Prewriting and Planning

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.
To select a topic, focus on those things that come up in your life that make you think, or
that make you curious. For example, you may explore organic and local foods, PPO vs.
HSA health care plans, or acupuncture as a treatment for back pain. The research
question that you attempt to answer does not have to be related to medicine, however;
for example, you could also write about parenthood, media issues, or any other idea that
sparks your interest, except for the few off-limits topics mentioned below.
As you write your essay, remember your purpose, audience, and tone: what are
you trying to get across? what do you want your reader to take away from your
essay? how can you most effectively reach your reader? In addition, to prove your
thesis, you are required to reference information gathered from at least 3 high quality
sources. High quality sources are reputable and scholarly. At least half of your sources
should come from publications like journals, reports, essays, and books. Though many
of these can be found online, these are distinctly different from personal web pages and
personal blogs. Reputable online sources and publications should be affiliated with wellknown
and reputable organizations or well-established institutions (sites that end with
.edu or .gov are often considered more credible, but you should examine each source on
a case by case basis).
As always, do not plagiarize. All direct quotations and information taken from your
sources must be credited in APA style. Present all of your research in a responsible,
organized way and make the main ideas in the essay your own. If you plagiarize, you will
get no credit, and there will be no chance to make up the points you lost. Depending on
the severity of the plagiarism, you may not be able to pass the course.
It is in your best interests to choose a unique topic. The “common” research essay
topics may seem easy, but they are deceivingly difficult to do well. They’re generally too
broad, they’re hard to approach with an open mind, and there’s too much information
available to adequately narrow your focus. Therefore, the following topics are off
limits:
• Same-sex marriage
• Abortion
• Assisted Suicide Video game/media violence
• Stem-cell Research
• Obesity
Prewriting:
• Choose a topic based on what you observe and experience in your own life.
Complete Informal Writing Assignment 4 as an exercise to start thinking about your
topic, and to get feedback from your peers.
• Review the course lesson called “The Writing Process – Prewriting and Drafting.”
You will turn in a single Word document (in .doc format) that shows how you
followed the writing process in thinking about your essay.
• Before you begin the prewriting assignment, complete some preliminary research.
You can search the databases in our Virtual Library, the Internet at large, look at
physical books in a brick-and- mortar library, or interview an expert on your topic.
You don’t have to complete all of your research, but you should have some
familiarity of the information out there about your topic.
To complete the prewriting assignment, submit:
1. A prewriting exercise, like freewriting, brainstorming, or concept mapping. (3 points)
2. A working thesis statement. (2 points)
3. A preliminary outline of your essay. (3 points)
4. Two APA style references (as they would appear on a references page, with all the
relevant publication information) for sources you’ve found in your preliminary
research. (2 points)
Note: if you create a concept map in an image editing program, you may submit this
portion of the assignment separately from the rest of the assignment in a common image
format, like .jpg. You may also copy and paste the concept map into a Word document
with the rest of your assignment. You could also scan your concept map and submit it as
an image or PDF file. If you choose to complete a concept map and submit it separately
from the rest of your assignment, make sure to submit the rest of your work in a Word
document (use the file format .doc, .docx, or .rtf)