100 Good Synthesis Essay Topics for Inquisitive Minds and Brilliant Papers

Synthesis is a style of writing that draws information from many sources and combines them into a coherent argument, discussion, or informative digest. Depending on a particular type of paper, synthesis can provide extensive supporting evidence for an argument, present an overview of differing theories, or give a balanced account of opposing viewpoints. Synthesis is used for argumentative essays, research papers, business reports, literature reviews, and analysis papers.

Thorough research plays a pivotal role in producing a solid synthesis essay. When brainstorming synthesis paper ideas, it is vital to narrow down the scope, otherwise, the research volume will quickly become unruly. For example, a topic such as "Global warming" is by far too broad. It is impossible to give a comprehensive account of the phenomenon, its causes, effects, possible solutions, and theories surrounding it in one college paper. However, something more defined, such as "Effects of global warming on polar bears," is already manageable.

Below you will find a list of 100 synthesis essay topic examples along with some model written works attached to them. To help you find the best fit quicker, we have grouped the topics by subject categories.

Education Synthesis Paper Topics

On the surface, many synthesis essay prompts look just like suggestions for any other argumentative or persuasive paper, and the difference is not that easy to spot. For example, the free-response section of the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition test (often shortened to AP Lang) includes three essays, the first of which is synthesis, and the last is argumentative. Both give the assertion and ask you to defend, challenge, or qualify it using the supporting evidence. The only difference is that for the synthesis essay, you are given 6 or 7 excerpts, of which you should use at least 3 combined to make your case for the claim. Therefore, the key for the synthesis is to work with multiple sources and draw cohesive conclusions from a diverse pool of information.

"So, how shall I write my essay, then?" Great question! The key is to find the right organization strategy. Depending on the genre of your synthesis paper, you can use one of the following:

• Comparison and contrast – summarize each source highlighting differences and similarities (works best for overviews)
• Problem and solution – put forward a problem as a thesis and offer several solutions based on your pool of sources (works best for reports and research papers)
• Climactic order – start from the least potent evidence and climb up to the most significant and persuasive (works best for arguments).

Ready to pick your topic? Let's start with something close to home – education.

1. Teaching English reading to Arabic students
2. Criticism of the evidence-based practice
3. Research synthesis: systematic phonics instruction
4. Understanding the concept of friendship
5. Effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance of college students
6. Pros and cons of punishing off-campus cyberbullying
7. What are the pros and cons of single-sex classrooms?
8. What are the arguments for and against school uniforms?
9. Teaching gifted students in inclusive classrooms
10. Tackling sensitive topics in preschool and elementary education
11. Sex education: finding the balance between curriculum requirements and parental objections
12. Challenges and benefits of self-directed education
13. The correlation between standardized test scores and later academic achievements
14. Teacher's role in career orientation
15. Challenges and possibilities of teaching in a low-tech classroom
16. Strategies for working with difficult students

Argumentative Synthesis Essay Topics

Persuasive writing is arguably the most interesting genre to work with, but at the same time, the most challenging. It takes more than rhetorical prowess to overturn the opinions of others. The key to success is methodical research and the ability to understand your opponent's reasoning. With the following argumentative synthesis topics, you will have an excellent opportunity to practice that!

17. Should faith schools be banned?
18. Should evolution theory be taught in public schools?
19. Should marijuana be legalized in all 50 states for recreational (as well as medical) use?
20. Should parents be allowed to spank their children?
21. Should English be the official language in the United States?
22. Should prostitution be legalized?
23. Why we should increase military spending
24. Should we ban pit bulls?
25. Should we lower the drinking age?
26. Should we vaccinate our children?
27. Should prayer be allowed in schools?
28. Should we all be vegetarian?
29. Should we trust the media?
30. Should we raise the age limit for obtaining a driving license?
31. Should community colleges be tuition-free?
32. Gun control: should the US follow Australian practices?
33. Should marriage be abolished?

STEM, Biology, and Natural Resources Synthesis Essay Ideas

Below you will find synthesis essay topic ideas for a wide range of subject areas from IT to Ecology. Don't forget to check out the free samples attached to select topics as a studying aid.

