This essay is evaluating your ability to construct an argument using sources. If you use information from the sources, you have to cite it. If you take text out of a source, you have to put it in quotation marks.

The first step in writing a persuasive essay actually takes place before you start drafting. This step is called prewriting. Prewriting helps you plan your essay, organize your material and make sure you have everything you need to present a clear and coherent argument.

Present enough information to show your credibility in the subject of your essay. You should write in the active voice as much as possible, although passive voice is acceptable in circumstances where you would otherwise use first (“I”) or second person (“you”).

Synthesizing simply means combining. Instead of summarizing the main points of each source in turn, you put together the ideas and findings of multiple sources in order to make an overall point. At the most basic level, this involves looking for similarities and differences between your sources.

1. The length of your paper should be 5-7 typed double-spaced pages with reasonable margins. This does not include your bibliography (or works cited). 3.As you use quotations to support your ideas, make sure you do not produce a paper of lengthy quotes strung together.

Tips for an effective synthesis essay: Establish your purpose to shape the way you want to argue and form your thesis. The thesis is the main claim or idea of your essay. Select your sources and become familiar with them so that you can discuss them in relationship to your thesis and supporting argument(s).

Do not misrepresent evidence to make it fit your thesis. You may even use some exact words or phrases from the original, but you will be writing your own statement (with citation, of course!). End every paragraph with your own sentence, not with a quote.

The main difference is that in synthesis essay writing, you will use the introduction to state your thesis as well your sources used. In other types of essay writing, in-text citations are used throughout the body to show sources, and rarely used in the introduction.

Select and use evidence from at least 3 of the provided sources to support your line of reasoning. Indicate clearly the sources used through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Sources may be cited as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the description in parentheses.