Synthesis represents the combination of separate elements or substances to produce a more coherent paper structure.  A synthesis essay combines 3 or more sources to explain the central thesis. The main aim of a synthesis essay is to accurately present information from the sources with the use of a variety of phrases and sentences. 

 The process of writing a synthesis essay is through research or other available resources such as books, journals or online databases.  A thesis statement is one declarative sentence that expresses what the readers need to understand. It represents the main idea of the essay. 

Before any writing, gather all the necessary information on the given topic. Get acquainted with other individual opinions and jot down a summary of each resource.  Focus on brainstorming, questions or maps to start a writing point. Paraphrase as much as possible. That means restating someone else’s words with a credit. 

Types of an essay synthesis 

There are several types of synthesis essays: argument synthesis, review, and an explanatory or background synthesis. An argument synthesis is a type of essay with a strong thesis statement. A review is most commonly written in a form of an argument synthesis. The explanatory essay is a type of essay that helps readers to categorize facts and present them further.

The essay structure

A synthesis essay must be organized to understand the sources and evaluate the thesis. A synthesis essay is composed of the introduction, the body paragraph and a conclusion. The introduction consists of a thesis sentence that summarizes the focus of the synthesis paper. It provides the title of each source and certain background information.  

The body paragraph starts with a topic sentence and includes information from more than one source. The conclusion has a concluding paragraph that restates the thesis in different words and summarizes topics.

The body paragraph consists of the topic sentence that highlights the main idea of the paragraph. It consists further of the concrete details, commentary and the concluding or transition sentence.  A good paragraph uses strong transition words that help the audience to understand the ideas. 

The transition words are for example, thus, in summary, for instance, because of this, hence, consequently, as a result, therefore etc.

The writing steps

First, understand the concept of a synthesis essay and its purpose. Then choose a topic most suitable for a synthesis essay with several sources related. Then, choose and read the resources in a detailed manner.  The most successful writing process depends on the quality of an outline for this kind of an essay.  Write in the third person. 

In the introductory paragraph start with a hook sentence, then overview the issue to be discussed. In the body paragraphs, focus on the topic sentence, explain and add an opinion of the topic sentence. In the conclusion paragraph, state the further significance of the topic and explain the evidence and reasons discussed in the essay. 

Finally, appropriately edit the paper – check the grammar errors and proofread the paper.