how to write an essay with evidence

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How to Introduce Evidence in an Essay

Last Updated: December 5, 2023

This article was co-authored by Tristen Bonacci . Tristen Bonacci is a Licensed English Teacher with more than 20 years of experience. Tristen has taught in both the United States and overseas. She specializes in teaching in a secondary education environment and sharing wisdom with others, no matter the environment. Tristen holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Colorado and an MEd from The University of Phoenix. This article has been viewed 236,644 times.

When well integrated into your argument, evidence helps prove that you've done your research and thought critically about your topic. But what's the best way to introduce evidence so it feels seamless and has the highest impact? There are actually quite a few effective strategies you can use, and we've rounded up the best ones for you here. Try some of the tips below to introduce evidence in your essay and make a persuasive argument.

Setting up the Evidence

• You can use 1-2 sentences to set up the evidence, if needed, but usually more concise you are, the better.

• For example, you may make an argument like, “Desire is a complicated, confusing emotion that causes pain to others.”
• Or you may make an assertion like, “The treatment of addiction must consider root cause issues like mental health and poor living conditions.”

• For example, you may write, “The novel explores the theme of adolescent love and desire.”
• Or you may write, “Many studies show that addiction is a mental health issue.”

Putting in the Evidence

• For example, you may use an introductory clause like, “According to Anne Carson…”, "In the following chart...," “The author states…," "The survey shows...." or “The study argues…”
• Place a comma after the introductory clause if you are using a quote. For example, “According to Anne Carson, ‘Desire is no light thing" or "The study notes, 'levels of addiction rise as levels of poverty and homelessness also rise.'"
• A list of introductory clauses can be found here: https://student.unsw.edu.au/introducing-quotations-and-paraphrases .

• For example, you may write, “In the novel, Carson is never shy about how her characters express desire for each other: ‘When they made love/ Geryon liked to touch in slow succession each of the bones of Herakles' back…’”
• Or you may write, "The study charts the rise in addiction levels, concluding: 'There is a higher level of addiction in specific areas of the United States.'"

• For example, you may write, “Carson views events as inevitable, as man moving through time like “a harpoon,” much like the fates of her characters.”
• Or you may write, "The chart indicates the rising levels of addiction in young people, an "epidemic" that shows no sign of slowing down."

• For example, you may write in the first mention, “In Anne Carson’s The Autobiography of Red , the color red signifies desire, love, and monstrosity.” Or you may write, "In the study Addiction Rates conducted by the Harvard Review...".
• After the first mention, you can write, “Carson states…” or “The study explores…”.
• If you are citing the author’s name in-text as part of your citation style, you do not need to note their name in the text. You can just use the quote and then place the citation at the end.

• If you are paraphrasing a source, you may still use quotation marks around any text you are lifting directly from the source.

• For example, you may write, “In the novel, the characters express desire for each other: ‘When they made love/ Geryon liked to touch in slow succession each of the bones of Herakles' back (Carson, 48).”
• Or you may write, "Based on the data in the graph below, the study shows the 'intersection between opioid addiction and income' (Branson, 10)."
• If you are using footnotes or endnotes, make sure you use the appropriate citation for each piece of evidence you place in your essay.

• You may also mention the title of the work or source you are paraphrasing or summarizing and the author's name in the paraphrase or summary.
• For example, you may write a paraphrase like, "As noted in various studies, the correlation between addiction and mental illness is often ignored by medical health professionals (Deder, 10)."
• Or you may write a summary like, " The Autobiography of Red is an exploration of desire and love between strange beings, what critics have called a hybrid work that combines ancient meter with modern language (Zambreno, 15)."

• The only time you should place 2 pieces of evidence together is when you want to directly compare 2 short quotes (each less than 1 line long).
• Your analysis should then include a complete compare and contrast of the 2 quotes to show you have thought critically about them both.

Analyzing the Evidence

• For example, you may write, “In the novel, Carson is never shy about how her characters express desire for each other: ‘When they made love/ Geryon liked to touch in slow succession each of the bones of Herakles' back (Carson, 48). The connection between Geryon and Herakles is intimate and gentle, a love that connects the two characters in a physical and emotional way.”
• Or you may write, "In the study Addiction Rates conducted by the Harvard Review, the data shows a 50% rise in addiction levels in specific areas across the United States. The study illustrates a clear connection between addiction levels and communities where income falls below the poverty line and there is a housing shortage or crisis."

• For example, you may write, “Carson’s treatment of the relationship between Geryon and Herakles can be linked back to her approach to desire as a whole in the novel, which acts as both a catalyst and an impediment for her characters.”
• Or you may write, "The survey conducted by Dr. Paula Bronson, accompanied by a detailed academic dissertation, supports the argument that addiction is not a stand alone issue that can be addressed in isolation."

• For example, you may write, “The value of love between two people is not romanticized, but it is still considered essential, similar to the feeling of belonging, another key theme in the novel.”
• Or you may write, "There is clearly a need to reassess the current thinking around addiction and mental illness so the health and sciences community can better study these pressing issues."

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Tristen Bonacci. Licensed English Teacher. Expert Interview. 21 December 2021.
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/quoliterature/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/evidence/
• ↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/using-evidence.html

About This Article

Before you introduce evidence into your essay, begin the paragraph with a topic sentence. This sentence should give the reader an overview of the point you’ll be arguing or making with the evidence. When you get to citing the evidence, begin the sentence with a clause like, “The study finds” or “According to Anne Carson.” You can also include a short quotation in the middle of a sentence without introducing it with a clause. Remember to introduce the author’s first and last name when you use the evidence for the first time. Afterwards, you can just mention their last name. Once you’ve presented the evidence, take time to explain in your own words how it backs up the point you’re making. For tips on how to reference your evidence correctly, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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What this handout is about

This handout will provide a broad overview of gathering and using evidence. It will help you decide what counts as evidence, put evidence to work in your writing, and determine whether you have enough evidence. It will also offer links to additional resources.

Introduction

Many papers that you write in college will require you to make an argument ; this means that you must take a position on the subject you are discussing and support that position with evidence. It’s important that you use the right kind of evidence, that you use it effectively, and that you have an appropriate amount of it. If, for example, your philosophy professor didn’t like it that you used a survey of public opinion as your primary evidence in your ethics paper, you need to find out more about what philosophers count as good evidence. If your instructor has told you that you need more analysis, suggested that you’re “just listing” points or giving a “laundry list,” or asked you how certain points are related to your argument, it may mean that you can do more to fully incorporate your evidence into your argument. Comments like “for example?,” “proof?,” “go deeper,” or “expand” in the margins of your graded paper suggest that you may need more evidence. Let’s take a look at each of these issues—understanding what counts as evidence, using evidence in your argument, and deciding whether you need more evidence.

What counts as evidence?

Before you begin gathering information for possible use as evidence in your argument, you need to be sure that you understand the purpose of your assignment. If you are working on a project for a class, look carefully at the assignment prompt. It may give you clues about what sorts of evidence you will need. Does the instructor mention any particular books you should use in writing your paper or the names of any authors who have written about your topic? How long should your paper be (longer works may require more, or more varied, evidence)? What themes or topics come up in the text of the prompt? Our handout on understanding writing assignments can help you interpret your assignment. It’s also a good idea to think over what has been said about the assignment in class and to talk with your instructor if you need clarification or guidance.

What matters to instructors?

Instructors in different academic fields expect different kinds of arguments and evidence—your chemistry paper might include graphs, charts, statistics, and other quantitative data as evidence, whereas your English paper might include passages from a novel, examples of recurring symbols, or discussions of characterization in the novel. Consider what kinds of sources and evidence you have seen in course readings and lectures. You may wish to see whether the Writing Center has a handout regarding the specific academic field you’re working in—for example, literature , sociology , or history .

What are primary and secondary sources?

A note on terminology: many researchers distinguish between primary and secondary sources of evidence (in this case, “primary” means “first” or “original,” not “most important”). Primary sources include original documents, photographs, interviews, and so forth. Secondary sources present information that has already been processed or interpreted by someone else. For example, if you are writing a paper about the movie “The Matrix,” the movie itself, an interview with the director, and production photos could serve as primary sources of evidence. A movie review from a magazine or a collection of essays about the film would be secondary sources. Depending on the context, the same item could be either a primary or a secondary source: if I am writing about people’s relationships with animals, a collection of stories about animals might be a secondary source; if I am writing about how editors gather diverse stories into collections, the same book might now function as a primary source.

Where can I find evidence?

Here are some examples of sources of information and tips about how to use them in gathering evidence. Ask your instructor if you aren’t sure whether a certain source would be appropriate for your paper.

Print and electronic sources

Books, journals, websites, newspapers, magazines, and documentary films are some of the most common sources of evidence for academic writing. Our handout on evaluating print sources will help you choose your print sources wisely, and the library has a tutorial on evaluating both print sources and websites. A librarian can help you find sources that are appropriate for the type of assignment you are completing. Just visit the reference desk at Davis or the Undergraduate Library or chat with a librarian online (the library’s IM screen name is undergradref).

Observation

Sometimes you can directly observe the thing you are interested in, by watching, listening to, touching, tasting, or smelling it. For example, if you were asked to write about Mozart’s music, you could listen to it; if your topic was how businesses attract traffic, you might go and look at window displays at the mall.

An interview is a good way to collect information that you can’t find through any other type of research. An interview can provide an expert’s opinion, biographical or first-hand experiences, and suggestions for further research.

