Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Synthesize sources
Integrating sources
Writing Papers in APA Style

When you synthesize multiple sources in a research paper, you create a conversation about your research topic. You show readers how the ideas of one source relate to those of another by connecting and analyzing the ideas in the context of your argument. Keep the emphasis on your own writing. The thread of your argument should be easy to identify and to understand, with or without your sources.

In this synthesis, Wang uses her own analysis to shape the conversation among her sources. She does not simply string quotations and statistics together or allow her sources to overwhelm her writing. The final sentences, written in her own voice, give her an opportunity to explain to readers how her sources support and extend her argument.

When synthesizing sources, use the following guidelines:

✵ Be sure your sources address your research question.

✵ Think about how your sources converse with each other. How do they support, extend, or counter each other?

✵ Be sure that your synthesis is more than a series of quotations and paraphrases strung together. You can do this by connecting and analyzing sources in your own voice.

✵ Ask: Is my argument easy to identify and to understand, with or without my sources? The answer should be yes.