Synthesis Essay Rough Draft:
Remember, in the Synthesis Essay, you will conduct a short investigation into a topic that interests you and relates to your life in some way. The purpose of this assignment is to synthesize the ideas of multiple sources into one coherent, research-based essay. The key here is that you must construct the essay around your own thesis. That is, you should present your own perspective on the topic you choose, and use multiple sources as evidence to prove your thesis.
In this section, you will write a complete rough draft of the essay. Be sure to use the essay writing skills you’ve developed throughout the quarter as you construct this final essay.
Remember that this essay should use at least five sources and be about four to five pages long. Keep in mind that this should NOT be an essay that focuses on your personal perspective (limit your use of “I”), nor should it simply be a review/summary of the sources you’ve found. To properly complete the draft, consider the following steps:
• With the benefit of all your research, reconsider and clarify your working thesis statement.
• Reconsider and revise your outline, to make certain that your organization of information will effectively prove your thesis statement.
• Draft topic sentences and body paragraphs for each section in your outline. Make sure that each paragraph has a topic sentence and an appropriate amount of supporting detail from your sources. Consider whether the detail in each paragraph relates to the main point of the paragraph. Remember, your paragraphs should be unified, developed, and coherent, and have strong topic sentences.
• Incorporate your sources by using quotations and paraphrasing your sources in each paragraph. You must cite your sources each time you quote or refer to information in them. Each reference listed should have at least one corresponding in-text citation.
• Write an appropriate introduction, conclusion, and title for your essay. Your introductory section should introduce your reader to the topic and include your thesis statement. Your conclusion should restate your thesis and your main points.
• Finally, add a title that indicates the main idea of the essay, without restating your thesis statement.
• This essay should be roughly 1000 words in length.