Surveys allow you to find out some of what a group of people thinks about a topic. Designing an effective survey and interpreting the data you get can be challenging, so it’s a good idea to check with your instructor before creating or administering a survey.

Experiments

Experimental data serve as the primary form of scientific evidence. For scientific experiments, you should follow the specific guidelines of the discipline you are studying. For writing in other fields, more informal experiments might be acceptable as evidence. For example, if you want to prove that food choices in a cafeteria are affected by gender norms, you might ask classmates to undermine those norms on purpose and observe how others react. What would happen if a football player were eating dinner with his teammates and he brought a small salad and diet drink to the table, all the while murmuring about his waistline and wondering how many fat grams the salad dressing contained?

Personal experience

Using your own experiences can be a powerful way to appeal to your readers. You should, however, use personal experience only when it is appropriate to your topic, your writing goals, and your audience. Personal experience should not be your only form of evidence in most papers, and some disciplines frown on using personal experience at all. For example, a story about the microscope you received as a Christmas gift when you were nine years old is probably not applicable to your biology lab report.

Using evidence in an argument

Does evidence speak for itself.

Absolutely not. After you introduce evidence into your writing, you must say why and how this evidence supports your argument. In other words, you have to explain the significance of the evidence and its function in your paper. What turns a fact or piece of information into evidence is the connection it has with a larger claim or argument: evidence is always evidence for or against something, and you have to make that link clear.

As writers, we sometimes assume that our readers already know what we are talking about; we may be wary of elaborating too much because we think the point is obvious. But readers can’t read our minds: although they may be familiar with many of the ideas we are discussing, they don’t know what we are trying to do with those ideas unless we indicate it through explanations, organization, transitions, and so forth. Try to spell out the connections that you were making in your mind when you chose your evidence, decided where to place it in your paper, and drew conclusions based on it. Remember, you can always cut prose from your paper later if you decide that you are stating the obvious.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself about a particular bit of evidence:

• OK, I’ve just stated this point, but so what? Why is it interesting? Why should anyone care?
• What does this information imply?
• What are the consequences of thinking this way or looking at a problem this way?
• I’ve just described what something is like or how I see it, but why is it like that?
• I’ve just said that something happens—so how does it happen? How does it come to be the way it is?
• Why is this information important? Why does it matter?
• How is this idea related to my thesis? What connections exist between them? Does it support my thesis? If so, how does it do that?
• Can I give an example to illustrate this point?

Answering these questions may help you explain how your evidence is related to your overall argument.

How can I incorporate evidence into my paper?

There are many ways to present your evidence. Often, your evidence will be included as text in the body of your paper, as a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Sometimes you might include graphs, charts, or tables; excerpts from an interview; or photographs or illustrations with accompanying captions.

When you quote, you are reproducing another writer’s words exactly as they appear on the page. Here are some tips to help you decide when to use quotations:

• Quote if you can’t say it any better and the author’s words are particularly brilliant, witty, edgy, distinctive, a good illustration of a point you’re making, or otherwise interesting.
• Quote if you are using a particularly authoritative source and you need the author’s expertise to back up your point.
• Quote if you are analyzing diction, tone, or a writer’s use of a specific word or phrase.
• Quote if you are taking a position that relies on the reader’s understanding exactly what another writer says about the topic.

Be sure to introduce each quotation you use, and always cite your sources. See our handout on quotations for more details on when to quote and how to format quotations.

Like all pieces of evidence, a quotation can’t speak for itself. If you end a paragraph with a quotation, that may be a sign that you have neglected to discuss the importance of the quotation in terms of your argument. It’s important to avoid “plop quotations,” that is, quotations that are just dropped into your paper without any introduction, discussion, or follow-up.

Paraphrasing

When you paraphrase, you take a specific section of a text and put it into your own words. Putting it into your own words doesn’t mean just changing or rearranging a few of the author’s words: to paraphrase well and avoid plagiarism, try setting your source aside and restating the sentence or paragraph you have just read, as though you were describing it to another person. Paraphrasing is different than summary because a paraphrase focuses on a particular, fairly short bit of text (like a phrase, sentence, or paragraph). You’ll need to indicate when you are paraphrasing someone else’s text by citing your source correctly, just as you would with a quotation.

When might you want to paraphrase?

• Paraphrase when you want to introduce a writer’s position, but their original words aren’t special enough to quote.
• Paraphrase when you are supporting a particular point and need to draw on a certain place in a text that supports your point—for example, when one paragraph in a source is especially relevant.
• Paraphrase when you want to present a writer’s view on a topic that differs from your position or that of another writer; you can then refute writer’s specific points in your own words after you paraphrase.
• Paraphrase when you want to comment on a particular example that another writer uses.
• Paraphrase when you need to present information that’s unlikely to be questioned.

When you summarize, you are offering an overview of an entire text, or at least a lengthy section of a text. Summary is useful when you are providing background information, grounding your own argument, or mentioning a source as a counter-argument. A summary is less nuanced than paraphrased material. It can be the most effective way to incorporate a large number of sources when you don’t have a lot of space. When you are summarizing someone else’s argument or ideas, be sure this is clear to the reader and cite your source appropriately.

Statistics, data, charts, graphs, photographs, illustrations

Sometimes the best evidence for your argument is a hard fact or visual representation of a fact. This type of evidence can be a solid backbone for your argument, but you still need to create context for your reader and draw the connections you want them to make. Remember that statistics, data, charts, graph, photographs, and illustrations are all open to interpretation. Guide the reader through the interpretation process. Again, always, cite the origin of your evidence if you didn’t produce the material you are using yourself.

Do I need more evidence?

Let’s say that you’ve identified some appropriate sources, found some evidence, explained to the reader how it fits into your overall argument, incorporated it into your draft effectively, and cited your sources. How do you tell whether you’ve got enough evidence and whether it’s working well in the service of a strong argument or analysis? Here are some techniques you can use to review your draft and assess your use of evidence.

Make a reverse outline

A reverse outline is a great technique for helping you see how each paragraph contributes to proving your thesis. When you make a reverse outline, you record the main ideas in each paragraph in a shorter (outline-like) form so that you can see at a glance what is in your paper. The reverse outline is helpful in at least three ways. First, it lets you see where you have dealt with too many topics in one paragraph (in general, you should have one main idea per paragraph). Second, the reverse outline can help you see where you need more evidence to prove your point or more analysis of that evidence. Third, the reverse outline can help you write your topic sentences: once you have decided what you want each paragraph to be about, you can write topic sentences that explain the topics of the paragraphs and state the relationship of each topic to the overall thesis of the paper.

For tips on making a reverse outline, see our handout on organization .

Color code your paper

You will need three highlighters or colored pencils for this exercise. Use one color to highlight general assertions. These will typically be the topic sentences in your paper. Next, use another color to highlight the specific evidence you provide for each assertion (including quotations, paraphrased or summarized material, statistics, examples, and your own ideas). Lastly, use another color to highlight analysis of your evidence. Which assertions are key to your overall argument? Which ones are especially contestable? How much evidence do you have for each assertion? How much analysis? In general, you should have at least as much analysis as you do evidence, or your paper runs the risk of being more summary than argument. The more controversial an assertion is, the more evidence you may need to provide in order to persuade your reader.

Play devil’s advocate, act like a child, or doubt everything

This technique may be easiest to use with a partner. Ask your friend to take on one of the roles above, then read your paper aloud to them. After each section, pause and let your friend interrogate you. If your friend is playing devil’s advocate, they will always take the opposing viewpoint and force you to keep defending yourself. If your friend is acting like a child, they will question every sentence, even seemingly self-explanatory ones. If your friend is a doubter, they won’t believe anything you say. Justifying your position verbally or explaining yourself will force you to strengthen the evidence in your paper. If you already have enough evidence but haven’t connected it clearly enough to your main argument, explaining to your friend how the evidence is relevant or what it proves may help you to do so.

Common questions and additional resources

• I have a general topic in mind; how can I develop it so I’ll know what evidence I need? And how can I get ideas for more evidence? See our handout on brainstorming .
• Who can help me find evidence on my topic? Check out UNC Libraries .
• I’m writing for a specific purpose; how can I tell what kind of evidence my audience wants? See our handouts on audience , writing for specific disciplines , and particular writing assignments .
• How should I read materials to gather evidence? See our handout on reading to write .
• How can I make a good argument? Check out our handouts on argument and thesis statements .
• How do I tell if my paragraphs and my paper are well-organized? Review our handouts on paragraph development , transitions , and reorganizing drafts .
• How do I quote my sources and incorporate those quotes into my text? Our handouts on quotations and avoiding plagiarism offer useful tips.
• How do I cite my evidence? See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .
• I think that I’m giving evidence, but my instructor says I’m using too much summary. How can I tell? Check out our handout on using summary wisely.
• I want to use personal experience as evidence, but can I say “I”? We have a handout on when to use “I.”

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. 2016. Everything’s an Argument , 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Miller, Richard E., and Kurt Spellmeyer. 2016. The New Humanities Reader , 5th ed. Boston: Cengage.

University of Maryland. 2019. “Research Using Primary Sources.” Research Guides. Last updated October 28, 2019. https://lib.guides.umd.edu/researchusingprimarysources .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Introduce Evidence: 41 Effective Phrases & Examples

Research requires us to scrutinize information and assess its credibility. Accordingly, when we think about various phenomena, we examine empirical data and craft detailed explanations justifying our interpretations. An essential component of constructing our research narratives is thus providing supporting evidence and examples.

