MLA-3c: Synthesize 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 list 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. Readers should be able to see how each source functions in your argument (see R2-a).

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 about Internet surveillance in the workplace, she asked herself these questions: What do I think about monitoring employees online? Which sources might extend or illustrate the points I want to make? Which sources voice opposing points of view that I need to address? With these questions in mind, Orlov read and annotated sources, including an argument in favor of workplace surveillance. (See the example.)

Placing sources in conversation

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.

sample synthesis (draft)

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In this draft, Orlov uses her own analyses to shape the conversation among her sources. She does not simply string quotations 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 the various sources support her argument.

When synthesizing sources, ask yourself the following questions:

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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 MLA-2b.)

  • Is quoted language word-for-word accurate? If not, do brackets or ellipsis marks indicate the changes or omissions? (See Using the ellipsis mark and brackets.)

  • Does a clear signal phrase (usually naming the author) prepare readers for each quotation and for the purpose the quotation serves? (See MLA-3b.)

  • Does a parenthetical citation follow each quotation? (See MLA-4a.)

  • Is each quotation put in context? (See MLA-3c.)

Use of summaries and paraphrases

  • Are summaries and paraphrases free of plagiarized wording—not copied or half-copied from the source? (See MLA-2c.)

  • Are summaries and paraphrases documented with parenthetical citations? (See MLA-4a.)

  • 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 MLA-3b.)

  • 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 MLA-2a.)

  • If there is no signal phrase, will readers understand exactly which facts are being cited? (See MLA-3b.)

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