2 points a good essay must not have synopsis

The bibliography format for academic essays is usually the MLA style unless your professor specifically requests a different format. For a complete list of how to cite resources in MLA style, check out this site . Don't lose points over your bibliography. The hard part of your essay should be coming up with an original analysis of your topic. The bibliography is formulaic and easy to get right if you give it a little effort.

In the age of the Internet, it's easy to type in a keyword and find dozens of articles on it. But that doesn't mean all of those articles are credible. Make sure that the resources you use come from academic experts. For tips on how to find credible academic resources online, check out this site .

Avoiding these mistakes will improve your essay writing, so you can achieve higher quality and confidence in your academic writing. And it will make your professors happy, too.

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Learn how to prepare and write a synopsis assignment.

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A synopsis is a brief summary which gives readers an overview of the main points. In an academic context, this is usually a summary of a text (a journal article, book, report etc) but in some instances you might be writing a synopsis of a talk, film or other form of presentation. A synopsis is a neutral summary, objectively capturing the main points, rather than your own perspective or critique, and it focusses directly on the text you’re summarising rather than being a wider discussion of a topic, as an essay might be.

A synopsis aims to give the reader a full, if brief, account of the whole text so that they can follow its main points without having to read it themselves. It’s not a ‘trailer’ designed to tempt your audience to read the text itself, so you don’t have to worry about ‘hooking’ them in with hints and high points or ‘spoiling the ending’ - give the whole text equal coverage, including the conclusions. You could add some commentary which gives the reader a bit of context about the text, including the authors and circumstances it was written in (for example, if it is part of a debate, particular school of thought or its significance and what impact it’s had).

Writing a good synopsis is a skill, and there are a number of challenges: 

• Separating the main points from the minor detail
• Knowing what to leave out as well as what to include
• Giving a sense of the overall narrative as well as listing the key points
• Covering the whole text within a small word limit
• Knowing how closely to stick to the original, especially in terms of the wording
• Whether to give all key points equal treatment, or cover some more briefly, even combining them
• Rephrasing things concisely without losing the meaning or misrepresenting it
• Not leaving out anything crucial to understanding the whole overall message

A good synopsis will allow the reader to feel as if they’d skimread the whole text themselves, understanding the overall gist and highlighting what they need to know. A poor synopsis will get bogged down in detail, giving a confused account of the whole story by just listing points, miss out major points or give an inaccurate or one-sided account or stick so closely to the original that it becomes plagiarism without demonstrating a real understanding by the person summarising it.  

How to prepare a synopsis

Boiling down the key points and overall narrative of the original means good reading and note-taking skills which aim to identify and boil down key points to their essence. You could try some of the following approaches: 

• Read the whole text, and afterwards, without re-reading, jot down your first initial summary in 50 words to capture its overall point. You can check it back for accuracy or anything you left out, but stick within ca 50 words
• Read the introduction and first line of each paragraph to get a sense of the overall structure and key points within it
• Highlight one sentence in each paragraph that you think is essential detail to understanding that section
• Alternatively, with a marker pen, cross out anything that isn’t essential to an understanding of the whole section or text 
• Jot down only key words as a summary of each point rather than whole sentences
• Read each paragraph and summarise it without looking, in one sentence of your own 
• Consider how many points you can make within your word count, and reduce or combine your list of summarised points down to this number

You could start small, identifying just keywords or sentences at first and then work them up into phrases, bullet points and sentences as a rough plan or draft, or you could start big with the original text and reduce each section, paragraph and sentence summary again and again until you have boiled it down to its essence.  

When you start to prepare your first plan or draft, try to use your notes or memory and step away from the original as much as you can. You can go back and check it afterwards, but you need to create some distance to be able to create your own account and have confidence in the points you have identified as essential.

Writing a synopsis

The main decisions facing you as you write up your summary are about how closely to stick to the original in terms of structure and style, and how much attention to give to each point. 

• You could begin your synopsis with a brief context, explaining who the authors are, the context and significance of their work, as well as anything you think might help the reader to understand the following summary
• The most common structure is to follow that of the original text, to give a sense of its narrative flow as well as the key points within it. You could choose to depart from it a little though, perhaps glossing over some points faster than others, combining two sections which go together or aren’t enough in their own right, possibly even changing the order a little where it helps to combine two similar points. Careful use of signposting language will help the reader clearly follow the structure (and note anywhere you’ve changed it from the original) so they can identify the bit you’re talking about in the original if they want to
• The style will naturally be strongly influenced by the original wording, but you should phrase it in your own words wherever possible. It’s harder to nibble away words from a much longer original than it is to start again and use your own concise phrasing, and you want to demonstrate your own understanding to the reader. You could use the odd original phrase or quotation here or there, but the synopsis needs to be more than a collage of quotations; it’s a thing in its own right rather than a cut-down version of the original
• You can also show your own response to the text in the way you use language to guide the reader to what you feel are the key points and (briefly) why. Your own voice doesn’t need to be very obvious in the synopsis, as it’s about the text rather than your reaction to it, but you have made analytical decisions about what is important, and might want to explain to the reader why these points are significant in understanding the whole
• What is the main purpose of this text? What did it aim to discover, explain or prove?
• Why was this research done? How significant is it?
• How was the research conducted? What kind of research is it?
• What were the three (or four, five) main things I should be aware of from this paper?
• What is their line of argument?
• What is their overall conclusion, recommendation, finding? Why is that important?

Managing word count

The trick to writing a concise synopsis which keeps within your word limit is not to start from the much bigger original text, but from your own boiled down notes. If you’re over the word count, you could start cutting out words that don’t seem essential, but if you go too far, you end up with a text which does not read well and doesn’t hang together. It might be better to remove whole sentences and perhaps whole points, than nibble away at words here and there.

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• How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples

Published on November 23, 2020 by Shona McCombes . Revised on May 31, 2023.

Summarizing , or writing a summary, means giving a concise overview of a text’s main points in your own words. A summary is always much shorter than the original text.

There are five key steps that can help you to write a summary:

• Read the text
• Break it down into sections
• Identify the key points in each section
• Write the summary
• Check the summary against the article

Writing a summary does not involve critiquing or evaluating the source . You should simply provide an accurate account of the most important information and ideas (without copying any text from the original).

Table of contents

When to write a summary, step 1: read the text, step 2: break the text down into sections, step 3: identify the key points in each section, step 4: write the summary, step 5: check the summary against the article, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about summarizing.

There are many situations in which you might have to summarize an article or other source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to show you’ve understood the material
• To keep notes that will help you remember what you’ve read
• To give an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review

When you’re writing an academic text like an essay , research paper , or dissertation , you’ll integrate sources in a variety of ways. You might use a brief quote to support your point, or paraphrase a few sentences or paragraphs.

But it’s often appropriate to summarize a whole article or chapter if it is especially relevant to your own research, or to provide an overview of a source before you analyze or critique it.

In any case, the goal of summarizing is to give your reader a clear understanding of the original source. Follow the five steps outlined below to write a good summary.

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You should read the article more than once to make sure you’ve thoroughly understood it. It’s often effective to read in three stages:

• Scan the article quickly to get a sense of its topic and overall shape.
• Read the article carefully, highlighting important points and taking notes as you read.
• Skim the article again to confirm you’ve understood the key points, and reread any particularly important or difficult passages.

There are some tricks you can use to identify the key points as you read:

• Start by reading the abstract . This already contains the author’s own summary of their work, and it tells you what to expect from the article.
• Pay attention to headings and subheadings . These should give you a good sense of what each part is about.
• Read the introduction and the conclusion together and compare them: What did the author set out to do, and what was the outcome?

To make the text more manageable and understand its sub-points, break it down into smaller sections.

If the text is a scientific paper that follows a standard empirical structure, it is probably already organized into clearly marked sections, usually including an introduction , methods , results , and discussion .

Other types of articles may not be explicitly divided into sections. But most articles and essays will be structured around a series of sub-points or themes.

Now it’s time go through each section and pick out its most important points. What does your reader need to know to understand the overall argument or conclusion of the article?

Keep in mind that a summary does not involve paraphrasing every single paragraph of the article. Your goal is to extract the essential points, leaving out anything that can be considered background information or supplementary detail.

In a scientific article, there are some easy questions you can ask to identify the key points in each part.

If the article takes a different form, you might have to think more carefully about what points are most important for the reader to understand its argument.

In that case, pay particular attention to the thesis statement —the central claim that the author wants us to accept, which usually appears in the introduction—and the topic sentences that signal the main idea of each paragraph.

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Now that you know the key points that the article aims to communicate, you need to put them in your own words.

To avoid plagiarism and show you’ve understood the article, it’s essential to properly paraphrase the author’s ideas. Do not copy and paste parts of the article, not even just a sentence or two.

The best way to do this is to put the article aside and write out your own understanding of the author’s key points.

Examples of article summaries

Let’s take a look at an example. Below, we summarize this article , which scientifically investigates the old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Davis et al. (2015) set out to empirically test the popular saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Apples are often used to represent a healthy lifestyle, and research has shown their nutritional properties could be beneficial for various aspects of health. The authors’ unique approach is to take the saying literally and ask: do people who eat apples use healthcare services less frequently? If there is indeed such a relationship, they suggest, promoting apple consumption could help reduce healthcare costs.

The study used publicly available cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were categorized as either apple eaters or non-apple eaters based on their self-reported apple consumption in an average 24-hour period. They were also categorized as either avoiding or not avoiding the use of healthcare services in the past year. The data was statistically analyzed to test whether there was an association between apple consumption and several dependent variables: physician visits, hospital stays, use of mental health services, and use of prescription medication.

Although apple eaters were slightly more likely to have avoided physician visits, this relationship was not statistically significant after adjusting for various relevant factors. No association was found between apple consumption and hospital stays or mental health service use. However, apple eaters were found to be slightly more likely to have avoided using prescription medication. Based on these results, the authors conclude that an apple a day does not keep the doctor away, but it may keep the pharmacist away. They suggest that this finding could have implications for reducing healthcare costs, considering the high annual costs of prescription medication and the inexpensiveness of apples.

However, the authors also note several limitations of the study: most importantly, that apple eaters are likely to differ from non-apple eaters in ways that may have confounded the results (for example, apple eaters may be more likely to be health-conscious). To establish any causal relationship between apple consumption and avoidance of medication, they recommend experimental research.

An article summary like the above would be appropriate for a stand-alone summary assignment. However, you’ll often want to give an even more concise summary of an article.

