Introduction

In a synthesis essay, you are not just reporting on the results of your research You are actively engaged in a dialogue with the sources.

You blend everything you have learned with your own creative ideas, and thereby put your own stamp on it.

As the name suggests, a synthesis essay requires that you carefully synthesize (blend and combine) facts or viewpoints from various sources into a cohesive whole. 

How to Start a Synthesis Essay

Using this guide, you will learn how to proceed from start to finish on an effective synthesis essay. This article also gives you tools for constructing a good outline for a synthesis essay, and a synthesis essay example you can refer to while you work.

The basic steps for writing a synthesis essay include:

• Choosing a topic

• Conducting research and taking notes

• Identifying themes in the research

• Narrowing your focus and writing a thesis statement

• Writing an outline

• Writing and editing your essay

Choosing a Synthesis Essay Topic

Often the trickiest part of writing a good synthesis essay is not actually putting your thoughts into words, but rather, choosing what to write about in the first place.

If you are lucky, your professor, teacher, or instructor gave you specific directions—even going so far as to provide the specific sources you need to synthesize in your essay.

For instance, your instructions and essay prompt might look like this:

Write an essay of approximately 1500 words that synthesizes the views of Aaron (2015), Beck (2011), and Schuster (2009) regarding the efficacy of microlending.

Unfortunately, not all synthesis essays will be as easy as this. You may need to come up with your own topic, and find your own sources.

While this can take more time and effort than when your instructor gives you the sources and the prompt, you can follow the tips in this guide to make your work a lot easier.

The broader the field, the harder it can be to choose an appropriate topic. If you want to pick a topic in the field of psychology, for example, first you have to consider what area you want to write about, such as social psychology, personality psychology, or developmental psychology.

Yet even that is not enough. You still have to narrow down your subject. Unless you were given a specific essay prompt or topic, you may need to spend some time figuring out what you want to write about.

A good way to brainstorm possible synthesis essay example topics would be to read a general article or browse the contents of your textbook. Pick a subject that interests you, and about which a lot has been written.

Remember, to be successful, a good synthesis essay must include several external sources. That means you will need to pick a topic that enough people have written about in order to provide you with sufficient material for your synthesis essay.

Synthesis Essay Topics Examples

• Concepts of enlightenment in Mahayana Buddhism

• Causes of the rise to power of ISIS/Islamic State

• Beyond trait theories: A new vision of leadership

• What are the core values of the nursing profession?

• A comprehensive strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change

• The role of women in Shakespeare plays

Conducting Research

Now that you have your essay topic, it is time to do some research.

Depending on what general subject area you are studying, your process for researching will involve the use of online sources, books, and scholarly journals.

Use the tools and resources available through your college or university library, and ask a writing tutor for help when you get stuck. 

The most important thing to remember as you do research is to stay focused, and to take notes. Write down the full bibliographical information for each source you will use in your synthesis essay. You will need that information for compiling the bibliography, references, or works cited page.

When you take notes, also jot down the page number so that you can provide appropriate in-text citations in the body of your synthesis essay.

See our guide on how to cite sources in an essay for further assistance.

Identifying Themes in the Research

With the notes you have taken, you can perceive themes in the research.

Ask yourself these questions:

What do all the sources have in common? What do most authors agree on?

Even when authors disagree, you will notice that they still focus on similar issues related to your topic. When you find significant disagreements among the sources you choose, you can still synthesize the information using the power of critical thinking. 

Why do these authors disagree? Are they using a different set of values or assumptions? Jot down all your ideas, because synthesizing the information from your research is what you are asked to do in a synthesis essay.

Try to come up with between three to five themes for your synthesis essay. Fewer than three themes will not be sufficient for a good essay. Likewise, more than five themes will make your essay too broad and scattered.

Writing Thesis Statement

After identifying the themes in the literature you can now narrow your focus even further, to make a truly impressive synthesis essay. The ultimate goal of narrowing your focus now is to write a thesis statement that encapsulates the heart of your synthesis essay.

To come up with a thesis statement, consider this: If you had to make an “elevator pitch” to someone about the essay topic, what would you say?

If you can, weave in elements of all the different themes into your thesis statement to show how you blended and combined various ideas, concepts, or authors under a common rubric.

When you accomplish this goal, you are well on your way to creating the perfect synthesis essay.

Synthesis Essay Outline

Whether you left yourself a lot of time or not, writing an outline will save you a lot of trouble. Especially when you are up against a tight deadline, an outline will help you write much faster than you would without one. 

