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How to Write a Synthesis Essay

4-minute read

• 31st May 2023

Are you writing a synthesis essay? This is a paper that combines information from a variety of sources to form a new idea. Essentially, you’re synthesizing existing concepts and arguments to create something original.

As a student, you’ll probably have to write a synthesis essay at some point. Read on for our step-by-step guide on how to write one effectively.

Step 1. Define Your Idea or Argument

If you haven’t done so already, decide on a topic to write about. Read up about it using a variety of credible sources and make detailed notes while you research. Make sure you keep track of the sources you decide to pull information from so that you can cite them properly later.

Make a list of key points from your research. Once you have a good selection of material to work with, start developing your own idea or argument. This will be the focus of your essay.

Step 2. Create an Outline

Synthesis essays generally follow this format: an introduction, a handful of main body paragraphs, and a conclusion. It’s a good idea to come up with an essay plan before you start writing so that you can keep things organized while you work.

The outline is mainly helpful for deciding what to include in your body paragraphs. Decide what supporting points (and counterarguments ) from your research you want to include, and which order you want to discuss them in. You should have enough information to flesh out one paragraph for each point.

Step 3. Write Your Introduction

In your introduction, you should open with something that hooks the reader and captures their attention. Then, state your argument or idea (i.e., your thesis statement) and briefly summarize the material you’ll be including in your essay. You should also include any relevant background information here.

Step 4. Write the Body Paragraphs

Using your outline, discuss each point from your source material in more depth, devoting a body paragraph to each. Explain the information from the outside source, including appropriate citations, and discuss how it connects with your idea.

It’s a good idea to mostly focus on points that support your argument, but you should also include a paragraph with a counterargument or two. This means discussing a perspective that doesn’t necessarily align with your idea, and then explaining why your argument still works.

Step 5. Tie It All Together With a Conclusion

The conclusion should leave the reader feeling convinced of your idea. Restate your point clearly and summarize the main points you’ve discussed. You could also offer any concluding reflections on the topic.

Different Types of Synthesis Essays

While you can follow our steps for any type of synthesis essay, yours will probably fall under one of two categories: explanatory or argumentative.

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Argumentative essays are as they sound – they present an argument. With an argumentative essay, you’ll take a more definitive stance on something and use your supporting material to persuade the reader.

Explanatory essays don’t necessarily take a side one way or the other. Rather, they focus on developing and explaining a concept thoroughly. Knowing which type of essay you’re writing will help you to gather more effective source material for your purpose.

Cite Your Sources

Since synthesis essays are particularly dependent on outside material, it’s especially important that you cite your sources correctly. Familiarize yourself with your referencing system before you start researching so you know what information you need to keep track of, and include appropriate citations whenever you use someone else’s work.

At the end of the essay, you’ll need to compile your sources into a reference list following the requirements of your style guide.

Summary: Writing a Synthesis Essay

Hopefully, this post has helped you to feel more confident in writing a synthesis essay. Choose a topic first, do your research, keep track of your sources, and develop an argument or idea. From there, you can organize your thoughts into an outline and get to writing!

Once you’ve created a first draft, make sure you send it our way! We’ll check it for errors in grammar, spelling, referencing, and more. Try it out for free today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a synthesis essay.

A synthesis essay gathers ideas and viewpoints from several different sources and ties them together to form a new concept.

How long is a synthesis essay?

Synthesis essays usually follow the five-paragraph format, with an introduction, three main body paragraphs discussing different points, and a conclusion.

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Synthesis: Home

Engaging in synthesis.

Synthesis requires you to make sense of all the relevant ideas in your sources and blend them together with your own thoughts and ideas. Watch this video to learn how to engage in synthesis in order to take research from multiple sources along with your own arguments and turn it into a research paper.

Synthesizing Your Research

Understanding your research.

1. Read through your sources carefully.

2. Identify common themes or sub-topics that keep appearing in the articles you’re reading.

The Research Matrix

• Blank Research Matrix Fill out this blank matrix.
• Blank Synthesis Matrix template (Google Docs)

The research matrix is a helpful tool you can use to synthesize your research along with your own voice. The blank research matrix above can help you organize your paper by main idea, identify connections between your sources, and add your own analysis.