For example, in a literature review or meta analysis you may want to briefly summarize this study as part of a wider discussion of various sources. In this case, we can boil our summary down even further to include only the most relevant information.

Using national survey data, Davis et al. (2015) tested the assertion that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and did not find statistically significant evidence to support this hypothesis. While people who consumed apples were slightly less likely to use prescription medications, the study was unable to demonstrate a causal relationship between these variables.

Citing the source you’re summarizing

When including a summary as part of a larger text, it’s essential to properly cite the source you’re summarizing. The exact format depends on your citation style , but it usually includes an in-text citation and a full reference at the end of your paper.

You can easily create your citations and references in APA or MLA using our free citation generators.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

Finally, read through the article once more to ensure that:

• You’ve accurately represented the author’s work
• You haven’t missed any essential information
• The phrasing is not too similar to any sentences in the original.

If you’re summarizing many articles as part of your own work, it may be a good idea to use a plagiarism checker to double-check that your text is completely original and properly cited. Just be sure to use one that’s safe and reliable.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Paraphrasing

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

A summary is a short overview of the main points of an article or other source, written entirely in your own words. Want to make your life super easy? Try our free text summarizer today!

A summary is always much shorter than the original text. The length of a summary can range from just a few sentences to several paragraphs; it depends on the length of the article you’re summarizing, and on the purpose of the summary.

You might have to write a summary of a source:

• As a stand-alone assignment to prove you understand the material
• For your own use, to keep notes on your reading
• To provide an overview of other researchers’ work in a literature review
• In a paper , to summarize or introduce a relevant study

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

An abstract concisely explains all the key points of an academic text such as a thesis , dissertation or journal article. It should summarize the whole text, not just introduce it.

An abstract is a type of summary , but summaries are also written elsewhere in academic writing . For example, you might summarize a source in a paper , in a literature review , or as a standalone assignment.

All can be done within seconds with our free text summarizer .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, May 31). How to Write a Summary | Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-summarize/

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How to Write the Perfect Essay

06 Feb, 2024 | Blog Articles , English Language Articles , Get the Edge , Humanities Articles , Writing Articles

You can keep adding to this plan, crossing bits out and linking the different bubbles when you spot connections between them. Even though you won’t have time to make a detailed plan under exam conditions, it can be helpful to draft a brief one, including a few key words, so that you don’t panic and go off topic when writing your essay.

If you don’t like the mind map format, there are plenty of others to choose from: you could make a table, a flowchart, or simply a list of bullet points.

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Thanks for signing up, step 2: have a clear structure.

Think about this while you’re planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question.

Start with the basics! It’s best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs. Three main paragraphs is a good number for an exam essay, since you’ll be under time pressure. 

If you agree with the question overall, it can be helpful to organise your points in the following pattern:

• YES (agreement with the question)
• AND (another YES point)
• BUT (disagreement or complication)

If you disagree with the question overall, try:

• AND (another BUT point)

For example, you could structure the Of Mice and Men sample question, “To what extent is Curley’s wife portrayed as a victim in Of Mice and Men ?”, as follows:

• YES (descriptions of her appearance)
• AND (other people’s attitudes towards her)
• BUT (her position as the only woman on the ranch gives her power as she uses her femininity to her advantage)

If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could include additional paragraphs under the YES/AND categories, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curley’s wife reveals her vulnerability and insecurities, and shares her dreams with the other characters. Alternatively, you could also lengthen your essay by including another BUT paragraph about her cruel and manipulative streak.

Of course, this is not necessarily the only right way to answer this essay question – as long as you back up your points with evidence from the text, you can take any standpoint that makes sense.

Step 3: Back up your points with well-analysed quotations

You wouldn’t write a scientific report without including evidence to support your findings, so why should it be any different with an essay? Even though you aren’t strictly required to substantiate every single point you make with a quotation, there’s no harm in trying.

A close reading of your quotations can enrich your appreciation of the question and will be sure to impress examiners. When selecting the best quotations to use in your essay, keep an eye out for specific literary techniques. For example, you could highlight Curley’s wife’s use of a rhetorical question when she says, a”n’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs.” This might look like:

The rhetorical question “an’ what am I doin’?” signifies that Curley’s wife is very insecure; she seems to be questioning her own life choices. Moreover, she does not expect anyone to respond to her question, highlighting her loneliness and isolation on the ranch.

Other literary techniques to look out for include:

• Tricolon – a group of three words or phrases placed close together for emphasis
• Tautology – using different words that mean the same thing: e.g. “frightening” and “terrifying”
• Parallelism – ABAB structure, often signifying movement from one concept to another
• Chiasmus – ABBA structure, drawing attention to a phrase
• Polysyndeton – many conjunctions in a sentence
• Asyndeton – lack of conjunctions, which can speed up the pace of a sentence
• Polyptoton – using the same word in different forms for emphasis: e.g. “done” and “doing”
• Alliteration – repetition of the same sound, including assonance (similar vowel sounds), plosive alliteration (“b”, “d” and “p” sounds) and sibilance (“s” sounds)
• Anaphora – repetition of words, often used to emphasise a particular point

Don’t worry if you can’t locate all of these literary devices in the work you’re analysing. You can also discuss more obvious techniques, like metaphor, simile and onomatopoeia. It’s not a problem if you can’t remember all the long names; it’s far more important to be able to confidently explain the effects of each technique and highlight its relevance to the question.

Step 4: Be creative and original throughout

Anyone can write an essay using the tips above, but the thing that really makes it “perfect” is your own unique take on the topic. If you’ve noticed something intriguing or unusual in your reading, point it out – if you find it interesting, chances are the examiner will too!

Creative writing and essay writing are more closely linked than you might imagine. Keep the idea that you’re writing a speech or argument in mind, and you’re guaranteed to grab your reader’s attention.

It’s important to set out your line of argument in your introduction, introducing your main points and the general direction your essay will take, but don’t forget to keep something back for the conclusion, too. Yes, you need to summarise your main points, but if you’re just repeating the things you said in your introduction, the body of the essay is rendered pointless.

Think of your conclusion as the climax of your speech, the bit everything else has been leading up to, rather than the boring plenary at the end of the interesting stuff.

To return to Of Mice and Men once more, here’s an example of the ideal difference between an introduction and a conclusion:

Introduction

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men , Curley’s wife is portrayed as an ambiguous character. She could be viewed either as a cruel, seductive temptress or a lonely woman who is a victim of her society’s attitudes. Though she does seem to wield a form of sexual power, it is clear that Curley’s wife is largely a victim. This interpretation is supported by Steinbeck’s description of her appearance, other people’s attitudes, her dreams, and her evident loneliness and insecurity.

Overall, it is clear that Curley’s wife is a victim and is portrayed as such throughout the novel in the descriptions of her appearance, her dreams, other people’s judgemental attitudes, and her loneliness and insecurities. However, a character who was a victim and nothing else would be one-dimensional and Curley’s wife is not. Although she suffers in many ways, she is shown to assert herself through the manipulation of her femininity – a small rebellion against the victimisation she experiences.

Both refer back consistently to the question and summarise the essay’s main points. However, the conclusion adds something new which has been established in the main body of the essay and complicates the simple summary which is found in the introduction.

Hannah is an undergraduate English student at Somerville College, University of Oxford, and has a particular interest in postcolonial literature and the Gothic. She thinks literature is a crucial way of developing empathy and learning about the wider world. When she isn’t writing about 17th-century court masques, she enjoys acting, travelling and creative writing. 

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Clear the Dread from the Dreaded Synopsis

I’ve been asked more than once to lay out the setup for a synopsis. Since the synopsis is so important for fiction writers, I will do just that. Before we get to the format specifics, however, let’s look at the purpose of a synopsis. And let me point out that there are very different recommendations regarding the style and purposes of a synopsis , differences so striking that the two camps might as well be discussing different pieces of writing.

On one side is the idea that the synopsis is a tease, a draw to get the proper persons (agents, editors, contest judges) to want to read the full story . Adherents of this viewpoint counsel you to write the synopsis in the style of your story and to write to entertain. If you’ve ever judged a writing contest or entered one that makes use of a synopsis, you’re probably used to this style. You might have even noted on a particularly engrossing synopsis— I can’t wait to read this story !

Those who recommend this style tell writers that everything sent to an agent or editor or publisher is a sample of the writer’s style, so each item needs to be creative and entertaining.

They direct the writer to include the story arc as well as major character arcs. They say to make use of pacing and the fiction elements so that as they near the end of the synopsis, readers feel they’re approaching the end of the story. They say to include the same highs and lows and buildup that you’d include in your novel.

What this turns into is a mini-version of your story with the same feel and word choices and emotional impact.

On the other side is the viewpoint that says the synopsis isn’t a tease to entice but a report of what happens in your story . Those who advocate this style are looking for only the facts—what happens? why? how? how is the story resolved? Agents or editors familiar with your work may expect a synopsis in this style. The emphasis here is not on how you write but truly on what happens in the story. One popular agent who offers online tips to writers is a proponent of this style.

Those looking for this style in a synopsis aren’t looking to read a mini-version of the novel; while they want to know what happens, they don’t need to see your writing style. Think of this group as wanting to cut to the chase.

With these true differences between the approaches, is it any wonder that writers feel confused about what to include, what to leave out, and how to word the synopsis when one recommendation is to write in the style of the novel and another is to simply convey, in the style of a police report, what happens ? Is it any wonder writers look on writing one with dread?

Isn’t it bad enough that writers have to condense 350 pages to 3 without having to worry whether or not they’ve gotten the style exactly right when there’s little agreement about that style to begin with?

It is tough. But you can do it. Writers do it every day.

Even with the disagreements among professionals who deal with manuscripts and synopses every day, keep in mind that there are some absolutes.

Start with the commonalities and write your synopsis. Once you’ve got the basics, you can shade the synopsis toward either of the approaches. If you’re including a synopsis for a contest, you’ll need one that’s well written and appealing, that reads like your story, that engages the reader. If you’re writing one for your long-time editor, give her the facts.

Ah, but what if you’re somewhere in between, approaching an agent or editor at a publisher for the first time?

~  Check the agent’s or editor’s website and/or blog for recommendations.

~  Write an appealing synopsis that answers the question what is this story about?

~  Write two synopses, one for each style.

~  Understand that you may send the wrong style to an agent or editor and that doing so is okay. Don’t let indecision about the style of your synopsis keep you from submitting to your agent or editor of choice. Make a decision and send the submission.

Simple, right? Or maybe not. But I mean it. Write your synopsis. Make it the best you can. Have others read it. And then start submitting.

