To start with, synthesize is from the root word synthesis which means to combine a number of things or ideas in order to make something new or come up with a new idea.
The word synthesize in research terms means to combine a number of findings with a view to coming up with a new theory. An example of such synthesis is when a researcher reads or reviews a number of research works and use the knowledge gotten from his reading or reviews to establish a thesis (a theory put forward to be proved or maintained).
