Synthesis: Finding Common Ground

Identify shared assumptions or findings across sources that seem to disagree.

Synthesis means combining sources to build an understanding that no single source provides. A first step is finding common ground, especially among sources that appear to disagree. Consider three original sources on screen time for teenagers. One urges strict limits, citing sleep loss. Another defends screens as tools for learning and friendship. A third, a doctors' guideline, recommends avoiding screens before bed. Despite their differences, all three agree on one point: screen use near bedtime harms sleep.

That shared finding is more reliable than any single source's claim, because it is supported from different angles. Common ground can also be a shared assumption: perhaps all three assume that teenagers' wellbeing, not parents' convenience, is the goal. Naming common ground helps your own writing because it gives you a solid foundation before you address the disagreements. A synthesis paragraph might begin: 'Although these sources disagree about overall limits, all three recognize that nighttime use disrupts sleep. '

• 1Synthesis builds understanding across sources.
• 2Look for shared findings and shared assumptions.
• 3Agreement from different angles is more reliable.