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UCQ

Synthesizing Sources

Getting Started

When synthesizing, we combine different thoughts or voices together into a unified whole. 
 
Synthesizing  
is a creative process, 
includes critical analysis, and 
integrates different ideas from literature that are focused on a specific problem or research question. 
 
Synthesizing is not just a series of article summaries.
 
To synthesize, you need to fit the ideas your different sources have on a subject together like a puzzle.
 
You show the whole picture by "combin[ing], reorganiz[ing], and integrat[ing] concepts and perspectives on the topic to create new theoretical formulations and ways of thinking about [a] topic" (Torraco, 2016, p. 420).
 
The information throughout this section on synthesizing sources is based on the following sources:
 

Frye, A. (n.d.). How to synthesize articles for a paper [PowerPoint presentation]. Retrieved from https://www.uml.edu/Images/How%20to%

          20Synthesize%20Articles%20for%20a%20Paper_tcm18-117649.pptx

Torraco, R. J. (2016). Writing integrative literature reviews: Using the past and present to explore the future. Human Resource Development Review,

          15(4), 404-428. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484316671606

Westlake, C. (2012). Practical tips for literature synthesis. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 26(5), 244-249. https://doi.org/10.1097/NUR.0b013e318263d766