Filling Out Your Matrix

1. Write your topic or research question above the matrix.

2. Write your main ideas for your paper on the left side of the matrix. Helpful Tip: Choose your main ideas AFTER you have read your sources!

3. Write the title, author, or citation of each source in the top row of the matrix.

4. Fill in the matrix boxes with a paraphrase or direct quote that represents how the source discussed that main idea. You do not need every source to address every main idea!

5. Don't forget to nclude your own analysis of the main idea and the sources in the last column on the matrix.

Identify Gaps in Your Research

1. There’s a high likelihood that you will have empty spaces on your research matrix and that’s okay! Small gaps show that there is room for your own voice to join the conversation.

2. Large gaps in your matrix are often a sign that you need to do more research on that main idea. As a rule of thumb you should have at least two sources for each main idea in order to create a meaningful dialogue. 

• Last Updated: Mar 13, 2023 1:12 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usu.edu/synthesizing_info

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Synthesis Essays: A Step-by-Step How-To Guide

A synthesis essay is generally a short essay which brings two or more sources (or perspectives) into conversation with each other.

The word “synthesis” confuses every student a little bit. Fortunately, this step-by-step how-to guide will see you through to success!

Here’s a step-by-step how-to guide, with examples, that will help you write yours.

Before drafting your essay:

After reading the sources and before writing your essay, ask yourself these questions:

• What is the debate or issue that concerns all of the writers? In other words, what is the question they are trying to answer?
• On what points do they agree?
• On what points do they disagree?
• If they were having a verbal discussion, how would writer number one respond to the arguments of writer number two?

In a way, writing a synthesis essay is similar to composing a summary. But a synthesis essay requires you to read more than one source and to identify the way the writers’ ideas and points of view are related.

Sometimes several sources will reach the same conclusion even though each source approaches the subject from a different point of view.

Other times, sources will discuss the same aspects of the problem/issue/debate but will reach different conclusions.

And sometimes, sources will simply repeat ideas you have read in other sources; however, this is unlikely in a high school or AP situation.

To better organize your thoughts about what you’ve read, do this:

• Identify each writer’s thesis/claim/main idea
• List the writers supporting ideas (think topic sentences or substantiating ideas)
• List the types of support used by the writers that seem important. For example, if the writer uses a lot of statistics to support a claim, note this. If a writer uses historical facts, note this.

There’s one more thing to do before writing: You need to articulate for yourself the relationships and connections among these ideas.

Sometimes the relationships are easy to find. For example, after reading several articles about censorship in newspapers, you may notice that most of the writers refer to or in some way use the First Amendment to help support their arguments and help persuade readers. In this case, you would want to describe the different ways the writers use the First Amendment in their arguments. To do this, ask yourself, “How does this writer exploit the value of the First Amendment/use the First Amendment to help persuade or manipulate the readers into thinking that she is right?

Sometimes articulating the relationships between ideas is not as easy. If you have trouble articulating clear relationships among the shared ideas you have noted, ask yourself these questions:

• Do the ideas of one writer support the ideas of another? If so, how?
• Do the writers who reach the same conclusion use the same ideas in their writing? If not, is there a different persuasive value to the ideas used by one writer than by the other?
• Do the writers who disagree discuss similar points or did they approach the subject from a completely different angle and therefore use different points and different kinds of evidence to support their arguments?
• Review your list of ideas. Are any of the ideas you have listed actually the same idea, just written in different words?

Source by source:

If you choose to organize your essay source by source, present your ideas in the following order

• summary of writer’s idea/point of view with explication and interpretation/commentary of the writer’s main points. You should aim for a two-to-one ratio in this part of the essay: one third summary and explication, two thirds interpretation/commentary.
• summary of writer’s idea /point of view, explication, and interpretation/commentary of the main points of another source using a two-to-one ratio
• summary of writer’s idea/point of view, explication, and interpretation/commentary of the main points of another source using a two-to-one ratio
• write about one commonality among the sources
• write about another commonality

Source-by-source organization is ill-advised at the high school level or in an AP situation as it often produces summary paragraphs not synthetized paragraphs.

Blended organization:.

