Step 5: Synthesize & organize your sources.
So, it's time to revist Step 1! Your thesis statement is the skeleton of your paper. It should specifically outline in the first paragraph of your paper what you intend to prove to your audience throughout the rest of your argument.
Create a rhetorical situation complete with topic, audience, genre, style, opportunity, research, and the writer. These elements will help you define the purpose of your writing, and can assist in creating an appropriate thesis and corresponding argument. The questions below are particularly helpful to answer in order to demonstrate knowledge of audience in your writing (owl.english.purdue.edu):
Give yourself enough time! You will, undoubtedly, turn in some of your worst (but admittedly, some of your best) work when you're under the right amount of pressure due to the fear of a rapidly approaching deadline. The problem with this methodology "waiting until the last minute," however, is that it will never produce consistent results. By the time you've finished, you won't be able to look over your work, and you have probably consumed more than your fair share of caffeine.
In order to complete this step, you will need to utilize some more critical thinking skills. This is where you read what you've got, and see where your sources fit into your paper. Critical thinking is largely based in synthesis-- which may lead to new thought. This mini cycle is necessary as you near the final steps in writing your paper because of its potential influence on the finished product-- it's that important. The goal in you writing this paper (other than receiving a more than passing grade) is in generating new thought about your topic for your audience.
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Who is the audience for your writing?
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Do you think your audience is interested in the topic? Why or why not?
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Why should your audience be interested in this topic?
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What does your audience need to know about this topic?
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What experiences has your audience had that would influence them on this topic?
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What do you hope the audience will gain from your text?
This involves the actual writing of your paper. You'll be sure to include a mash-up of ideas and perspectives, establish connections between sources, create inferences from sources, and from there, develop your own ideas.
Using Sources In Your Library