Keep in mind that proponents of neither style are looking for a laundry list of common actions or setting details. No one is looking for a play-by-play .

One way to keep from writing a synopsis filled with unimportant details is to practice with a book you didn’t write or to write a summary of a movie.

If you were to write a single-page summary about Gone with the Wind , you wouldn’t begin it with Scarlett entertaining the young men at the picnic at Twelve Oaks—you don’t have time to cover individual actions. Think in terms of meaningful events rather than common actions. Teach yourself how to look at the big picture of your own stories.

What’s important? Who’s important? What happens? This is what the reader of a synopsis, of either style, wants to know.

__________________________

Particulars of a synopsis

These items are the general items you’ll want to cover in a synopsis of either style, though with a leaning toward the story rather than the report style. I’m not going to include recommendations for every possibility—include the theme, include a scene or dialogue snippet—because there isn’t agreement on some items.

What’s important is that you cover the relevant plot points. But don’t merely list story events; connect them into sentences and a flow. For both styles, make your summary engaging.

A synopsis, at its most basic, is a summary of your story .

~  You need to cover major characters, major events, goals, motivation, conflict, and the ending.

Yes, you have to spell out what happens at the end. No, you can’t tease by promising to reveal all later if the agent, editor, or publisher contacts you. Agents and publishers need to know that you can end the story. They need to know what the end is. Is your story the same as two others they’re publishing? They need to know that.

You can point out character growth or character insights; both can be more important for character-driven stories than for plot-driven ones.

For the synopsis that flows in the story style, consider the synopsis as your bait. Make it appealing, especially if you are unknown to the agents and publishers you’re approaching. Infuse your synopsis with life. Create images to be seen and emotions to be felt.

~  For both styles, identify the time (era) and place of the story .

~  Do not write a plodding synopsis that reports every move a character makes —

This has too many unimportant details—

TOM SWIFT enters his local bank. Then Tom robs the bank. BRENDA COLLINS, head teller, notes the unusual tattoo on his wrist and quickly sketches it on a pad of paper, certain she can use it to identify the robber later. Tom drives away. When he gets home, he closes the blinds so he can count the money. He’s shocked to find more than a million dollars, much more money than he’d expected. He’s an undercover DEA agent, but something’s gone wrong with the joint plan of the FBI and DEA to catch a thief at the bank.

Still befuddled, Tom treats his buddies to dinner, acting out the script his boss has written for him. Brenda, meanwhile, spends the night at the police station, working with a sketch artist and answering questions about the robbery. The detectives offer her dinner and she orders a veggie burger since she’s a vegetarian. Tom goes to bed that night after counting the money for a third time. He sets his clock to get up early . . .

You don’t want to put the reader of your synopsis to sleep. Instead, engage your audience. Keep away from the tedious.

This is better—

Undercover agent TOM SWIFT successfully robs the bank the FBI set up for him. But when he escapes with the money, he finds five times the amount he’d been expecting.

BRENDA COLLINS, head teller at the bank, figures out the heist was a setup. Armed with clues to the robber’s identity, she goes after him as well as the man she suspects is his inside contact.

~   You have options. Start with an attention-getting line or with an event or with the revelation of a character. Begin with a specific moment or the general picture. Think specifics, but not step-by-step actions. At the same time, think general, but not vague.

Does that sound difficult? It needn’t be. Keep the word summary in mind. Convey flavor and emotion and the high points.

~  Name major characters but not minor or secondary ones unless it’s vital to do so. No one needs to know the protagonist’s dog’s name is Fluffy.

~  Don’t include full scenes or long sections of dialogue . The synopsis is not about a moment but all the moments. Think overview and big picture. You can, of course, refer to emotional or important scene moments. Just don’t dwell on them. You don’t have time for scenes; you do have time for images and feelings.

So you wouldn’t write—

At the annual dinner to celebrate the family’s business successes, Hans faces Marta with a frown and says, “You failed me. You are no longer family. Get out.”

Marta meets the embarrassed gazes of friends and family before, tears streaming, she runs from the restaurant.

But you might write—

When Hans cuts Marta publicly, she turns her back on her family and disappears into the Bolivian rainforest, determined to restore her credibility and reputation by finding the lost treasure of la loca .

~  Write the synopsis in the same style as your story —humorous, wry, fluid, suspense-filled. Keep genre in mind. (Keep in mind, also, the differences between the synopsis styles that we’ve already talked about.)

~  Don’t refer to yourself in the body of the synopsis . It’s all about the story.

~  Don’t refer to other stories in a series . It’s all about this story.

~  Cover the full story . Give your synopsis an opening, a middle, and a conclusion.

~  Use the proper presentation. No matter what your story’s point of view and narrative tense, a synopsis is written in third person, present tense .

THOMAS GALE is a genius safe-cracker, a competent second baseman, but a dud with women. When ANGELICA PETERS cuts into his business, both his thieving instincts and his libido take notice.

_____________

Fear enters Liberty City with the arrival of the West’s final passenger train. And with the presence of BEAUMONT TRASK, new owner of the town’s only saloon.

Trask’s first move is to take on the sheriff; when he’s dead, only MARK BALLYTON stands between Trask and a takeover of the town.

Options—

A synopsis, especially for a long novel, can be as long as 10 pages. But a typical synopsis is three pages (sometimes two, sometimes four or five), and you should write yourself one of a single page as well. You may be asked for the one-pager; have it ready before you need it.

In addition to the synopsis, create a blurb for your story, similar to the back cover copy of the book. This can be fairly easy to write—pull out a dozen books in the same genre, read the covers, and then write your own. Have a writer friend or colleague or critique partner read your blurb and give you feedback. Read another dozen cover blurbs and try again.

The blurb is not the story in full—it’s the excited ad that gets you pumped for the full novel. It’s the excited description you share with your best friend about the movie you saw last night.

You should also have a single sentence description of your story. Think appealing overview for this one. It can sound like a movie promo if you want it to.

Female detective chases down he-man fugitive

Determined teenage boy chases his dream into space

Lovers separated by war and 25 years reunite to try romance again

You may never be asked for a summary in any of these other formats, but if you are, you should be ready. You should always be able to explain your story in only one or two sentences.

  __________________________

Format (body of synopsis)

A standard format helps agents and editors as they wade through hundreds of submissions. Follow the rules.

Check with agent or publisher before sending your submission packet—many post their guidelines on their websites or their personal preferences in blog articles. In the absence of a specified format, use the following—

~  double space any synopsis longer than one page; single space for a one-page synopsis if submission guidelines allow it

There is both disagreement and leeway on spacing, with some saying to never single-space anything other than a business letter. Yet many contests allow for single-spaced synopses.

~  align left (do not justify)

~  one-inch margins on all 4 sides (1 1/4 is sometimes acceptable or preferred)

~  indent the first line of paragraphs 1/2 inch, just as you do the manuscript

~  no line spaces between paragraphs if double-spaced, but one line space between paragraphs if single-spaced

There is disagreement on this point, with some saying to never use a line space between paragraphs except in business correspondence. But if you’re going to single-space the text, show courtesy to your readers and give them a line break between paragraphs.

~  Times New Roman, black, 12-point font

~  use all CAPS for the first mention of major characters

~  include a slug line in the header (on the left, starting at the margin, include author last name/title or key words from the title/the word synopsis (for pages beyond the first)/and page number)

There are options here. Some recommend separating the page number and putting it on the right side of the header.

Some don’t bother with the word synopsis.

Page One Format

You’ve got some options here, depending on what your synopsis is for. If you’re submitting to a contest, you typically won’t include contact information on your synopsis (check your header to be sure you didn’t include it there by mistake).

If you don’t need contact information on your synopsis (perhaps you’ve already included it with your submission), page one will include—

~  the slug line in the header

~  the title, a line or two below the header, centered (horizontally, not vertically)

~  the word Synopsis , two lines below the title

~  the synopsis, beginning three or four lines below the word Synopsis

If you need to attach contact information, page one will include—

~  contact info in the top left corner, a line space or two under the header, with each item on its own line—name, address, phone number, e-mail address (whatever you intend to include)

~  the title, a line or two below the contact information, centered (horizontally, not vertically)

Options for the first page include adding either or both genre and word count. This information is typically found opposite the contact info, on the upper right. If you include both, list them under one another, genre first.

If you’re asked for a synopsis, provide only what’s requested. If a page length isn’t specified, submit no more than three pages. Always check the agent or publisher’s website to see if they have specific format requirements.

A brief  synopsis means brief, a paragraph or two or one page at the most. An agent or editor who wants a brief synopsis just wants the basics—what is this story about? This is definitely a time to cut to the chase.

Bottom Line

Tell what the story is about without putting the reader to sleep.

Don’t stress over the format. Agents and editors and publishers aren’t picky obsessives who’ll mark you down for failing to skip a line. They are professionals, however, and they expect you to be professional. Show them the courtesy of making the effort to learn and follow the basic guidelines. Those guidelines are there to help agents and editors give your submissions and stories the attention they deserve. Following the guidelines is to your benefit. And it’s a way for those who read synopses and manuscripts to get through the many they receive every day.

Any quick check of the Internet will show you that there are standards for the novel synopsis but there are also true differences among professionals. If you keep in mind your audience, the purpose of your synopsis (and thus its direction and emphasis) should be clear—

For a contest, you want to entice the judge into wishing she could read the full story.

For an editor (at a publishing house), you want to show what the story is about so he’ll know if they want to buy it.

For an agent, you may be highlighting your writing style and/or giving her an idea of the kind of story you write so she can decide if you fit the type (not necessarily the genre) of book she represents.

Different audience, different needs. Know your audience and write your synopsis accordingly.

While I detailed the format of the synopsis and touched on some of the elements to include, there are areas I could expand on. I’ll do that in a future article.

Take what you know and write an engaging synopsis. Show agents and editors and contest judges that you’ve conquered the synopsis and have no reason to dread it.

Prove to yourself that you can write a ten-, five-, three-, or even a one-page synopsis that attracts attention, lays out the story, and gets you and your story noticed, noticed for all the right reasons.

Write a great synopsis to complement your outstanding novel manuscript.

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Tags: format , synopsis     Posted in: How to , Writing Tips

Posted in How to , Writing Tips

42 Responses to “Clear the Dread from the Dreaded Synopsis”

You know, I wrote a synopsis for my unpublished novel, and I hated every paragraph of it 🙂 It’ll do, I just hated writing it. Writing a synopsis is like telling your friend about the movie you saw last night, in exhaustive detail. Because I like my friends, I never do this.

