8 Synthesis of Multiple Sources
Sarah Johnson and Jeremy O'Roark
One way in which academic writers create knowledge or make progress in the discussion or exploration of a topic is by juxtaposing or combining the ideas and perspectives from multiple sources, or synthesizing, in new ways.
When you write a summary, rhetorical analysis, or annotated bibliography, you are reporting on a single source at a time. Synthesis asks you to do more. Through research, you have reached a deeper understanding of the different perspectives or parts of your topic by reading multiple sources and finding connections between them. The goal of synthesis is to now try to help your reader to reach that same understanding. So synthesis is both the invisible act of learning about different perspectives and messages and the very visible act of using multiple sources in the composition of your own, unique message.
In this Chapter
1. Why Synthesize?
Synthesis in academic writing helps your reader to see the same connections between information in sources that you see, which in turn helps to persuade your reader to reach the same conclusion that you have from your research.
Furthermore, your argument will be more well-rounded and more well-developed when you use more than one source of support for each of your main claims. Also, because it is often dangerous to rely on a single source for information, incorporating multiple sources in support of a claim or idea helps to ensure that your information is accurate to you and your reader.
Usually it is not considered productive for an academic writer to repeat, summarize, or paraphrase a large passage or many ideas from a single source. Not only does this fail to further the discussion of a topic beyond what has already been said by others, but it may also pose problems of academic integrity, since academic ethics require a writer to produce original work and provide attribution for ideas that are not their own.
2. Examples of Synthesis in a Sample Essay
A paragraph like the one below would appear earlier in the essay to provide background information as well as context, before the writer starts to “prove” the thesis. This is a meaningful way to engage readers and prepare them for the rest of the argument.
In this paragraph, the writer uses three sources to present the scope of the problem (essentially, the background information about the issue and some context about current data or ongoing discussions before highlighting the specific population of individuals that the thesis statement will address (students from low-income households). First, read the paragraph, then review Table 1 for annotations on how these sources are working together.
Example Synthesis Paragraph: Background Information
Students are not completing the college degrees they set out to achieve. The number of students attending college has increased over time; “In 1950, only 16 percent of young people had at least some college exposure. By 2012, this figure rose to 63 percent” (Page and Kehoe). However, the rate of students graduating is just too low. According to NPR Education reporter Elissa Nadworny, “just 58 percent of students who started college in the fall of 2012 had earned any degree six years later.” Nadworny is citing the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center for this information in her article written in 2019. Among community college students, this number is even lower: below forty percent (Nadworny). The promise of college as a way ahead is especially troubling for students who don’t come from a place of privilege. Statistics show that low-income students do not complete at the rate that) high-income students do (Page and Kehoe, Favero). In fact, researchers from the City University of New York published an article about an accelerated associate degree program aimed at helping increase graduation rates (Strumbos et al.). They discuss the fact that college as a stepping stone or a way to advance students’ economic mobility becomes increasingly problematic when we recognize that students from low-income households are “six times less likely to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the age of twenty-five than those from high-income families” (102). Page and Kehoe note that this is especially troubling since the “gaps in degree attainment” have been increasing. Clearly this issue isn’t getting better on its own.
| excerpt from the paragraph | function of the the source(s) |
|---|---|
| The number of students attending college has increased over time; “In 1950, only 16 percent of young people had at least some college exposure. By 2012, this figure rose to 63 percent” (Page and Kehoe). However, the rate of students graduating is just too low. . According to NPR Education reporter Elissa Nadworny, “just 58 percent of students who started college in the fall of 2012 had earned any degree six years later.” | One source shows the wider context of the total number of students attending college, and then other sources show the percentages of those students who actually graduate. |
| According to NPR Education reporter Elissa Nadworny, “just 58 percent of students who started college in the fall of 2012 had earned any degree six years later.” Nadworny is citing the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center for this information in her article written in 2019. Among community college students, this number is even lower: below forty percent (Nadworny) | The writer puts their topic in context by moving from general to specific. One source states the completion rates for American college students and then community college students. |
| They discuss the fact that college as a stepping stone or a way to advance students’ economic mobility becomes increasingly problematic when we recognize that students from low-income households are “six times less likely to have earned a bachelor’s degree by the age of twenty-five than those from high-income families” (102). | Then, another source focuses more specifically on completion rates for low-income students. |
| Page and Kehoe note that this is especially troubling since the “gaps in degree attainment” have been increasing. | This source claims that there is a trend, or consistent change over time. Proving that there is a growing problem shows the current relevance or timeliness (kairos) of the topic. |
A paragraph like the one below would serve as a body paragraph presenting one claim that supports our working thesis. This paragraph tries to engage readers logically, supporting its claim with evidence from sources. The first sentence acts as a topic sentence (a helpful indicator about the paragraph’s main claim). The writer then uses information from two sources to prove this claim. First, read the paragraph, then review Table 2 for annotations on how these sources are working together.
