Synopsis comes from Latin synopsis, whose origins date back to Greek. Its about summary or summary of a creative work (a book, a movie, etc.). For example: "I was reading the synopsis of Galeano's new book and I found it very interesting", “The synopsis of Stallone's film did not appeal to me at all, although I must admit that the stories of shots and explosions are not my favorite”, “The teacher asked me to do the synopsis of a three hundred page novel”.
The concept is also used to name the general exposure of a matter . The synopsis, in this sense, is responsible for presenting the most important lines of the matter in question, leaving aside the details and focusing on the essentials for the development of the contents.
The synopsis, therefore, provides a general idea with the most relevant aspects of the topic to be treated. When referring to a work, information about the outcome is not usually included, so that the viewer or reader has the opportunity to discover it for himself.
Another use of the notion of synopsis is linked to the graphic representation that shows things related to each other (themes, situations, objects, etc.), with the aim of facilitating their joint vision and, therefore, their evaluation and interpretation: "In this synopsis we can see the different presidents that the country had during the nineteenth century, with information about their ideologies and their links with the most important economic sectors", "Then I will present a synopsis of the products derived from soybeans that can be obtained at any warehouse in the country".
Thinking about synopsis as a synonym for summary, we can say that there are three well-defined types, and that they are distinguished according to their approach:
* The author
+ when you summarize your own work: often the authors face the elaboration of a synopsis of their own creations, although this is not always beneficial, since knowing every corner of a work it does not mean having the necessary technical tools to make an effective summary;
+ specializes in the subject: In this case, the same problem can occur as in the previous one, although it is very useful to have a vast knowledge about a subject, one of the fundamental points of the synopsis is its structure (It is expected to cause a particular impact on your readers). If the fundamental points of the work are not covered, then the summary loses strength;
+ is dedicated to the creation of documentaries: Documentary filmmakers have the necessary training to address a topic and prepare a synopsis based on a critical analysis of it, using certain literary resources to elaborate a striking text that highlights the most important details and catches the public until the end.
* Its objective
+ is used as primary document: in the case of works such as books, articles or minutes, it is common to include a summary at the beginning, as an advance. This type of summary should address the reason that led the author to create the text, the challenges he had to face throughout the creative process, the methodology he used and his conclusions regarding the work;
+ is a secondary document: These are texts that are published in journals to offer researchers a general overview of the most recent discoveries, and also serve to search for particular data with greater comfort than consulting the sources one by one;
+ integrates a database: in this case, the information it must be automated so that its storage meets a well defined set of requirements and the synopsis can be compared with others.
* Your extension
+ serves as an introduction: a small synopsis, about twenty main words, generally enriching the title of the work and indicating its objectives and the methods used for its creation;
+ is informative: it is a text with an average length of 100 words, which seeks to show the main idea of the work, based on the conclusions and the results obtained therein;
+ try to analyze the work: It seeks to carefully examine the original document to give a general idea of its content, covering all the points of the two previous types of synopsis.