A blended essay will require a great deal of rhetorical skill and is not advised at the high school level or in an AP situation. However, if you choose to use a blended organization, present your ideas in the following order:

• one point discussed by two or more authors
• another point discussed by two or more authors
• one major point discussed by only one author
• another major point discussed by only one writer

A skillful, blended organization and presentation of ideas will produce a rhetorically sophisticated and complex essay (complex because it will best represent connections and relations between and among points of view).

How to write a synthesis essay thesis statement:

Often, a thesis statement is meant to be a bold, opinionated statement which a student writer uses as a foundation for her argument. However, having a thesis which is too bold (hyperbolic) and/or too strong (grandiose) may be detrimental as the lack of qualification may make the statement be untrue or easy to dismiss. Therefore, it is in your best interest and customary in academe to qualify the thesis statement in order to persuade the reader that you are judicious and measured. Also, by qualifying, you allow the statement itself to be true.

Example of bad thesis statement:

Taxes on imports are too high.

This unqualified thesis statement doesn’t serve the writer well. The statement is too global, unconditional. To make the thesis statement more persuasive, you want to convince the reader that you understand that there are alternative points of view on the subject, not just your own.

Example of good thesis statement:

Often times, taxes on imports are too high.

This slight qualification helps assure the reader that you understand that there are multiple points of view on the subject. Other qualifiers include sometimes, most often, more often, most.

If there is information that goes against your main point/idea, don’t ignore it, but find a way to acknowledge it.

How to write an introductory paragraph for a synthesis essay:.

1.Identify a strong position vis a vis the topic written about. When writing your essay for the AP exam, it doesn’t matter if you agree with your position; think instead: What position of those written about offers me most to write about easily and quickly?

2.Test your position by writing a draft thesis statement. Sound good? Stick with it for a moment, but remember you may have to tweak it after writing the rest of the paragraph so that it most effectively represents the concerns you will write about in the essay.

3.Write at least one but better two more sentences expanding on (elaborating about/writing in more detail about) your position.

Our country, the United States of America, employs a peculiar sort of governing system: democracy. Simply by definition, democracy’s goal as a system of rule for the people by the people implies that the greatest number of people possible should be involved. Although the media’s mission of supplying pertinent information to the masses follows democratic ideals in definition, the media’s impact upon American society, especially in the area of presidential elections, has done little to increase participation in the political process and by doing so, has created a new sort of identity for the president himself.

4.Write one or more sentences identifying the sources you are using that does so in a way that shows that you are comparing and contrasting ideas and points of view from different sources. You might think of starting your sentence in this way, “While she argues/claims…, he predicts/strongly suggests that…” Remember to include title of the text, author’s name, genre (if possible), and if relevant pertinent background information about the writer, the text (perhaps its historical moment).

When governments legislate freedom acts, are they actually for the freedom of citizens or giving freedom to the governments to spy on people? This hidden agenda is demonstrated in the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the essay “Why read 1984” by Roy Ogren, and the article “Americans are Now Living in a Society that Rivals Orwell’s 1984 ” by Paul Joseph Watson and Alex Jones. The authors demonstrate the propaganda and technology are government tools to influence the citizens thoughts.

5.Write a sentence identifying a relationship between the sources you are using and connect to your thesis.

Many aspects of Orwell’s dystopian visions in 1984 are occurring today, but on a grand scale. Both essay and article illustrate elements of Orwell’s dark vision in present day America by describing its hidden use of technology.

How to write body paragraphs for synthesis essays:

1.Pick three points to write about from your list of points about which the writers agreed or disagreed. When picking three to write about, pick the three that offer you ample evidence.

2.Decide the order of the three points to be written about in your body paragraphs.

3.Write a topic sentence that identifies the point to be discussed in the first body paragraph.

Tip:  The persuasive value of your topic sentence will be enhanced if you include a concession/counter argument in your topic sentence. This might take the form of a subordinate clause (“While some such as these people and those people are skeptical, Harvey dissects this argument with surgical precision…”)

Also, your essay will be easier to read (“flow”) if you start the paragraph with a transition. (See example in parenthesis.)

To begin, the basic assumption of using the media to relay news to the people is not a bad one. Television has brought widespread “penetration,” “geographic distribution,” and a “feeling of direct contact” to the people of America (source a).  