The type of proof we provide can either bolster our claims or leave readers confused or skeptical of our analysis. Therefore, it’s crucial that we use appropriate, logical phrases that guide readers clearly from one idea to the next. In this article, we explain how evidence and examples should be introduced according to different contexts in academic writing and catalog effective language you can use to support your arguments, examples included.

When to Introduce Evidence and Examples in a Paper

Evidence and examples create the foundation upon which your claims can stand firm. Without proof, your arguments lack credibility and teeth. However, laundry listing evidence is as bad as failing to provide any materials or information that can substantiate your conclusions. Therefore, when you introduce examples, make sure to judiciously provide evidence when needed and use phrases that will appropriately and clearly explain how the proof supports your argument.

There are different types of claims and different types of evidence in writing. You should introduce and link your arguments to evidence when you

• state information that is not “common knowledge”;
• draw conclusions, make inferences, or suggest implications based on specific data;
• need to clarify a prior statement, and it would be more effectively done with an illustration;
• need to identify representative examples of a category;
• desire to distinguish concepts; and
• emphasize a point by highlighting a specific situation.

Introductory Phrases to Use and Their Contexts

To assist you with effectively supporting your statements, we have organized the introductory phrases below according to their function. This list is not exhaustive but will provide you with ideas of the types of phrases you can use.

Although any research author can make use of these helpful phrases and bolster their academic writing by entering them into their work, before submitting to a journal, it is a good idea to let a professional English editing service take a look to ensure that all terms and phrases make sense in the given research context. Wordvice offers paper editing , thesis editing , and dissertation editing services that help elevate your academic language and make your writing more compelling to journal authors and researchers alike.

For more examples of strong verbs for research writing , effective transition words for academic papers , or commonly confused words , head over to the Wordvice Academic Resources website.

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Academic writing often requires students to use evidence, and learning how to use evidence effectively is an important skill for college writers to master. Often, the evidence college writers are asked to use comes from their textbooks, course readings, or other written work by professional scholars. It is important to learn how to use these writings responsibly and accurately.

General Considerations

There are three methods of incorporating the writing of others into your paper as evidence:

• quotation , which is anything from a word to several sentences taken word-for-word from the original source and enclosed in quotation marks
• paraphrase , which is a rephrasing in your own voice and sentence structure of one portion of the original source and is about the same length as the original sentence or sentences you are paraphrasing
• summary , which is shorter than the original source and gives the text’s central idea in your own words

Some words to use in signal phrases are argues, asserts, contends, emphasizes, explains, observes, suggests, writes.

In what follows, you will learn some strategies for using these methods of incorporating evidence into your paper.

In Practice

Quoting When you use a q uotation as evidence, you should integrate it into your own writing using a “signal phrase.” Take, for example, this quotation, taken from page 418 of the essay “Prejudice and the Individual” by Gordon Allport: “Much prejudice is caught rather than directly taught.” Here are three ways to integrate Allport’s quotation into a sentence of your own with a signal phrase:

Allport claims that “prejudice is caught rather than directly taught” (418). “Much prejudice is caught rather than directly taught,” claims Allport (418). “Much prejudice,” Allport claims, “is caught rather than directly taught” (418).

You can adapt a quotation to fit your own paragraph and sentence structure by making small changes to words and indicating those changes with square brackets. Say, for example, you liked this quotation from Allport:

“It should be added that overgeneralized prejudgments of this sort are prejudices only if they are not reversible when exposed to new knowledge” (417).

However, you want to apply Allport’s words to a specific example of your own. You could adapt the quotation like this:

The young man in my example was not prejudiced, according to Allport’s definition; his opinion was “reversible when [he was] exposed to new knowledge” (417).

You can also use ellipses to indicate that you have left irrelevant words out of a quotation. Again, say you wanted to use this quotation from Allport:

“The best opinion today says that if we eliminate discrimination, then—as people become acquainted with one another on equal terms—attitudes are likely to change, perhaps more rapidly than through the continued preaching or teaching of tolerance” (417).

But the middle part is less important to your paper than what Allport says at the start and the end. You could modify the quotation like this:

“The best opinion today says that if we eliminate discrimination . . . attitudes are likely to change, perhaps more rapidly than through the continued preaching or teaching of tolerance” (417).

Longer quotations must be formatted in a special way; usually, they are indented from the left margin and/or single-spaced. Depending on what citation style you use, guidelines differ regarding what defines a long quotation and how a long quotation should be formatted. Typically, a quotation of four or five lines is considered long.

Paraphrasing To paraphrase a source for use as evidence, you should use as little of the original language as possible and put the passage in your own voice and sentence structure. Also, because paraphrasing involves wrapping your words around someone else’s idea, people often forget to give credit to the author. Even though a paraphrase is in your words, it is not your idea. Remember to cite your source when you paraphrase. Here is another quotation from Allport and an example of weak and strong paraphrase:

“Education combats easy overgeneralizations, and as the educational level rises we find a reduction in stereotyped thinking” (Allport 422).

WEAK PARAPHRASE: Learning fights against stereotypes, and as more people are more educated we notice a decrease in prejudice (422).

STRONG PARAPHRASE: Allport explains that the more we learn, the harder we will find it to make unfair assumptions about groups of people, which means as more people pursue more education, prejudice decreases (422).

In the weak example above, you can see the sentence structure in the paraphrase is very similar to the quotation—notice, for instance, the use in both the original sentence and the weak paraphrase of a comma plus the conjunction “and.” Also, the replacement of Allport’s words with synonyms makes the paraphrase too close to the original—Allport’s “education” is replaced with “learning” in the paraphrase; his “combats” is exchanged for “fights”; “overgeneralizations” becomes “stereotypes.” The strong example above does a better job of restating Allport’s idea in a new sentence structure and without simple word substitution. Also, notice the weak paraphrase does not give Allport credit by mentioning him, but the strong one does.

Summarizing When you summarize another writer’s idea to use as evidence in a paper of your own, you are taking the essence of the writer’s idea and stating it more briefly, with less detail and explanation, than in the original. You may summarize an article or a chapter, or even a book, in a sentence, a paragraph, a page, or more—the purpose of your summary should dictate how specific you are. Summaries should be mostly in your own words, but often summaries include quotations or paraphrases when it is necessary to highlight a certain key point. When you are writing a summary, you need to be very careful not to use the original writer’s words without putting those words in quotation marks. You also need to be sure that when you summarize, you are fairly representing the original writer’s main idea. Here is a paragraph from Allport and examples of weak and strong summary:

“While discrimination ultimately rests on prejudice, the two processes are not identical. Discrimination denies people their natural or legal rights because of their membership in some unfavored group. Many people discriminate automatically without being prejudiced; and others, the “gentle people of prejudice,” feel irrational aversion, but are careful not to show it in discriminatory behavior. Yet in general, discrimination reinforces prejudices, and prejudices provide rationalizations for discrimination. The two concepts are most distinct when it comes to seeking remedies. The corrections for discrimination are legal, or lie in a direct change of social practices; whereas the remedy for prejudice lies in education and the conversion of attitudes. The best opinion today says that if we eliminate discrimination, then—as people become acquainted with one another on equal terms—attitudes are likely to change, perhaps more rapidly than through the continued preaching or teaching of tolerance.” (Allport 417)

WEAK SUMMARY: Discrimination is when people are denied their rights because they belong to some unfavored group, and it is addressed with legal action or a change in social practices. Eliminating discrimination from society would have a drastic effect on social attitudes overall, according to Allport (417).

STRONG SUMMARY: Allport explains that discrimination occurs when an individual is refused rights because he or she belongs to a group which is the object of prejudice. In this way, discrimination reinforces prejudice, but if instances of discrimination are ruled illegal or seen as socially unacceptable, prejudice will likely decrease along with discrimination (417).

You will notice that the weak summary above uses exact words and phrases from the source (“unfavored group,” “social practices”) and also some words and phrases very close to the original (“when people are denied,” “eliminating discrimination”). It does not effectively restate the original in different language. It also does not fairly represent the complete idea of the source paragraph: it does not explain the relationship between discrimination and prejudice, an important part of what Allport says. The strong example does a better job using independent language and fairly conveying Allport’s point.

How to choose which method of incorporating evidence to use These methods of incorporating evidence into your paper are helpful in different ways. Think carefully about what you need each piece of evidence to do for you in your paper, then choose the method that most suits your needs.

You should use a quotation if

• you are relying on the reputation of the writer of the original source to give authority or credibility to your paper.
• the original wording is so remarkable that paraphrasing would diminish it.

A paraphrase is a good choice if

• you need to provide a supporting fact or detail but the original writer’s exact words are not important.
• you need to use just one specific idea from a source and the rest of the source is not as important.

Summary is useful when

• you need to give an overview of a source to orient your reader.
• you want to provide background that leads up to the point of your paper.

Last but certainly not least, remember that anytime you use another person’s ideas or language, you must give credit to that person. If you do not know the name of the person whose idea or language you are using, you must still give credit by referring to a title or any such available information. You should always check with your instructor to see what method of citing and documenting sources you should use. The examples on this handout are cited using MLA style.

The sample text in these exercises is Holly Devor’s “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes.”

