How do I Get Started | Thesis and Divisions | Topic Sentences | Incorporating Quotations | Verb List for Citing Quotations | Developing Paragraphs | Sentence Starters | Report Discourse
This kind of writing isn’t a summary: your goal is to look for patterns in the information, develop categories to label these patterns (your divisions), and then present it to readers in an organized fashion.
Note that the focus here isn’t on the author but on the ideas in the sources. The best essays are organized not around individual writers/sources but the connections among them.
Your rough draft should contain the following five parts: introduction, overview of research, thesis and divisions, body paragraphs, conclusions.
You have to grab the reader’s attention. Do this by
Avoiding the word “you” (In formal essays, you don’t refer directly to the reader – see Proofreading for more details.)
See the Revision and Proofreading Suggestions Essay 1 for examples.
In text based writing, you’re generally reporting or explaining an idea, concept, or belief, and in a college level essay, this information will be coming from sources. You need to tell readers this background information so they can evaluate your sources. This is usually part of your introductory paragraphs.
In general, this overview should answer two important questions:
Here is where you set out 1) the focus of your essay – the thesis (What one point are you tracing from the essays); and 2) the reasons/ideas that will support your thesis – your divisions.
These paragraphs present the information to readers and refer directly back to your divisions. Your goal is to express what the writers are saying, explain connections between their ideas and provide examples to help the readers “see” and “hear” what the writers are talking about.
To help explain your thesis you can – and should – use analogies or comparisons.
And again . . . avoid the word “you” in formal essays.
You’ve taken the reader on a journey of ideas: what’s it all mean. Avoid restating the thesis.
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Thesis with divisions:
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Draft body paragraphs, remembering to set up each with a topic sentence, and to use a mixture of direct quotes, paraphrase, and summaries AND to cite all information from the readings.
A thesis is the main idea of your essay; your divisions are the ideas or arguments that explain or prove your thesis.
For your thesis/division statement (usually the last sentence in your introduction), just list the focus of your topic sentences. Consider the sample thesis statements below.
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Remember to start your paragraphs around declarative statements such as
Note that each of the topic sentence examples above refer directly back to a division and the thesis (multiculturalism/personal growth; developing shared beliefs/personal growth; love of learning/personal growth).
One of the goals in this essay is to learn how to smoothly incorporate quotes into your own writing. Instead of just sticking the quote in, remember that readers like to be prepared before they encounter another voice in your essay.
Watch the Integrating
Quotations video
Then try the following three-part development strategy to ease readers into the information.
1. Introduce Quote/set up
Let the reader know who’s speaking and when – provide context (any necessary information to set up quote). Note that before readers even get to Menand’s quote, they have an idea of its content: democracy.
This is a crucial part of incorporating quotes. Instead of just dumping the quote in, this acts as a “head’s up:” it alerts readers, telling them, in effect, “Hey you. Look for ___ in the quote you’re about to read, okay?”
Many feel that developing shared beliefs illustrates the centrality of personal growth in college. For Menand, these beliefs include the civic education that forms the core of a democracy since it helps people understand their larger role in society. He writes that college provides the
The list of verbs below can help you set up a quote. They can also come in handy when providing a context for quotes from the work you’re writing about. Use some thought when choosing these: for instance, why does “suggests” work better than “argues” in the sentence above?
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add agree analyze answer argue
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believe charge claim comment conclude consider |
criticize declare describe define discover emphasize |
explain feels illustrate imply indicate list |
maintain mention note observe object offer |
point out reinforce report reply respond reveal |
show stress suggest support think write |
2. Insert Quote
“knowledge and skills important for life as an informed citizen.”
3. Comment on Quote
Avoid “this quote is saying . . . .” Instead, connect with another idea or explain its relevance to your paragraph. In particular, work on linking it to your division.
| This emphasis on the skills to fully participate – to be “informed” – ensures that students experience growth. Instead of a focus on grades, Menand notes that concentrating on a student’s individual development means that the “only thing that matters is what students actually learn.” Since the goal of college, according to Menand and others, is to learn, and since learning entails a growth, the sense of common goals which a knowledge of culture and society imparts is an important aspect of a college education. |
Note how repetition (mental>nervousness>suffering) was used throughout paragraph to keep readers focused on the topic.
| Kahlenberg links the goal of college directly to democracy, quoting Thomas Jefferson’s goal of an American which celebrates “virtue and talent.” For Kahlenberg, college is a kind of “talent” school where students can develop their personal abilities and become “leaders in our democracy.” |
Instead of just pouring the information from the source into your essay, each paragraph should have a specific purpose.
If you’re stumped on how to develop the paragraphs, try the ole’ who, what, why, when, where, and how approach. This will DEFINITELY generate material for this kind of essay.
For example you could focus on:
Explaining these in a paragraph with examples will help flesh out the ideas in your essay.
After you’ve included a quote, sentences like these can help you explain its connection to your overall point. Check the verb list above for additional words to use when incorporating sources.
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Remember that you are objectively reporting the information of others, not making your own observations – avoid making statements such as "College should foster a love of learning." Instead, state "Menand and others believe that college should foster a love of learning."
Phrases that will come in handy include
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Remember that instead of just sticking a quote into a paragraph, you need to set it up for the reader by providing a context for them to understand why you are using it. This context is the place to add short phrases like those above to emphasize that you’re reporting information instead of offering your opinion.