Example Synthesis Paragraph: Supporting a Claim Logically
A major reason why low-income students do not earn degrees at the same rates as their peers is that they are more likely to face obstacles in their personal lives that may slow or delay their college progress. In their 2018 study, Strumbos et al. report that if a student does not complete twenty credits per year, they are not likely to complete their degree. Unfortunately, this “degree momentum” is often difficult for low-income students to achieve due to what Nathan Favero, a professor of public policy at American University, calls “personal barriers to success.” For example, Favero notes that low-income students may be single parents who lack support from other family members, and so they “can feel a strong pull to pause their studies and start working” when unexpected bills arise. Diana Strumbos and her colleagues agree that “Work and family obligations sometimes force students to attend part time, which can again lead to a loss of momentum and decrease their likelihood of graduating.” Therefore, typical degree programs and schedules often do not serve low-income students.
| excerpt from the paragraph | function of the the source(s) |
|---|---|
| if a student does not complete twenty credits per year, they are not likely to complete their degree | The first source presents data to provide evidence (in this case, of the claim that pace of credits correlates with completion) |
| Unfortunately, this “degree momentum” is often difficult for low-income students to achieve due to what Nathan Favero, a professor of public policy at American University, calls “personal barriers to success.” | A different source is used here in order to show that multiple sources corroborate the claim. (Multiple experts have reached the same conclusion about a major cause of the problem.) |
| Favero notes that low-income students may be single parents who lack support from other family members, and so they “can feel a strong pull to pause their studies and start working” when unexpected bills arise. | The purpose of this evidence is to present an expert’s testimony or viewpoint. This expert view draws a conclusion or inference from the previously presented data, and it confirms the writer’s claim. |
| Diana Strumbos and her colleagues agree that “Work and family obligations sometimes force students to attend part time, which can again lead to a loss of momentum and decrease their likelihood of graduating.” | This source presents an expert view that affirms the main claim: the link between the cause (personal barriers) and the effect (loss of degree momentum). |
| Therefore, typical degree programs and schedules often do not serve low-income students. | The closing sentence reaches a new conclusion about the claim based on the evidence that has been presented. (In this example, because some students’ “personal barriers” are a cause of the problem, changes to “typical degree programs” may be part of the solution.) |
A paragraph like the one below would serve as a later body paragraph. This paragraph tries to engage the reader emotionally. After the writer has proven their claims about major causes of the issue by citing data that was reported by credible sources, the writer presents individual examples in narrative form–anecdotal evidence–to illustrate the quality or nature of the issue. First, read the paragraph, then review Table 3 for annotations on how these sources are working together.
Example Synthesis Paragraph: Using Anecdotal Evidence
It may be easy to overlook the role that a family plays in either supporting a student or creating additional burdens for them while at college. While time, money, and knowledge may flow from an affluent family to a student, for a low-income student it may be the other way around. For example, Linda Banks-Santilli, an Associate Professor of Education, explains how some first-generation students may feel as though they’re leaving their families behind or abandoning them. One student moved to live on campus, but she was concerned about her parents, who didn’t own or use computers, so she “divided her time,” Banks-Santilli notes, between her own coursework and paying her family’s bills. Page and Kehoe describe a similar situation when they introduce Marcus, a student who had “transitioned successfully to college but retained responsibility for supporting his family financially. […] Marcus stumbled academically, was placed on probation, and lost his financial aid.” What Page and Kehoe demonstrate here is that playing the dual roles of student and family provider often proves too challenging to sustain.
| excerpt from the paragraph | function of the the source(s) |
|---|---|
| One student moved to live on campus, but she was concerned about her parents, who didn’t own or use computers, so she “divided her time,” Banks-Santilli notes, between her own coursework and paying her family’s bills. Page and Kehoe describe a similar situation when they introduce Marcus, a student who had “transitioned successfully to college but retained responsibility for supporting his family financially | Use of different sources suggests that these example situations are widespread, present in multiple contexts, or observed by multiple experts. |
| “[…] Marcus stumbled academically, was placed on probation, and lost his financial aid.” | Multiple examples prompt the reader to find similarities between them and infer a pattern or trend. |
| that playing the dual roles of student and family provider often proves too challenging to sustain. | A phrase following the evidence states the common pattern or trend presented by multiple examples (“dual roles”) and states the claim that these examples support. The phrase reinforces the writer’s original claim (the burden of family obligations on low-income college students). |
Reviewing these annotations, you should see two things. First, that successful synthesis means that you have engaged in critical inquiry by drawing upon multiple texts and perspectives in order to form your own. Second, that the use of multiple sources can strengthen your argument by:
- showing how expert testimonies confirm data
- presenting common patterns or trends
- showing that an issue is present in multiple contexts
Exercise
Take an early draft of your paper and evaluate one paragraph at a time:
- How many sources have you cited in this paragraph?
- Do these sources “talk to each other”?
- What function(s) do these sources serve?
- Can you explain (to yourself) how each source has contributed to your overall message or perspective?