1. Read the paragraph from Devor below, then identify which summary of it is weak and which is strong.

“Body postures and demeanors which communicate subordinate status and vulnerability to trespass through a message of "no threat" make people appear to be feminine. They demonstrate subordination through a minimizing of spatial use: people appear to be feminine when they keep their arms closer to their bodies, their legs closer together, and their torsos and heads less vertical than do masculine-looking individuals. People also look feminine when they point their toes inward and use their hands in small or childlike gestures.” (486)

A. Devor argues that body language suggests a great deal about gender and power in our society. People who minimize the body space they occupy and whose physical gestures are minimal and unobtrusive appear inferior and feminine (486).

B. Devor says that body postures and demeanors that imply weakness make people look feminine. Minimizing the space one takes up and using infantile gestures also makes one appear feminine (486).

2. Read the sentence from Devor below, then identify which paraphrase of it is weak and which is strong.

“They demonstrate subordination through a minimizing of spatial use: people appear to be feminine when they keep their arms closer to their bodies, their legs closer together, and their torsos and heads less vertical than do masculine-looking individuals.” (486)

A. Devor explains that people demonstrate a lesser position by using less space, keeping arms close, legs together, and head less upright (486).

B. According to Devor, taking up less space with one’s body—keeping arms and legs close and hunching to reduce height—makes one appear inferior and implies femininity (486).

3. The quotations of Devor below, taken from the paragraph in exercise 1, contain technical errors. Identify and correct them.

A. Devor argues that “[b]ody postures and demeanors which communicate subordinate status and vulnerability make people appear to be feminine” (486).

B. The actress looked particularly feminine because she “point their toes inward and use their hands in small or childlike gestures” (486).

C. Devor claims that “using their hands in small or childlike gestures” makes people look feminine (486).

Answers: 1. A. STRONG B. WEAK – This example uses too many exact words and phrases from the original.

2. A. WEAK – This example uses too many exact words and phrases from the source, and its sentence structure is also too close to the original. B. STRONG

3. A. Devor argues that “[b]ody postures and demeanors which communicate subordinate status and vulnerability . . . make people appear to be feminine.” B. The actress looked particularly feminine because she “point[s her] toes inward and use[s her] hands in small or childlike gestures.” C. Devor claims that “us[ing] their hands in small or childlike gestures” makes people look feminine.

Allport, Gordon, “Prejudice and the Individual,” in The Borozoi College Reader , 6th ed. Eds. Charles Muscatine and Marlene Griffith (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1988): 416-22.

Devor, Holly, “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes,” in Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers , 4th ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon (New York: Bedford / St Martin's, 2003): 484-89.

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Writing Tutorial Services

Using evidence.

Like a lawyer in a jury trial, a writer must convince her audience of the validity of her argument by using evidence effectively. As a writer, you must also use evidence to persuade your readers to accept your claims. But how do you use evidence to your advantage? By leading your reader through your reasoning.

The types of evidence you use change from discipline to discipline--you might use quotations from a poem or a literary critic, for example, in a literature paper; you might use data from an experiment in a lab report.

The process of putting together your argument is called analysis --it interprets evidence in order to support, test, and/or refine a claim . The chief claim in an analytical essay is called the thesis . A thesis provides the controlling idea for a paper and should be original (that is, not completely obvious), assertive, and arguable. A strong thesis also requires solid evidence to support and develop it because without evidence, a claim is merely an unsubstantiated idea or opinion.

This Web page will cover these basic issues (you can click or scroll down to a particular topic):

• Incorporating evidence effectively.
• Integrating quotations smoothly.
• Citing your sources.

Incorporating Evidence Into Your Essay

When should you incorporate evidence.

Once you have formulated your claim, your thesis (see the WTS pamphlet, " How to Write a Thesis Statement ," for ideas and tips), you should use evidence to help strengthen your thesis and any assertion you make that relates to your thesis. Here are some ways to work evidence into your writing:

• Offer evidence that agrees with your stance up to a point, then add to it with ideas of your own.
• Present evidence that contradicts your stance, and then argue against (refute) that evidence and therefore strengthen your position.
• Use sources against each other, as if they were experts on a panel discussing your proposition.
• Use quotations to support your assertion, not merely to state or restate your claim.

Weak and Strong Uses of Evidence

In order to use evidence effectively, you need to integrate it smoothly into your essay by following this pattern:

• State your claim.
• Give your evidence, remembering to relate it to the claim.
• Comment on the evidence to show how it supports the claim.

To see the differences between strong and weak uses of evidence, here are two paragraphs.

Weak use of evidence

Today, we are too self-centered. Most families no longer sit down to eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.

This is a weak example of evidence because the evidence is not related to the claim. What does the claim about self-centeredness have to do with families eating together? The writer doesn't explain the connection.

The same evidence can be used to support the same claim, but only with the addition of a clear connection between claim and evidence, and some analysis of the evidence cited.

Stronger use of evidence

Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don't matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. In fact, the evidence shows that most American families no longer eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.

This is a far better example, as the evidence is more smoothly integrated into the text, the link between the claim and the evidence is strengthened, and the evidence itself is analyzed to provide support for the claim.

Using Quotations: A Special Type of Evidence

One effective way to support your claim is to use quotations. However, because quotations involve someone else's words, you need to take special care to integrate this kind of evidence into your essay. Here are two examples using quotations, one less effective and one more so.

Ineffective Use of Quotation

Today, we are too self-centered. "We are consumers-on-the-run . . . the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat . . . on the way to their next activity" (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.

This example is ineffective because the quotation is not integrated with the writer's ideas. Notice how the writer has dropped the quotation into the paragraph without making any connection between it and the claim. Furthermore, she has not discussed the quotation's significance, which makes it difficult for the reader to see the relationship between the evidence and the writer's point.

A More Effective Use of Quotation

Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don't matter as much any more as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence, as James Gleick says in his book, Faster . "We are consumers-on-the-run . . . the very notion of the family meal as a sit-down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat . . . on the way to their next activity" (148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.

The second example is more effective because it follows the guidelines for incorporating evidence into an essay. Notice, too, that it uses a lead-in phrase (". . . as James Gleick says in his book, Faster ") to introduce the direct quotation. This lead-in phrase helps to integrate the quotation with the writer's ideas. Also notice that the writer discusses and comments upon the quotation immediately afterwards, which allows the reader to see the quotation's connection to the writer's point.

REMEMBER: Discussing the significance of your evidence develops and expands your paper!

Citing Your Sources

Evidence appears in essays in the form of quotations and paraphrasing. Both forms of evidence must be cited in your text. Citing evidence means distinguishing other writers' information from your own ideas and giving credit to your sources. There are plenty of general ways to do citations. Note both the lead-in phrases and the punctuation (except the brackets) in the following examples:

Quoting: According to Source X, "[direct quotation]" ([date or page #]).

Paraphrasing: Although Source Z argues that [his/her point in your own words], a better way to view the issue is [your own point] ([citation]).

Summarizing: In her book, Source P's main points are Q, R, and S [citation].

Your job during the course of your essay is to persuade your readers that your claims are feasible and are the most effective way of interpreting the evidence.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Revising Your Paper

• Have I offered my reader evidence to substantiate each assertion I make in my paper?
• Do I thoroughly explain why/how my evidence backs up my ideas?
• Do I avoid generalizing in my paper by specifically explaining how my evidence is representative?
• Do I provide evidence that not only confirms but also qualifies my paper's main claims?
• Do I use evidence to test and evolve my ideas, rather than to just confirm them?
• Do I cite my sources thoroughly and correctly?

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Using Evidence: Analysis

Beyond introducing and integrating your paraphrases and quotations, you also need to analyze the evidence in your paragraphs. Analysis is your opportunity to contextualize and explain the evidence for your reader. Your analysis might tell the reader why the evidence is important, what it means, or how it connects to other ideas in your writing.

Note that analysis often leads to synthesis , an extension and more complicated form of analysis. See our synthesis page for more information.

Example 1 of Analysis

Without analysis.

Embryonic stem cell research uses the stem cells from an embryo, causing much ethical debate in the scientific and political communities (Robinson, 2011). "Politicians don't know science" (James, 2010, p. 24). Academic discussion of both should continue (Robinson, 2011).

With Analysis (Added in Bold)

Embryonic stem cell research uses the stem cells from an embryo, causing much ethical debate in the scientific and political communities (Robinson, 2011). However, many politicians use the issue to stir up unnecessary emotion on both sides of the issues. James (2010) explained that "politicians don't know science," (p. 24) so scientists should not be listening to politics. Instead, Robinson (2011) suggested that academic discussion of both embryonic and adult stem cell research should continue in order for scientists to best utilize their resources while being mindful of ethical challenges.

Note that in the first example, the reader cannot know how the quotation fits into the paragraph. Also, note that the word both was unclear. In the revision, however, that the writer clearly (a) explained the quotations as well as the source material, (b) introduced the information sufficiently, and (c) integrated the ideas into the paragraph.

Example 2 of Analysis

Trow (1939) measured the effects of emotional responses on learning and found that student memorization dropped greatly with the introduction of a clock. Errors increased even more when intellectual inferiority regarding grades became a factor (Trow, 1939). The group that was allowed to learn free of restrictions from grades and time limits performed better on all tasks (Trow, 1939).

In this example, the author has successfully paraphrased the key findings from a study. However, there is no conclusion being drawn about those findings. Readers have a difficult time processing the evidence without some sort of ending explanation, an answer to the question so what? So what about this study? Why does it even matter?

Trow (1939) measured the effects of emotional responses on learning and found that student memorization dropped greatly with the introduction of a clock. Errors increased even more when intellectual inferiority regarding grades became a factor (Trow, 1939). The group that was allowed to learn free of restrictions from grades and time limits performed better on all tasks (Trow, 1939). Therefore, negative learning environments and students' emotional reactions can indeed hinder achievement.

