Preparing for your synthesis essay entails a well devised research plan.

Attack the library, serf the web, collect every ounce of information that you can. Analyze your stuff and pick it apart until you’ve figured out all the mechanisms involved with your topic. Scrutinize, criticize, compare and get to know your material. There isn’t enough uncovering that you can do in the beginning to prepare for that synthesis essay format, so familiarize yourself with the work before you write a single word for the essay so take a crap load of notes and move on.

Next step:

Organize your sources. Categorize everything to the last inch it was retrieved from, credit all the sources accordingly and the more sources you have that say the same thing –the better. This step is to prove that you did your homework that you know your stuff and it is sure to stick you at the top of your game. You need to sell and show the readers that you’ve went that extra mile and that you are an expert in the subject. More to the point: get all those ducks in a row and never put your eggs in only one basket. This part of the researching process might take some time, but it will be well worth it in the end. It’s like planting a seed the reward comes quite late in the process.

So you dug in the dirt, spied on the enemy, learned all that you could and you are the specialist of your topic… What’s next? Now you’re ready to formulate your thesis. Giving your synthesis paper a purpose and directing all the attention to the fact that no one has yet addressed the problem(s) that you’ve uncovered is a great approach to start the foundation of your thesis. You could argue a touch, push a bit, and compare a smidgen –look up the tips for argumentative, comparison, opinionated and persuasive essays some of those writing techniques can be applied in your synthesis essay at this point. Once you’ve figured out your thesis, purpose and approach begin your paper.

The first thing:

Your first paragraph introduces your paper, your research and organization. It is mostly a summery of main points. Initiate by organizing all the data that you want to reveal first off. Arrange the material by briefly summarizing all the relevant details in a sequential order. Explain what commonalities the themes or traits in the researched material share. Of course show the relevance in your citations and credit each source separately and accordingly. Remember to use the quotation key before and after a quote to clearly show that these original words do not belong to you. Provide title(s) of the source(s) and the name of the original author(s), location of where it each source was first published and if they were republished –where etc… Give a brief description of the author and an exact location of where that information could be retrieved. The specifics on citing for synthesis vary depending on the preference of your instructor so review all your directives carefully and proceed accordingly.

The main body paragraphs for your synthesis essay focus on those somewhat larger problems and begin to break them down categorically into smaller parcels of information. Of course, it must be easily understood by your reader(s) or audience. At this point it is helpful to use visual aids to make it more comprehensible and prove through demonstration that your information is flawless and accurate. A variety of visual aids can also be used in your synthesis essay to demonstrate that you are well educated on the topic and are equipped to prove that your thesis is sound and well thought up. Expect to have several outlines ready and have a collection of rough drafts before this step can actually take place. Remember that organized thought as well as planed, prearranged structures are key in this species of writing. Keep in mind that accuracy is also detrimental here.

Your before-last-paragraph should bombard the reader with more points relevant to your cause and position. Don’t play between theories, use facts and continue in the same flow –all positive or all negative just keep shooting round after round. Use strong sentences with aggressive determinations (don’t worry about sounding arrogant) your sentences are not required to be well-rounded, just well constructed for abbreviated streams. Clearly state the similarities or differences between the sources with the goal of informing readers. If your synthesis essay is about child rearing now would be the time to toss around all those accusations of where parents display inadequacies (or play the other side of that coin,) but be consistent. In your own words restate what the source says and clearly affirm which sources you are referring to every time. Use words like: furthermore, moreover, once again, in addition, likewise, additionally and equally so.

Your conclusion:

Connect the dots by showing the reader how the thesis aligns with the subject matter. This is the part of the synthesis essay where you will repeat significant statements in point form and justify your position. Express your accuracy and if by doing so you reuse a quote credit the source. Once again, inform the reader of a mater of the topic in a way that you haven’t already used by identifying with your sound thesis. Show your proof by displaying whatever spread sheet you were using except this time it would be appropriate to have several copies to pass around. If in doubt, feel free to snoop around Essay-911.com offers a helping hand if you need one.

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