34. Perspectives of the project-based learning for STEM education
35. Continuum mechanics applications in nanotubes
36. Electrical conductivity as a function of nanoadditive (carbon-based) in biopolymer
37. Comparing turboprop and turbojet engines
38. Securing cloud network infrastructure using Bayesian predictive analysis against unrecognized malware
39. The capability of crystalline silicon, thin-film solar cells, and photonic nanostructures to enhance the efficiency of solar panels for domestic use
40. Main challenges of the emerging translation and speech generation technology
41. Artificial Intelligence: problems and perspectives
42. Analysis of oil palm shell concrete
43. Oxidation and advanced oxidation processes for water and wastewater treatment
44. Understanding the implications of global warming
45. Fracking in the United States: energy over health?
46. Economic growth vs. conservation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil
47. Deforestation and its impact on biodiversity
48. Risk factors of future zoonosis epidemics and possible solutions
49. Climate change impact on public health and life expectancy
50. Problems and perspectives of introduced species in developing countries

Arts and Literature Topics for Synthesis Essays

Art is a creative synthesis by definition, so it lends itself readily to this type of writing. If you need topics for a synthesis essay on music, literature, visual art, or pop culture, look in this section.

51. What is leitmotif: from Wagner to Stephen Sondheim
52. The problem of objectification in show business
53. The role of consumerism in the crisis of contemporary art
54. The significance of environment in art installations
55. The renaissance of mural art: the good, the bad, and the ugly
56. A brief history of body horror
57. Nathaniel Hawthorne's views on gender in The Scarlet Letter
58. Public perception of the arts and the disconnection between the value of art and the value of artists
59. Theme and narrative elements in the short story The Welcome Table by Alice Walker
60. The use of jazz in the short story Sony's Blues by Baldwin
61. Gender divide and role reversal in Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare
62. Themes explored in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
63. Themes explored in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
64. Transcendentalism thoughts in contemporary culture
65. Naturalism in Jose Austacio Rivera's The Vortex
66. History and way of life in biographies by Sima Qian
67. Conflicts and social expectations in Troncoso's and Smith's literary works

Synthesis Topics to Write About Politics, Law, and Society

Politics is a hotbed of controversial issues, so there will be plenty of challenging matters to tackle in these explanatory synthesis essay topics.

68. The court-martial of General Sinclair
69. The relation of poverty and exposure to crime in adolescent men
70. Labor market inequalities
71. Human sex-trafficking: the Canadian perspective
72. Skill shortage in the Canadian labor market
73. What are the challenges faced by Saudi women and the business opportunities available to them
74. The relative importance of class and other stratification in post-industrial society
75. The components of the Immigration Modernization Act of 2013
76. Female teens' participation in Athletics
77. Significance of food to religion
78. Religion in the Arab world
79. An overview of the world religions
80. Developing world's role in global warming
81. Effectiveness of neuromarketing in comparison to traditional marketing methods
82. Corporate governance in the US and abroad
83. Comparison between supermarkets and discounters in the UK
84. Historic living cities and heritage planning

Nursing and Healthcare Synthesis Essay Topics

Health is the real wealth, so it probably should top our synthesis essay topics list. However, we decided to finish strong and crown our work with topic suggestions on nursing and medicine.

85. Challenges and strategies of building health information technology workforce
86. Barriers of implementation TQM approach in HCOS
87. Strategies to decrease the turnover in nursing
88. The unintended consequence of ACOS
89. Mental health issues in sexual assault survivors
90. Ways of achieving higher levels of education and training for nurses
91. Maintaining emotional wellbeing in a nursing profession
92. The effectiveness of Ginkgo Biloba for Alzheimer's disease treatment
93. Health effects of dietary fiber
94. Effects of public smoking
95. Causes of autism
96. Effect of physical activity in preventing/treating cardiovascular disease
97. Risk factors and possible causes of cancer
98. The efficiency of placebo for relief of pain with different algogenesis
99. Cognitive impairment and sexuality: attitudes, support, and prevention of exploitation
100. Bioethical dilemmas of prenatal diagnosis

Elements of synthesis can be found in the majority of academic papers. We invite you to explore our database of research papers, literature reviews, reports, and argumentative papers to master this writing style and find inspiration for topics on any subject you like. Stay curious and love writing!