Synthesising sources
Use several sources to build one evidence-based account of an issue.
Before you begin
- Accurate summary
- Source evaluation and comparison
Group evidence by the question it answers
Synthesis brings sources into a shared discussion rather than reporting them one after another. Identify what each contributes: data, an explanation, a competing interpretation or a limitation. Group material by themes that answer your research question. A source matrix can help you see agreement and tension without losing track of who said what.
Preserve attribution and disagreement
Make clear which claims belong to a source and which conclusions are your own. Paraphrases still require attribution in academic work. Do not merge incompatible measurements or silently smooth away disagreement. If two studies use different populations or definitions, that difference may explain why their findings do not directly match.
Worked example
Source A reports travel time; Source B reports ticket cost; Source C interviews passengers about reliability. How could you synthesise them to compare two bus routes?
Show the worked solution
- Frame the comparison around time, affordability and reliability.
- Use each source for the question its evidence addresses.
- Explain that passenger perceptions and recorded punctuality would be different kinds of evidence.
A defensible comparison weighs the different dimensions while identifying each source and its limitations.
Try it yourself
Which sentence begins a synthesis rather than a list?
Common mistakes
- Paraphrasing changes wording, not the obligation to credit a source.
What can you explain now?
Two studies report different results but use different age groups. What should a careful synthesis do?
Compare with the explanation
Describe the population difference before treating the results as directly contradictory.
Different samples may limit comparability. A synthesis can explain what remains uncertain instead of forcing a single universal conclusion.
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Common Core English language arts standards ↗