The Synthesis Paragraph Made Simple

Topic Sentence: The topic sentence should state your opinion. The synthesis paragraph supports your opinion with evidence from multiple sources.

Set-up: You need to set up your quotation. The set-up has a number of purposes. Some set-up sentences establish your source. Where did you find the information? What makes this author qualified to support your opinion? Sometimes the source material itself is sufficient to establish your author's qualification. For example, if your article comes from the Journal of American Medicine, your author is by definition credible. If your article is from High Times, on the other hand, it might be more difficult (but not impossible) to establish your source as reliable. Appositives can be very helpful when you are establishing sources. Once you have established your source as reliable, you don't need to do it again. Your set-up also needs to provide a little bit of context. What was the purpose of the source material? What was your author writing about in the essay when your quotation appears?

Quotation: Never use a quotation as a complete sentence. At the very least, begin like this: [Author] writes, " ..." (Author Pg). Here's an example:

Kline writes, "It's most effective to use your examples in chronological order" (Kline 12).

Generic Student asks, "What if the quotation ends with a question mark?" (Student 17).

The "Author's Name" in the parenthetical citation should be the first word that appears on the Works Cited page. You don't need the abbreviation "Pg" in your citation. You don't need to invent a page number for websites that don't have page numbers.

Analysis: First, decode any figurative language that appears in your quotation. Then, explain how the quotation supports your topic sentence. You don't need to label your quotation as a quotation.

Repeat the S-Q-A steps: At some point during the first Analysis or the second Set-up you will need to transition from your first quotation to your second. Transitions of addition, emphasis, or contrast will all work here (a quick google search will provide you with endless lists of transitions).

Closing: This sentence wraps up your paragraph or transitions the reader into your next paragraph (if you're writing a full essay).