Great article (the link).

True hey. It is like you are spilling all the beans and telling people what is going to happen. Not a good idea though. So when they read they will kinda know what to expect.

Jeff, it can be an ordeal—both the writing of and the listening to. Short and sweet with high points highlighted and incidentals left out ought to work for both situations.

We all know people who can’t tell us only about the good stuff in a movie. They follow side trails into digressions into dialogue into . . . Well, into places we don’t want to go. You are wise to save your friends that trauma.

Thanks for letting us know you were here.

Thanks for the great article on writing a synopsis. I have a question though about query letters. Can they ever be more than one page long? I have a good hook and great first paragraph but the total letter is one and a half pages. My contemporary erotic romance is over 300 pages and I am having trouble condensing it into something that makes sense. Thank you for any suggestions you may have. (I hope this letter is not duplicated- my former comment didn’t show up.)

Cindy, keep the query to a single page. It’s the accepted format and it’s a courtesy to agents and publishers and they expect you to be able to do it. The query is the perfect place to use only the one- or two-paragaph description of the story. Make it appealing, but don’t try to tell everything. This is your chance to make others want more. Tell what happens without trying to tell how everything happens.

If you write two or three pages and everyone else has sent a single page, when an agent or editor gets to yours, you’ve already got strikes against you. And this is even if you get the agent or editor on a good day and they don’t want to think negatively about you just because you didn’t follow the proper guidelines.

A great suggestion for creating a strong query letter is to have a writer colleague go through it after you’ve done your best with it. Others can often see what can be cut from our queries when we can’t. And our friends aren’t as shy about talking up a project as writers sometimes are.

I might have to tackle the query next . . .

I hope this helped. (Your comments were flagged as Spam; that’s why they didn’t post right away. I’ll delete the other one.)

Good luck with your query and your writing.

Hi Beth. Is there a specific definition for the term “full synopsis”? Pages, word count? There’s a lit agency I’d like to submit to, I asked them what “full synopsis” meant, no answer. Thanks.

Brian, they want more than just a blurb, so go with the three-page version.

The full synopsis should include major characters, inciting incident, major events, protagonist’s and antagonist’s goals and motivations, fallout from major events, climax, and resolution.

In other words, include what happens and how/why and how events lead from one to the next. Show the major story problems and how they are resolved or made worse. Reveal what happens with the plots twists and show how the major story problem is resolved—who, how, where, consequences.

Include also what the characters lose as they race to solve the story problem.

Whatever you do, don’t simply tease. Show your story’s setup, show how it plays out through events, and then show how the story problem is resolved and what that resolution means to the major characters.

Those who ask to read your synopsis want to know what happens and how and why.

I wish you success with your submission.

Great information and I appreciate your time in putting it out there for everyone.

A quick question: In writing my synopsis, my main character belongs to an organization called the “Celestia Venatoria”. This is important to the story and I feel the name should be in the synopsis. However, I fear that the agent reviewing my submission will erroneously suspect that I misspelled “Celestial” by leaving off the “L”, when in reality there is no L in the name.

How would I allude to that without breaking the “style” of the synopsis? Should I use a parenthetical aside explaining that it is spelled correctly, leave it alone and hope they don’t think my spell check is broken, or leave the name out of the synopsis completely? I could also maybe put it in italics.

Thank you for your support of my efforts.

Best, Patrick Koepke

Patrick, you don’t need to include the name in your synopsis. At this point, without the story behind it, it will mean nothing to anyone reading the synopsis. Use a more general reference instead—a shadowy organization, the group hiding behind a local charity, a global think tank—whatever kind of reference fits your story.

The name itself is not important for the synopsis. If it was a well-known organization—FBI, Google, even a country—then that would be different and you could name it.

If you do include the name, however, don’t refer to the spelling; resist the urge to explain. Agents and publishers have seen thousands of unusual words and spellings—they wouldn’t think anything of the spelling. Your instinct is right on—you don’t want to interfere with the feel and flow of the synopsis.

A great question. Thanks for bringing it up. And just in case you’re still not convinced to forgo including the organization name, I’ll say it again: it’s not needed and the synopsis would be better without it. Give the synopsis reader words that they can identify with. A name, rather than a description of the organization, gives them nothing to latch on to.

I do not have any friends who are writers, editors, literary agents, or publishers and I can’t find the answer to my question. So thanks for your help!

I have been working on an idea for a rather long time and will finally write my novel over the course of the next 6 months. However, I’m a numbers gal and already I can tell after writing my outline the novel will be well over 100,000 words. Should I break up the novel into several books or should I wait until I have an offer and have the editor make that call? Meaning, do I write the entire novel and synopsis as if it’s one book?

Natalie, I have no one best answer for you.

Do you envision the story as one book? If so, write it that way. But if you can easily see where you could break it into two or three parts, you may want to try that first. There will be differences in the approaches, so consider which you’d like to try before you begin. You can always change your mind, but starting with one plan in mind is best. The rhythms will be different, the pacing, and the buildup to events will be different between one long book and two or three shorter books. The best choice is what works for the story. Selling the work is a consideration, but you’ve got to be able to see a large project in smaller pieces, complete in themselves, in order to write them that way.

How far over 100,000 will you go and what’s the genre? Some genres can handle more words. An epic or sci-fi adventure may allow you up to 130,000 words. That’s still tough for an unpublished writer, but not an impossibility. If you’re imagining 110,000 words, I’ll suggest you go for one book and then be prepared to trim.

Even if you end up writing three stories, you’ll only approach an agent with the first one. You’ll want to sell that one before you try to sell a series.

As for the synopsis, wait until you’re done to write it. You won’t know what you’ve got until you’ve finished your final draft. Work from an outline if that’s how you work, but don’t worry about a synopsis just yet.

I hope that helps.

Thank you! ..for acknowledging the two different styles! I thought I was taking crazy pills lol. Great info and as a result i am closer to sending out another synopsis than i thought. I am also dropping a coined name from my synopsis.. you’re right; unexplained, it means nothing to an agent or publisher, in my case anyway..

I will now be following your blog after unsubscribing to various websites and blogs and cleaning up my bookmarks this summer… And finally! ..thanks for not making me jump through hoops to make a comment 🙂

Sheene, I’m happy to have you here. I hope you’ll find a lot of useful information.

I laughed when I did a bit of study on the synopsis types. No wonder writers hate them so much—they are a thing unto themselves, with little in common with novels. And definitely of two types, which makes sense for their purposes but can be confusing.

As for the comments, my comment filter does a good job, so I don’t have to resort to those annoying measures to keep wacky comments out.

Thanks for letting me know you’re here.

I have a question about my synopsis which I have been unable to find an answer to.

I am writing my synopsis in the third person present tense as everyone says is a must, and am also writing in the style that my book is written. But my question is whether you can write from two points of view in the synopsis? My book has two protagonists and so two points of view. Would it be acceptable to switch between the two in my synopsis?

Thanks in advance! Rebecca

Rebecca, the details of a synopsis are shared not by a character but by an omniscient reporter. You won’t be presenting the events through the words or viewpoint of one (or more) of the characters but through the words of an observer from outside the story. The synopsis should sound like a seamless whole, so you definitely don’t want to make it sound as though multiple people are reporting the details.

This is a great question—I should probably update the article to include this information. Thanks for bringing it up.

Thanks for this article. I’ve recently finished a soft sci-fi/drama novel as of last year and have been struggling with how to condense 125,000 words into ten double spaced pages. HA! A question for you… is there a certain page length that is more enticing than others? For example, 10 pages it the max. Should I make it 10 pages or should I try to make it 5? Does it matter?

Brandon, different people will want a different length—it’s what matters to them that’s important. I suggest that you prepare a single-page, a three-page, and a ten-page synopsis. It’s likely you’ll need at least two of the three as you try to interest agents and publishers in your novel. If someone asks for a five-pager, you can adapt the three-pager.

It definitely does matter because you’ll want to send exactly what the agent or publisher asks for.

Hey Beth, thanks so much for the quick reply. For a further example, Tor Books submissions page says: “The synopsis should run between three and ten pages in standard manuscript format.”

I take it they won’t it against you if you use the entire 10 pages? I could probably easily tell the entire story in a page or two, but in order to include all the important plot points, the main characters, their development, and the ending I’ve had to use up the entire 10 pages.

Brandon, if they say between three and ten, then you’d be safe to use any number of pages from three to ten. There is no magic number because each reader at the publisher’s may have a preference, some liking shorter versions and some liking longer. Yet you don’t want to look like you’ve tried to stuff the synopsis, so maybe don’t try to force the text to the bottom of page ten. Can you cover everything in eight pages and have them wanting more? If so, that’s a good choice. Don’t leave anything out, but don’t overdo either. They don’t need everything, just the good stuff.

Hi Beth, When including bits of dialogue or lines from the story in a synopsis to quickly ‘convey flavor and emotion’ – how do you distinguish those lines from those you are writing as the observing third person? Is italics acceptable?

Hi Beth, When including bits of dialogue or lines from the story in a synopsis to quickly ‘convey flavor and emotion’ – how do you distinguish those lines from those you are writing as the observing third person? Is italics acceptable?

Ron, if you do include dialogue, you could use quotation marks since it’s spoken words. Yet if you can weave the dialogue into your synopsis in a way that it doesn’t stand out as dialogue, that may work better. And you wouldn’t have to use quotation marks or italics. (Both quotation marks and italics might be a distraction.)

So if some great line of dialogue is the key to your story, you could just work it into the flow of your synopsis. That is, you don’t need to set up the entire scene and try to show how that line of dialogue works into the story.

You could do the same with any line from your story—narrative or dialogue—and just weave it into the synopsis as part of what’s happening.

You don’t really have time or space to set up a single moment, to show what happens before, during, and after that moment. The synopsis is summary, not a spotlight on a single scene, so it usually deals with the general and not the particular. But you can lift a line or two straight from your text—a character’s actions, words, or thoughts—and use it as part of your summary. You don’t need to draw attention to it in a way that shows who said or thought it, just let it flavor your synopsis.

I’d suggest no italics and no quotation marks.

So if your line is “Traitors deserve to die,” you simply include that in your synopsis.

—–

Gary races to the apartment to find the building in flames. Watching it collapse, watching ambulances rush away, he is finally convinced that traitors deserve to die.

—– If you do use dialogue, use a line that speaks to the heart of the story. And simply insert it in a way that allows it to make sense out of context.