Here the meaning becomes clear. The study’s findings support the claim the reader is making: that school environment affects achievement.

Analysis Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

Related Resources

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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16 Planning Your Writing – Incorporating Evidence

In the previous section, we reviewed quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Academic writing uses quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, together with your own word and ideas to communicate your perspectives.

One way to think about incorporating evidence is to imagine that the person reading your writing visits a bakery to pick up a pie. Your reader is expecting something like this:

As a writer, your reader expects you to combine and incorporate all of the ingredients in the proper order. If your reader is expecting a well-made apple pie, but you don’t combine the ingredients, like the picture below, the reader might not be sure what to do with them.

Even if you have good ingredients, you need to blend them together! When you are working on a writing assignment, even if you identify good evidence to support your thesis, you need to organize and incorporate that evidence and supporting material with your own ideas and your own writing.

So, how can evidence be incorporated with your own ideas and your own writing?

There are three basic elements to keep in mind when incorporating evidence: [1]

Effectively using evidence is not just about properly documenting your evidence, but also where and how you incorporate evidence into your writing, and how you explain its significance to your argument.

To effectively show the reader how evidence supports your claims, use a well-organized paragraph structure in combination with language signals. Language signals such as “for example,” “therefore,” and “in contrast,” for instance, help make connections and transitions between ideas more clear to the reader.

Use this basic pattern as a guide to incorporate evidence into your paragraph:

1) State your claim, and define any terms that may not be known to your reader

2) provide evidence that supports your claim, 3) comment on how the evidence supports your claim.

The third element is where you clearly explain the connection between your claim and the evidence to the reader. Do not assume the reader automatically understands the connections between your ideas—you must explain them!

Using our example of a writing assignment that asks us to discuss effective transit options for KPU students, we can now do the following:

State your claim, and define any terms that may not be known to your reader

While Surrey has one of the largest populations in Metro Vancouver, the “federation of 21 municipalities, one Electoral Area and one Treaty First Nation” in southwest British Columbia (Metro Vancouver, 2019, para. 1), it is under served by public transit. Surrey’s current Skytrain service, in particular, does not support the transportation needs of Kwantlen students or the city’s residents.

• Defined a key term – “Metro Vancouver”
• Incorporated a quotation from a source into our sentences

Provide evidence that supports your claim

Skytrain service extended to Surrey following Vancouver’s hosting of Expo ’86 and by 1994, the ‘Expo Line’ included 20 stations stretching from Downtown Vancouver to Surrey’s King George Station – one of fours Skytrain stations in Surrey (Translink, n.d.). The City of Surrey website notes that the city “has had an average annual growth rate of 2% over the last 10 years” (City of Surrey, n.d.). By 2021, an estimated 600,000 people will call Surrey, but Skytrain service is not scheduled to expand.

• Used specific evidence related to our claim
• Incorporated evidence into our sentences using quotation and paraphrase

Comment on how the evidence supports your claim

The lack of Skytrain stations in Surrey, and with no current plans to build more, means that both Surrey residents and Kwantlen students will struggle with reliable transportation. Because of this growing population base, more and more Surrey residents will make use of transit. Regardless of where students attending Kwantlen’s Surrey campus live, this growing population will create more overcrowding on existing transit lines.

• Explained why evidence matters – see where we have used “means” and “because”
• From " Integrating Evidence into Your Writing " by University of Northern British Columbia Academic Success Centre ↵

Academic Writing Basics Copyright © 2019 by Megan Robertson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Incorporate Evidence to Support Claims in an Essay

Writing an essay is an academic task dreaded mainly by students for the uncertainty of what the instructor or professor is testing. The essay writing process entails developing a thesis-driven paper that engages the use and analysis of evidence.

Since you are likely to write many types of essays during your scholarly pursuit, it is imperative to understand how to integrate evidence to advance a scholarly discussion.

Whether you are writing a reflective essay , personal narrative, or personal statement, most of which are subjective, you will need evidence. This is despite the fact that they are written in the first-person perspective. The same applies to subjectively written essays such as persuasive, argumentative, interview, argumentative, expository, or cause-and-effect essays.

In fact, during the pre-writing stage, you must ensure that you choose a topic where you can find evidence to back your claims. Then, as you write the paper, you must include the evidence again. Finally, given the evidence, you must conclude your essay by showing how the arguments, claims, and counterarguments sit therein.

What is evidence in an essay or Academic Writing?

Evidence refers to factual information that helps readers draw conclusions and form opinions or perspectives about a topic or a subject. It is a body of facts or pieces of information that indicate whether a proposition is valid or a belief is true.

It refers to the material used to support arguments, claims, propositions, and beliefs. To write a good essay , you must use strong evidence to support the ideas. We shall see why you need evidence and when to use it in a few. Remember, your success in an essay- or research paper-based assessment depends on how solid your evidence is.

You must include a relevant in-text citation when you give evidence by quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing it from a source.

To write evidence in an essay, introduce the evidence, state the evidence, and explain the main message or emphasis and how it links up with the topic and thesis statement of your paper.

Why use sources or evidence when writing?

Academic writing can be challenging at the same time. It is easy when you understand the rules of the game and challenging if you openly disregard, completely don't understand, or flout these rules.

Sources and evidence contained in them are used to gather ideas and information to enrich and expand our knowledge and understanding. In addition, the sources have evidence that can be used to advance a scholarly discussion on a topic or subject.

Students and scholars also use sources to identify, build, and support arguments or research to demonstrate learning.

But why use these sources? Here are some reasons.

• To avoid plagiarism. Using and citing sources helps you acknowledge the authors of the work you have referred to when writing.
• Evaluating and presenting ideas. You need a reliable, credible, and valid source to support your arguments.
• Evidence of critical and analytical approach to the source. Using sources entails developing arguments, presenting your perspectives, and explaining a topic. You will use sources both as foreground and background/supporting information. As a result, you can align your thoughts to some sources and differ from others.
• To show that you can integrate material from a range of sources. It demonstrates maturity in your writing skills as you can group and classify information or ideas based on their sources. You can organize the information around your thesis, claims, arguments, and counterarguments.
• Show how you drew conclusions. For example, you show that you have read from others, developed a perspective, defended the perspective, and drawn a valid conclusion.
• Show that your writing is independent of personal opinions alone. Using personal opinions, experiences, and anecdotal evidence is not highly valued in academic writing. Instead, using sources shows that you have developed an objective discussion of the topic.
• Proof of research. Using the sources in your college and university assignments shows that you have broadened your knowledge through research. In addition, it shows that you have acquainted yourself with knowledge from a range of sources.
• Satisfying academic guidelines. Using sources or evidence in your essay shows that, as a member of an academic community, you have fulfilled the expectations about honesty and rigor in academic writing and research.

Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Sources of Evidence

Good and terrible sources can be used in an essay or research paper.

A Scholarly Source refers to a source written by a respectable author, has been appropriately peer-reviewed by experts (faculty members, researchers, and scholars) who confirm the accuracy of the information, and is up-to-date. It is sometimes referred to as a peer-reviewed, academic, or refereed source.

Scholarly sources entail research and disseminating research findings that allow academic discussion among professionals within disciplines. You can get scholarly articles using bibliographic databases such as Web of Science, JSTOR, ERIC, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PubMed. Use the CRAAP test to identify scholarly sources.

A Non-Scholarly source falls within the opposite of a scholarly source. Instead, non-scholarly sources inform and entertain the public or allow practitioners to share industry, product, and practice information.

Related: How to write a literature review for a dissertation.

Types of Evidence when Writing Essays

Your essay is like a court case where the person reading your essay is either the jury or the judge. Therefore, you must convince the reader using credible evidence to win your case. Using the evidence will most definitely depend on the type of evidence you need to fortify your ideas.

In academic writing, which applies when writing research papers, term papers, dissertations, and essays, you can use six types of evidence.

1. Statistical Evidence

As the name suggests, statistical evidence entails using numbers. This is a powerful category of evidence that is drawn from scientific sources. You can use statistics to support the thesis statement. 

Using shocking statistics in your introduction helps grab the attention of your readers. When stressing impact or extent, you will need to introduce statistics.

For instance, you can state the birth rates, incidence, prevalence of diseases, number of deaths, population, death rates, etc. the only catch is to get evidence from research such as surveys, measurements, and percentages.

2. Textual Evidence

In academic writing, textual evidence is the most common. It is used when writing an essay, speech, book review, article critique, or research paper. It includes:

• Direct quotes from a book or scholarly article
• Paraphrased ideas from a source
• Summaries of a plot
• Passages lifted from a source to support a thesis

When using textual evidence, you need to cite the source and include the page number to help the readers verify your evidence.

3. Analogical Evidence

Analogical evidence entails comparing an uncertain or little-known situation with a known one. In this respect, it helps draw conclusions based on the comparison.

You can compare the findings of a study with your findings. You can also compare expert opinion to something similar to your topic.

A court case that is similar to your thesis. It could also be statistics related to your topic but indirectly.

4. Testimonial Evidence

This type of evidence is based on the opinion of different experts in a field. Using opinions from experts is a wonderful way to support your writing. It is assumed that the experts have authority on the topic. Testimonial evidence helps you to fortify your thesis.

It is mainly used to support the topic sentences in the paragraphs of your essay. as you use testimonial evidence, ensure that you establish its credibility, validity, and relevance before using an expert�s opinion.

