How to Cite Sources in a Synthesis Essay

When taking AP® Lang, you might wonder how to cite sources in a synthesis essay. The good news is that it isn’t difficult. In fact, including proper citations in a research paper is an important academic skill for high school and college.

What is a Synthesis Essay?

A synthesis essay is like a mini research paper. You use provided sources to support your argument. For more information about how to write a synthesis essay, check out this blog post.

Synthesis Sources

For the AP® Lang exam, your prompt will have 6-8 provided sources. You MUST cite at least 3 of the sources.

Here’s a couple things to remember:

• Citing the same source more than once only counts as one source.
• You do not get extra credit for citing all the sources.
• While it isn’t required, citing 2-3 sources in a paragraph helps create a conversation–just be sure you are not summarizing the sources.

How to Cite Sources in a Synthesis Essay

Synthesis essay citations are similar parenthetical citations in MLA or APA format.

A parenthetical citation is when you reference the name of the source in parenthesis at the end of a sentence. The period goes outside the second parenthesis.

On the AP® Lang exam, the sources will be listed on the cover page. You can refer to the sources as “Source A” or by the author’s last name. Both options are provided for you. Just be sure to be consistent. If you cite your first source as “Source A,” then continue that method throughout your essay.

While both “Source A” and the author’s last name are allowed, for timed synthesis essays, as a teacher, I find listing the source and letter a bit easier to remember. However, if you’re writing an MLA or APA format research paper, you’ll want to be sure that you’re using the correct citation method for that format.

How to Add Evidence in an Essay

When writing a synthesis essay, you’ll want to include embedded evidence. This means that you’ll “embed” or “integrate” the evidence into a sentence of your own.

For synthesis essays, there are two options for evidence: direct quotes or a paraphrase.

Selecting Evidence for Synthesis Essays

When annotating the sources, be sure to look for facts, statistics, expert testimony, or real-world examples, as these are excellent evidence to help you construct a logical argument.

As you read, look for short quotes: approximately 3-8 words. Shorter quotes are easier to embed in a sentence of your own.

If you select a quote that is 12-15 words long, you can often “scale back” by selecting the key words or breaking the quote into two quotes.

Be mindful of long quotes. Not only are the more difficult to embed but also they take time to write and throw off your evidence to commentary ratio.

In a synthesis essay, you want to have more commentary than evidence.

ICE Method for Embedded Evidence

Use the ICE method to help you remember how to embed evidence. ICE stands for introduce, cite, explain.

In academic writing, one should not have freestanding quotes, meaning that the quote should not just be “dropped” into the paragraph. It requires a “lead in.”

That’s what the “I” in ICE is for: introduce.

The most effective way to embed evidence is to integrate it into a sentence of your own. If done correctly, the quotes will be seamlessly embedded. If the sentence were read aloud, someone listening wouldn’t know the sentence contained a quote because the sentence would flow well.

Check out the example of embedded evidence with a parenthetical citation in the image below.

Analyzing Visual Texts

On the AP® Lang exam, at least one of the synthesis sources will be a visual text, which can include photos, charts, graphs, comics, etc.

For more information about how to analyze a visual text, check out this video.

For comics, charts, graphs, schedules, you can quote or paraphrase the information.

For photographs, you’ll want to reference an element of the image and include the citation.

Visual texts can be helpful because they don’t take as long to “read” or analyze. However, sometimes they can be difficult to include in an essay. Don’t force it. Remember that you only need 3 different sources.

If you encounter a visual text early on in the sources and you’re not sure how to interpret it, skip it and come back to it. Chances are, the visual text might make more sense after you’ve read the other sources.

Can You Cite a Source in the Introduction?

Technically, yes, you can cite a source in the introduction. If you have a fact, statistic, or example that you think would help you introduce the topic, feel free to include it.

It is not required to cite a source in the introduction, and honestly, most students don’t do it.

If you are considering citing a source in the intro of your synthesis essay, make sure the intro is the best place for that information.

Remember that you’ll need to include layers of evidence and commentary in your body paragraphs as well. For the AP® Lang exam, the bulk of the points on the rubric are for evidence and commentary, which is why 2-3 strong body paragraphs is important.

For more information about writing a synthesis essay introduction, check out this video.

Can You Cite Two Sources in One Sentence?

Yes, you can. You’ll include both sources in your parenthetical citation in the order in which they appear in the sentence. For example, if you have a quote from Source A and later on in the same sentence you have a quote from Source D, the citation would look like this: (Sources A and D) or (Source A; Source D). Either option is fine.

What to Avoid

When citing a source in a synthesis essay, it can be tempting to start the sentence with “According to Source A.” While this is allowed, it’s not the most nuanced way to introduce a source.

Instead, try to include the information from the original source. For example, “According to a 2017 New York Times article” or “According to chart from the Pew Research Center.”

You can also cite the author (or an expert quoted in the article) and their credentials. That would look like this: Daniel Shepherd, senior lecturer at the University of Technology in Auckland, claims…

Noting the person’s name and credentials sounds better than “According to Source A…”

Want more tips about how to cite sources in a synthesis essay? Then, check out this video.