonds are federally tax-free but other state and local taxes may apply.

Preferred stock dividends are paid at the discretion of the issuing company. Preferred stocks are subject to interest rate and credit risk. They may be subject to a call features.

Alternative investments may not be suitable for all investors and involve special risks such as leveraging the investment, potential adverse market forces, regulatory changes and potentially illiquidity. The strategies employed in the management of alternative investments may accelerate the velocity of potential losses.

Mortgage backed securities are subject to credit, default, prepayment, extension, market and interest rate risk.

High yield/junk bonds (grade BB or below) are below investment grade securities, and are subject to higher interest rate, credit, and liquidity risks than those graded BBB and above. They generally should be part of a diversified portfolio for sophisticated investors.

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The fast price swings of commodities will result in significant volatility in an investor's holdings.

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Adam Turnquist

Adam Turnquist oversees the management and development of technical research at LPL Financial. His investment career spans over 15 years.