Students are usually assigned essays or assignments as homework, whether they are in school, college, or university. They are required to form a topic on their own and write a persuasive piece of prose. In some cases, teachers assign them specific topics or readings as well to jot down an essay around.
Whatever kind of prose you are looking to write for the sake of publication, you need to be an artist to craft a perfect document. No doubt, essay writing is not less than an art, and some students lack it due to unfamiliarity with different essay types and the process of writing a perfect one.
We have got you covered, from learning outline making to writing the body and a strong conclusion of a synthesis essay.
What is a Synthesis Essay?
A synthesis essay is just like normal literary prose that requires students to use different sources, like books, journal articles, magazines, and so on, to draw a conclusion supporting the thesis statement, which is usually pre-defined or reflective of the topic assigned by the instructor.
Some students confuse it with just summarising the chunks of information picked from different sources to support the topic sentence. On the other hand, it not only requires students to summarise the information.
However, it revolves around analysing and evaluating the collected information critically to support the thesis statement of the essay and develop new perspectives for further exploration. Make sure also to discuss the refuting points from collected sources to show intellectual honesty and add depth to your literary writing.
Synthesis Essay Example:
Suppose your teacher has assigned you the task of exploring the theme of unbridled ambition in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hamlet.
You can write a synthesis essay on this topic using the primary and secondary data collection sources and use the shortlisted references in your literature review writing to analyse and evaluate the substance in order to present supporting sentences to the thesis statement.
Synthesis Vs Argumentative Essay
Some students often confuse synthesis and argumentative essays as two sides of the same coin. But in actuality there are some differences in both essays that are listed below.
| Essay Type | Synthesis Essay | Argumentative Essay |
| Primary Goal | To extract information from multiple sources to support the thesis statement or build a unified perspective. | To use the available information to persuade the reader to accept the author’s claim or thesis statement. |
| Focus | Presenting a balanced viewpoint advocating or negating some points at the same time. | It clearly focuses on taking sides, either right or left, especially on debatable issues. |
| Citations | It is mandatory to add citations to the essay. | It is not necessary to add citations to the essay. |
| Structure | Follows a thematic structure and discusses ideas point by point. | Follows a chronological structure presenting a claim, evidence, and rebuttal. |
| Counter Arguments | The author can acknowledge the counter-arguments but doesn’t always refute them. | It is mandatory to address and refute counter-arguments to support the thesis statement. |
| Tone | Analytical, Objective | Persuasive, Assertive |
Tips for Writing a Synthesis Essay
Whether you want to know how to write a synthesis essay for college or for a publication, we have consulted with our expert essay writers to get some proven tips for you to master the art of synthesis essay writing.
You can use them to craft a perfect piece of prose without struggling too much, and in case you are still facing problems in formulating a research proposal or a thesis statement you can consider getting essay writing help from the expert academic writers of the town.
1. Define Your Purpose:
The first step before starting to write anything is defining the purpose behind the struggle. That’s what you need to do, whether you are going to present your arguments objectively or analytically in order to support your thesis statement.
Once you have a clear picture in your mind then you can develop a plan of what to do and how to do it.
2. Shortlist References:
Scholars always suggest students do some scrolling and filtering of the research studies before starting to work on a research project. It will help you to find out if there is enough data available or not against the topic you are planning to discuss in your synthesis essay.
Once you have relevant journal articles, books, or other data pieces in your bucket, you are ready to present your arguments one by one in the literature review by adding supporting or refuting references.
3. Develop a Plan:
Jumping into anything, whether writing a synthesis essay or a case study writing without any definite plan to follow will lead you to incomplete manuscripts and even deadline misses.
That’s why always make sure to plan the time you want to invest in the writing and divide the sections like body and introduction into timelines to keep track of your progress.
4. Cite Each Source:
The last but most important tip for writing a synthesis essay is to document each source you are citing in the literature review of your research study. If you have not mentioned the sources of the quotes or statements you are adding in the prose, then it will be of no academic value to be considered for publication.
Check with your institute or journal which citation style they are accepting, like MLA, APA, Harvard, etc, to follow it in your prose throughout. You should add in-text citations and a bibliography or a list of full references at the end of your essay as well.
Structure of a Synthesis Essay
There are chances that your instructor will assign you some topics and demand a synthesis essay to submit as a college assignment along with different sources to draw a whole prose around them.
