# Synthesis Matrix Builder for Literature Reviews: Upload your research PDFs and get a synthesis matrix that extracts each study's design, sample, and findings, then keeps updating as you read.

Source: https://zentor.ai/use-cases/synthesis-matrix

Turn a stack of research papers into a synthesis matrix in Google Sheets, with contradictions between studies flagged automatically.

## Prompt

```text
Build a synthesis matrix from these papers so I can see where they agree and where they contradict each other.
```

Variations:

- **Methods focus**: Build a synthesis matrix from these PDFs with columns for design, sample, measures, and identification strategy, and flag any study with a sample under 100.
- **From a folder**: Read every PDF in my Drive folder on adolescent sleep and build a synthesis matrix I can keep adding to.
- **Draft the paragraph**: From my synthesis matrix, draft the synthesis paragraphs organized by theme, not one study at a time.

## How it works

1. **Drop In Your Research PDFs**: Point Zentor at a Drive folder or upload papers directly. It reads full text, not just abstracts, so methods and limitations sections make it into the matrix.
2. **Extract Each Study Into Matrix Columns**: Zentor pulls design, sample, setting, effect direction, effect size, mechanism, and limitations into one row per paper. Reported figures are copied verbatim so your citations hold up.
3. **Get A Living Synthesis Matrix**: The matrix lands in Google Sheets with a contradictions tab. Add papers later and every new row re-runs the comparison against everything already in the table.

## What the matrix captures

- Study design: RCT, quasi-experiment, panel, or survey, named as the authors named it.
- Sample and setting: Who was studied, how many, and where, so comparisons stay honest.
- Effect direction and size: Reported figures copied verbatim, with the page they came from.
- Mechanism: The explanation the authors give, which is what makes two studies comparable.
- Limitations: The caveats the authors flag themselves, not ones inferred later.
- Contradictions: Where two rows disagree, and which third study reconciles them.

## Comparison

| Feature | Manual Spreadsheet | Elicit | Zentor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Download a template, then read and type every row yourself | Search a paper database inside the tool | Point it at your existing folder, Zotero library, or upload PDFs directly |
| What gets extracted | Whatever you have the stamina to type at 11pm | Fixed set of extraction columns | Any columns your field needs, described in plain English |
| Source of the numbers | Accurate if you are careful, error prone when tired | Extracted from the paper | Copied verbatim from the paper with the page it came from |
| Finding contradictions | You have to remember study 8 while reading study 31 | You compare the rows yourself | Conflicts flagged automatically, including the study that reconciles them |
| Adding papers later | Reopen the file and start typing again | Re run the search and re export | Drop the PDF in the folder and the row appends itself |
| Cost | Free, paid for in weekends | Free tier with paid plans for higher volume | Free for three days with 1,000 credits, then 20 dollars a month |

## FAQ

### How does Zentor build a synthesis matrix from my PDFs?

Zentor reads the full text of every PDF you give it, not just the abstract, and extracts each study into one row: design, sample, setting, effect direction, effect size, mechanism, and limitations. Reported figures are copied as written rather than paraphrased, so what lands in your synthesis matrix is what you can safely cite.

### Can I customize the columns in my synthesis matrix?

Yes. The default eight columns cover most reviews, but you can ask for anything the papers contain. Nursing reviews often want a level of evidence column, education reviews want intervention duration, and economics reviews want identification strategy. Just say what you want and the matrix gets rebuilt with those columns.

### What format does the synthesis matrix come in?

It lands in Google Sheets by default, which is what most writing centers recommend because you can sort and filter by theme while drafting. Excel and CSV both work too. If your program requires a specific submission template, Zentor can match that layout.

### Can I add papers to the synthesis matrix as I keep reading?

That is the point. Most synthesis matrix templates are static files you fill in once and abandon. Zentor can watch a folder so any PDF you drop in gets extracted and appended, and every new row re-runs the contradiction check against the rows already there.

### Can Zentor pull papers from Zotero or Google Scholar instead of a folder?

Yes. Zentor drives a real browser, so it can work from a Zotero library, a Google Scholar results page, or a database export. Give it the source and it collects the PDFs before building the matrix, which saves the download and rename step entirely.

### Is this better than a synthesis matrix template from a university library?

A library template gives you correct column headings and an empty grid, which is genuinely useful for learning the method. It does not read your papers. The work that takes the time is extracting 40 studies into consistent rows and noticing when study 31 contradicts study 8, and that is the part Zentor does.

### How much does it cost to build a synthesis matrix with Zentor?

You can try it free for three days with 1,000 credits, which is enough to build a full matrix from a normal chapter's worth of papers and see whether the extraction quality holds up on your field. Paid plans start at 20 dollars a month.

### Can I turn my synthesis matrix into literature review prose?

Yes, and the matrix makes that draft much better. Because Zentor already knows which studies agree, which conflict, and which one reconciles them, it can draft the synthesis paragraphs around real relationships between sources instead of summarizing each paper in turn, which is the failure mode most literature reviews fall into.