What a pleasure to find your site. I am in a state of tooth grinding misery induced by reducing a 93,000 word thriller into three or less double spaced pages for a tough agent. I want her to read it. I want her to like it. It’s my lovechild. I was consuming bags of potato chips and getting very grumpy; all alone with Strunk and White until I surfed around for inspiration/procrastination and found your very sensible advice. I’m still miserable, but now I don’t feel so lonely.

I’m glad to have provided company and advice, Jill. I wouldn’t want you to suffer through bags of chips alone. And I wish you success with writing your synopsis and acquiring the agent of your choice.

Thanks for the advice; I was a little unsure of how to format and put my synopsis together. Your advice has been very helpful!! Lavada Price

Glad to have been of help, Lavada.

Hi Beth, Great service! I’ve just finished my 1st novel and I can certainly use your advice writing the synopsis. Michael

I wish you success with the synopsis and your submissions, Michael.

Thank you for acknowledging the conflicting advice! I have been reading so many different articles, all purporting to be addressing the same piece of writing yet describing completely different results. It has been frustrating beyond belief trying to figure out which advice to follow. To have you acknowledge and clarify the two different approaches has been immensely helpful. Ironically, I only found your post after suffering through an initial attempt at writing my synopsis and looking for advice on formatting the conglomerate result. Now I know better how to go back and edit it. Thank you!

Kathleen, I’m glad the article was helpful. The synopsis is truly an odd document. But so useful. I hope that yours achieve exactly what they need to, to get you and your stories noticed.

This article is very helpful for me, but I’ve been looking around so many places to an answer to my question, and found nothing!

If you are submitting the first in a series, do you include:

– synopses of the first and all subsequent books – a synopsis of the first book and a mention in the cover letter of it being a series – a synopsis of the first book and a synopsis for the series as a whole – something else???

I’d really appreciate the advice. Many thanks Imani

Imani, submit only the synopsis of the first book and don’t mention it’s part of a series in your query letter unless you know beyond doubt that the agent or publisher is looking for a series. The time for talking about a book possibly being part of a series is sometime after that first contact. Until then, let the book stand on its own. Sell the book, not the series.

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So maybe it's not only about the words. It's about syntax. And plot. And action. It's voice and pacing and dialogue...

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It's about putting the words together to touch, to entertain, to move the reader.

So, yeah, maybe it's all about the words...

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So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is, after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they've finished the essay.

The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.

To establish a sense of closure, you might do one or more of the following:

• Conclude by linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.
• Conclude with a sentence composed mainly of one-syllable words. Simple language can help create an effect of understated drama.
• Conclude with a sentence that's compound or parallel in structure; such sentences can establish a sense of balance or order that may feel just right at the end of a complex discussion.

To close the discussion without closing it off, you might do one or more of the following:

• Conclude with a quotation from or reference to a primary or secondary source, one that amplifies your main point or puts it in a different perspective. A quotation from, say, the novel or poem you're writing about can add texture and specificity to your discussion; a critic or scholar can help confirm or complicate your final point. For example, you might conclude an essay on the idea of home in James Joyce's short story collection,  Dubliners , with information about Joyce's own complex feelings towards Dublin, his home. Or you might end with a biographer's statement about Joyce's attitude toward Dublin, which could illuminate his characters' responses to the city. Just be cautious, especially about using secondary material: make sure that you get the last word.
• Conclude by setting your discussion into a different, perhaps larger, context. For example, you might end an essay on nineteenth-century muckraking journalism by linking it to a current news magazine program like  60 Minutes .
• Conclude by redefining one of the key terms of your argument. For example, an essay on Marx's treatment of the conflict between wage labor and capital might begin with Marx's claim that the "capitalist economy is . . . a gigantic enterprise of dehumanization "; the essay might end by suggesting that Marxist analysis is itself dehumanizing because it construes everything in economic -- rather than moral or ethical-- terms.
• Conclude by considering the implications of your argument (or analysis or discussion). What does your argument imply, or involve, or suggest? For example, an essay on the novel  Ambiguous Adventure , by the Senegalese writer Cheikh Hamidou Kane, might open with the idea that the protagonist's development suggests Kane's belief in the need to integrate Western materialism and Sufi spirituality in modern Senegal. The conclusion might make the new but related point that the novel on the whole suggests that such an integration is (or isn't) possible.

Finally, some advice on how not to end an essay:

• Don't simply summarize your essay. A brief summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long--more than ten pages or so. But shorter essays tend not to require a restatement of your main ideas.
• Avoid phrases like "in conclusion," "to conclude," "in summary," and "to sum up." These phrases can be useful--even welcome--in oral presentations. But readers can see, by the tell-tale compression of the pages, when an essay is about to end. You'll irritate your audience if you belabor the obvious.
• Resist the urge to apologize. If you've immersed yourself in your subject, you now know a good deal more about it than you can possibly include in a five- or ten- or 20-page essay. As a result, by the time you've finished writing, you may be having some doubts about what you've produced. (And if you haven't immersed yourself in your subject, you may be feeling even more doubtful about your essay as you approach the conclusion.) Repress those doubts. Don't undercut your authority by saying things like, "this is just one approach to the subject; there may be other, better approaches. . ."

Copyright 1998, Pat Bellanca, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

How To Write A Synopsis

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2023

How to Write a Synopsis - Easy Steps and Format Guide

By: Cordon J.

Reviewed By: Melisa C.

Published on: Oct 19, 2021

After writing a book or novel, writers are often asked to draft a precise document, i.e., a synopsis.

The publishers sometimes require it as they want to see what happens in a story. Therefore, it must present the entire narrative arc without revealing the ending.

Do not confuse it with a marketing description. Instead, it is an industry document that helps potential agents or editors to assess your story. Similarly, an appealing synopsis also makes it worth it for the audience to read the entire manuscript.

It is not that hard to write a good synopsis.

However, it is important to understand that each literary piece has specific guidelines. Follow the easy tips given in this guide to learn how to write a synopsis in no time.

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What is Synopsis?

A synopsis presents a brief summary of a literary work to the reader. It must include the following elements:

• Character descriptions
• Overview of major themes

Unlike a summary, it just gives a general overview of the story. Similarly, it covers the main conflict, the resolution, and the character’s emotional development.

A good synopsis appears in the query letter that you will send to the literary agent or publisher. Then they will use it to determine the marketability and salability of your writing piece.

Essential Parts of a Synopsis

Below given are the essential parts of synopsis writing:

• Characters -  Ensure to make the main and secondary characters of your story strong from the outset. They form the foundation of your literary work.
• Conflict -  A conflict is a central reason to keep the audience reading. Therefore, don’t forget to include its short description in the synopsis.
• The narrative arc -  It serves as a skeleton of your plot points. Thus, it must be an inciting incident from the beginning.

What is a Synopsis for?

The following is the primary purpose of writing a synopsis for your book or novel:

• It should tell the agent directly what the major plot twists are.
• It must give a clear picture of the narrative arc.
• It must identify the main characters of your short story.
• It should give hints about the major character development arcs.
• It must clarify to the audience about your point of view,  hook , premise, and pitch.
• It must demonstrate the appeal and how the plot momentum increases.
• It must share an ending that feels satisfying.

The agent will ask you for the full manuscript if your synopsis achieves the purposes mentioned above.

How Long Should a Synopsis Be?

The standard length is about one or two single-spaced pages containing 500-1000 words.

It is recommended to keep a novel or book synopsis short unless there are any specific submission package guidelines. It is because most editors are not interested in a synopsis longer than a few pages. Thus, the standard length is about one or two single-spaced pages containing 500-1000 words.

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Formatting a Synopsis

Here is a complete format structure of a good synopsis:

• Word Count -  One to two pages, 500 words
• Line Spacing -  Single spaced or 1.5
• Font Type and Size -  Times New Roman, 12 pt
• Margins -  One-inch margins
• Indentation -  Paragraphs must be intended
• Language -  Clear, to the point, neutral, and business-like with no spelling mistakes
• Presentation -  Include your title, name, and word “synopsis.” Similarly, it must be written in the third person
• Character Names -  Put the character names in bold and CAPS while introducing them
• Character Thumbnails -  Give a short description of the characters in this section

Lastly, you can also insert a little snippet of 2-3 lines at the top of your synopsis.

How to Write a Synopsis?

Follow the below-given steps for writing synopses that impress publishers.

1. Note Down the Main Characters

In the first step, a writer must note down the main characters and plot. Keep in mind that only the most important characters will be mentioned in a synopsis. Also, ensure that each character should impact the book published in a significant way.

Apart from this, you should also emphasize character motivations at the beginning and end of the synopsis.

2. Enlist the Major Plot Points

The next step is to identify the narrative arc of your story. However, it does not include the subplots. The best way is to make a list of the major plot points that include the following:

• The Inciting Incident -  It must mention the central conflict of your story.
• Events leading to Rising Actions -  It should discuss the incidents that lead to rising actions and the climax.
• The Ending -  This section should mention the story’s ending as it brings the plot and narrative arc together.

Listing down these points effectively helps to map out the actions and arc. It will also enable the readers to follow the story from beginning to end easily.

3. Identify the Unique Perspectives of the Story

The publishers read hundreds of synopsis every day. Thus, it is important to highlight the unique elements of the story to make it stand out. Similarly, you can also use a different angle.

Keep in mind the following elements to grab the agent’s attention:

• Does your story have an interesting and appealing point of view?
• Does the work have a unique twist?
• Does your story fulfill a certain niche in the market?
• Have you used the correct word choice and sentence structure?

4. Follow the Correct Format

It is better to follow the correct formatting guidelines and word limit while writing a synopsis. Remember, every agent has different requirements for synopsis length. Thus, before starting writing, look up a few publishing houses and check out the instructions specified by them.

5. Develop a Synopsis Outline

The next important step is to develop a detailed outline and begin with writing your synopsis. It includes the following paragraphs.

• Synopsis Introduction -  It should Introduce the characters and the conflict and provide a general summary of the entire plot.
• Synopsis Body Paragraphs - These paragraphs should explain the major plot twists that happen in your story. Also, include the obstacles that the character faced and discuss how they overcame them. However, do not go into excessive details about subplots and minor actions.
• Synopsis Conclusion -  Here, describe how the major conflicts are resolved and reveal the story’s climax. Nevertheless, do not introduce any new information about the writing piece in this paragraph.

6. Proofread the Synopsis

After finishing writing, the last step is to proofread your work. Carefully read the synopsis for typos, misspellings, grammatical mistakes, or missing words. Also, remove any unnecessary words, phrases, or clichés.

