55c. Synthesizing sources

55cSynthesize sources.

When you synthesize multiple sources in a research paper, you create a conversation about your research topic. You show readers that your argument is based on your active analysis and integration of ideas, not just a series of quotations and paraphrases. Your synthesis will show how your sources relate to one another; one source may support, extend, or counter the ideas of another. Not every source has to “speak” to another in a research paper, but readers should be able to see how each one functions in your argument (see 52a).

Considering how sources relate to your argument

Before you integrate sources and show readers how they relate to one another, consider how each one might contribute to your own argument. As student writer Anna Orlov became more informed through her research about Internet surveillance in the workplace, she asked herself these questions: What do I think about monitoring employees online? What have I learned from my sources? Which sources might support my ideas or illustrate the points I want to make? What common counterarguments do I need to address to strengthen my position? She annotated a passage from an eWeek article that challenged the case she was building against Internet surveillance in the workplace.

student notes on the original source

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Because Orlov felt that Gonsalves’s article would convince many readers that Internet surveillance was good for workplace productivity, she knew she needed to present and counter his argument. The author’s memorable language and clear illustration seemed worth quoting, but she wanted to keep the emphasis on her own argument. So she quoted the passage from Gonsalves and then analyzed it, discussing and countering his view in her own writing. She also found other sources to support and extend her counterargument.

Placing sources in conversation

You can show readers how the ideas of one source relate to those of another by connecting and analyzing the ideas in your own voice. After all, you’ve done the research and thought through the issues, so you should control the conversation. When you effectively synthesize sources, the emphasis is still on your own writing; the thread of your argument should be easy to identify and to understand, with or without your sources.

In the draft below, Orlov uses her own analyses to shape the conversation among her sources. She does not simply string quotations together or allow them to overwhelm her writing. The final sentence, written in her own voice, gives her an opportunity to explain to readers how the various sources support her argument.

When synthesizing sources in your own writing, ask yourself the following questions:

sample synthesis (draft)

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Reviewing an MLA paper: Use of sources

Use of quotations

  • Is quoted material enclosed in quotation marks (unless it has been set off from the text)? (See 54b and 55a.)
  • Is quoted language word-for-word accurate? If not, do ellipsis marks or brackets indicate the omissions or changes? (See 55a.)
  • Does a clear signal phrase (usually naming the author) prepare readers for each quotation and for the purpose the quotation serves? (See 55b.)
  • Does a parenthetical citation follow each quotation? (See 56a.)
  • Is each quotation put in context? (See 55c.)

Use of summaries and paraphrases

  • Are summaries and paraphrases free of plagiarized wording—not copied or half-copied from the source? (See 54b.)
  • Are summaries and paraphrases documented with parenthetical citations? (See 54b and 56a.)
  • Do readers know where the cited material begins? In other words, does a signal phrase mark the boundary between your words and the summary or paraphrase? Or does the context alone make clear exactly what you are citing? (See 55b.)
  • Does a signal phrase prepare readers for the purpose the summary or paraphrase has in your argument?

Use of statistics and other facts

  • Are statistics and facts (other than common knowledge) documented with parenthetical citations? (See 54b and 56a.)
  • If there is no signal phrase, will readers understand exactly which facts are being cited? (See 55b.)