Recap
Synthesis is the consideration, explanation and integration of others’ arguments into your own argument. It is not summary: your position controls the structure, and sources are grouped by idea and put in conversation. Writers must also acknowledge the words, ideas, images and texts of others through attribution, citation or reference. The first exam essay is a synthesis task using at least three of six sources.
Summary versus synthesis
| Summary | Synthesis |
|---|---|
| “A says X. B says Y.” | “A and B agree on X, but C complicates it.” |
| Writer disappears | Writer’s thesis leads |
| Sources in the order given | Sources grouped by idea |
| No commentary | Each source introduced, connected, explained |
Moves with sources
- Support, extend, qualify, complicate, rebut, compare.
Acknowledging sources
- Quote: quotation marks and the source name.
- Paraphrase or summary: no quotation marks, still name the source.
- Ideas or statistics learned from a source: credit them.
- Common knowledge: no citation.
- On the exam, cite by label (“Source A”) or by author or title.
Forms: signal phrase (“According to the Trust’s evaluation (Source A)…”), embedded (“Source B’s survey, in which 58 percent…”), parenthetical (“…unchanged (Source A).”).
Planning a synthesis response
- Decide your position from the prompt.
- Tag each source as supporting, qualifying or opposing.
- Group the sources by idea.
- Draft a thesis with a position and, where possible, a qualification.
- Build paragraphs around claims with source evidence and commentary.
- Include a counterargument or qualification.
Worked mini-example
Thesis: “A four-day school week can protect attainment and help teachers, but it is only justified if schools address the extra childcare costs and the fatigue longer days bring.” The paragraph groups Sources A and C (benefits) and then complicates them with C’s fatigue point and Source B’s cost to households, with commentary linking each source to the claim.
Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” (1849): “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.” A modern writer might extend it (the objector should accept the penalty) or qualify it (it fits poorly when jailing the objector helps the injustice continue).
Mistakes to avoid
- Summarising each source in turn.
- Letting the sources choose the position.
- Forgetting to credit paraphrased ideas.
- Citing without connecting.
- Ignoring a source that disagrees.
- Dropping source material with no commentary.
Quick self-check
- What is the difference between summary and synthesis? Summary reports each source in turn; synthesis uses sources together to support the writer’s own position.
- Name three moves a writer can make with a source. For example support, qualify, rebut.
- Does a paraphrase need credit? Yes, because the idea is not yours.
- How can you cite on the exam? By label (Source A) or by author or title.
- How many sources must the synthesis essay use? At least three of the six.
For the full explanation and worked examples, return to the study guide.