You can also ask someone from your friends or family to proofread and revise it for you. Furthermore, hiring a professional can get you suggestions that you need to improve your synopsis before submission.

By the time it’s finished, make sure your synopsis should read like a summary. This means clearly and concisely written and follows the right amount of emphasis on the critical moments.

Synopsis Examples

BOOK SYNOPSIS

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Easy Synopsis Writing Tips

Follow the given tips to produce a well-written synopsis.

• Even if your book is written in the first person, always write the synopsis in the third person. It maintains professionalism and a narrative distance.
• Keep it short and focus on the clarity of words.
• Don’t include dialogue in the synopsis. Instead, just summarize what the characters said.
• Always write in the present tense and use an active voice.
• It should present a unique point of view and  creative writing .
• Include the elements that set your story apart from others.
• Use the emotions of the characters to advance your plot and story.
• Always state your category. It may include literary fiction, romance, love, interests, science fiction, fantasy, satire, and more.
• It must convey the narrative arc, problems, plot, characters’ motivations, actions, and the ending.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid While Writing a Synopsis

Here are some common mistakes that you should avoid while writing a synopses:

• Do not ignore the word count and other writing requirements specified by the agents.
• Never get into the details about the setting of the event.
• Discuss a character briefly instead of going into unnecessary details.
• Skip subplots and other minor details in a 500-word synopsis.
• Mention the plot twist clearly for the readers to understand.
• Do not forget to put the character names in CAPS or bold.
• Avoid mentioning excessive characters and events. Instead, limit it to four or five maximum.
• Do not editorialize your novel or book as it will confuse the readers.
• Mention the title of the literary work and your name at the top of the document.
• Never use a vague filename.
• Never use badly structured sentences.
• Don’t go astray and write a hook to intrigue the audience to buy your book or novel.

If you are not making these errors, then your synopsis is good to go. However, if you still need help on getting your synopsis structure right, take professional help.

We understand that not everyone possesses good writing abilities. Thus, it is always better to consult a reliable essay writing service like  5StarEssays.com  instead of risking your grades.

Our professional essay writer online is standing by and waiting to help you with your academic writing. We only hire qualified and experienced people to ensure high-quality work within a given deadline.

Similarly, if you want us to revise your  custom paper  or essay, we will also help you with that. All you have to do is to contact our customer support team that is available 24/7. We ensure to make the ordering process simple and easy for you.

Thus, place your  order  now to get a well-written synopsis at affordable rates.

Literature, Marketing

Cordon. is a published author and writing specialist. He has worked in the publishing industry for many years, providing writing services and digital content. His own writing career began with a focus on literature and linguistics, which he continues to pursue. Cordon is an engaging and professional individual, always looking to help others achieve their goals.

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Blog • Understanding Publishing

Posted on Sep 12, 2018

How to Write an Incredible Synopsis in 4 Simple Steps

Your novel is fully written, edited, and polished to perfection — you’re ready to pitch it to agents! But you’re missing a critical piece of persuasion: the synopsis. Even after putting together your entire book, you may have no idea how to write one, or even how to approach it.

Luckily, we’ve got answers for you. Read on for our best tips on writing a synopsis that’s clear, concise, captivating… and may even lead to an all-out agent battle over your novel!

What is a synopsis?

A synopsis is a summary of a book that familiarizes the reader with the plot and how it unfolds. Although these kinds of summaries also appear on the pages of school book reports and Wikipedia, this guide will focus on constructing one that you can send out to agents (and eventually publishers).

Your novel synopsis should achieve two things: firstly, it should convey the contents of your book, and secondly, it should be intriguing!

While you don’t need to pull out all the marketing stops at this stage, you should have a brief hook at the beginning and a sense of urgency underlying the text that will keep your reader going. It should make potential agents want to devour your whole manuscript — even though they’ll already know what happens.

While writing your synopsis, make sure that it includes:

• A complete narrative arc
• Your own voice and unique elements of your story
• The ending or resolution ( unlike in a blurb )

As for the ideal length for this piece, it varies from project to project. Some authors recommend keeping it to 500 words, while others might write thousands. However, the standard range is about one to two single-spaced pages (or two to five double-spaced pages). And if you're interested in knowing how to format the whole of your manuscript for submission, we recommend downloading this manuscript format template. 

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You may also want to have an additional “brief” summary prepared for agents who specifically request a single page or less. Remember: as hard as it will be to distill all your hard work into that minimal space, it’s crucial to keep your synopsis digestible and agent-friendly.

How to write a novel synopsis in 4 steps

1. Get the basics down first

When it comes to writing a synopsis, substance is the name of the game. No matter how nicely you dress it up, an agent will disregard any piece that doesn’t demonstrate a fully fleshed out plot and strong narrative arc. So it stands to reason that as you begin writing, you should focus on the fundamentals.

Start with major plot points

Naturally, you want agents to be aware of your story's  major plot points . So the best way to start summarizing your story is to create a list of those plot points, including:

• The inciting incident — what sparks the central conflict of your story?
• The events of the rising action — what happens in the interlude between the inciting incident and the climax , and how does this build tension?
• The height of the action, or climax , of your story — this one is the most important, as it should be the most exciting part of your book!
• The resolution or ending — again, unlike a blurb, a synopsis doesn’t need to dangle the carrot of an unknown ending to the reader; you can and should reveal your story’s ending here, as this brings the plot and narrative arc to a close.

Listing these points effectively maps out the action and arc of your story, which will enable the reader to easily follow it from beginning to end.

Include character motivations

The key here is not to get too deep into characterization, since you don’t have much room to elaborate. Instead, simply emphasize character motivations at the beginning and end of your synopsis — first as justification for the inciting incident, then again to bring home the resolution. For example:

Beginning: “Sally has spent the past twenty years wondering who her birth parents are [motivation]. When a mysterious man offers her the chance to find them, she spontaneously buys a ticket to Florence to begin her journey [inciting action].”

Ending: “She returns to the US with the man who was her father all along [resolution], safe in the knowledge that she’ll never have to wonder about him again [restated motivation].”

Also note how the text here is written in third person, present tense, as it should be regardless of the tense or POV of your actual book. Writing a synopsis in first or second person doesn’t really work because it’s not meant to be narrated — just summarized. Basically, the present tense works to engage the reader while the third person allows the story to be told smoothly.

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2. Highlight what’s unique

Now it’s time to spice up your synopsis by highlighting the elements that make it unique. Agents need to know what’s so special about your book in particular — and moreover, is it special enough to get readers to pick it up? Below are some features you might employ to grab an agent’s attention and assure them of your book’s appeal.

Your writing voice is an essential tool here: it conveys your novel’s tone and is one of the most important factors in making your work stand out. However, it’s also one of the most difficult elements to evoke in such a small amount of space.

The best way to capture voice in a synopsis is through extremely deliberate word choice and sentence structure. So if you were Jane Austen, you’d use clever words to magnify your wit: “When Darcy proposes to her apropos of nothing, Elizabeth has the quite understandable reaction of rejecting him.” You may not be able to use all the elaborate prose of your novel, but your synopsis should still reflect its overall feeling.

Plot twists

Even though they’re one of the oldest tricks in the book, readers will never tire of juicy plot twists. If your novel contains one or more of these twists, especially at the climax, make sure your synopsis accentuates it. But don’t hint too much at the twist, as this will make it seem more dramatic when it comes; a couple of words in the intro will suffice as foreshadowing.

For instance, if you were writing a summary of Gone Girl , you might open with “Nick Dunne wakes up one morning to find that his wife, Amy, has apparently disappeared. ” This implies that she may not be as “gone” as we think she is, setting the stage for the later reveal.

Point of view

Another aspect that might set your book apart is a distinctive point of view . Since you’ll be giving your synopsis in third person, you can limit this inclusion to an introductory sentence: “This book is narrated from the point of view of a mouse.”

Although this strategy works best for books with a highly unusual point of view (such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, in which the story is told by Death), it can also be very helpful to remember for seemingly bog-standard narrators. If one of your characters narrates in first person, make sure to address their individual narrative quirks as well as any biases or limitations; highlighting an unreliable narrator can really add to your novel’s intrigue!

3. Edit for clarity and excess

Don’t shroud your synopsis in mystery; this is very frustrating to agents who just want to know what happens in your book! With that in mind, after you’ve written the bulk of your summary, it’s time to edit for clarity. You also may have to delete some text, so you can get it right in that couple-page sweet spot.

Editing for clarity

The paramount rule of synopses is a real doozy: tell, don’t show. It’s the opposite of that classic adage that writers have heard their whole lives, and it’s exactly what you need to write a successful synopsis. 

As you return to what you’ve written, scan for sentences that are vague or unclear, especially toward the beginning. Many writers fall into the trap of trying to hook agents by opening with a sentence akin to the first murky line of a literary novel. Again, though you do want your intro to be intriguing, it has to cut to the chase pretty quickly.

When it comes to opening a synopsis, you need to think like Tolkien, not Tolstoy. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Crisp, clear, and to the point: one of the very few times you should tell, rather than show .

Editing excess words

If your synopsis is longer than a couple of pages at this point, you need make some serious cutbacks. Read through what you have, scrutinizing every sentence and word, even if you think you’ve chosen them carefully. Reduce any run-on sentences or subordinate clauses that unnecessarily lengthen your piece.

Finally, eliminate irrelevant details — anything that doesn’t lead to the next plot point or directly contribute to your voice or other distinctive elements. It’s unlikely you’ll have included any of these in the first place, but just in case they’ve slipped through, cut them. Save the frills for your book; remember, your synopsis is all about substance .

4. Make sure it flows

By the time it’s finished, your synopsis should read like a summary from an excellent book review — or at the very least SparkNotes or Shmoop. This means not only clearly and concisely hitting every important point, but also reading in a smooth manner, placing just the right amount of emphasis on the critical moments and unique aspects we’ve discussed.

Get test readers

A great way to ensure that your synopsis is paced precisely and flows well is to give it to test readers, either someone you know or a professional editor . You’ve spent way too much time with these words to be objective about them, so pay attention to what other people suggest: possible word substitutions, transitions, and which details to emphasize versus delete.

Use professional synopses as models

You don’t want to look at examples of other synopses too soon, otherwise yours will come out sounding formulaic and stale. That said, professional synopses can be a very valuable tool for refining toward the end of the process! Compare and contrast them to the synopsis you’ve written, and adapt any techniques or turns of phrase you feel would enhance it.

