This module will help you synthesize your research and build a stronger argument for your final writing assignment. During the research process, many of us wonder, “How do I know when I am finished researching?” With the help of the Research Matrix, we will help you visualize gaps in your research and provide you with strategies for filling those gaps in order to wrap up the research process! The research matrix is not only a valuable research tool, but it can also be a tremendous help in the writing process. We’ll show you how you can transfer your research matrix content into a well thought out and supported essay!
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.
The research matrix is a helpful tool you can use to synthesize your research along with your own voice. The matrix can help you organize your paper by main idea, identify connections between your sources, and add your own analysis.
The blank matrix allows you to input your own research and is provided below in Excel and Word formats.
Blank Synthesis Matrix in Word
Your research question is the question you are trying to answer with your research. Having the question at the top helps focus your matrix.
Writing down your main ideas on the left side of the matrix will help you organize your paper main idea by main idea instead of source by source.
Helpful Tip: Choose your main ideas AFTER you have read your sources!
It can be difficult to keep track of all your sources while you are doing research. Writing down the title and author of each source in its own column will help you keep your sources organized.
While you are reading your sources, you will find information that will help you answer your research question. However, remembering which source had what information can be difficult. Putting direct quotes or paraphrases into the matrix can help you keep track of how the sources discuss the main ideas. This will also help you later as you start writing your paper. Be sure to include the page number (or paragraph number if the pages aren't numbered) where the information is found to make citation easier.
Helpful Tip: You do not need every source to address every main idea!
If you have not already, please stop and fill out the blank matrix (links above) with your current research before moving to the next page.
For now, feel free to leave the My Thoughts column blank as we will discuss this more later.
Click NEXT to move through the tutorial.
When you are synthesizing, how should you organize your paper?
Source by source
Not quite. When synthesizing you want your sources to interact with each other.
Main idea by main idea
Correct! Organizing your paper idea by idea puts your sources into conversation with each other.
What's organization?
"For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned." -Benjamin Franklin
Author by author
Not quite. You want your authors' works to interact with each other like a conversation.