Thoughts on Synthesizing Information: A Research Skill for Our Time?

abstract: Synthesizing information from multiple sources is a crucial skill for information literacy, and it is exceedingly important for learning in the 21st century information landscape. An influential 2015 paper by Kacy Lundstrom and colleagues presents a nuanced view of research synthesis from an information literacy perspective, particularly in the rubric they propose for assessing students' synthesis in writing projects. I use the categories in this rubric to reflect on my own piecemeal work on synthesis and pose questions about how to teach this skill more effectively. My library instruction experience has primarily focused on students in undergraduate, general education courses, but the observations I share could be adapted and applied to information literacy instruction with other groups