Here’s an example of a strong (albeit brief) synopsis of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens , courtesy of the Oxford Companion to English Literature:

Phillip Pirrip, more commonly known as “Pip,” has been brought up by his tyrannical sister, wife of the gentle Joe Gargery. He is introduced to the house of Miss Havisham who, half-crazed by the desertion of her lover on her bridal night, has brought up the girl Estella to use her beauty as a means of torturing men. Pip falls in love with Estella and aspires to become a gentleman.

Money and expectations of more wealth come to him from a mysterious source, which he believes to be Miss Havisham. He goes to London, and in his new mode of life meanly abandons the devoted Joe Gargery, a humble connection of whom he is now ashamed.

Misfortunes come upon him. His benefactor proves to be an escaped convict, Abel Magwich, whom he as a boy had helped. Pip’s great expectations fade away and he is penniless. Estella meanwhile marries his sulky enemy Bentley Drummle, by whom she is cruelly ill treated.

In the end, taught by adversity, Pip returns to Joe Gargery and honest labor. He and Estella, who has also learnt her lesson, are finally reunited.

This synopsis works well because it includes:

• The inciting incident (Pip moving in with Miss Havisham), the rising action (him being in London), the climax (returning to Joe Gargery), and the resolution (reuniting with Estella)
• Character motivations (Miss Havisham wants to punish all men because her fiancé betrayed her; Pip wants to become a gentleman so Estella will fall in love with him)
• A plot twist (Pip’s benefactor being a criminal — whom he knows from his childhood!)
• Distinctive voice (formal yet engaging, doesn’t detract from the plot) and smoothly written style (events are chronological and progress quickly)

Your synopsis is one of the biggest deciding factors in whether an agent wants to see more from you or not. No matter how chipper your query letter , the bottom line is that this summary tells agents (and later publishers) what they really need to know: what your book is about, what makes it unique, and most importantly, if they can sell it. 

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That’s why it’s vital that you make your synopsis airtight. Fortunately, if you’ve followed these steps, yours will be chock full of plot details with a touch of your own special writing sauce: a synopsis that any agent (hopefully) won’t be able to resist. 

Many thanks to Reedsy editors (and former agents) Sam Brody and Rachel Stout  for consulting on this piece!

Do you have any tips for writing an irresistible synopsis? Leave them in the comments below!

2 responses

Elizabeth Westra says:

12/09/2018 – 22:10

This looks interesting, and I will read every word, but this would be different for a picture book. You only get one page to query for many children's books.

Dorothy Potter Snyder says:

14/10/2018 – 20:11

I am curious if anyone has ideas on how translators can write a synopsis for agents / publishers of works in translation? Might there be something about why this author is important in his/her country of origin and literary tradition? Which authors more known to English language readers might relate to this author (they've never heard of before)?

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Need editing and proofreading services, how to write a conclusion for an essay (examples included).

• Tags: Essay , Essay Writing

Condensing a 1,000-plus-word essay into a neat little bundle may seem like a Herculean task. You must summarize all your findings and justify their importance within a single paragraph. 

But, when you discover the formula for writing a conclusion paragraph, things get much simpler! 

But, how to write a conclusion paragraph for an essay, and more importantly, how to make it impactful enough? Through this article, we will walk you through the process of constructing a powerful conclusion that leaves a lingering impression on readers’ minds. We will also acquaint you with essay conclusion examples for different types of essays. 

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Let’s start from the beginning: How can you write a conclusion for an essay?

How to write a conclusion for an essay

In order to write an effective conclusion, you must first understand what is a conclusion in an essay. It is not just the summary of the main points of your essay. A well-written conclusion effectively ties together the main ideas of your essay and also pays heed to their broader implications. The objectives of your concluding paragraph are as follows:

• Highlight the significance of your essay topic
• Tie together the key points of your essay
• Leave the reader with something to ponder about

A good essay conclusion begins with a modified thesis statement that is altered on the basis of the information stated throughout the essay. It then ties together all the main points of the essay and ends with a clincher that highlights the broader implications of your thesis statement. 

Now that we’ve understood the basics of how to conclude an essay, let’s understand the key aspects of a good conclusion paragraph. 

1. Restating your thesis statement

If you want to understand how to start a conclusion, you must realize that involves more than just restating the thesis statement word for word. Your thesis statement needs to be updated and expanded upon as per the information provided in your essay. 

There are many ways to start a conclusion. One such method could be to start with the revised version of your thesis statement that hints to the significance of your argument. After this, your conclusion paragraph can organically move on to your arguments in the essay. 

Let’s take a look at an effective way of writing a conclusion for an essay:

If the following claim is your thesis statement:

Virtual reality (VR) is undeniably altering the perception of reality by revolutionizing various industries, reshaping human experiences, and challenging traditional notions of what is real.

The restated thesis statement will be as follows: 

Our analysis has substantiated the claim that virtual reality (VR) is significantly transforming the way we perceive reality. It has revolutionized industries, reshaped human experiences, and challenged traditional notions of reality.

2. Tying together the main points

Tying together all the main points of your essay does not mean simply summarizing them in an arbitrary manner. The key is to link each of your main essay points in a coherent structure. One point should follow the other in a logical format.

The goal is to establish how each of these points connects to the message of your essay as a whole. You can also take the help of powerful quotes or impactful reviews to shed a unique light on your essay. 

Let’s take a look at an example:

VR presents a new paradigm where the distinction between the real and the virtual becomes increasingly blurred. As users dive into immersive virtual worlds, they are confronted with questions about the nature of reality, perception, and the boundaries of human consciousness. 

3. Constructing an impactful conclusion

Most of us are confused about how to end an essay with a bang. The answer is quite simple! The final line of your essay should be impactful enough to create a lasting impression on the reader. More importantly, it should also highlight the significance of your essay topic. This could mean the broader implications of your topic, either in your field of study or in general.

Optionally, you could also try to end your essay on an optimistic note that motivates or encourages the reader. If your essay is about eradicating a problem in society, highlight the positive effects achieved by the eradication of that problem. 

Here’s an example of how to end an essay:

In a world where virtual boundaries dissolve, VR is the catalyst that reshapes our perception of reality, forever altering the landscape of the human experience.

Here’s a combined version of all three aspects:

Our analysis has substantiated the claim that Virtual Reality (VR) is significantly transforming how we perceive reality. It has revolutionized industries, reshaped human experiences, and challenged traditional notions of reality. It presents a new paradigm where the distinction between the real and the virtual becomes increasingly blurred. As users dive into immersive virtual worlds, they are confronted with questions about the nature of reality, perception, and the boundaries of human consciousness. In a world where virtual boundaries dissolve, it is the catalyst that reshapes our perception of reality, forever altering the landscape of the human experience.

Now that we’ve understood the structure of a concluding paragraph, let’s look at what to avoid while writing a conclusion. 

What to avoid in your conclusion paragraph

When learning how to write a conclusion for an essay, you must also know what to avoid. You want to strengthen your argument with the help of a compelling conclusion paragraph, and not undermine it by confusing the reader. 

Let’s take a look at a few strategies to avoid in your essay conclusion:

1. Avoid including new evidence

The conclusion should not introduce new information but rather strengthen the arguments that are already made. If you come across any unique piece of information regarding your essay topic, accommodate it into your body paragraphs rather than stuffing it into your conclusion.

Including new, contradictory information in the concluding paragraph not only confuses the reader but also weakens your argument. You may include a powerful quote that strengthens the message of your essay, or an example that sheds light on the importance of your argument. However, this does not include introducing a completely new argument or making a unique point.

2. Avoid the use of concluding phrases

Your conclusion should hint towards your essay coming to an end, instead of blatantly stating the obvious. Blatant concluding statements undermine the quality of your essay, making it clumsy and amateurish. They also significantly diminish the quality of your arguments. 

It is a good idea to avoid the following statements while concluding your essay:

• In conclusion,
• In summary,

While using these statements may not be incorrect per se, hinting towards a conclusion creates a better impression on the reader rather than blatantly stating it. 

Here are more effective statements you could use:

• Let this essay serve as a catalyst for…
• As we navigate the intricacies of this multifaceted topic, remember…
• As I bid farewell to this subject…

3. Don’t undermine your argument

Although there might be several points of view regarding your essay topic, it is crucial that you stick to your own. You may have stated and refuted other points of view in your body paragraphs. 

However, your conclusion is simply meant to strengthen your main argument. Mentioning other points of view in your essay conclusion, not only weakens your argument but also creates a poor impression of your essay.

Here are a few phrases you should avoid in your essay conclusion:

• There are several methods to approach this topic.
• There are plenty of good points for both sides of the argument.
• There is no clear solution to this problem.

Examples of essay conclusions

Different types of essays make use of different forms of conclusions. The critical question of “how to start a conclusion paragraph” has many different answers. To help you further, we’ve provided a few good conclusions for essays that are based on the four main essay types.

1. Narrative essay conclusion

The following essay conclusion example elaborates on the narrator’s unique experience with homeschooling.

• Restated thesis statement
• Body paragraph summary
• Closing statement

My experience with homeschooling has been a journey that has shaped me in profound ways. Through the challenges and triumphs, I have come to appreciate the unique advantages and personal growth that homeschooling can offer. As I reflect on my journey, I am reminded of the transformative power of this alternative education approach. It has empowered me to take ownership of my education, nurture my passions, and develop skills that extend far beyond the confines of academic achievement. Whether in traditional classrooms or homeschooling environments, it is through embracing and nurturing the unique potential within each of us that we can truly thrive and make a lasting impact on the world.

2. Descriptive essay conclusion

The following essay conclusion example elaborates on the narrator’s bond with their cat.

The enchanting presence that my cat has cannot be ignored, captivating my heart with her grace, charm, and unconditional love. Through the moments of playfulness, companionship, and affection, she has become an irreplaceable member of my family. As I continue to cherish the memories and lessons learned from her, I am reminded of the extraordinary power of the human-animal bond. In their company, we find solace, companionship, and a love that transcends words. In a world that can be challenging and tumultuous, never underestimate the profound impact that animals can have on our lives. In their presence, not only do we find love but also a profound sense of connection.

3. Argumentative essay conclusion

Here’s an essay conclusion example that elaborates on the marginalization of, and acute intolerance towards, LGBTQ+ individuals. 

The journey toward equality for LGBTQ+ individuals is an ongoing battle that demands our unwavering commitment to justice and inclusion. It is evident that while progress has been made, the journey toward equality for these individuals is far from complete. It demands our continued advocacy, activism, and support for legislative change, societal acceptance, and the creation of inclusive environments. The struggle for LGBTQ+ equality is a fight for the very essence of human dignity and the recognition of our shared humanity. It is a battle that requires our collective efforts, determination, and an unyielding belief in the fundamental principles of equality and justice.

