Synthesising sources
Synthesise sources into a coherent literature review: themes not summaries, showing agreement, tension and gaps, with your voice throughout.
In this lesson you will
- Organise sources thematically
- Show relationships between sources
- Identify gaps and maintain your voice
Learn
A literature review is not a list of summaries (Smith says… Jones says…). Organise by themes, debates or methods, and discuss sources in relation to each other.
Relating sources: Consistent with…, X extends Y’s work by…, In contrast to…, X and Y converge on…, This finding has been contested by…, A recurring theme is…
Evaluating: Although influential, X’s study relied on a small sample… ; The strongest evidence comes from…
Gap and voice: end each theme by stating what remains unresolved and why it matters for your argument: What remains unclear, however, is… This review therefore suggests…
Examples
- A recurring theme in the literature is the role of trust.
- Consistent with Ahmed (2019), Lopez (2021) found… ; in contrast, Kim (2022)…
- What remains unclear is whether these effects persist over time.
Vocabulary
literature review
a critical survey of existing research
converge
come together, agree
contest
argue against
recurring
happening again and again
unresolved
not yet settled
Practice
A good literature review is organised by…
Speaking
Explain in 90 seconds what the research says about a topic you know, focusing on agreement, disagreement and gaps rather than individual studies.
Writing
Write a thematic literature review section (220–260 words) on an imaginary topic (e.g. remote work and wellbeing) synthesising at least four imaginary sources, evaluating them and ending with a gap.
Lesson quiz
“Converge” means…
Review
Key points
- Organise thematically.
- Relate sources to each other.
- Evaluate.
- Identify gaps; keep your voice.
What you learned
- ✓ I synthesise sources.
- ✓ I write thematic reviews.
- ✓ I identify research gaps.