Even if your outline is sparse and skimpy, it will be tremendously helpful to organize your thoughts. An outline is like a roadmap to your paper; it prevents you from getting lost or distracted. It keeps you focused and efficient. For more help, see our guide on how to write an outline for an essay.

An outline for a synthesis essay is simple. Just start by writing the thesis statement at the top. Then, organize the essay according to the themes you identified in the research. List each theme individually, and then provide direct references to the literature related to that theme.

Your outline may look something like this:

I. Introduction

A. Opening anecdote or statement.

B. Thesis revealing the themes or areas of congruence in the research

II. What the literature says about the first theme

A. Discuss views on theme referring directly to the literature

B. Use in-text citations.

C. Synthesis: Draw conclusions based on your synthesis of ideas.

III. What the literature says about the second theme

A. Discuss views on theme referring directly to the literature

B. Use in-text citations.

C. Synthesis: Draw conclusions based on your synthesis of ideas.

IV. What the literature says about the third theme

A. Discuss views on theme referring directly to the literature

B. Use in-text citations.

C. Synthesis: Draw conclusions based on your synthesis of ideas.

V. Conclusion

A. Restate the thesis.

B. Wrap up what you said, inviting questions to guide future research.

Refer to the following synthesis essay example outline.

Synthesis Essay Example Outline

Here is a synthesis essay example outline for reference purposes:.

Prompt: Synthesize various views on the ISIS phenomenon and the impact of ISIS on global politics.

I. The Middle East has never been a place of peace and stability; even in ancient times the region was a hotbed of political and social turmoil.

A. ISIS represents the most recent, and one of the bloodiest, conflicts in the history of the Middle East.

B. While much has been written about ISIS, there is a remarkable level of consensus on the characteristic features of the group and what its rise to power means for global political realities.

C. Thesis: A synthesis of the research on ISIS shows that an unusual drive towards unrealistic goals may have been driven as much by deliberate destabilization in the region as by the quasi-religious fanaticism typically attributed to the cause.

II. First Theme: ISIS is unlike other Islamist terrorist organizations because it did not arise out of a specific culture, and nor does it reflect the values of any established culture.

A. Even though the roots of the group can be traced back to Al-Qaeda, ISIS has set itself apart from other terrorist organizations rather than form strategic allies with them (Gulmohamad, 2014).

B. Cultural factors do not adequately explain how ISIS rose to power (Al-Ibrahim, 2015).

C. Synthesis: The fact that ISIS does not reflect the values of mainstream Islam at all, and the fact that ISIS has used violence against other Muslim groups has helped to slow its spread and may help weaken the anti-Islam sentiments brewing in non-Muslim parts of the world

III. Second Theme: All terrorist groups are defined by their use of violence, but ISIS has demonstrated a unique and strategic use of violence.

A. “The brutality of ISIS is strategic,” not just to engender fear but to ensure territorial expansion (Neer & O’Toole, 2014, p. 145).

B. ISIS is “not an ordinary jihadi group,” (Gulmohamad, 2014, p. 2).

C. Synthesis: ISIS proved to be a formidable enemy not only for Western powers but Muslim states, too.

IV. Third Theme: Learning from ISIS may help overcome various political schisms and promote global counterterrorist cooperative endeavors.

A. Because ISIS relies on “extensive funding resources,” it can be used to demonstrate how to cut off financial funding for terrorist organizations (Gulmohamad, 2014, p. 2).

B. ISIS used media strategically and to recruit not just young jihadists and Ba'ath officials, but also Westerners and a disproportionate number of women,” (Neer & O’Toole, 2014, p. 145).

C. Synthesis: Studying the unique methods used by ISIS to recruit and mobilize resources will help in global counterterrorist endeavors and possibly promote greater cooperation between various nation-states.

V. Conclusions

A. A synthesis of the research shows that tacit involvement of states like Turkey and Russia in the ISIS crisis signals a new era in global geo-politics.

B. ISIS used unique methods to achieve its goals, destabilizing the region and polarizing the Muslim world.

C. Rebuilding after the ISIS crisis will prove challenging, but may also offer opportunities to construct a new strategy for peace in the Middle East.

Synthesis Essay Example

The global impact of Islamist terrorism continues to confound and perplex policymakers, even after the slow demise of ISIS. However, the terrorist organization known as ISIS (Islamic State of Syria) or ISIL (Islamic State of the Levant) offers analysts insight into effective counterterrorism strategies in the future. Similarly, reviewing the rise and fall of ISIS can lend insight into how to broach many of the ongoing problems in the Middle East and beyond. Through a glut of research on the topic, several themes emerge. One theme is related to the use of violence within the ISIS group, which uses different and more severe methods to achieve its aims versus other Islamist organizations. This knowledge can be applied to a broader understanding of the differences between terrorist organizations and their strategies. Second, the literature shows how ISIS fits into global geo-political realities. The rise to power of ISIS in Syria, and responses to the civil war there, revealed various schisms between nations and regions. A synthesis of the research on ISIS shows that an unusual drive towards unrealistic goals may have been driven as much by deliberate destabilization in the region as by the quasi-religious fanaticism typically attributed to the cause.

