Integrating Multiple Sources & Formats

Introduction

Integration means using more than one source to answer a question that no single source answers fully. Sources may agree, complement one another or conflict. Your conclusion must preserve important limits instead of forcing a simple answer.

Align the sources before combining them

Define the question first. Then record each source's group, date, location, unit, method and main finding. Visits, visitors and percentage satisfied are different measures. Counts from unequal populations cannot be compared as if they were rates. A 2020 survey and a 2026 count may both be accurate while describing different conditions.

Worked example: a text plus a table

A fictional library memo states that an evening pilot was intended to improve access for workers finishing after 5 p.m. The accompanying table records visits during the same four-week periods:

The memo supplies the goal; the table supplies outcomes in visits. Evening visits rose by 80 and total visits by 60 because earlier visits fell by 20. Together they suggest increased use of the evening hours. They do not identify visitors' jobs, unique visitor counts, satisfaction or a causal effect isolated from other changes.

Reconcile agreement, complement and conflict

Agreement means comparable evidence points in the same direction. Independent support is stronger than duplicated reporting. Complement means sources answer different parts of a question: an interview may explain an experience while a table estimates how often it occurs. Conflict requires checking definitions and methods, not averaging incompatible claims.

Suppose an interview says “The room felt crowded on Tuesday,” while a monthly table shows a low average attendance. Both can be true: a peak moment can differ from a monthly mean. Ask for Tuesday's attendance and room capacity. Conversely, if two sources report different counts for the same group, date and measure, acknowledge the discrepancy and seek the original record. Do not quietly choose whichever supports your preferred conclusion.

When an outlier differs from a trend, describe both. A pattern across three periods is not a guarantee about the fourth. A personal account can show that an experience exists without revealing how widespread it is.

Write a bounded synthesis and identify missing evidence

A useful synthesis states a conclusion, combines relevant evidence, and names a material uncertainty. It does more than list “Source A says…” followed by “Source B says…”. Use comparison words such as “although,” “together” and “however” only when the relationship is justified.

For the library example: “Evening use increased during the pilot, and the memo identifies access for late-working residents as its aim; however, the visit totals do not show whether those residents account for the increase.” A targeted follow-up asks visitors about work schedules. Another visit count alone would not close that particular gap.

Paraphrase source ideas accurately and keep attribution when the context calls for it. Do not blend a source's claim with your own inference as though both were measured facts. Select evidence according to the question: cost data matter for affordability, schedule data for access, and a measured learning outcome for educational effectiveness.

Apply the skill: combine an announcement and a record

Source A — transit announcement: “Starting in June, Route 6 will add a late bus on weekdays. Weekend schedules will not change.”

Source B — Route 6 departure record:

The record lists departure times only; it does not count passengers or report arrival times.

Apply the same evidence: another decision

Quick Reference

Define the question; align group, period, units and methods; distinguish agreement from complement or conflict; synthesize with evidence and limits; request the missing information that matters.