Synthesis
- Standard term
Synthesis is combining what several sources say into one new account of where they agree and conflict, how they relate, how sure anyone can be, and what is still unknown.
When sources disagree, there is usually a reason, such as one being out of date or simply mistaken. And sources that copy one another add no new evidence, however many there are. So a synthesis traces where each claim came from, and when, before it counts how many sources agree.
Where you’ll meet it
Your assistant's research report on a summer camp says most sources put pickup at 5:00. Three of those sources quote the same parent review from 2024. The camp's own 2026 brochure says 4:30.
What to do
Point out that the camp's own brochure for this year outranks one parent's review from 2024, and ask for that section again. A careful version gives 4:30 as the likely pickup and notes 5:00 as an older claim. Call the camp to confirm before you plan the afternoon around it.
Easy to mix up
| Synthesis | Summarizing |
|---|---|
| Yes, it can set aside a claim as out of date | No, it reports what the source says, only shorter |
Check yourself
Two reviews of a phone repair shop, both from this spring, disagree. One says the repair took a day, the other a week. Before the synthesis reports a conflict, what should it look for?
Go deeperEven rules fixed before the search leave gaps in what counts
In a systematic review, researchers write down before they start which studies will count, search for all of them, rate each for quality and risk of bias, and only then combine the results. Fixing the rules first keeps a reviewer from choosing sources that agree with a hoped-for answer.
The rule for which sources count has a tradeoff. Leaving out unreviewed sources can hide a new development, while admitting them all puts unchecked claims beside careful ones. An AI-written synthesis can also misread a source or cite one that doesn't support the line, so before you act on a finding, open its source and confirm it says so.