There’s no need to worry because we are going to discuss the synthesis essay outline or format for both types below. You can read each type carefully to grasp the elements of the prose outline and craft a perfect piece for submission.
Synthesis Essay Structure by Topic:
In these kinds of essays, the author is required to discuss each topic one by one, along with the relevant sources in the essay. By moving from one point to another, you can get a chance to devise a point related to your thesis statement.
One topic provides a transition to another and that’s how you can group the sentences from different topics pointing towards a common term. This technique works best for dealing with complex ideas and different perspectives simultaneously, which would be discussed separately.
Outline:
1. Introduction
A. Thesis (Hook) Statement
2. Body
A. Topic 1
Source X Discussing Topic 1
Source Y Discussing Topic 1
B. Topic 2
Source X Discussing Topic 2
Source Y Discussing Topic 2
C. Topic 3
Source X Discussing Topic 3
Source Y Discussing Topic 3
3. Conclusion
A. Readdress Thesis Statement
4. References
Synthesis Essay Structure by Source:
You can use the same technique of discussing the same topics related to one source in one section here as well. All you need to do is combine all the relevant sources or statements from one source and discuss a single topic.
If your main focus is on the source, then this prose type is best to use for argumentative essays.
Outline:
1. Introduction
A. Thesis (Hook) Statement
2. Body
A. Source 1
Topic X Discussing Source 1
Topic Y Discussing Source 1
B. Source 2
Topic X Discussing Source 2
Topic Y Discussing Source 2
C. Source 3
Topic X Discussing Source 3
Topic Y Discussing Source 3
3. Conclusion
A. Readdress Thesis Statement
4. References
General Structure for Synthesis Essays
If your topic requires you to use both types in a single prose then you can consider the below structure.
Outline:
1. Intro
2. Body
3. Conclusion
4. References
How to Write a Synthesis Essay?
If you know how to write an essay, then it is like a child’s play for you to learn the art of writing a synthesis essay. Make sure to start your essay with a strong hook that can entice the reader to read the next sentences of your study.
We have listed some important steps to follow when writing a synthesis essay. You can jump onto the next step chronologically and will succeed in formulating the best prose ready for submission.
- Select a Topic: Start the process by selecting a topic of your interest and if your teacher is assigning the topic to you. Just tweak it according to your requirements and move on to the next step. Keep in mind to only work on ideas that inspire you and are easy for you to comprehend.
- Conduct Preliminary Research: Look for the availability of relevant references and the scope of the study. If enough relevant sources are available to add to the literature review and the research topic is worthy enough to work on. Then, you are good to go and start writing a perfect essay.
- Create an Outline: Simply start crafting a perfect outline for the prose by conducting brainstorming sessions and using the available data. Make sure to come up with a comprehensive and sound outline containing every required point to cover the whole topic.
- Write Introduction: You can start writing your synthesis essay by first adding the introductory paragraphs in the prose. You need to establish your thesis statement or points that you are going to cover in the next sections in this section and then transition towards the body of the essay.
- Add Body Paragraphs: You can add relevant references and even refuting ones as well along with your viewpoint to endorse the thesis statement written in the introductory paragraphs. Use the body section of your essay as a discussion panel and add everything relevant to prove it with sound arguments.
- Write Conclusion: Close your essay by readdressing or restating the thesis statement that you have mentioned at the start of the prose and add some critical discussion points in it, to sum up the whole discussion on a decisive note.
- Add Bibliography: It is necessary to list all the citations with complete details in the references or bibliography list after writing the conclusion. So that anyone can verify or trace back the in-text citations that you have mentioned in the essay.
- Proofread: Many students make the mistake of sending the essay for publication or even to their teachers without proofreading and editing it. If you want to get it accepted without facing any objection, then root out every grammatical, citation, formatting, or any kind of error or discrepancy present in the prose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually, a synthesis essay would be around 1000-1500 words, which is around 3-5 pages. However, word count or number of pages can vary according to the intensity of your topic.
Synthesis deals with analysing and evaluating sources to create connections between the data and summary just deals with restating the voluminous information in a precise manner.
It is suggested not to present your personal views about the topic in a synthesis essay unless it is evident.
The best way to conclude a synthesis essay is by adding a strong statement reflecting the viewpoint presented in the thesis statement and then some supplemental facts to highlight the importance of the study.
