The synthesis essay is a rather unique academic tool that can help you structure your thoughts on a particular topic and present them in a coherent and persuasive fashion. There is a lot that you can learn and be better prepared for by writing one. Below, we’ve put together a list of what we think are the most important things that you need to keep in mind when writing your synthesis essay.
Know Your Purpose
One of the first things that you need to do is to know why you are writing this particular essay. What is the purpose of your synthesis essay? Is it to justify your opinion on a particular topic? Is it to introduce a new theory or concept? Your answer to these questions will dictate the structure and style of your essay. You don’t want to write a messy, rambling piece that seems to have no clear objective. The perfect synthesis essay will have a unifying theme or topic that ties its various parts together. Your essay’s structure should reflect how you intend on answering the question at hand. We recommend taking some time to think of a good topic before you start writing and try to keep your thesis statement as short and sweet as possible. Remember, you’re not writing a book, you’re writing an academic essay for a specific purpose and to meet a specific goal. Therefore, the more you can include that relates to your purpose the better. While you are writing your essay, it’s a good idea to keep re-writing and editing your work to make it sound more perfect. Your final draft should sound flawless, the kind of essay that would earn you high grades and make your professors nod in agreement as they read it.
The Art of Organization
When you write an academic essay, you need to be careful with how you organize your thoughts and the way that you present your ideas. One of the most important things that you need to do is to bring all your academic writing experiences together into one place. To help you organize your thoughts and keep track of what you’ve written, you can use a few different tools. One of the most popular and effective ones is called the mind map. You can create a mind map for almost any topic and it will help you brainstorm ideas and structure your thoughts on the topic at hand. You can also use a whiteboard or a sheet of paper to make mark-ups and changes as you go along. Using a mind map will help you create a more visual representation of your ideas and help you see the relationship between all the parts of your essay as you go along. It’s a good idea to look at other people’s essays and analyze their structures to see how you can improve your own work. Sometimes, it’s easier to understand the logic of someone else’s essay instead of struggling with your own thoughts and ideas all on their own. In cases like this, it can be helpful to email the author of the essay and ask them for clarification or to request a reprint. Sometimes, writers can be busy and not always willing to help. However, as part of your academic community, you are responsible for contributing to the common good. Sometimes, other students can benefit from your analysis and feedback on their own work too. In cases like this, being a good helper can potentially land you a few extra marks here and there. To get the most out of your synthesis essay, you need to be careful with how you Organize your ideas and Present them in a logical and organized manner.
Be Careful With Your Language
In your introduction, you probably already wrote several paragraphs about the topic and situation that you are addressing. In those paragraphs, you used words and phrases that are acceptable and understandable to a broad audience. In the rest of your essay, you should use words and phrases that are appropriate for an academic setting. Be careful about how you use words like: “research”, “proven”, “data”, and “article” when writing your synthesis essay. Remember, you are writing for an academic audience, which means that you should use words and phrases that are commonly used by academics. Using words and phrases that are not commonly used among academics may result in your essay being perceived as less credible. In cases like this, your grades might even take a hit as a result of poor writing and sloppy thinking. One of the most noticeable shifts in language that you will encounter as you write your synthesis essay is the shift from ‘factual’ to ‘analytical’ language. You will see sentences like: “Based on my research…” or “I would argue that….” Instead of “Based on the evidence,” you will see “In my view,” “It can be argued that,” or even just “It is.” When you use such phrases as ‘factual evidence’, ‘analytical reasoning’, ‘hypothesis’, and ‘argumentative’, you are inviting an academic audience to listen to your ideas and analyze them. In other words, you are asking them to think like an expert and offer an expert opinion. You are inviting them to challenge your conclusions and present their own arguments as to why they are more accurate. When you use such phrases as ‘factual evidence’, ‘analytical reasoning’, ‘hypothesis’, and ‘argumentative’, you are inviting an academic audience to listen to your ideas and analyze them. In other words, you are asking them to think like an expert and offer an expert opinion. You are inviting them to challenge your conclusions and present their own arguments as to why they are more accurate. The perfect synthesis essay will always have an abstract at the beginning that briefly explains the purpose of your essay and the underlying theme or issue being discussed. This abstract should be easy to understand and not too long. A good rule of thumb is that your abstract should be no longer than one page. Your first paragraph of your introduction should also include a short summary of the thesis. Remember that your introduction and your thesis are the two most important paragraphs of your essay, so make sure that they are both flawless and complete. It is often a good idea to start your introduction with a powerful trigger or question that will make your reader interested in what you have to say. Following this, you can use the rest of your introduction to elaborate on the topic raised by your trigger question. Be careful not to bombard your readers with too many facts or figures. If you happen to have one, you can include a bibliography at the end of your essay that lists all your sources. Remember to always quote your sources in the text and when you refer to them in your bibliography, always give them proper credit. It is usually a good idea to write a few drafts of your essay and then go through it and edit it carefully. This way, you can make sure that your thoughts flow smoothly and that all the important points are made clear. Once you are happy with your essay, you should ask a professor to review it and offer any comments or suggestions for improvement. In cases where you are having trouble figuring out what to write about or where you feel that you could make improvements, the review by an expert can be very helpful. Remember, writing your paper on time is crucial. Even though you might feel that you have enough time to spare, if you rush it, you might end up with sloppy and ineffective work. Therefore, ensure that you put in the necessary amount of time required to write a good paper. Following these tips will help you write a perfect synthesis essay that will earn you high grades and make your professors nod in agreement as they read it.