All in all, as a nation heralding itself as an example of democracy for the rest of the world, the United States must follow the definition of democracy, that is, allowing the greatest possible involvement in order to improve as a nation. Though the media has brought the opportunity of involvement to many American households, it has sent many more way and has actually created a sort of public apathy regarding the political process. At the same time that citizen straightaway, presidents have become more concerned with the now limited opinion surrounding their office. This inverse relationship of concern is far from fulfilling our forefathers hopes and even farther from granting that mediate the title of a positive influence on society.

Ready to get started?  Call me.

Dr. Osborn works with students from all over the world to help them reach their independent, college, and graduate school goals. Through a personal, one-on-one approach, Dr. Osborn creates an individualized plan for each student based on the student’s strengths, passions, and career aspirations. Her holistic approach helps students perform well in school and secure admission to top colleges.  

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How to Write a Synthesis Essay

Last Updated: April 7, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,122,297 times.

Writing a synthesis essay requires the ability to digest information and present it in an organized fashion. While this skill is developed in high school and college classes, it translates to the business and advertising world as well. Scroll down to Step 1 to begin learning how to write a synthesis essay.

Examining Your Topic

• Argument synthesis: This type of essay has a strong thesis statement that presents the writer's point of view. It organizes relevant information gathered from research in a logical manner to support the thesis' point of view. Business white papers known as position papers often take this form. This is the type of synthesis essay that students will write during the AP test.
• Review: Often written as a preliminary essay to an argument synthesis, a review essay is a discussion of what has been written previously on a topic, with a critical analysis of the sources covered. Its unstated thesis is usually that more research needs to be done in that area or that the topic problem has not been adequately addressed. This type of paper is common in social science classes and in medicine.
• Explanatory/background synthesis: This type of essay helps readers understand a topic by categorizing facts and presenting them to further the reader's understanding. It does not advocate a particular point of view, and if it has a thesis statement, the thesis is a weak one. Some business white papers take this form, although they are more likely to have a point of view, if understated.

• Example of a broad topic narrowed down into a reasonable synthesis essay topic: Instead of the broad topic of Social Media, you could discuss your view on the effects texting has had on the English language.
• If you've been assigned a topic as part of a class, make sure you read the prompt carefully and fully understand it.

• Keep in mind that it's better to do three sources well than to do five sources incompletely.
• Annotate each source by writing notes in the margins. This allows you to keep track of your train of thought, developing ideas, etc.

• Example: Texting has had a positive impact on the English language as it has helped the millennial generation create their own form of the language.

• If you wish to take on a claim by an opponent of your idea, and to poke holes in it, you should also find some ideas or quotes that go against your thesis statement, and plan ways to disprove them. This is called a concession, refutation, or rebuttal, which can strengthen your argument if you do it well.
• Example : For the thesis statement listed above, excellent sources would include quotes from linguists discussing the new words that have developed through 'text-speak', statistics that show the English language has evolved with almost every generation, and facts that show students still have the ability to write with the use of grammar and spelling (which your opponents would bring up as the main reason texting has had a negative effect on the English language).

Outlining Your Essay

• The introductory paragraph: 1. An introductory sentence that acts as a hook, capturing the reader's interest. 2. Identification of the issue you will be discussing. 3. Your thesis statement.
• The body paragraphs: 1. Topic sentence that gives one reason to support your thesis. 2. Your explanation and opinion of the topic sentence. 3. Support from your sources that backs up the claim you just made. 4. Explanation of the significance of the source(s).
• The conclusion paragraph: 1. State further significance of your topic from the evidence and reasons you discussed in the essay. 2. A profound thought or thoughtful ending for your paper.

• Example/illustration. This may be a detailed recount, summary, or direct quote from your source material that provides major support for your point of view. You may use more than one example or illustration, if your paper calls for it. You should not, however, make your paper a series of examples at the expense of supporting your thesis.
• Straw man. With this technique, you present an argument opposed to the argument stated in your thesis, then show the weaknesses and flaws of the counter-argument. This format shows your awareness of the opposition and your readiness to answer it. You present the counter-argument right after your thesis, followed by the evidence to refute it, and end with a positive argument that supports your thesis. [5] X Research source
• Concession. Essays with concessions are structured similar to those using the straw man technique, but they acknowledge the validity of the counter-argument while showing that the original argument is stronger. This structure is good for presenting papers to readers who hold the opposing viewpoint.
• Comparison and contrast. This structure compares similarities and contrasts differences between two subjects or sources to show the facets of both. Writing an essay with this structure requires a careful reading of your source material to find both subtle and major points of similarity and difference. This kind of essay can present its arguments source-by-source or by points of similarity or difference.

