Review: Outline for Evaluating Sources Essay

Introduction

The introduction should provide the following:

• Adequate context about the articles, including the full titles of the articles, brief information about the authors including names and affiliations, the name of the publications in which the articles appear, and the general purpose of each publication
• Brief summaries of the articles–especially their main claims and reasoning.
• Thesis Statement and reasoning that is based on evaluative criteria

Body Paragraphs

In your body paragraphs, you will support your evaluation by critically interpreting quotes from the articles. Each paragraph should

• Begin with a topic sentence that identifies your evaluative criterion (for example, a specific persuasive strategy)
• Provide context for the quote before you incorporate it. Tell your reader what role the quote is playing in the article’s overall purpose. Explain any reference that is made to people, places or things that aren’t named in the quote itself. Make sure we know the full name of people who are mentioned, and that we know what any demonstratives (“this,” “that,” or “these”) refer to in the quote.
• Put the full statement in quotation marks and introduce it with a writing verb, such as “states” or “argues” or “explains,” then cite the quote in-text in MLA style (quote marks, parentheses with author last name and page number).
• Interpret the quote by thoroughly deciphering its language. Define any terms used that might have vague or multiple meanings. Words like “addiction” and “communication” mean different things to different readers, so you must provide your definition!
• Analyze the quote by explaining what strategy the writer is using to argue their point.
• Compare and contrast the persuasiveness or credibility of the chosen articles based on your criteria

Conclusion

The conclusion could accomplish many different things, but it should look toward the future. The reader should be able to take your analysis with them and apply it later on.

• One way to do this for this essay might be to make recommendations for other writers who are writing about the same issue or writing to the same audiences. If you know what worked and what didn’t, what would you recommend?

Review: Checklist for Evaluating Sources Essay

When revising your paper this week, double check for the following:

• Use two articles from print publications (like the essays in our textbook) or credible online articles in PDF format
• Give the full title and author name for both articles within the first paragraph
• Quote directly from each article at least three times (for a total of at least 6 quotes) and cite in-text using MLA style
• Give adequate context, such as summary and background info, for the articles
• Interpret each quote, providing definitions of all terms used
• Analyze each quote, saying what perspective it provides or argument strategy it uses
• Develop a comparative evaluation of the two chosen articles in terms of their persuasiveness or credibility