Examples include interview scripts with experts, quotes from a book written by an expert, conclusions from papers written by experts, and your personal experience or specialized knowledge, given your field of specialization.

5. Hypothetical Evidence

Hypothetical evidence, as the name suggests, is not real. Instead, the evidence offers projections or guesses into the future with enough imagery and sensory detail in a manner that it appears real.

Such evidence is often weak but can sparingly be used to create a vivid picture. In addition, it helps capture a reader's attention, especially if your work is fiction.

 You could tell a story of what might happen if the thesis is true, a story expounding a statistic from a credible source, or an imaginary event that triggers an action related to your essay's thesis. It is mostly used in narrative writing.

6. Anecdotal Evidence

Anecdotal evidence is a surefire way to attract your readers when writing the introduction. It is usually used as an attention grabber or hook in the introduction paragraph.

Mainly, this refers to stories or case studies that you front to support your thesis. On its own, anecdotal evidence is relatively weak because it simply accounts for something that happened to a few people.

When writing an essay, you can form some connection with your readers using strategically placed anecdotes. For example, you can rope in personal experience, an excerpt from a letter or journal, a case study, or interviews with someone to tell a story related to your thesis. However, note that too much anecdotal evidence is not valued in academic writing, making your writing subjective and not objective.

Related Reading: How to write a strong argumentative essay .

When should you introduce evidence and examples?

When writing a research paper, essay, or any academic paper, evidence, and examples are the foundation for the claims and arguments. You need proof to pump credibility to your arguments.

You are required to use evidence or examples when:

• Stating any information that is not common knowledge
• Drawing conclusions, making inferences, or suggesting implications
• Making recommendations
• Clarifying a prior statement
• Identifying a representative example of a category
• Distinguishing concepts and ideas
• Emphasizing a point by highlighting a specific situation
• When introducing statistics, facts, and examples
• If you want to explain photographs, illustrations, charts, data, or graphs

Steps to use to include evidence in an Essay

To introduce evidence in an essay, you begin by making a claim, argument, or idea in the topic sentence. Then, you must present the evidence by introducing it, stating it, and analyzing it. Finally, you must link the evidence to your thesis and the next ideas. Let us elaborate on this further.

1. Make a claim

The first step before anything else is to assert within your essay. You must start by establishing a claim or an idea in the first sentence of the paragraph or the topic sentence.

It is only then that you can present evidence to back your claim. Asserting the claim in the topic sentence helps your readers know what to expect in the paragraph.

2. Introduce the Evidence

When integrating sources into your essay or any academic writing, you should introduce the evidence after making your claim.

You can also introduce the sources by writing the titles and credentials of the authors. This enhances your ethos, making clear why your sources are credible. It also provides information that your audience requires for background knowledge.

Example: Albert Schwartz, Professor of Psychology at the University of X, observes that�

3. State the Evidence

After introducing the evidence, you should then state your evidence. If you are, for instance, quoting verbatim from a source, you should copy and paste the quote word-for-word and place it within quotation marks. Then, immediately after the quotation, provide the in-text citation that includes the exact page number or paragraph from where you have lifted.

If you paraphrase or summarise evidence from a source, ensure that you read it and write it in your own words. However, acknowledge the author by providing an appropriate in-text citation since it is not your idea.

4. Explain the evidence

Immediately after you have introduced and stated your evidence, you must critically analyze it by explaining or expounding on it to make sense. This is usually the most challenging step. As you strive to analyze the evidence, ask yourself:

• How does the evidence support your thesis or assertion? Explain the strongest points that come to mind.
• How does the evidence relate to the main idea of the author?
• Is there anything about the original main idea that can be applied to your thesis?
• Is there anything about the quote or example that can�t be obvious to the readers?
• Is the evidence direct or confusing to the readers?

Discuss how the evidence supports your argument or claims when analyzing the evidence. Then, tell your readers how the evidence sits given your thesis statement.

5. Link the evidence to your thesis statement

After introducing, stating, and explaining your evidence, you need to link the evidence to your thesis to make your essay coherent.

Every new idea should be in its own paragraph and has to relate to the gist of your essay.

Linking the evidence to your thesis or themes in the thesis statement helps to illustrate ideas and helps maintain a good flow.

As you link the evidence to the thesis statement, strive to connect it to the subsequent evidence. For example, you can use linking words and phrases that transition a paragraph to the next.

Phrases and Words to use when introducing Evidence

To effectively introduce your evidence, you can use signal phrases to signal your writers that you are introducing information from another source to support your thesis. These are verbs that precisely reflect what the author is doing. They include:

• Acknowledges

As you incorporate evidence into an essay, literature review, or research paper, there are phrases you can use:

• Evidence from a study by�
• Analysis of data by (name of author), reveals�
• The graph adopted from work by (name of author) summarizes...
• Most experts agree that�
• Following the interpretation of data, (author X) reveals that�
• The claim is supported by several authors, including
• In agreement with author X�author Y�
• As per the findings by author Y�
• According to a study conducted by author Y�

You can also use these phrases when explaining evidence.

• Consequently, �
• Going by the findings, �
• The evidence points or alludes to �
• It is clear from the findings that�
• Facts from the authors support the main argument�.
• If the evidence presented is factual�
• It is clear that�

Use these phrases to link evidence.

• In support of the views of author X, author Y�
• In summary, it is evident that�
• While there are many controversies, it is at least clear that�
• It is evident that�
• It is plausible to argue that�
• Evidence and analysis presented shows that�.
• One would argue that�.
• It is plausible to conclude that�
• It appears that�
• Although the findings seem to concur with most studies, it is also clear that�
• The premise is firmly founded on the rationale that�

Ways to Integrate Evidence in an academic paper

There are many ways you can introduce evidence when writing an academic/scholarly or professional paper. Given that you must include evidence in your text, you can either quote, paraphrase, or summarize.

When quoting from a source or reference, you are lifting the words from that source as they are in the source. But when do you need to use quotations?

• When you cannot find the best words to express the meaning that the original author intended
• If you are using an authoritative source and you need the words of the author to back your points
• When asked to include quotations, which is common when writing literature, religion, and history papers
• When you want to use the specific words of the original author
• When you are taking a position that relies on the reader understanding the exact words of the writer on a topic or an issue

And when you quote, ensure that you cite the sources where you take the quotations . If your quote is more than three lines , as is common in literature papers:

• Change the font to a smaller font other than the 12-point font. You can use, say, 10-point font.
• Left-justify the text in a word processor
• Double-indent the quote
• Don�t use quotation marks

Summarizing

Summarizing entails offering an overview of the entire text or piece of work. A summary is functional and practical when you intend to provide background information on your topic, develop the scope of your arguments, or mention a source as a counterargument.

Unlike paraphrasing, the content that is summarized is not that nuanced.

 You can incorporate many sources at once through summarizing, especially if you do not have much space. But, like paraphrasing, you have to include a relevant in-text citation.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means reading from a source and writing the ideas in different formats and presentations. Putting everything in your own words helps contextualise the ideas supporting your arguments.

Paraphrasing is not rearranging a few words, changing words, or using synonyms. Instead, you need to set the source aside and narrate what the author says to avoid plagiarism and paraphrase well.

It is more nuanced as it focuses on a specific bit of the text, unlike the summary that compresses everything. And as you paraphrase, include an in-text citation. But when is paraphrasing ideal in your writing?

• When you need to present information that cannot be questioned
• When you are commenting on an example that an author used
• If you are supporting a given point and need to draw the point from a source
• If you want to introduce the position of an author but their original words cannot suffice
• When you want to avoid using quotes when writing
• Suppose you want to exhibit your writing prowess. Paraphrasing showcases your grasp of language, critical thinking, creativity, and organization skills.
• When you want to present an opposing idea from an author that contrasts your position on a given issue or topic.

Checklist to avoid Citation Issues

We have seen students with citation issues that appear due to overreliance on a single source instead of including personal ideas or commentary to supplement the information drawn from sources. To avoid such, ask yourself:

• Has my written piece (essay or research paper) relied on a single source? Use a blend of sources when writing your essay or academic paper. Using many sources ensures richness in theoretical perspectives.
• Did I provide commentary on the material that I cited? Commentary is illustrating or interpreting the cited information. It should not be a personal opinion.
• Have I used the cited material to support the thesis? The material should contribute to your thesis or purpose statement.
• Have I included too many direct quotations? It is best to avoid direct quotes unless you are required by the instructions to include them.
• Did the opening sentence for each paragraph begin with my voice or perspective? The topic sentence should announce what is to come in the paragraph, while the concluding sentences conclude your point and lead to the next. Both should reflect your voice in the paper and should never have citations.

Related Reading: Writing conventions to use in academic writing.

Although citing sources when writing an essay or research paper can be complicated initially, everything becomes easy if you grasp the formatting and citation styles.

You must credit other scholars and writers for their pieces; otherwise, your work is considered plagiarism. The mention of plagiarism raises eyebrows and is frowned upon from lower-level education to higher levels.

To this end, you have learned how to use sources in an essay or research paper, any academic or professional writing.

How you cite sources depends on the type of paper you are writing, the formatting and citation style you are using, and the length of the paper.

You can use parenthetical references, endnotes, or footnotes when making minor points and citing a source. And if you are unsure, asking your professor the citation style to use can save you much time and a grade.

You have the step-by-step process of citing sources and everything else you need. Now it is your turn to write a convincing and scholarly essay or research paper!