• Summary. This structure presents summaries of each of your relevant sources, making a progressively stronger argument for your thesis. It provides specific evidence to support your point of view, but usually omits presenting your own opinions. It's most commonly used for background and review essays.
• List of reasons. This is a series of sub-points that flow from the main point of your paper as stated in its thesis. Each reason is supported with evidence. As with the summary method, reasons should become progressively more important, with the most important reason last.

Writing Your Essay

• Your essay should have an introductory paragraph that includes your thesis , a body to present evidence that supports your thesis, and a conclusion that summarizes your point of view.

• Lengthy quotes of three lines or more should generally be set off as block quotes to better call attention to them. [7] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

Finalizing Your Essay

• Ask someone else to proofread your paper. The saying “two heads are better than one” still holds true. Ask a friend or colleague what would they add or remove from the paper. Most importantly, does your argument make sense, and is it clearly supported by your sources?

• Read the paper aloud to guarantee that you don't accidentally add in or take out words when reading in your head.
• If you can, get a friend or classmate to proofread your essay as well.

• Example of citing in an AP synthesis essay: McPherson claims “texting has changed the English language in a positive way--it has given a new generation their own unique way to communicate” (Source E).
• For college essays, you'll most likely use MLA format. Whichever format you use, be consistent in its use. You may also be asked to use APA or Chicago style.

• Example title: : English and the iPhone: Exploring the Benefits of 'Text-Speak'

Outline Template

Community Q&A

• Just as your title should fit your essay instead of writing your essay to fit the title, your thesis, once chosen, should direct your subsequent research instead of subsequent research altering your thesis � unless you find you've adopted an unsupportable thesis. Thanks Helpful 21 Not Helpful 8

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://success.uark.edu/get-help/student-resources/synthesis-paper.php
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/mapping-a-synthesis-essay
• ↑ https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/learning-commons/documents/writing/synthesis/planning-synthesis-essay.pdf
• ↑ https://writingcenterofprinceton.com/synthesis-essays-a-step-by-step-how-to-guide/
• ↑ https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/logical-fallacies/logical-fallacies-straw-man/
• ↑ https://writingcommons.org/section/rhetoric/rhetorical-stance/point-of-view/third-person-point-of-view/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_quotations.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/steps_for_revising.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/proofreading_suggestions.html
• ↑ https://www.edhs.org/ourpages/auto/2010/5/17/41759867/Synthesis%20Essay%20Introduction.pdf
• ↑ https://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/titles.pdf

About This Article

To write a synthesis essay, start by coming up with a thesis statement that you can support using all of the sources you've read for your essay. For example, your thesis statement could be "Texting has had a positive impact on the English language." Once you've got your thesis, go through your sources to find specific quotes, facts, and statistics that back up your claim. Structure your essay so it has an introduction that includes your thesis statement, a body that includes your arguments and evidence, and a conclusion that wraps everything up. For more tips on structuring your synthesis essay, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

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1.4 GETTING STARTED: Setting Up a Google Doc

• Open a new, blank Google Doc. Tip: Sometimes it’s easiest to enter from your college Gmail account by clicking on the Google Apps icon (the nine little squares in a grid) and then Docs.
• Give the document a name by clicking in the box in the upper-left hand corner. Tip: Be specific so that it is easy to find later (for example: Krause – Essay 01).

• From the menu bar near the top, click Format > Line and Paragraph Spacing > Double to use double-spaced lines.

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January 13, 2022

• On the next line, type the title of your essay. Use the Center Align button in the toolbar to place the text in the center of the page.
• Press Enter and click the Left Align button to start the first paragraph at the left margin.  Press the computer’s Tab key to indent the first line of the paragraph.

