Source based writing Writing to learn from sources

Abstract

This literature review synthesize the main aspects and processes of source based writing. It plays important role in learning, science and work. Source based writing is part of the academic and professional communication. We present national research initiatives that investigates students’ content knowledge represented in compositions. Writing from sources is an underrepresented practice and research area in Hungary. We discuss the overlapping aspects of academic and scientific writing. Both of them are a kind of source based writing. In the next part of the paper we explain, why we can consider source based writing as discourse synthesis. Writers create their texts from others’ texts by synthesizing and citing these sources. In this way, writers can be part of discourses of different communities. In this process, reading is a central part of source based writing. Reading to write is a somehow different, but similar process to reading to understand a text. To write, authors not only read sources, but contextualize its decontextualized contents. We can refer to this reading process as reading to write. Contextualization means considering authors goals and prospective readers. We review, how differs source based writing in workplace, science and formal learning. There are differences in goals, innovativeness, quality, community norms and other aspects. Instructors and researchers should consider these at planning, organizing and investigating learning situations. Also, we discuss some potential learning applications useful in these settings.