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How to Introduce Evidence in an Essay: Step-by-Step Guide

Table of contents

• 1 What Is Evidence in an Essay?
• 2.1 Testimonial
• 2.2 Anecdotal
• 2.3 Textual
• 2.4 Logical
• 2.5 Statistical
• 2.6 Analogical
• 3 How Can I Introduce Evidence in an Essay?
• 4 Key Phrases for Introducing Evidence
• 5 Dos and Don’ts in Integrating Evidence Into the Essay

What Is Evidence in an Essay?

If you want to learn how to introduce evidence in an essay, you have come to the right place. We promise to list all the essential things you need to be familiar with in order to compose an ideal academic essay . But before we turn to this particular topic, we would like to first discuss the essence of this term. Introducing evidence in an essay is a way of providing reliable and credible support for the argument or point of view taken. Professional paper writers understand that it is essential to use the right kind of evidence to back up a claim. This helps to make the argument more convincing and strengthens its validity.

Evidence forms the strongest foundation on which your essay statements can stand. It is absolutely important that every writer backs up his or her arguments with quotes, diagrams, tables, paraphrases from reliable sources, and so on. If they are not present in a text, readers are unlikely to consider the work in question professional.

Various Types of Evidence

To learn how to introduce your evidence in an essay, you should first get familiar with the different proof categories. All of them can be highly beneficial for supporting your ideas in an assignment. Although you can use an essay writing service , we believe it will be very helpful if you get familiar with the different categories. We guarantee that after reading the following sections, you will find it much easier to introduce evidence into your essay.

Testimonial

To make your academic paper even more reliable, you should consider listing the opinion of one or more experts in the particular field you are focusing on. An example of an experienced individual would be someone who has a degree in the field in question. Integrating evidence through testimonials will make your work look very professional and credible.

Another reasonable way to introduce evidence in an essay is to describe real-life experiences. Readers usually find these very intriguing, and many authors try to capture readers’ interest by including a series of personal stories or case studies. It is not a good idea to use anecdotal evidence alone, as it is not as reliable as the other options listed in this section.

This particular type is widely used and is considered one of the most useful ones when it comes to poetry analysis, for example. You can support your claims by adding quotes from books, poems, reports, and so on. Once you learn how to introduce evidence in an essay via textual references, you will find it easier to introduce the other types of evidence discussed here.

In contrast to the one listed above, logical evidence is often said to be the weakest option when it comes to supporting one’s ideas. When you choose to support an argument with logic, you are essentially presenting a hypothetical conclusion. Authors should always support their beliefs with other things, such as case studies, quotes, diagrams, etc.

Statistical

This is definitely one of the most commonly used types of support. In the simplest terms, this particular variant relies on statistics. It shows that the author has done his best to gather data from various sources. Moreover, such numerical charts or tables are quite hard to refute. They are usually presented at the beginning of an essay in order to attract the reader’s attention from the very beginning. Those are commonly used in the process of writing an academic essay, which is quite understandable, considering how useful and informative they can be.

Analogies are a great way to introduce your views on a particular topic. Incorporating evidence using comparisons is a common practice, and many authors believe it works wonders. Simply put, a writer explains his or her concepts by comparing two similar objects or situations. It is best to choose an object that is already familiar to the reader. This way, it will be easier for him to understand your arguments.

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How Can I Introduce Evidence in an Essay?

One of the most important things you should do when writing classification essays or any other type of paper, you should first create a plan you will stick to throughout the entire time. One of the essential things you should consider is how to present evidence in an essay. Here is our step-by-step guide on introducing evidence that will be of great help to you.

• Introduce the topic of your essay to readers.
• Use an argument and introduce your evidence by mentioning the name of the writer and the respective work of his.
• Citing evidence should never begin with a quote. Instead, be sure to use words or phrases such as according to, as cited by, as [author’s name] says in his book, and so on.
• When you introduce a textual reference in your essay, be sure to reproduce all quotations verbatim and put them in quotation marks.
• Right after introducing evidence to your paper, provide further information about it.
• Elaborate on why you have decided to use this book, article, statistics, or poem as a reference.
• Sum up the paragraph with a sentence that will conclude your idea.

Key Phrases for Introducing Evidence

To learn how to state evidence in an essay, you should familiarize yourself with a few key phrases that should always be present in an academic paper. As mentioned earlier, a writer should never begin directly with a citation. Regardless of whether you work on diagnostic essay writing or poetry analysis, you should always introduce your sources with the help of special phrases. Here are some of them:

As [author’s name] indicated in his study…

As stated by the author…

In accordance with what the poet says in his work…

According to the writer…

As mentioned in the book…

This particular source makes it clear that…

The writer claims that…

As shown in the statistics…

This research shows that…

For example,…

As can be seen on page 18, the writer claims that…

As he points out in his study…

Dos and Don’ts in Integrating Evidence Into the Essay

We hope that you already know the answer to the question: How do you present evidence in an essay? Nevertheless, we thought it would be best to go over the most important aspects writers should consider when they introduce their ideas using citations, diagrams, etc. Additionally, if you are in a rush and need a paper written quickly, there are many last-minute paper writing services available to help you.

First and foremost, you should never introduce your evidence with a quote, as we have already mentioned. Make sure that you use enough important introductory phrases in your analysis. Also, when writing essays, make sure that you are very familiar with the topic at hand. This way, you will have no trouble elaborating on the research papers, books, or articles you use to support your beliefs.

Moreover, it is important to edit your paper online for any mistakes or inconsistencies. This way, you can ensure that your essay is free of errors and reads smoothly. Additionally, online editing tools can help you to accurately cite any sources you use, giving your essay an extra layer of credibility.

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3.3: Strong paragraphs start with good evidence

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Support your thesis with evidence AND analysis

A paragraph is a group of sentences that present, develop, and support a single idea. That’s it. There’s no prescribed length or number of sentences. In academic writing, body paragraphs need to work together with the thesis to support your main point. If your thesis states where your essay wants to go, then your body paragraphs need to show the reader how you get there. Paragraphs rarely stand alone, so most often the main topic of the paragraph serves the main concept or purpose of a larger whole; for example, the main idea of a paragraph in an essay should serve to develop and support the thesis of the essay. 

By reading and annotating your sources, and by responding and analyzing to those sources, you should have developed lots of ideas that can now form the beginnings of your paragraphs. If you don't have ideas about your sources yet, STOP WRITING AND READ AGAIN. When writing with and about sources, you want to have the ideas before you start writing. If you start your paragraphs without evidence with the intention of add the evidence later, you are likely to fall into the trap of confirmation bias : only seeing the evidence you want to see. And, adding the evidence later makes it harder to develop your ideas sufficiently. 

Topic Sentence

The job of the topic sentence is to control the development and flow of the information contained in the paragraph. The topic sentence takes control of the more general topic of the paragraph and shapes it in the way that you choose to present it to your readers. It provides a way through a topic that is likely much broader than what you could ever cover in a paragraph, or even in an essay. This more focused idea, your topic sentence, helps you determine the parts of the topic that you want to illuminate for your readers—whether that’s a college essay or a thank you letter to your Aunt Martha.  The following diagram illustrates how a topic sentence can provide more focus to the general topic at hand.

Select the Most Effective Primary Support for a Thesis Statement 

When you support your thesis, you are revealing evidence. Evidence includes anything that can help support your stance. The following are the kinds of evidence you will encounter as you conduct your research:

• Facts.  Facts, such as statistics, are the best kind of evidence to use because they often cannot be disputed. They can support your stance by providing background information on or a solid foundation for your point of view. However, facts still need explanation. For example, the sentence “The most populated state in the United States is California” is a pure fact, but it will require some explanation to make it relevant to your specific argument. Always be sure you gather your facts from credible sources.
• Judgments.  Judgments are conclusions drawn from the given facts. Judgments are more credible than opinions because they are founded upon careful reasoning and examination of a topic. Use judgments from experts in the field as they are the more credible sources for the topic.
• Testimony.  Testimony consists of direct quotations from either an eyewitness or an expert witness. An eyewitness is someone who directly observed an instance of what you are writing about; testimony adds authenticity to an argument based on facts. An expert witness is a person who has extensive experience with a topic. This person studies the facts and provides commentary based on either facts or judgments, or both. An expert witness adds authority and credibility to an argument.
• Personal observation.  Personal observation is similar to testimony, but personal observation consists of your testimony. It reflects what you know to be true because you have experiences and have formed either opinions or judgments about them. For instance, if you are one of five children and your thesis states that being part of a large family is beneficial to a child’s social development, you could use your own experience to support your thesis.

Include Supporting Detail Sentences for the Topic Sentence

After deciding which primary support points you will use as your topic sentences, you must add details to clarify and demonstrate each of those points. These supporting details provide examples, facts, or evidence that support the topic sentence.

The following paragraph contains supporting detail sentences for the the topic sentence, which is underlined.

J.D. Salinger, a World War II veteran, suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, a disorder that influenced the themes in many of his works.  He did not hide his mental anguish over the horrors of war and once told his daughter, “You never really get the smell of burning flesh out of your nose, no matter how long you live.” His short story “A Perfect Day for a Bananafish” details a day in the life of a WWII veteran who was recently released from an army hospital for psychiatric problems. The man acts questionably with a little girl he meets on the beach before he returns to his hotel room and commits suicide. Another short story, “For Esmé – with Love and Squalor,” is narrated by a traumatized soldier who sparks an unusual relationship with a young girl he meets before he departs to partake in D-Day. Finally, in Salinger’s only novel,  The Catcher in the Rye , he continues with the theme of posttraumatic stress, though not directly related to war. From a rest home for the mentally ill, sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield narrates the story of his nervous breakdown following the death of his younger brother.