Synthesis Copyright © 2022 by Timothy Krause is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

• Synthesis Matrix
• Synthesis Matrix - A Step-by-Step Guide

The Synthesis Matrix - How to begin

A Synthesis Matrix is a great tool to help you organize and synthesize your research. Essentially, it is a table or chart where you identify your main ideas along the first column and your sources along the top row. Once set up, you can enter your notes and quotes from each source that correspond to each of your main ideas.

• Synthesis Matrix tutorial
• Blank Synthesis Matrix (Google Docs) Use this Google Doc to set up your Synthesis Matrix. Make a copy of the document to enter your information.

Synthesis Matrix - Step 1 - Identify Themes

    What are your main ideas or concepts? 

Think about the assigned reading and the ideas that came up when discussing it in class. What are the ideas or themes that you found most interesting? Or that you are most curious about. Enter these themes or concepts into the first column of the Synthesis Matrix, putting each one in a different row.

These are the themes you will use to search for your secondary sources in the Library's databases.

Synthesis Matrix - Step 2 - Research the Themes

  Look for sources related to your themes

After identifying your main themes or concepts, take a moment to think about them. What are they? Are there other words you could use to describe them? What subject areas or disciplines would address those topics? Before you start searching in a Library database, record this information in your Synthesis Matrix under each theme.

If you are unsure of what words to use you could look up your terms in a dictionary or encyclopedia . You can also look online for ideas, Wikipedia is a good source for this part of your research. You will not use Wikipedia as a source but you can use it to identify keywords and related ideas. 

Search for sources

Use the keywords you identified to search for sources in the Library's databases . Try our SNAP! Search or some of the databases listed below.

Here are a few tips to help you out:

• Begin with a simple search 
• Only enter your concepts - don't enter your thesis statement, research question, or complete sentences
• Use the Advanced Search whenever possible
• Be persistent and flexible - if you're not finding what you need switch your keywords with ones that you identified on your Synthesis Matrix
• If you need help, let us know !

Here is an example of a search.

• SNAP! Search Our SNAP! Search makes finding information and credible sources a breeze. Search almost all of our databases at once with this powerful search. Here, you’ll find journals, books, videos, magazines, and more all in one search.
• Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window Informed viewpoints support learners in developing critical-thinking skills and drawing their own conclusions. Covers current social issues through viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, and audio.
• U.S. History in Context This link opens in a new window Find articles, statistics, images, videos, and other types of sources on the most significant people, events and topics in U.S. History.
• JSTOR This link opens in a new window JSTOR is an excellent source for scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, ebooks and images, covering literature, history, the arts, and more.
• CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new window Nursing and allied health literature. Find evidence based research articles/studies, evidence-based care sheets and practice guidelines.

Synthesis Matrix - Step 3 - Fill in the Matrix

    Read the articles and start filling in the Matrix

Review all the articles you found and choose the ones you would like to use. Read these articles thoroughly, take notes, and highlight passages that relate to your themes.

In this example, I have quotes from the Tom Tiede article that represent the experiences of doctors in the first column. In the next columns, I have quotes from the other articles I chose that represent the same idea - the experiences of medical personnel.

I don't have any quotes from the Horwitz book in this row. I didn't find anything in this source that discussed this aspect of my topic and that's fine. The Horwitz book had good information on PTSD and war that I can use. Not all of my sources will cover all of my topic. You will use your sources and the matrix to create a conversation about your topic, bringing in evidence from an array of sources.

The next rows of the matrix for the topics of War and PTSD are below.

The Synthesis Matrix - Examples and Help

• Blank Synthesis Matrix Use this Google Doc to set up your Synthesis Matrix. Make a copy of the document by clicking on "File" and "Make a Copy" to enter your information. You should be logged in to MyNorthShore to access this document.
• Synthesis Matrix Use this Word document to set up your Synthesis Matrix
• Synthesis Matrix for "Black Men and Public Spaces" This is an example of a Synthesis Matrix based on the article, "Black Men and Public Spaces" by Brent Staples.
• Synthesis Matrix for Story of an Hour
• Tom Tiede - Synthesis Matrix
• Synthesis Matrix for Black Men in Public Spaces Google Doc
• Tom Tiede Synthesis Matrix Example Google Doc
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• Last Updated: Oct 23, 2023 1:44 PM
• URL: https://library.northshore.edu/synthesis-matrix