Posted: September 14th, 2017

Synthesis Essay: A synthesis essay requires you to summarize, evaluate, and analyze Custom Essay

A synthesis essay requires you to summarize, evaluate, and analyze. You will use information from at least three articles in the same issue cluster, making them “talk to each other” in one essay. You will also take your own position and participate in this “conversation” with your sources, being careful to simultaneously account for alternate opinions, counter arguments, and arguments sympathetic to your own stance. You will be writing essays like this in many courses as you advance through your college major.

Essay Organization and Development:
Individually, you will assert your own position within your issue. As you construct your essay, you will need to consider the following:
• Identify what the general issue or controversy is and pose a research question which is designed to explore the complexities of the issue rather than pose a yes/no question
• Explain your original opinion about the issue at the onset
• Summarize briefly but accurately what each of your selected articles argues about the issue
• Evaluate and describe how each article supports, adds to, weakens, or contradicts your opinion
• Analyze critically the credibility of each article
• Discuss why you have or have not reformulated your opinion, based on information that you learned from reading
• Provide a “References” page that correctly documents your chosen essays in APA format

Brief quotations may help you develop your essay and may also be helpful to represent each authors “dialog” in this “conversation.” Select quotations thoughtfully and show how they fit into your synthesis. Pay attention to the punctuation and other conventions of quoting.
Audience
For your 4-5 page synthesis, please identify, at least implicitly, your audience and where they fall on the sympathy spectrum. Be sure to adjust your strategies appropriately: your critical essay should present a formal academic tone and style.
Evaluation
This assignment requires you to write a complete and honed draft for 100 points (the other 50 will come from your presentation). You are allowed, but not required, to do an additional revision on your essay for a chance at improving your grade. Make sure you pay close attention to the bulleted criteria for grading above.