Synthesize Findings to Show the Novelty of Your Approach

In academic research, it’s not enough to merely summarize what has been done before—you must clearly demonstrate how your work offers something new. This is where synthesizing findings comes into play. Synthesizing means combining insights from different sources to build a cohesive understanding of what is already known, and then highlighting where your research contributes uniquely.

1

Group Similar Findings and Highlight Common Patterns

2

Identify Contradictions, Gaps, or Underexplored Areas

3

Integrate Insights Across Studies to Build a Bigger Picture

4

Position Your Study Within the Existing Conversation

5

Articulate the Contribution and Significance of Your Research

Example:

If you're reviewing literature on remote work and productivity, group studies that support increased productivity, those that report decreased productivity, and those with mixed results.

Pro Tip:

Use a matrix (e.g., Excel or Word table) to categorize studies by themes, methods, and outcomes. This visual structure simplifies the synthesis process and helps you spot patterns more easily.

Step 1: Group Similar Findings and Highlight Common Patterns

The first step in synthesizing is organizing your reviewed literature thematically or conceptually. Rather than listing each study one by one, identify patterns and group studies that address similar themes, methods, or results.

This allows you to map the existing landscape of research and make sense of what has already been established.

This grouping helps you:

See where consensus exists
Spot contradictions or inconsistencies
Avoid repeating known results in your study

Step 2: Identify Contradictions, Gaps, or Underexplored Areas

Once you've grouped and summarized existing studies, the next task is to look for tensions, contradictions, or gaps.

This might include:

Conflicting results between studies
Variables that haven’t been explored together
Methodological weaknesses
Neglected populations, contexts, or settings

By doing this, you show that while the topic has been studied, there are still unanswered questions or overlooked dimensions.

Example:

You might discover that most studies on student mental health focus on undergraduate students in Western contexts, but very few explore graduate students in Asian countries.

Pro Tip:

Don’t just say “there is a gap.” Describe why it matters. Explain how addressing it could lead to a better understanding or practical improvement. This is key to justifying the novelty of your approach.

Example:

While studies A, B, and C suggest that time flexibility improves productivity, studies D and E highlight the role of communication tools. Taken together, this suggests that productivity may be influenced by both temporal and technological flexibility—something not yet studied in tandem.

Pro Tip:

Use connective language like “taken together,” “in contrast,” “this suggests that,” to move from summary to synthesis.

Step 3: Integrate Insights Across Studies to Build a Bigger Picture

Now that you’ve spotted gaps and grouped similar studies, take a step further to draw connections between various findings. This means explaining how different findings relate to each other and to your own research questions.

The goal is to move beyond reporting what studies found to interpreting what it all means collectively.

This integrated understanding provides a foundation for your new approach and builds a logical case for why your research is timely and needed.

Step 4: Position Your Study Within the Existing Conversation

Now that you’ve mapped what’s known and unknown, you’re ready to clearly articulate how your research fits in and moves the conversation forward.

This is where you explicitly state what your study does differently:

Are you studying a new population?
Using a novel method?
Combining theories in a fresh way?
Exploring a new setting or context?

Your goal here is to make your novelty obvious, even to someone unfamiliar with your topic. This positioning helps reviewers, readers, and evaluators immediately understand your study’s value.

Example:

While previous studies have examined either digital tools or team dynamics in remote work, this study explores how these two interact in small business teams—a connection not yet examined.

Pro Tip:

Write a few comparison sentences like “Unlike previous research that did X, this study does Y.” These side-by-side statements strengthen your novelty claim.

Example:

By linking student engagement theory with social presence theory in online education, this study offers a new model for understanding virtual classroom dynamics.

Pro Tip:

Use specific, active language. Instead of saying, “This study hopes to contribute,” say, “This study contributes by…” Reviewers appreciate clarity and confidence when you state your contribution.

Step 5: Articulate the Contribution and Significance of Your Research

The final step in synthesis is to explicitly spell out your research contribution.

This means summarizing what your study adds—theoretical insights, methodological improvements, or practical applications—and explaining why it matters.

Make sure to tie your contribution back to earlier gaps or contradictions you identified. This shows a complete logic loop—from identifying the problem to addressing it.

Synthesizing findings effectively is more than just listing what others have said. It’s about building a coherent understanding of your research landscape and positioning your work as a meaningful addition to it.

The process not only strengthens your research paper or thesis but also improves your ability to communicate its significance to a broader academic audience.