SJCS Writing Handbook

Informative Mode

In the informative mode of writing, the author informs or explains, using appropriate evidence to support their thesis statement. In the case of an analytical essay, the student seeks to discover how a primary work makes meaning by breaking down the work into parts, or various elements, to gain a better understanding of the whole The evidence of an analysis is the primary text which the secondary sources illuminate. If secondary sources are used, the essay is a synthesis.

Examples of an informative composition include the following:

● Literary Analysis

● Film Analysis

● Expository Essay

● History Paper

● Academic Article

e Synthesis Essay

● Summaries

● Encyclopedia Entries

● Instruction Manuals

● Annotated Bibliographies

● DIY

In academic writing, one often seeks to engage with the ideas of others. In a synthesis essay, the writer puts multiple sources in conversation with each other in order to provide an accurate and fresh understanding of the primary source or issue. A synthesis essay can be constructed in each of the three writing modes.