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Synthesis
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A synthesis essay is a very specific type of research paper, where you are asked to draw upon specific sources to support your thesis.  These sources are generally ones that have been assigned as reading for a class or that relate to reading and lectures from your class.  The synthesis referred to in the title is the ability to connect these sources to each other to support a unifying theme or idea in your paper.

There are two main types of synthesis essays: argumentative and explanatory.  An explanatory synthesis essay helps the reader better understand an idea and is similar to an expository essay.  An argumentative synthesis essay uses information gained from the various sources to support an argument.  In your introduction, you will make it clear whether you are writing an explanatory or argumentative essay.  This is usually done via your thesis statement, which provides a very brief explanation of the goal of your essay.

Because a synthesis draws upon your knowledge of sources, you can expect part of the body of your synthesis to focus on summarizing your sources.  Depending on the nature of the essay, you may be summarizing the entire source or simply summarizing one or more of the ideas contained in the source. 

In the body of your synthesis essay, you are also going to carry out the goals you outlined in your introduction.  For an explanatory essay, you will develop the relationship between the sources and show how they work together to explain your topic.  In an argumentative essay, you will focus more on developing the relationship between the ideas expressed in your sources and how, when put together, those ideas support your thesis statement.

The conclusion of your synthesis essay will restate your thesis and then highlight how you have supported that thesis.  If you are still confused about the structure of a synthesis essay, we suggest looking through our free example essays for more guidance.

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Paper Undergraduate
Operations Management in the United Arab Emirates
Operations management is the cornerstone of successful global competitive strategies. It is also invaluable in defining the overall strength of a business by streamlining its product, process and management systems into a unified direction. The intent of this analysis is to explain why OM is so critical in the UAE and what it can contribute to the economy of that nation.
Paper Undergraduate
Facebook and Social Media as Online Conflict Resolution Platforms
Humans are social animals, and will usually dwell together in communities, based on their beliefs, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions which may be present and common, affecting the…
Case Study Masters
Effects of globalization on cultural change
It is stated in the work of Lieber and Weisberg that culture "in its various forms now serves as a primary carrier of globalization and modern values and constitutes an important arena of contestation for national,…
Essay Doctorate
Celebrity Endorsement Strategy: An Investigation Using Nike\'s
Using Nike's relationship with Federer as an example, the paper analyzes the use of celebrity endorsement strategy of the brands beginning from choosing the right celebrity figures until the final results of the strategy. Many industries promote their products by hiring the services of influential celebrities who advertise the products in question. The celebrity has to have various characteristics in order to be seriously considered as endorser. The company also has to take various steps to protect itself. The whole process of considering, finding, and finally hiring a celebrity is one that is done incrementally and thoughtfully with the whole, actually, occurring in four stages. Celebrity and brand are closely intertwined. Just as celebrity may profit the brand, the brand also effects the reputation of the celebrity. The company-endorser relationship, in other words, can provide potential benefits to both with both brand and endorser receiving increased attention and both benefitting from deal in various other ways. On the other hand, potential hazards include the fact that the endorser may overshadow the brand, may become involved in public controversy hence tarnishing the brand, and may be too expensive. Ultimately, research shows that the product has to be good to begin with and that The trend seems to be that celebrities are losing the appeal in marketing. A worthwhile product and ad will always attract notice regardless of endorsement. A poor one will fail for the same reason. Nonetheless, given the appeal of celebrities, it is likely that celebrity endorsement will always be around with their accompanying benefits and risks.
Paper Undergraduate
Literature review of dry needling techniques and efficacy
Over time, dry needling has turned out to be a well-liked therapy method in manual physical rehabilitation. Physiotherapists as well as other healthcare service providers in numerous nations utilize dry needling within the clinical therapy of individuals with myofascial discomfort and trigger points. Within the USA, roughly 20 states and also the District of Columbia have authorized dry needling by physiotherapists, that is an impressive improve ever since 2004, when only 4 states authorized dry needling. This paper reviews the literature on dry needling and presents an analysis on the current literature.
Paper Doctorate
Anne Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi and Civil Rights
This essay is an analysis of Anne Moody's book Coming of Age in Mississippi, from 1968. The essay compares Moody's analysis with the writings of historians. The essay talks about how Moody's experiences add to the historiography, which tends to whitewash the situation and focus only on the triumph and joy but not on the real factors that failed to be addressed by the movement.
Paper Undergraduate
Lincoln and leadership in American history
Schumpeter's essay (Dec 1st 2012) "Lincoln and leadership" in the Economist discusses Lincoln's leadership skills, showing how, occasionally, in American – and general history a leader arose who had unconventional leadership skills and was, indeed, an outsider to the system. Sometimes, in fact – and extraordinarily as it was – the outsider was better than eh insider: more skilled, knowledgeable. He could see it with a fresh eye. Schumpeter (2012) therefore proposes that it may be this very skill of the outsider: the ability to see the situation with a certain freshness that enables him to succeed and makes him so fitting for the task. Lincoln was one of these outsiders… The essay proceeds to discuss various leadership skills and to demarcate between insider and outsider
Paper Doctorate
Critical Thinking Skills When Today\'s University Student
The value of critical thinking skills is the main topic in this paper. Some authors believe that critical thinking skills should be taught as a separate subject and others believe that critical thinking skills should be embedded in each separate coursework (so that as the student is studying, for example, psychology, critical thinking skills would be taught in concert with the learning about certain specific psychological concepts. Critical thinking skills are not fully understood by many students but they should all be brought up to speed on critical thinking skills.
Paper Doctorate
Jet Blue Case Study Synthesis
The paper is based on a provided analysis of the Jet Blue airline company that has had a lot of challenges as well as successes. The paper therefore looks at the reasons behind the good performance of the company, the advantages it has over the competitors as well as the challenges and what should be done to overcome these challenges.
Paper Undergraduate
The hypothalamo-pituitary axis and oral contraceptive use in women
In order to control an individual's reproductive or gonadal hormones, the hypothalamo-pituitary axis needs to function properly. This axis is made up of the hypothalamus and the pituitary working together in order to…