Synthesis and Evidence
IntermediateSynthesis is the intellectual process of combining multiple sources to build an original argument. In the AP English Language and Composition framework, the synthesis essay requires students to read multiple sources on a topic, develop a position, and support it by integrating evidence from at least three sources while maintaining their own argumentative voice.
Unlike simple summary or report writing, synthesis demands that the writer actively interpret, evaluate, and strategically deploy source material in service of their own thesis. Sources are not presented neutrally; each is selected and framed to advance a specific argumentative purpose. The writer must balance deference to source authority with the independence of their own analytical voice.
Effective synthesis requires evaluating source credibility (bias, currency, expertise), recognizing where sources agree and disagree, and using these relationships to build a nuanced argument. Students must move beyond source-by-source organization to create thematic or analytical structures that weave multiple perspectives together.
Synthesis is fundamental not only to AP exam success but to academic research, professional writing, policy analysis, and informed citizenship.
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Learning objectives
- •Synthesize evidence from multiple sources to build original arguments beyond any individual source
- •Evaluate source credibility by examining expertise, publication venue, methodology, bias, and currency
- •Organize synthesis essays thematically rather than source-by-source, weaving multiple perspectives into each paragraph
- •Maintain argumentative voice throughout synthesis writing, interpreting and framing sources rather than merely reporting them
Recommended Resources
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Books
They Say / I Say
by Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein
Everything's an Argument
by Andrea A. Lunsford & John J. Ruszkiewicz
The Craft of Research
by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, & Joseph M. Williams
Writing Analytically
by David Rosenwasser & Jill Stephen
So What? The Writer's Argument
by Kurt Schick & Laura Schubert
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