An effective research paper makes use of synthesis as a means of support for the writer’s position. It makes sense of how the sources speak to one another and helps the reader understand them in greater depth.
Synthesizing sources is something you probably do every day without realizing it. For example, let’s say you are trying a new cake recipe from a cookbook. You realize you do not have the right size measuring cup, so you Google how many tablespoons are in a half cup. Then, you remember your friend told you to substitute apple sauce for oil when baking to make the recipe healthier. You return to the Internet to look up how much apple sauce will replace a quarter cup of vegetable oil. You have just synthesized 4 sources: a cookbook, a cooking website, a friend’s advice, and a different website on healthy cooking substitutes.
Or, as another example, perhaps you and your friends can’t decide which movie to see. One friend pulls up the trailer for the group’s first choice on his phone, another tells the group about film reviews she’s read, and a third friend tells everyone about their experience watching the director’s last film. Three unique perspectives are used to come to one conclusion. That’s synthesis!
Synthesizing sources is a matter of pulling various sources together as support for a new idea—your unique position or viewpoint on a topic, theme, or issue. This combining of multiple sources must be done in a meaningful way, and the final product must be thesis-driven. In other words, your position (as stated in your thesis) and the points you wish to make dictate which sources to use and when to use them, NOT the other way around. To accomplish this, you will need to think critically about the sources you are considering. Here’s how:
Read Carefully.
Synthesizing sources begins by conducting research and reading carefully. A great first step is to make some notes on every source you think you might use in your writing. Ideally, different sources will have different relationships with your thesis. They may agree, disagree, reinforce, subvert, explain, or contradict one another in the context of your thesis. Making a note for yourself of how each source relates to your position (and to each other) will help you later when it is time to incorporate them as support for your ideas.
Work from your thesis.
There are many ways to organize sources for a research paper. Once you have thoroughly read your sources and developed your own ideas on the topic or issue, create a positional statement, or thesis statement. This statement should be from your own perspective and not simply a restatement of what you’ve read. In other words, it should ADD to the conversation, not report on what’s already been said. The most common mistake made by students when attempting synthesis is writing a series of summaries of the sources they’ve collected. While summaries are useful when writing notes for your own purposes or in an annotated bibliography, they do not meet the requirements of a paper requiring synthesis.
Focus on analysis and evaluation.
If you simply quote sources without evaluating them, then the sources will control your paper and your audience may misinterpret the information. Look at how sources may agree or disagree with one another and evaluate which source has better logic or more credibility. Think critically about the information you are considering. Ask:
Analyze the position of each source and decide whether or not the author’s position can help you make your position stronger. This does not mean that every source will agree with you. In fact, sometimes, sources written by your opposition can help strengthen your point if you refute them effectively. But, whatever kind of source you choose, critical thinking will be necessary to determine if and how you can use it as support. Don’t be afraid to deem a source or two unusable. The sources must support your points; if they do not, they don’t belong.
Establish relationships.
Think about the connections among the various sources you’re considering. Do any of the sources agree or disagree on any points? Does one source provide background for another? Does one source take up where another leaves off? Does one source provide an example of an idea discussed in another source? Do any common ideas or viewpoints run through all the sources? Establishing how the sources connect helps you to make them work in harmony to support your position.
Cite your sources.
Whether you are directly quoting, paraphrasing, or simply restating a fact or statistic from a source, you MUST give credit where credit is due. Citation protects you from plagiarism which, in most cases, will result in a failing grade… or worse! When in doubt, add an in-text citation and an entry on your Works Cited page or Reference page to be sure you are not guilty of academic dishonesty.
Source consulted: BGSU.edu – English Dept.
Guide created by: E. Raley 6/22/2021
Revised by: B. McCoid 1/17/2024
The RVC Writing Center offers many resources to help you with these topics and all of your writing concerns. Titles of available resources can be found in the navigation bars along the left side of this page and/or by using the search bar. The Writing Center’s Resource Library can be accessed by using the following link:
If you still need assistance, please call (815) 921-2370 to make an appointment with an RVC writing coach.
We are here to help!
