How to Write a Synthesis Essay in College in 2022
Effective tips for writing a synthesis essay in college.
There’s unquestionably a lot of effort involved in writing a synthesis essay than simply the writing itself, as I learned from extensive study and deconstructing huge ideas.
Even a notoriously difficult assignment like this one may be simple to manage if you have the appropriate lead. We’ve already shown you how to write a synthesis essay from scratch. But it’s probably safe to assume that you’re wondering whether there are any ways to improve your writing right now.
Below, we present the greatest advice for writing a synthesis essay that impresses your instructor or professor.
Let’s get started.
What Is a Synthesis Essay?
A synthesis essay is a form of essay that combines information from several sources to construct a new concept, question, or argumentative thesis. Writers who create a synthesis piece will compare ideas, data, and proof from numerous sources to either explain or defend something new.
High school or college students often write synthesis essays and use the five-paragraph essay structure. Questions or theses that lead to synthesis essays may be based on subjective viewpoints, but they strive to make an argument based on objective evidence and external data.
Synthesis Essay Structure
Synthesis essays are often structured according to the five-paragraph essay format, although there are some variations. The following is how a synthesis essay is composed.
- Introduction: The introductory paragraph of your essay is where you lay out the base concepts of your work. You’ll talk about the broad context of ideas surrounding your topic and some of your sources. You’ll also introduce the argument to be proved by a thesis assertion, which states your main contention in a few lines or fewer. The thesis statement generally appears after the opening paragraph.
- Body: The synthesis essay’s body is generally about three paragraphs long. This generally includes two paragraphs synthesizing your sources in a way that supports your argument, as well as one paragraph addressing opposing viewpoints.
- Conclusion: The synthesis essay’s conclusion restates the argument you’ve made throughout your essay. It may underline how each of the ideas you expressed and the sources you cited back up your position.
- Bibliography: Depending on the style guidelines you’re using, whether APA, MLA, AP, or Chicago Style, you’ll need to include a source list after your paper to credit your research sources correctly. This list of text citations generally takes one to two pages at the end of your paper.
Tips For Writing a Synthesis Essay
The following suggestions will assist you in producing a great synthesis essay that your professor will want to read.
1. Carefully Read and Understand the Essay Prompt
The first stage in writing a general essay effectively is studying and comprehending the topic. And synthesis essays aren’t the only ones. Is it the professor’s goal to assess a text? Are you being asked to compare and contrast themes? Or is the question for you to make an argument?
Take the time to read the prompt carefully. You’ll be able to see what your professor is looking for if you do this. Don’t be hesitant to seek clarification if you feel that certain portions of the prompt are too difficult to comprehend. This will go a long way toward ensuring that you can understand from the start.
2. Choose Your Sources Thoughtfully, Not Hurriedly
When you’re given a prompt to read, all you know is what the professor wants to see in your synthesis essay. As a result, choosing your sources intelligently rather than carelessly is the next stage in writing a comprehensive synthesis essay.
Remember that the synthesis essay will be based on the sources you choose. As a result, you can’t just go off of your instincts. If your instructor has already given you the resources, you may disregard this suggestion.
On the other hand, many instructors will want you to choose sources for yourself most of the time. In such a scenario, begin by selecting two to three academic resources. Look at the topic of the prompt first to select the most relevant literary sources for your essay. Then seek materials that discuss the subject and check for correlations;
This method is especially useful when you’re reviewing academic papers. It allows you to quickly highlight the relationship between your topic and the sources you selected, making it easier to reach your conclusion.
Picking relevant sources isn’t enough, though. You must be confident in understanding them inside and out. That means you can’t simply read them once and feel confident that you have a thorough grasp of the subject.
Spend enough time reading your source so that you can not only see a correlation but also develop your viewpoint on the subject. And don’t be concerned if you can’t comprehend the authors’ ideas from the sources you’ve picked.
You can always write brief notes highlighting the essential points as you go through one study.
3. Identify Common Themes to Make Writing Your Synthesis Essay Easier
It’s now time to extract the important ideas from your sources and compare them. The method allows you to discover similar themes that bind the sources together. You may use this information to write your essay without feeling overwhelmed by the task. The ability to research, evaluate, and present the link among sources demonstrates not just thorough study and reading. It also makes it simple to deliver a comprehensive presentation that establishes a solid connection between sources.
To be clear, discovering themes will make it easy to know what to explore and what not to include in your essay as you go through all of the sources you’ve studied.
To begin with, theming helps you quickly see relationships between and among sources. Furthermore, it makes researching that much easier. And this makes writing the essay a breeze for you.
4. Make Sure Your Essay Has a Thesis Statement
These steps will help you write a compelling thesis statement and argue your case. Writing a synthesis essay entails producing an argumentative thesis statement than simply selecting your sources and noting common themes among them.
A thesis statement is a declarative sentence that expresses your position on a subject, as you already know. After the first paragraph, you must claim one or two sentences to reflect your viewpoint, which is a major concept underlying the essay.
The synthesis essay’s thesis statement is perhaps one of the essential aspects. That’s because everything else you write on the paper will be your attempt to demonstrate that your claim is a strong position worth defending.
5. Make Your Thesis Statement Bold, Not Rehearsed
A synthesis essay will not read like one if there isn’t a thesis statement. As a result, it’s crucial to verify that the assignment includes this component. Keep in mind that your essay’s central theme is its thesis statement.
It must reflect the claims and concepts behind your study, regardless of how brief or long a single or two sentences in the opening statement may be. You may give your synthesis a purpose by including it in the first sentence of the introduction statement.
6. Draft an Outline to Keep the Synthesis Essay Organized
A synthesis essay is a term paper based on a pre-written outline. This type of writing should have a 5-paragraph essay structure, with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- Introduction: To draw in your reader, begin with a strong hook. Offer some background information. Then, in one or two sentences, conclude the introduction with a thesis statement.
- Body paragraphs: The body of your essay should include at least three paragraphs, and the profundity of your study determines the set maximum. One important guideline to keep in mind while writing is to focus on a single idea in each paragraph. It would help if you also ensured that each paragraph included facts and evidence to back up your topic sentence and a connection between the sentences.
- Conclusion: The conclusion is the final portion of the essay. You must highlight the most significant themes and identify any current links between the sources you decided to utilize.
An outline is crucial because it allows you to arrange your ideas in a sensible order, so you don’t overlook anything vital. It also ensures that the structure of your essay has a smoother flow by ensuring that all of your thoughts are presented in the proper order throughout the essay.
7. Explore Ideas in Details, Don’t Just Rehearse
Your synthesis essay must be as comprehensive as possible. Therefore, you must include all of your ideas in detail. Every paragraph must contain three components in the body section: a claim, evidence to back it up, and examples.
A claim is an idea you want to explore and relates to the thesis statement. It’s often debatable in form, which should leave room for arguments.
For example, consider the following sentence: “I’m extremely happy with my new laptop.” If you’re defending your position, you need to supply evidence and examples that back it up. Then, in a closing link that leads to the next statement, you sum up by expressing your satisfaction.
Final Thoughts on Writing a Synthesis Essay
Writing a synthesis essay may be difficult because it necessitates a significant amount of intellectual effort. Not only must you spend time conducting original research, but you must also discover creative ideas to apply to an issue or defend a viewpoint.
However, your synthesis essay may provide you with an advantage in various fields if done well. It’s crucial to note that a synthesis essay is a project that involves gathering data from various sources and then using that information to come up with an idea, possible thesis, or question.
The goal is for you to express or defend something new in your essay.
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