Two Different Types of Synthesis: Argumentative and Informative

There are two types of synthesis papers typically assigned in college: the information synthesis and the argumentative synthesis.

One of our main goals in the Composition program at LCCC is to build your ability to write thesis-driven papers, so this chapter will begin by focusing on the argumentative synthesis. The information synthesis is discussed later in this chapter.

What is an Argumentative Synthesis?

An argumentative synthesis is a type of essay or a part of an essay in which you weave together content from multiple sources in order to support an original argument of your own.

Synthesis incorporates other types of writing—especially summary and comparison/contrast—but it is not the same. Instead of just summarizing information or simply finding similarities and differences, synthesizing sources is a matter of pulling them together into some kind of larger picture. Synthesis searches for links between materials for the purpose of contextualizing and supporting a new argument.

Yes, writing a synthesis does involve summarizing sources, but a synthesis is not simply a series of unconnected summaries. For instance, if you are writing a synthesis essay about food insecurity, it is not enough to summarize what your sources say about this topic one-by-one. Rather, a synthesis should also explain the relationships and connections between the sources themselves. Do your sources tackle different aspects of the overall topic of food insecurity? Do some sources contradict others? Does one source build on another with updated information or more pertinent examples? In other words, as you synthesize your sources, you should not only summarize the information they provide but also explain to your reader how the sources talk to each other. In this way, a synthesis is a conversation between sources.

Similarly, even though writing a synthesis involves comparing and contrasting information from your sources, the purpose of a synthesis is not simply to show all the many ways that your sources differ from or resemble each other. Rather, the purpose of a synthesis is to support your original argument about the topic being discussed. Any connections that you draw between your sources should serve that purpose. For instance, if you are writing a synthesis essay about food insecurity, you might compare two sources that provide contradictory information but only to explain which source provides the best information and how that information fits into your own argument.

In writing an argumentative synthesis, the goal is to enter into conversation with your sources in order to forward your own argument. Your sources function to help you discover, refine, and support your own ideas. You use your sources to show and explain how their arguments relate, to present an overview of agreement and disagreement when it comes to an issue, to present an overview of consensus and difference when it comes to a topic, to provide information for you to comment on in order to clarify your own position, and to provide evidence to support your argument.

Continue Reading: 17.3 The Structure of the Synthesis Essay