The Explanatory Synthesis

Now you are ready to write an explanatory synthesis. “The Explanatory Synthesis,” and it says this: “Your job in writing an explanatory paper… is not to argue a particular point, but rather to present the facts in a reasonably objective manner. Of course, explanatory papers, like other academic papers, should be based on a thesis.. But the purpose of a thesis in an explanatory paper is less to advance a particular opinion than to focus the various facts contained in the paper. In other words, you will not be writing about what you think about the texts but about the ideas in the texts. Note also that this isn’t simply a comparison/contrast essay. Thus, don’t simply write about the differences between the texts because this is too obvious of a points of course there are differences. Such simple concepts don’t need to be written about . Instead of thinking about differences, look for distinctions perhaps both texts talk about a particular happiness theory but in different ways, for example. Do you see how that is more complex than simply noting a difference?