Sources are a great help for understanding a topic more deeply.  But what about when sources don’t quite agree with one another, or challenge what you have experienced yourself?

This is where your skill of synthesis comes into play as a writer. Synthesizing includes comparison and contrast, but also allows you to combine multiple perspectives on a topic to reach a deeper understanding.

This video explains the process of synthesis in action. Note the emphasis on creating your own frame for the material you synthesize, not simply pasting the sources one after the other and expecting your reader to perform the intellectual work of synthesis for you.