BA2 Handout

Synthesizing Sources
What is a synthesis?
Writing a strong literature review requires the ability to synthesize or combine elements of several sources
to help you make a point. The purpose of Brief Assignment 2 is to give you the chance to practice this process
of synthesis. In short, synthesis is a tool for drawing together particular themes or traits that you observe in
various texts and reorganizing the material according to themes or traits put forth by you and driven by your
thesis.
Synthesizing is simply a matter of making connections or putting things together. We synthesize information
naturally to help others see the connections between things. For example, when you report to a friend the things
that other friends have said about a movie, you are engaging in synthesis. Instead of merely attending to
different categories and trying to find some sort of similarity or difference, synthesizing is a matter of pulling
various sources together into some kind of harmony. It is the ability to combine clearly and coherently the ideas
of more than one source with your own.
For instance, you have probably already stored up a mental database of the various things youve heard about
particular professors. If your database contains several negative comments, you might synthesize that
information and use it to help you decide not to take a class from a particular instructor.
So you might be asking yourself, How am I supposed to synthesize? The key to success in this class with any
assignment, not just synthesis, is to read well, to understand the main idea of a text and the developmental
structure of the source articles, and to identify the points of contact between the various sources and your own
argument. This means seeing how the sources agree, disagree, reinforce, subvert, explain, and contradict one
another in the context of your thesis.
Synthesis synonyms: relationship, integration, organization, blend, harmony, fusion.
Isnt synthesis just a fancy word for summary?
No. This is the most common error that students fall into when first attempting to write a synthesis. You already
know how to write a summary, so it may be easy to think that a synthesis is just a summary of different sources.
A mere collection of summaries, while much easier to produce, has one very serious shortcoming: it doesnt
tell your reader how the sources relate to one another. Keep in mind that written sources dealing with the
same topic typically include many of the same facts and arguments (usually just phrased differently). So, if you
just summarize each source in turn, you usually end up just presenting the same ideas over and over whether
you realize it or not.
Synthesis protip: most students who earn a C, D, or F on BA2 spend most, if not all, of the assignment
summarizing.
Your BA2 must be thesis-driven.
On BA2, you are going to be asked to produce a thesis-driven synthesis of three articles. Generally, a good
thesis will have the following characteristics:
1. It identifies the common theme that you are going to write about
2. It identifies HOW or WHY the authors are using that theme
3. Beyond stating the similarities and/or differences, it argues what larger idea the reader can arrive at by
looking at both texts. Its not enough to simply say, Both author A and B discuss ______. WHY do they
discuss this theme/idea? WHY is it important?

This thesis statement is NOT good for a synthesis essay:

Thesis: While the backgrounds of these two authors differ significantly, both discuss these two opposing types
of education; Freire defines the concepts and Anyon illustrates them with her research.
Explanation: This thesis statement leaves me asking: whats the point? Why does Freire define concepts? Why
does Anyon illustrate Freires concepts in his essay? Whats the bigger picture here? Why should I care?
Examples of thesis statements that work for a synthesis essay:
Thesis: When these essays are examined together, we find that both show that on the way to discovering
oneself, there should be a focus on not only ourselves and our actions, but also a focus on understanding how
our actions can greatly impact peoples lives.
Explanation: This thesis statement is successful because it clearly states the theme of the two essays (we should
be more cognizant of our actions) that the writer will synthesize throughout the essay. It also tells us the authors
purpose for exploring these themes (so that we can understand how our actions affect other people).
Thesis: Both authors argue that by taking a path of greater resistance, people can make a difference against
injustice that exists in society.
Explanation: This thesis statement is successful because it clearly states the theme of the authors essays
(taking a path of greater resistance) that the writer will synthesize throughout the essay. It also tells us the
authors purpose for exploring these themes (so that we can make a difference against societal injustice).
So what does synthesis actually look like?
Lets take a look at this good example of synthesis:
In the past, opponents of immigration raised economic objections or questions about large-scale immigration to
the United States. Today, however, experts tell us that opposition to immigration is expressed almost
exclusively in economic terms. For example, Dan Lacy found that research of immigration attitudes shows
that some Americans fear of losing their jobs to immigrants is the main reason for opposition to immigration
today (41). Similarly, Thomas Muller points out the wide spread concern among Americans that the new
immigrants use welfare and other public-aid programs to such an extent that they are a financial burden on
government and, therefore, a financial burden on taxpayers (125). Both authors show us why it is easy to see
that most objections to immigration stem from economic concerns, especially those related to job security.
Now, lets analyze this paragraph and understand why its effective:
1. The paragraph has a topic sentence that tells the reader what this paragraph will be about. In this case, the
topic of the paragraph is the economic objections or questions about large-scale immigration to the United
States. Your paragraphs MUST have a topic sentence that clearly explains what you will be talking about
throughout the entire paragraph.
2. Quoting is absolutely minimal, which is a good thing because, as a general rule, quotes should take up no
more than 10% of your essays. Heres a tip: we graders know when you are trying to pad your assignments with
quotes. Instead of quoting something, explain the quote in your own words (also known as paraphrasing) and
use a citation at the end of the sentence to let us know that you paraphrased someone elses idea. If you cant
think of a better way to express what a writer has said, quote only a few words and blend the quotes in with
your sentence (see the third sentence in the example paragraph above so that you can understand how to do
this).

3. Notice the experts tell us phrase that tells us that the writer is combining the ideas of experts about
opposition to immigration and then giving us examples. Similarly provides a seamless transition between
the two authors discussed in this paragraph.
4. The italicized words trace the coherence in the sources expressed by the repeated key words that relate to
economic objections or questions. The sources are made to work together to form a coherent discussion of the
idea expressed in the topic sentence through the efforts of a third independent writer. On BA2, that third
independent writer is you.
How should I organize my essay?
The following is a good way to organize your essay. Keep in mind that this is only a suggestion.
Introduction: Introduce your reader to the authors, the name of the articles, and the theme you plan to discuss
two or three sentences. Dont list facts about the authors. Rather, tell us what articles you are discussing and the
common theme that emerges in each of them. Then, end your introduction with your thesis statement. Refer
back to guidelines from earlier when writing your thesis statement.
Body paragraphs: Successful BA2s usually have two body paragraphs, all of which are related to the thesis
statement from the introduction. In each body paragraph, you need a clear topic sentence that introduces your
reader to the topic that you plan to discuss throughout the paragraph. Important: do not discuss the same topic
in two separate paragraphs. Rather, find two separate topics that all relate back to your thesis and dedicate one
paragraph to each topic.
Be sure that each body paragraph:
1. Begins with a topic sentence that informs readers of the topic of the paragraph. Do not use quotes to do this.
This needs to be in your own words.
2. Includes information from more than one source.
3. Clearly indicates which material comes from which source using lead in phrases and in-text citations.
4. Shows the similarities or differences between the different sources in ways that make the paper as
informative as possible.
A bulk of your synthesis will occur throughout the body paragraphs. See the sample synthesis from earlier for
good tips on how to write a solid synthesis-driven paragraph.
Conclusion: Restate (not verbatim) your thesis statement in the first sentence of the conclusion. In two or three
sentences thereafter, recap what we have learned from reading your synthesis essay.
Your BA2 is due on Friday, February 12 on Raider Writer by 11:59:59 p.m.