Organize and Synthesize Information

Information must be organized in order to permit analysis, synthesis, understanding, and communication.

Organizing information is important because it allows you to:

• manage and retain the information more efficiently and accurately, including keeping records of sources
• communicate the information more effectively
• recognize the need for further information and discard unneeded information
• recognize trends, clusters, and other patterns in the information gathered
• synthesize disparate pieces of information into new knowledge

The usefulness of organizing things can be illustrated in tasks such as arranging tools in a workshop, organizing your desktop, or writing down recipes for others to follow.