How to Write a Synthesis Essay: A Unique Guide to Completing a Killer Paper
Almost an hour has passed, and you are still looking at the computer screen trying to start the assigned Synthesis paper. “Ok, I have enough time for this task!” you think. “After having a short break, I’ll do the task much better!” you are trying to calm yourself down. As the day progressed, nothing changed. You’ve wasted a lot of time and feel like being trapped without a chance to succeed. Sounds like a horribly familiar situation, right? I know what it means to be a student and facing numerous tricky assignments on a daily basis. Crafting a pile of demanding and confusing papers is all in a day’s work for students of all academic levels regardless of the educational institution. But if you are with me, there is nothing to brood about because I’ll unlock you the secrets of writing confusing and tricky assignments.
What Is a Synthesis Essay
As a student, you have to hand in a pile of writing, and every time you hear about the new paper, you understand what it is. But what if you have no clue on how to jumpstart doing a Synthesis essay because you’ve never dealt with this confusing paper? Ok, I’ll tell you what it is. Completing this type of assignment means putting facts or some pieces of information from different study materials together in order to create an argument revealing your position on the topic. It is like a discussion of existing ideas. Your task is to isolate the key information from two or three opinions on the same topic. To successfully cope with the challenge, digesting the information found online or in any other reliable sources and organizing it in the right way is essential in synthesis writing.
What Are the Various Types of Synthesis Essays
The main challenge when crafting this type of assignment is that you have to generalize the main themes and to clearly explain the correlations between the discovered facts and info dug up online. Synthesis essays can be completed with various goals in mind, so there are argumentative and expository ones.
Types of Synthesis Essays
You may be questioning yourself, “How are they different?” I’ll try to explain it to you now.
An expository synthesis essay is different from an argumentative one because it aims to explain a specific issue. The more details you provide, the better. Being literature or a history student, you’ll have to do a pile of such assignments.
The key purpose of writing a brilliant argumentative synthesis essay is to argue the topic you’ve picked using evidence and back up your viewpoint. This type of writing has a lot in common with the argumentative essay you’ve probably faced earlier, so doing it won’t be rocket science for you.
Synthesis Essay Structure
Being a student, I bet you know that every paper has a definite structure you have to adhere to if you want to get a top grade and hear something good about the completed work. To craft a powerful synthesis essay, bear in mind the following structure:
The Introduction
This paragraph is an intricate part containing the hook that will grab the reader’s attention and an overview of the issue you’ll be talking about in the paper. An introductory paragraph should contain a thesis answering the question briefly and explaining your position.
The Body
Adhering to the academic standards, you have to write about three-four paragraphs in the main body. You do the same when completing a cause and effect essay. It would be better if the first paragraph contains a counterargument to a thesis. It will prove that you can think from various points of view and trust me, this will be a big plus to your reputation. But, keep in mind one crucial thing when choosing the counterargument, it shouldn't be too strong.
The next two-three paragraphs should contain arguments supporting the thesis. Make sure the information you provide is from well-trusted sources. It should be cited in the right way if it is not your own thoughts.
The Conclusion
How to end a synthesis essay? Right, write the final part. This paragraph is the one that wraps up everything written above. If you have no clue on how to conclude a synthesis essay, do the following:
- remind about the main point
- go over the study materials used for supporting the thesis
- call to action may be added if you want to encourage the readers to take steps
Avoid bringing up some fresh issues in the final part, just wrap up the information previously mentioned.
Step by Step Guide to Writing a Synthesis Paper
If you don’t want to be swamped with work in college, I advise you not to procrastinate with doing your papers. I know that the majority of students leave the most arduous tasks till the last moment, and this is one of the biggest mistakes. To successfully deal with the most tricky and demanding assignments you encounter when studying, make it a habit to start completing the task in advance. Be smart about your study using my helpful guides on how to do the most troublesome and demanding papers. So, let’s get started!
Synthesis Essay Definition
This type of assignment is all about analyzing information and combining different concepts from a pile of relevant sources like articles, fiction, lectures, and even interviews.
Being a student, you've probably done some research papers, so doing this task won’t be a hard nut to crack, for sure. The main thing is to tell how the sources are related and to make judgments when summarizing everything. I advise you to devote enough time to reading the sources because the success of your writing depends on how well you’ve understood the information.
Pick a Suitable Topic
Pulling various sources together will be a hard task if the chosen topic is too wide. So, when picking a synthesis essay topic, make sure it isn’t too narrow or too broad. Do some research, this is crucial for deciding on the topic that is up-to-date and worth being discussed.
Study the Sources
You may be provided with the set of sources, but if not, then select three-four ones. This will be enough to write a winning paper. There is no need to waste time on reading six or seven sources if you aren’t sure that you’ll cope with so much info. Devote enough time to reading in order not to miss even the slightest details. Make sure that the information is linked to the argument. I advise you to take some notes when reading; this will be of great help in remembering the details, crucial facts and ideas.
Create a Thesis Statement
Once the research is finished, you’ll have to come up with your own thinking on the topic. The created thesis will be the core of the work. You can write a thesis statement at the beginning or at the end of the first paragraph. The next step is looking through the sources the second time to pick some facts and statistics supporting your opinion and the opposite one. Make some notes, this will help you not to miss some crucial details.
Crafting a Synthesis Essay Outline
I never skip writing an outline and advise you to do the same when working on a compare and contrast essay or any other task. It helps to logically structure your paper and is of great use when you are experiencing a writer's block when completing the task. How to write a flawless synthesis essay? Adhere to the written plan. If you are writing for an AP test, it will be better to use the following structure: an introduction with the hook, then goes the body, and the finalizing part. Otherwise, feel free to use a more creative structure to develop the assigned task.
Get to Work
Create a draft using the previously made outline. Make sure your thoughts are organized logically, and an assignment is easy to read. Use enough evidence to persuade the reader and support your point of view. If you are crafting this task for an AP test, you won’t have enough time to create some drafts, so try to make the first one good enough.
I advise you not to use too many passive constructions in your writing; an active voice sounds more convincing. Apply transitions logically between the essay paragraphs to keep a text flow. Having an easy grasp of how to do this task, you’ll easily cope with it, I’m sure.
Final Steps
When you finish an assignment, don’t forget to review it to make sure there are no awkward language errors, misprints, and redundant words. I always ask Brandon to do this job and to say the last word. I trust my buddy! If you don’t have such a friend, you may delegate this task to professional editors having much experience in polishing student writing.
Ah, I almost forgot about the citing! You’ll have to format all the citations according to the chosen style. Once everything is done, give a title to your work. A bit surprised why I advise you to do it last? Well, you’ll be 100% confident it fits your writing.
That’s all! Now you know how to complete this tricky task and to make it immaculately organized. I’ll help you get a second wind when studying and relish every moment of your life! Better follow my advice on how to cope with the workload faster instead of pulling an all-nighter trying to hand in a task on time!
Finding Examples of Synthesis Essays Online
One more recommendation from Brandon. He usually browses some synthesis essay examples online before getting to work. This helps him have a better understanding of the task. So, if you keep asking yourself, “How to start a synthesis essay?” Check some samples too. You may find a pile of well-structured examples on various websites offering academic assistance. As a rule, these samples are free to read, so you won’t spend even a penny. I’m sure that following my tips and having a flawless sample found online, you’ll cope with the task in the blink of an eye!