When you synthesize sources, you show readers how the ideas of one source relate to those of another by connecting and analyzing the ideas in the context of your argument. Keep the emphasis on your own writing. After all, you’ve done the research and thought through the issues, so you should control the conversation. The thread of your argument should be easy to identify and to understand, with or without your sources.
In the sample draft synthesis, a student writer uses her own analyses to shape the conversation among her sources. She does not simply string quotations and statistics together or allow her sources to overwhelm her writing. The final sentence, written in her own voice, gives her an opportunity to explain to readers how her sources support and extend her argument.
When synthesizing sources, ask yourself the following questions:
Which sources inform, support, or extend your argument?
Have you varied the function of sources—to provide background, to explain concepts, to lend authority, and to anticipate counterarguments? Do your signal phrases indicate these functions?
Do you explain how your sources support your argument?
Do you connect and analyze sources in your own voice?
Is your own argument easy to identify and to understand, with or without your sources?
Sample draft synthesis
Related topics:
Considering how sources relate to your argument
Signal phrases