4. Expository essay conclusion

This example of an essay conclusion revolves around a psychological phenomenon named the bandwagon effect and examines its potential ill effects on society:

The bandwagon effect in psychology is a fascinating phenomenon that sheds light on the powerful influence of social conformity on individual behavior and decision-making processes. This effect serves as a reminder of the inherently social nature of human beings and the power of social influence in shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. It underscores the importance of critical thinking, individual autonomy, and the ability to resist the pressure of conformity. By understanding its mechanisms and implications, we can guard against its potential pitfalls and actively foster independent thought and decision-making, also contributing to a more enlightened and progressive society.

Now that you’ve taken a closer look at different conclusions for essays, it’s time to put this knowledge to good use. If you need to take your essay up a notch and score high, professional essay editing services are your best bet.

Happy writing!

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How to Write a Research Synopsis: Template, Examples, & More

Last Updated: May 9, 2024 Fact Checked

Research Synopsis Template

• Organizing & Formatting
• Writing Your Synopsis
• Reviewing & Editing

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Raven Minyard, BA . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 245,633 times.

A research synopsis describes the plan for your research project and is typically submitted to professors or department heads so they can approve your project. Most synopses are between 3,000 and 4,000 words and provide your research objectives and methods. While the specific types of information you need to include in your synopsis may vary depending on your department guidelines, most synopses include the same basic sections. In this article, we’ll walk you step-by-step through everything you need to know to write a synopsis for research.

Things You Should Know

• Begin your research synopsis by introducing the question your research will answer and its importance to your field.
• List 2 or 3 specific objectives you hope to achieve and how they will advance your field.
• Discuss your methodology to demonstrate why the study design you chose is appropriate for your research question.

Organizing Your Research Synopsis

• Find out what citation format you’re supposed to use, as well as whether you’re expected to use parenthetical references or footnotes in the body of your synopsis.
• If you have questions about anything in your guidelines, ask your instructor or advisor to ensure you follow them correctly.

• Title: the title of your study
• Abstract: a summary of your research synopsis
• Introduction: identifies and describes your research question
• Literature Review: a review of existing relevant research
• Objectives: goals you hope to accomplish through your study
• Hypotheses: results you expect to find through your research
• Methodology and methods: explains the methods you’ll use to complete your study
• References: a list of any references used in citations

Tip: Your synopsis might have additional sections, depending on your discipline and the type of research you're conducting. Talk to your instructor or advisor about which sections are required for your department.

• Keep in mind that you might not end up using all the sources you initially found. After you've finished your synopsis, go back and delete the ones you didn't use.

Writing Your Research Synopsis

• Your title should be a brief and specific reflection of the main objectives of your study. In general, it should be under 50 words and should avoid unneeded phrases like “an investigation into.”
• On the other hand, avoid a title that’s too short, as well. For example, a title like “A Study of Urban Heating” is too short and doesn’t provide any insight into the specifics of your research.

• The introduction allows you to explain to your reader exactly why the question you’re trying to answer is vital and how your knowledge and experience make you the best researcher to tackle it.
• Support most of the statements in your introduction with other studies in the area that support the importance of your question. For example, you might cite a previous study that mentions your problem as an area where further research needs to be done.
• The length of your introduction will vary depending on the overall length of your synopsis as well as the ultimate length of your eventual paper after you’ve finished your research. Generally, it will cover the first page or two of your synopsis.

• For example, try finding relevant literature through educational journals or bulletins from organizations like WHO and CDC.
• Typically, a thorough literature review discusses 8 to 10 previous studies related to your research problem.
• As with the introduction, the length of your literature review will vary depending on the overall length of your synopsis. Generally, it will be about the same length as your introduction.
• Try to use the most current research available and avoid sources over 5 years old.

• For example, an objective for research on urban heating could be “to compare urban heat modification caused by vegetation of mixed species considering the 5 most common urban trees in an area.”
• Generally, the overall objective doesn’t relate to solving a specific problem or answering a specific question. Rather, it describes how your particular project will advance your field.
• For specific objectives, think in terms of action verbs like “quantify” or “compare.” Here, you’re hoping to gain a better understanding of associations between particular variables.

• Specify the sources you used and the reasons you have arrived at your hypotheses. Typically, these will come from prior studies that have shown similar relationships.
• For example, suppose a prior study showed that children who were home-schooled were less likely to be in fraternities or sororities in college. You might use that study to back up a hypothesis that home-schooled children are more independent and less likely to need strong friendship support networks.

• Expect your methodology to be at least as long as either your introduction or your literature review, if not longer. Include enough detail that your reader can fully understand how you’re going to carry out your study.
• This section of your synopsis may include information about how you plan to collect and analyze your data, the overall design of your study, and your sampling methods, if necessary. Include information about the study setting, like the facilities and equipment that are available to you to carry out your study.
• For example, your research work may take place in a hospital, and you may use cluster sampling to gather data.

• Use between 100 and 200 words to give your readers a basic understanding of your research project.
• Include a clear statement of the problem, the main goals or objectives of your study, the theories or conceptual framework your research relies upon, and the methods you’ll use to reach your goals or objectives.

Tip: Jot down a few notes as you draft your other sections that you can compile for your abstract to keep your writing more efficient.

Reviewing and Editing Your Research Synopsis

• If you don’t have that kind of time because you’re up against a deadline, at least take a few hours away from your synopsis before you go back to edit it. Do something entirely unrelated to your research, like taking a walk or going to a movie.

• Eliminate sentences that don’t add any new information. Even the longest synopsis is a brief document—make sure every word needs to be there and counts for something.
• Get rid of jargon and terms of art in your field that could be better explained in plain language. Even though your likely readers are people who are well-versed in your field, providing plain language descriptions shows you know what you’re talking about. Using jargon can seem like you’re trying to sound like you know more than you actually do.

Tip: Free apps, such as Grammarly and Hemingway App, can help you identify grammatical errors as well as areas where your writing could be clearer. However, you shouldn't rely solely on apps since they can miss things.

• Reference list formatting is very particular. Read your references out loud, with the punctuation and spacing, to pick up on errors you wouldn’t have noticed if you’d just read over them.
• Compare your format to the one in the stylebook you’re using and make sure all of your entries are correct.

• Read your synopsis backward by starting on the last word and reading each word separately from the last to the first. This helps isolate spelling errors. Reading backward sentence by sentence helps you isolate grammatical errors without being distracted by the content.
• Print your synopsis and circle every punctuation mark with a red pen. Then, go through them and focus on whether they’re correct.
• Read your synopsis out loud, including the punctuation, as though you were dictating the synopsis.

• Have at least one person who isn’t familiar with your area of study look over your synopsis. If they can understand your project, you know your writing is clear. If any parts confuse them, then that’s an area where you can improve the clarity of your writing.

Expert Q&A

• If you make significant changes to your synopsis after your first or second round of editing, you may need to proofread it again to make sure you didn’t introduce any new errors. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://admin.umt.edu.pk/Media/Site/iib1/FileManager/FORMAT%20OF%20SYNOPSIS%2012-10-2018.pdf
• ↑ https://www.scientificstyleandformat.org/Tools/SSF-Citation-Quick-Guide.html
• ↑ https://numspak.edu.pk/upload/media/Guidelines%20for%20Synopsis%20Writing1531455748.pdf
• ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279917593_Research_synopsis_guidelines
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://www.cornerstone.edu/blog-post/six-steps-to-really-edit-your-paper/

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Essay Synopsis Writing: 5 Things You Need to Know

I bet you cannot even guess what an essay synopsis is all about. Otherwise, why are you here looking for information on writing essays and this particular paper?

Well, you have made the right choice with this article.

Here you will find brief, but complete information on writing an essay synopsis.

So, what are those things that you ought to know about writing an essay synopsis?

• First, you should know that writing an essay synopsis is not a common and obligatory practice. Only sometimes will you be asked to complete this paper.
• Essay synopsis can be assigned for any essay type, no matter whether it is an argumentative, a persuasive or narrative essay.
• The size of your essays synopsis will be about 100 words. By the way, this can be a requirement for essays more than 2000 words. Thus, if your paper is not that long, you may not get this assignment.
• Usually, an essay synopsis is written after you have completed your essay. You will have to write it on a separate sheet of paper.
• Now, let us talk about the essence of an essay synopsis. What is it going to be like? In a few words, an essay synopsis can be called a summary. This is going to be a short overview of the basic points, main arguments and ideas of your paper.

In addition, we want to warn you that an essay synopsis sometimes can be confused with a synopsis essay. The latter is a piece of paper completed on the works of other authors (books, articles, etc.).

It has a bit different requirements and purposes. The main thing you should remember about an essay synopsis is that you will be making an overview of your own work.

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Discussions about the writing craft.

How to not suck at writing essays

I am a college student and I want to obtain advice from people who might actually know how to write a coherent essay. I have been a horrible writer since 8th grade, I know this because that was when my essay grades went from middling to horrid. From 8th grade until the beginning of college I have progressively put more time into writing only for my grades to get worse. In that time period the best grade I obtained on an essay was a D+. I barely passed high school English due to basically acing all vocab or multiple choice tests. I have decent vocabulary and a rudimentary grasp on how to not completely butcher grammar and syntax, my issue seems to be organization and content. I will write an essay and get an F for organizational issues so then I will focus on proper organization only to receive a D for too much content. The push and pull is ridiculous an F for organization then a D for too much content then an F for too little content then a D- for too much organization. I went as cookie cutter as possible using the instructor's own outline and got "too perfectly organized" as a comment. I always get the most nebulous comments that give no outlets for how to fix my mistake the next time and when I show my essays to our writing center we both come to a place where it is assumed there is nothing left to fix and I still get a D+ or lower. Basically I need help I can only take English 1A 3 times at my college and I have failed it twice. My GPA is too trash for any other college to accept me and I need it for my transfer degree.

I am willing to post my most recent essays but fair warning they are from the last time I took English 1A in 2015/2016 and kinda cringe. I have not written a single essay (unless you count debating politics on the internet) since then so I doubt my writing has changed much.

Edit: Thank you all for your structural essay help I will be sure to attempt to integrate as much of these tips as possible when I take 1A this fall. I am also going to take the "easiest" instructor who, according to other people who have taken her, have said she gives you an outline and as long as you make the word count the worst you can get is a C.