crafting-the-perfect-essay-outline-for-a-synthesis-paper-00060 [Documents]

“What is a synthesis essay? ” is one of the more common questions we receive from students. The name can seem a little intimidating but the assignment itself isn’t that much more challenging than a common argumentative paper. In a synthesis assignment you are given a list of resources which you must use to support your argument and demonstrate relationships for a particular issue - usually these resources (and topic issues) are provided by your instructor. The following article doesn’t show you how to write a synthesis essay but it does show you how to develop a key tool necessary to write a great assignment - the synthesis essay outline. A well-structured outline will maintain the argument and logic of your assignment. The most important part - also referred to the body paragraphs - contain your sub-topics, supporting evidence, sub-arguments, and your specific original ideas on the sub-topic. All of it should lead back to your thesis statement and transition to the next idea fluidly. There are three main parts to this type of assignment: the introduction, the body (multiple paragraphs), and the conclusion. Each part is distinct and helps the reader understand your argument and logic. This post was done by Essay Writers ! Your introduction should include a brief summary of the major points you will discuss in the body paragraph. Each body paragraph should have one unique sub-topic that is supported with evidence or examples from your research. And your conclusion should restate your discussion points and provide answers to any questions. Now that you have a structure draft of your outline, you can start to plug in the information you have gathered by conducting research. As mentioned earlier in this article this assignment is similar to a argumentative one - and those usually require at least three body paragraphs in support of your thesis statement. Choose your best ideas and fill in each part of the outline and arrange it for effectiveness. Finally, a lot of students will simply put together an outline but leave it sitting someplace without ever once using it when writing the first draft. Don’t fall into this same trap. It’s important for you to reference your outline throughout the writing process, possibly even revising it before you write a second draft of the assignment. At Synthesis Essay: Outline, Topics, And Examples , you may wish to summarize a key section or paragraph of a source in a single sentence. Try to anticipate what your reader needs to know at any given point of your paper in order to comprehend or appreciate fully the point you are making. EXAMPLE OR ILLUSTRATION: At one or more points in your paper, you may wish to refer to a particularly illuminating example or illustration from your source material. You might paraphrase this example (i.e., recount it, in some detail, in your own words), summarize it, or quote it directly from your source. In all these cases, of course, you would properly credit your source. TWO (OR MORE) REASONS: The "two reasons" approach can be an extremely effective method of development. You simply state your thesis, then offer reasons why the statement is true, supported by evidence from your sources. You can advance as many reasons for the truth of your thesis as needed; but save the most important reason(s) for last, because the end of the paper is what will remain most clearly in the reader's mind. STRAWMAN: When you use the strawman technique, you present an argument against your thesis, but immediately afterward you show that this argument is weak or flawed. The advantage of this technique is that you demonstrate your awareness of the other side of the argument and show that you are prepared to answer it. The strawman argument first presents an introduction and thesis, then the main opposing argument, a refutation of the opposing argument, and finally a positive argument. CONCESSION: Like the strawman, the concession technique presents the opposing viewpoint, but it does not proceed to demolish the opposition. Instead, it concedes that the opposition has a valid point but that, even so, the positive argument is the stronger one. This method is particularly valuable when you know your reader holds the opposing view. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST: Comparison and contrast techniques enable you to examine two subjects (or sources) in terms of one another. When you compare, you consider similarities. When you contrast, you consider differences. By comparing and contrasting, you perform a multifaceted analysis that often suggests subtleties that otherwise might not have come to your attention. To organize Before Turning In The Final Draft /contrast analysis, you must carefully read sources in order to discover significant criteria for analysis. A criterion is a specific point to which both of your authors refer and about which they may agree or disagree. The best criteria are those that allow you not only to account for obvious similarities and differences between sources but also to plumb deeper, to more subtle and significant similarities and differences. Both authors argue that by taking a path of greater resistance, people can make a difference against injustice which exists in society: in Bless Me, Ultima, the characters of Antonio and Ultima challenge the choice of taking a path of least resistance, as introduced by Johnson in Privilege, Power, and Difference, by standing up against injustices. While Understand And Write A Great Synthesis Essay of these two authors differ significantly, both discuss these two opposing types of education; Freire defines the concepts and Anyon illustrates them with her research. I’m not as crazy about this one. I am left asking: what’s the point? What’s the bigger picture? If you are writing this paper for the AP test, know that the graders will be looking for a specific structure. Illustration/examples: This method involves presenting a detailed summary, or a direct quote from the source that backs your perspective. You can include multiple examples or illustrations if your paper demands.