Synthesis

Making Sense of It All

Synthesis Matrix

Test Your Knowledge

Tips

Directions

How-to Video

Example Matrix

Now that you've found sources, you need to synthesize the most relevant works into your literature review. Watch this video on what it means to synthesize various resources together.

Remember synthesis is not:

just comparing & contrasting
using a lot of direct quotes
merely critiques of sources

Synthesis requires you to formulate your own thoughts and analysis, so that you organize your papers idea by idea instead of source by source. It's often a messy process, but don't be intimidated! Here are some tips to help:

Jot down your thoughts as you read so its easy to remember when you go to write
Think about gaps and weaknesses
Look for common themes in the conversation; what do scholars agree upon?
Look for disagreements in the conversation; what do scholars disagree about?

Using a synthesis matrix, is an easy way to organize important information for your literature review and organize your sources into themes.

Under the "Source Column" label, write the article title and author's name(s), year and discipline.
Along the left side of the chart, record the main points/ideas/concepts you want to write about in your lit review.
Then record how your different sources support those main ideas with as much information as possible.
In the "My Thoughts" column, add your own analysis on the concepts.
Once you've completed your chart, identify common themes, areas of disagreement, or gaps in the literature.
Once you've determined which authors are talking about certain issues, you can begin to write paragraphs that place them in conversation with one another and yourself.

"Synthesis Matrix Tutorial" by Andrew Davis is licensed under the Standard YouTube License

If you would like to create a synthesis matrix of your own, here is a template:

Synthesis Matrix.docx

Synthesis Matrix V2.docx

Still feeling confused? View an example of a student's completed matrix.

Title
Author(s)
Year
Discipline

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Source 4

Source 5

My Thoughts

Author Info

(Education? Affiliation? I.e. university, hospital)

Main Idea 1

Main Idea 2

Main Idea 3

Main Idea 4
(could adapt to be limitations, conclusions, further research, etc.)

Student A: uses text from one source and little of their own voice. Student B uses content from multiple sources but doesn't add much of their own voice. Student C is looking at sources from many sources and adds some of their voice. Student D pulls from multiple sources and adds a lot of their own voice.

The image above showcases four examples of students' papers. The black font represents the student's own voice, whereas each color represents a source they have incorporated. Which student is successfully synthesizing information?

Student A

Incorrect

Student B

Incorrect

Student C

Incorrect

Student D

Correct!

Check Answer