Synthesizing

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Synthesizing

WHAT IS SYNTHESIS?

Synthesis involves drawing on multiple sources simultaneously. Rather than working with one source at a time in your writing, you synthesize materials when you incorporate ideas, data, or perspectives from multiple texts to make your own points. Synthesis allows you to show how your sources "speak" to one another as you put them in "conversation" with your thinking.

WHY SHOULD I SYNTHESIZE?

When synthesizing materials, you want to show your readers that you have done careful research, considered your sources in critical ways, and are using them to construct new meanings.

Importantly, using a variety of sources to develop a point should enhance your writing rather than replace your perspective. When writing to develop your own ideas, you should use sources to bring readers to the points that you are trying to make; moreover, you should organize your writing around these points and not the sources you draw on in your writing. So, you should acknowledge and cite multiple viewpoints in your writing as a way to strengthen your own perspective.

WHAT DOES SYNTHESIS LOOK LIKE?

An illustration of synthesis is found in Rebecca Austin's award-winning essay "ACL Tears in Female Athletics: Will They Ever Be Stopped?"* Notice that she explains her topic, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), not by regurgitating a dictionary definition, but by pulling in relevant information from different sources. She signals this information with phrasing that sounds natural (e.g. "As a group of researchers explains…;" "Per Renstrom, a doctor and knowledgeable figure in the sports world…").

Before this whole discussion goes any further though, it is important to understand the basics of the anterior cruciate ligament. As a group of researchers explain, this ligament stabilizes the knee joint. It is located behind the kneecap, and it connects the thigh bone to the shin bone (Gaudet 15). When the anterior cruciate ligament tears, it snaps away from the bone. This makes a loud popping noise, and immediately the athlete is sent into extreme pain. Per Renstrom, a doctor and knowledgeable figure in the sports world, states how about two million ACL injuries happen worldwide every year, and of those injured, most are women (1). In fact, females are eight times more likely to tear their ACLs than males, and for those participating in intercollegiate soccer and basketball they are three times more likely (Gaudet 15, 17). Alice McLaine, the athletic training education director at Winthrop University, says the reason lies in the makeup of a woman's body compared to a male's body. Women have an extra Q-angle in their knees and a wider pelvis, which causes the knees to be less stable (Washington 17). It is also stated that the male body contains more flexion within the knees, while women have greater extension in their knees. Another conclusion is that the small amount of use women put towards their hamstring during physical activity puts stress on their knees (Gaudet 15). All of these differences in the female body puts them at a higher risk for ACL injuries, and contributes to the rising number of women tearing their ACL. With all of these biological reasons, can more really be done to reduce the risk of ACL tears occurring in female athletics? The answer is yes.

*This essay placed second in the 2014 Best Essay Contest at Coastal Carolina University.

While it is possible that Austin might have already formed her own perspective about ACL before she started her research, her writing suggests that the sources she draws on informed her thinking in significant ways. By pointing to a handful of sources in this paragraph, she is able to present quite a bit of information about her topic as she brings readers to her own interest in preventing ACL tears in women.

Austin also seems to be considering the reliability of the sources she cites here. Sources vary in terms of their validity. For instance, citing information gathered from a refereed scientific journal likely has more credibility than a blog post or a YouTube video (and Austin seems very aware of this as she introduces sources, as she tells readers she is citing researchers, a doctor, and an athletic training education director). A physician will usually be more reliable than a soccer player or a celebrity speaking on the issue. Further, before she enters a conversation about ACL tears, Austin first seems to have a basic understanding of the topic and then synthesizes information to arrive at reasonable conclusions.

OKAY, SO HOW DO I SYNTHESIZE?

Take a look at the two short excerpts below, which, at first glance, might seem totally unrelated.

While these excerpts might not seem to be in conversation at first glance (as they don't focus on the same topic), upon closer reading, you will see that several recurring themes become apparent. This overlap is represented in synthesis matrix below.

Theme Amelia's commentary King's commentary
parents play a vital role in protecting children play a role in protecting children that can't always be fulfilled
protection is a primary obligation of parents is a primary obligation of parents
childhood can entail oblivion can entail uncomfortable realization
discrimination can be latent can be overt

Using a visual representation of the ways in which these seemingly unconnected texts speak to one another helps to show the different themes covered in both of these pieces (parents, protection, childhood, and discrimination). When synthesizing sources, you will want to focus on and develop such themes. By organizing your writing around a shared theme, and not by source, you will position yourself to offer a coherent commentary on ideas, not summaries of sources. This move, to use multiple sources to develop a stance on a particular theme, is central to synthesis.

The following is a paragraph on one of the themes named in the synthesis matrix. It describes one aspect of childhood, taking information from both sources.

Childhood is often associated with innocence. Sometimes innocence is shattered when the sledgehammer of discrimination swings down on someone at an early age. Few people would ever consider a trip to an amusement park or membership in a youth group a portal to adulthood as opposed to anything other than a good time. A mother of a cub scout (Amelia, par. 16) may have the luxury of deciding when innocence is disrupted, but the father with his child reading a sign saying she's not allowed to enter an amusement park (King, par. 14) has no such flexibility.

In this example, the writing is organized around ideas, namely that the innocence of childhood is impacted by discrimination and that while some have the luxury of avoiding such moments (by, in this case, keeping a child out of Boy Scouts), others don't have that luxury. By pointing to both of these texts to bring readers to larger, conceptual points, this writer uses synthesis to add much richness to this short piece.

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS?

FOR STRONG READING TO SYNTHESIZE
  1. Articulate a clear focus for your writing. Read like a writer by keeping your own focus and interests in mind as you consider and questions pieces you move through.
  2. Find reliable and trustworthy sources that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic (even if these sources do not seem immediately connected, as in our first example).
  3. Read these sources very carefully keeping your own interests and questions in mind.
FOR WRITING STRONG SYNTHESIS PARAGRAPHS
  1. Use a visual matrix to identify how your sources speak to shared themes. It helps you see how sources overlap as you bring your own stance to a reading.
  2. Don't forget a paragraph needs a broad claim as a topic sentence.
  3. Synthesis paragraphs aren't article summaries stacked one on top of the other. They shouldn't give off a book report vibe.
  4. A feature of good academic writing is copious amounts of synthesis — and by extension, synthesis paragraphs. Strong essays are organized by theme or topic, not sources.
  5. A paragraph's referencing of more than one source does not absolve you from having to introduce, cite, and explain.

For citation, use:

Coastal Carolina University, Department of English, First-Year Writing Program. "Synthesizing." Coastal Composition Commons, 24 August 2017, https://ccc.coastal.edu/task/synthesizing-2/. Accessed xx xxxxxx xxxx.