Writing a Synthesis Essay – A Powerful Guide to Writing

Written by

Elizabeth H. Simmons

July 13, 2023

7 min read

For a regular student a synthesis paper may sound quite troubling, as it is not a common task to complete. Unlike regular reports or reviews, such an essay has specific requirements and is different from rest of the tasks.

If you want to understand the essence of the assignment, you need to get familiar with synthesis essay definition. The word synthesis is all about collecting data from more than two sources and creating a unique content out of them. That is why sources are the heart of the whole essay. Here are the main requirements to the literature you use:

• Relevant;
• Credible, published in trustworthy journals and books;
• Younger than 5 years old.

Such assignment is often given for AP English Language and Composition course, which is one of the most difficult subjects among other academic disciplines. If you are one of such students, mastering an ap lang synthesis essay is surely a must!

How to Write a Synthesis Essay

To learn how to write a synthesis essay you should always stick to its accepted structure. It is the following:

• Introduction, which includes a thesis statement and arguments;
• Body paragraphs, where you support your arguments with evidence (from an analyzed source) and analysis;
• Conclusion, where you need to answer all the questions, which were left. Don’t forget to paraphrase your thesis.

To make your introduction remarkable, start with a hook sentence. It will grab attention of the reader and make him want to learn what will come next. Your hook can include a quote, metaphor, rhetorical question, interesting fact and much more. However, you should choose an appropriate hook depending on the topic you choose. In this section, you should also enumerate the arguments you are going to discuss in future.

The number of body paragraphs depends on the quantity of arguments you are going to discuss. Every paragraph should contain a deep analysis of the sources and a supportive evidence.

Close your synthesis essay with restating your thesis, answering any questions and making prognosis.

If you want to make your essay as good as possible, don’t forget to avoid the following mistakes:

• Wrong topic. Make sure you have chosen a subject, which is not only interesting but also motivating, catchy and relevant in modern conditions. You should also make sure that it has plenty of information to build your arguments on;
• Weak argumentation. You will have to rewrite your paper anew if you don’t base it on reliable and trustworthy sources, which is proved by a list of references and a proper citing;
• Copy-paste. Many students feel tempted to copy ideas of various authors. However, it can be easily checked on plagiarism software and most of professors use such programs regularly to make sure students’ essays are unique;
• No time for editing. If you don’t proofread your paper, you risk delivering an essay with typos, lexical and grammar errors, which will make an awful impression even if the whole idea of the paper is excellent.

Knowing all these simple but useful tips will keep you from making the most common mistakes and will improve the quality of your essay significantly.

Success Synthesis Essay Example

Very often completing a synthesis essay becomes a tough test even for the most experienced students. If you want to make sure that your paper is unique, relevant and up-to-date, you can familiarize with a synthesis essay example.

There are many websites, which offer such services and you can get a complete work simply by making a few clicks. It doesn’t mean that you can deliver someone’s work as your own but you can get new ideas and understand the task, working with a ready material. This will surely help you to save lots of time and nerve cells!

Synthesis Paper Outline and Format

If you want to write an outstanding paper, knowing a synthesis essay definition is not enough. You also need to understand how to format it properly. Here are the main formatting styles, which you may be asked to use:

• MLA;
• APA;
• Oxford;
• Harvard;
• Turabian.

However, if your teacher doesn’t have specific demands, you simply need to format your essay in a clear and readable manner. Try to use Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri fonts of the 12pt size. Use double spaces and 1’ margins on all sides. Put your name, name of your professor, details of the course and the date on the header.

Write down these requirements in your synthesis essay outline, as it will greatly save your time in future. Once you are ready with the paper itself, just read all the formatting tips and tailor it according to your needs.

Order an Exclusive Paper of Top Standard

100% Originality Assured. Only Qualified Specialists

Top Quality

96% customers' satisfaction rate

400+ Native Writers

with minimum Master's degree

Discounts & Bonuses

5% discount with FIRST5 code

Order Now

If you want to go even further and make your paper a real piece of art, you may need help of the most successful techniques for a synthesis essay. They include:

• Summary. This technique is the simplest one and you need to be ready that it doesn’t seem elegant at all. The whole point of this method is to summarize all the sources in a list, mentioning the most important details. Try to put the most valuable sources last, as it will hold interest of the audience longer;
• Two+ reasons. When using this method, you need to write your thesis statement and then provide supportive reasons one after another. Their quantity is not limited but you should always start with the weakest and finish with the strongest reason to intrigue the reader;
• Examples/illustration. Summarizing and quoting an example or illustration will give your essay a fresh approach and the audience will definitely like visual materials from credible sources. However, you should always stick to the general structure and format of your work;
• Concession. Using this technique, you need to provide the reader with views of the opponent. However, you need to show that your point of view is stronger although your opponent’s ideas are interesting and valid. This method is often used, when you know that the reader has an opposite view on the matter;
• Strawman. This method is also based on presenting opponents arguments. However, here you need to show all of their weaknesses. You need to show that you are well aware of the subject and that you can defeat opponent’s proofs with ease. This one is quite a harsh strategy and requires a solid research and evidence;
• Compare and contrast. When using this technique you can analyze two sources at the same time. This means that you find which points are the same and which are different.

Top Synthesis Essay Topics

Now when you know what a synthesis essay is you can start working on it! If you lack ideas for the best paper ever, we are here to help.

Just choose the one from the list below and get started!

1. Impact of social media on the modern society;
2. How texting influences vocabulary of teenagers;
3. Drug abuse in colleges;
4. Pros and cons of abortions;
5. Corruption in schools;
6. Influence of patriarchy on the global community;
7. Where artificial intelligence will take us;
8. How we contribute to the global warming;
9. Steps to prevent hunger;
10. Mental anorexia: causes and prognosis;
11. Should alcohol be sold only in specialized stores?
12. Necessity of gun control;
13. Causes and reasons of feminism;
14. Which occupations are doomed to vanish and why?
15. How to increase global literacy?