Summary Vs. Synthesis, Part II: The Dos and Don’ts of Synthesizing
Posted: July 15, 2026 | Author: Ashley Bond | Read Time: 4 minutes
In academic writing, summarizing and synthesizing are distinct but similar skills. In this two-part series, the Graduate Writing Center defines these skills and offers insight into how and when to use them effectively.
As a graduate-level writer, if mastering your skills for summary is crucial, mastering your skills for synthesis is even more important. Experts in the field not only want to see that you can summarize a single source (its perspective, conclusions, etc.); they also want to see that you can account for the relationships between multiple sources. In the first part of this series, we examined how and when to summarize. Now, let’s finish with how and when to synthesize.
Synthesis
Summary usually focuses on a single source; however, synthesis uses ideas from multiple sources and discusses how they are related or how they work together to create a more complete picture of information. Synthesis can include some summary—and often does!—but instead of just stating important points like a summary, synthesis strives to create a new or deeper understanding of the topic by combining summary with other information.
Like summary, synthesis only includes relevant information from the text(s) and does not include any personal opinions. However, synthesis might lead the reader to a natural or logical conclusion about the information.
An annotated bibliography is not synthesis; however, you can use an annotated bibliography to create synthesis. For example, an annotated bibliography that features sources about famous court cases and how they relate to the Bill of Rights could be turned into a synthesis in which different court cases and their interpretations are explained, compared, and used to build a claim about how our culture interprets the Bill of Rights as a whole. Note that this claim would not necessarily be the opinion of the author but rather an exploration of evidence on how courts and other experts have interpreted the Bill of Rights over time.
When to Use Synthesis
Synthesis is best used when writing to inform, persuade, or do a bit of both. Also, your writing will be more effective if you can support it with multiple sources. This may require you to cite multiple works in a single in-text citation. For information on how to cite multiple sources in one citation, see the article “ Citing Multiple Works” by APA Style (2022).
One form of writing that definitely calls for synthesis is a literature review. A literature review takes a variety of sources and synthesizes them together to give the reader a broad and holistic view of a topic. A literature review will also discuss any gaps in available knowledge or information and will justify the need for more research in a particular area. For more on how to write a literature review, check out this tutorial from Monash University (n.d.).
What to Include in Synthesis
Like summary, what you include in a synthesis will depend largely on what you want the reader to know. A few things to think about when writing a synthesis is how the sources support your claim, what conclusions can be drawn from the evidence, and why the evidence is important. Some things to look for when writing a synthesis include…
- Trends in research
- Overarching themes between multiple sources
- Data, statistics, and findings and how they build on or relate to each other
- Areas of agreement or disagreement between sources
- How aspects of the research or source material connect to make a complete whole
- The final results or main takeaways from each source
Dos and Don’ts of Synthesizing
Do…
- Avoid irrelevant details
- Compare and contrast ideas between sources
- Draw out the main conclusions from the texts both individually and collectively
- Look for overarching themes and similar (or contrasting) ideas across multiple sources
- Talk about how sources build on each other or create a comprehensive whole for a new or related idea
- Take note of similarities and differences in the texts and explain how they add to overall understanding of the subject
- Keep in mind the goal of what you want to communicate to your reader (communicate the big picture)
Don’t…
- Add too much summary
- Include your personal opinion
- Give your reader a point-by-point rundown of what each text says
- Fixate too much on the meaning or significance of individual sources
For more explanation and examples of synthesis, see the article “ Synthesizing Sources” by the Purdue OWL (n.d.).
References
Citing multiple works. (2022). American Psychological Association.
Synthesizing sources. (n.d.). Purdue OWL.
Writing a literature review? (n.d.). Monash University.
