In This Chapter
In academic research and writing, synthesizing of the information from the obtained available resources results in the creation of new knowledge. Writers might come up with new ideas, discover connections that were previously unrecognized, reach agreement about a debatable issue, clarify a confusing subject, or making the point on a controversial topic.
Most college-level academic essays require synthesis. Your professors will expect you to show how your sources are part of a larger conversation. Your goal will be to avoid a source-by-source explanation of your research and instead craft argumentative essays focused around specific themes in the conversation. Strong academic writing shows connections between sources.
Informative (or Explanatory) Synthesis
In informative writing, you are explaining the discussion points and topics to your readers without taking a position of one side or another, without showing your opinion. Even if the topic is debatable and highly controversial, instead of promoting your personal opinion, you have to objectively introduce the ideas of others, explain and show how their information is related to each other’s, how the information may connect and diverge. You are not showing your agreement with some authors and disagreement with the others. You should stay neutral both in your comments on the found information and in your conclusions reached at the end of the discussion.
Writers often use informative synthesis to provide context or background information before they introduce their own argument. In the Social Sciences and Sciences, writers may be asked to write a literature review that provides a complete overview of all major research or data about a topic. In general, informative synthesis is essential when providing your reader with a clear understanding of your argument’s importance or exigency.
In the following example of informative synthesis, notice that the writer does more than simply present competing viewpoints. They also include a statement at the beginning of the paragraph that explains the relationship between the sources and the general context of the discussion.
Notice in the above example that the writer does not insert their own opinion about the topic or the sources.
What is an Argumentative Synthesis?
While informative synthesis is essential for giving the context or background of a topic under discussion, the majority of writing students will do in college courses falls under the category of argumentative synthesis. Unlike informative synthesis, which doesn’t present the writer’s opinions, argumentative synthesis allows writers to evaluate, critique, and position sources effectively.
Argumentative synthesis is one of the major differences between the writing done in most high school classes and the writing that will be expected in your college courses. The five-paragraph essay requires three points, but it does not necessarily require that those points are in conversation with o