ISIS is unlike other Islamist terrorist organizations because it did not arise out of a specific culture, and nor does it reflect the values of any established culture. Because of the detachment to traditional culture, ISIS has attracted unlikely followers among non-Muslim Westerners and also Muslims from various regions )Neer & O’Toole, 2014). Cultural factors never adequately explained the rise to power of ISIS or the “colossal level of violence the group exercises against its enemies,” (Al-Ibrahim, 2015, p. 408). ISIS seemed perfectly poised to capitalize on the region’s high level of instability, enabling the manipulative and self-seeking involvement of external actors like Turkey and Russia (Gulmohamad, 2014). Analysts agree that ISIS is a unique case among Islamist terrorist organizations, underscoring the unavoidable complexities and conundrums in achieving a lasting peace.

All terrorist groups are defined by their use of violence, but ISIS has demonstrated a unique and strategic use of violence. “The brutality of ISIS is strategic,” not just to engender fear but to ensure territorial expansion (Neer & O’Toole, 2014, p. 145). While most of the targets of ISIS have an affiliation with the West, ISIS has attacked Muslim targets with impunity too. Therefore, ISIS is “not an ordinary jihadi group,” (Gulmohamad, 2014, p. 2). The goal of ISIS to establish an old-fashioned caliphate also shows that unlike other groups, it wanted actual geographical borders and worked hard to expand its territorial reach throughout Syria and the Levant. Synthesizing various authors shows that ISIS has proved to be a formidable enemy not only for Western powers but Muslim states, too.

Learning from ISIS may help overcome various political schisms and promote global counterterrorist cooperative endeavors. Because ISIS has relied on “extensive funding resources,” it can be used to demonstrate how to cut off financial funding for terrorist organizations (Gulmohamad, 2014, p. 2). Tracing the funding sources may help future counterterrorism efforts to prevent similar groups from taking power. Also, ISIS used media strategically and to recruit not just young jihadists and Ba'ath officials, but also Westerners and a disproportionate number of women,” (Neer & O’Toole, 2014, p. 145). It is important to understand the reasons why people from disparate backgrounds joined ISIS in order to prevent the problem from recurring and to establish the foundation for world peace. Studying the unique methods used by ISIS to recruit and mobilize resources will help in global counterterrorist endeavors and possibly promote greater cooperation between various nation-states.

A synthesis of the research shows that tacit involvement of states like Turkey and Russia in the ISIS crisis signals a new era in global geo-politics. For example, research shows that ISIS used unique methods to achieve its goals, destabilizing the region and polarizing the Muslim world. In a region already plagued by turmoil, violence, and instability, ISIS has left Syria in disarray and possible disrepair. The tragedy of ISIS cannot be logically explained, but ongoing analysis of the causes and effects of the terrorist organization offers clues to how to better construct counterterrorism plans to mitigate such problems in the future. Rebuilding after the ISIS crisis will prove challenging, but may also offer opportunities to construct a new strategy for peace in the Middle East.

References

Al-Ibrahim, B. (2015). ISIS, Wahabism, and Takfir. Contemporary Arab Affairs 8(3): 408-415.

Gulmohamad, Z.K. (2014). The rise and fall of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (Levant) ISIS. Global Security Studies 5(2). Retrieved from: http://www.globalsecuritystudies.com/Gulmonhamad%20ISIS%20AG.pdf

Neer, T. & O’Toole, M.E. (2014). The violence of the Islamic State of Syria (ISIS). Violence and Gender 1(4): 145-156.

Conclusion

The synthesis essay example provided here gives you a good idea of how you might proceed to structure your own synthesis essay, for whatever subject you are writing about. This guide also offers you tips on how to outline your synthesis essay and come up with ideas for topics. A synthesis essay requires you to read various academic sources on the same subject, and pick out what the experts in the field have to say and why it matters.

When you synthesize the academic literature, you are drawing from all of your sources to find common threads and common themes. Then you weave those ideas together, adding your own opinions and drawing your own unique conclusions. Because you are asked to engage the scholarly sources using critical thinking, a synthesis essay can be considered a sophisticated and advanced type of academic writing. Congratulations on your hard work, which will pay off as your essay writing skills improve.