Adding Explanation and Elaboration in your Body Paragraphs 

In addition to supporting details, college level paragraphs add quite a bit of explanation and elaboration in body paragraphs. Development of explanation and elaboration is one of the big differences between high school and college-level writing. Rather than just appearing in one paragraph all by itself -- possibly in a conclusion -- explanation and elaboration should appear through your essay. Some sentence stems you can use to help you develop your explanation and elaboration appear in the following list.

Sentence Stems for Elaboration 

• X matters because ___________.
• X is important because ___________.
• X is crucial in terms of today’s concern over ___________ because ___________.
• Ultimately, what is at stake here is ___________.
• These points have important consequences for the broader discussion about ___________.
• The discussion of X is in fact addressing the larger matter of ___________.
• These conclusions have significant implications for ___________.
• X should in fact concern anyone who cares about ___________.

These 4 videos review the paragraph ideas shared on this page 

Authored by:  GoReadWriteNow.  License:  All Rights Reserved .  License Terms:  Standard YouTube

Contributors 

• Adapted from  Writing for Success.   Provided by:  The Saylor Foundation.  License:  CC-NC-SA 3.0   and The Word on College Reading and Writing

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How to Introduce Evidence in an Essay

December 28, 2023

Introducing evidence in an essay serves a crucial purpose – it strengthens your arguments and adds credibility to your claims. Without proper evidence, your essay may lack substance and fail to convince your readers. Evidence helps support your statements, providing solid proof of the validity of your ideas. It demonstrates that you have thoroughly researched your topic and have a strong basis for your arguments. Moreover, evidence adds depth to your writing and allows you to present a persuasive case. By including evidence in your essay, you show that you have considered various perspectives and have made informed conclusions. It is essential to understand the importance of evidence and its role in constructing a well-rounded and convincing essay. In the following sections, we will explore different types of evidence and learn how to effectively incorporate them into your writing.

Types of Evidence

When it comes to introducing evidence in an essay, it is important to consider the types of evidence available to you. Here are some commonly used types:

Statistical Evidence

Introducing evidence in an essay is crucial to support your ideas and arguments. One effective way of doing so is by utilizing statistical evidence. Statistics have the power to provide concrete facts and figures, making your essay more objective and credible.

By incorporating statistical evidence, you can back up your claims with well-researched data, lending an air of authority to your work. Whether you’re discussing social issues, scientific phenomena, or economic trends, statistics can showcase patterns, trends, and correlations that further strengthen your arguments.

Additionally, statistical evidence provides a numerical representation of information, making complex ideas more accessible to readers. It can engage your audience and facilitate their understanding, ensuring that your message resonates effectively.

However, it is important to ensure that your statistical evidence is reliable and obtained from reputable sources. This will boost the credibility of your essay, making it more persuasive and compelling. Remember, statistics add substance and impact to your writing, elevating it from a mere collection of words to a well-supported and convincing piece.

Expert Testimony

Introducing expert testimony in an essay can greatly enhance the credibility and persuasiveness of your arguments. Expert testimony involves quoting or referencing professionals, scholars, or individuals knowledgeable in a specific field to support your claims.

By incorporating the opinions and insights of experts, you can lend authority to your essay. Expert testimony adds a layer of validation to your arguments, demonstrating that your ideas are supported by those who possess extensive knowledge and experience in the subject matter.

Citing experts also strengthens your work by showcasing that you have done thorough research and have sought out trusted authorities in the field. This can establish your expertise as a writer and further establish your credibility with the readers.

When utilizing expert testimony, make sure to reference credible sources and provide proper attribution. This will ensure the integrity of your essay and bolster the confidence readers have in your arguments. Remember, expert testimony can provide valuable insights and earn the trust of your audience, making your essay more persuasive and impactful.

Anecdotal Evidence

Introducing anecdotal evidence in an essay allows you to connect with readers on a personal level while still conveying a persuasive message. Anecdotes are brief, relatable stories that provide real-life examples to support your arguments.

Anecdotal evidence adds a human touch to your essay, capturing the attention and interest of your audience. By sharing personal experiences, or those of others, you can create an emotional connection that resonates with readers.

These stories can be used to illustrate the impact of a particular phenomenon or to provide a compelling argument for your thesis. Anecdotes often invoke empathy and can help readers relate to the topic on a deeper level.

However, it’s crucial to use anecdotal evidence selectively and consider its limitations. While it can engage readers and appeal to their emotions, anecdotal evidence is subjective and may not represent the broader picture. Pairing anecdotal evidence with other types of evidence can strengthen your argument and ensure a more balanced and persuasive essay.

Empirical Evidence

Introducing empirical evidence in an essay involves utilizing observation, experimentation, and scientific data to support your arguments. Empirical evidence relies on systematic methods of data collection and analysis, making it a strong and reliable form of evidence.

By incorporating empirical evidence, you can establish a solid foundation for your essay. It allows you to present findings derived from thorough research, ensuring objectivity and credibility. Whether you’re discussing the effects of a medication, the impact of climate change, or the outcomes of a social program, empirical evidence provides tangible results and measurable outcomes.

Empirical evidence also lends itself to replicability, as others can evaluate and reproduce the research to validate the findings. This further strengthens the validity and persuasiveness of your essay.

When including empirical evidence, it is essential to cite the original studies or research articles, ensuring transparency and acknowledging the sources of your data. By incorporating empirical evidence in your essay, you build a persuasive argument supported by scientific rigor, enhancing the impact and credibility of your work.

Utilizing these different types of evidence allows for a well-rounded and convincing essay. It is important to select the type of evidence that best suits your argument and topic. In the following sections, we will delve into how to evaluate the credibility of evidence and effectively incorporate it into your essay.

Evaluating the Credibility of Evidence

When introducing evidence in an essay, it is crucial to evaluate its credibility to ensure the soundness of your arguments. Here are key factors to consider when assessing the reliability of evidence:

• Source credibility: Determine the expertise and authority of the source. Is it from a reputable organization, expert in the field, or peer-reviewed journal?
• Relevance: Assess the relevance of the evidence to your topic. Does it directly address your thesis or support your main points?
• Currency: Consider the recency of the evidence. Is it up-to-date or outdated? Depending on your topic, it may be necessary to prioritize recent information.
• Consistency: Look for consistency among multiple sources. Does the evidence align with other reliable sources, or is it an outlier?
• Sample size: If using statistical evidence, examine the sample size. Larger samples generally provide more representative results.
• Methodology: Evaluate the rigor of the research methods used to gather the evidence. Was it conducted using scientifically accepted practices?
• Bias: Be aware of potential bias in the evidence. Consider the funding sources, ideological leanings, or conflicts of interest that might impact the objectivity of the information.

By critically evaluating the credibility of evidence, you can ensure that your essay is well-supported and persuasive. Remember to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of different types of evidence to create a balanced and convincing argument.

Incorporating Evidence into the Essay

When writing an essay, incorporating evidence is essential to support your arguments and provide credibility to your claims. By seamlessly integrating evidence into your essay, you can enhance its overall quality and convince your readers of the validity of your ideas.

Here are some key strategies to effectively introduce evidence in your essay:

• Provide context: Start by giving your readers contextual information about the evidence. Explain the source, its significance, and how it relates to your argument. This helps your readers understand its relevance and establishes a solid foundation for your evidence.
• Use signal phrases: Use appropriate signal phrases to introduce your evidence. These phrases can indicate that you are about to present evidence, such as “According to,” “For example,” or “As evidence suggests.” Signal phrases create a smooth transition between your own ideas and the evidence you are presenting.
• Blend it into your sentence structure: Rather than dropping evidence abruptly, integrate it seamlessly into your sentence structure. This allows your evidence to flow naturally and become an integral part of your argument. This technique helps avoid the trap of using evidence as standalone sentences or paragraphs.
• Explain the significance: After presenting the evidence, take some time to explain its significance in relation to your argument. Analyze and interpret the evidence, showing your readers how it supports your main thesis and strengthens your overall stance.

By skillfully introducing evidence, you can effectively enhance the credibility and impact of your essay, making it more persuasive and compelling to your readers.

Quoting and Paraphrasing

Quoting and paraphrasing are essential techniques when introducing evidence in an essay. Quoting involves directly using the words of a source to provide support for your argument. It is important to surround the quote with proper punctuation and to cite the source accurately. Paraphrasing, on the other hand, involves restating the information from a source in your own words. This technique allows you to maintain the original meaning while integrating it seamlessly into your essay. When paraphrasing, it is crucial to avoid plagiarism by properly attributing the source. Whether you choose to quote or paraphrase, it is important to select evidence that strengthens your argument and provides credibility to your claims. By mastering the art of quoting and paraphrasing, you can introduce evidence effectively and enhance the overall quality of your essay.

Citing Sources

Citing sources is an essential step when introducing evidence in an essay, as it helps to validate your claims and avoid plagiarism. Here are some key points to keep in mind when citing sources:

• Choose the appropriate citation style: Different disciplines and academic institutions often have specific citation styles they prefer, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago. Understand the requirements and guidelines of the chosen citation style.
• Include all necessary information: When citing a source, provide all relevant details, including the author’s name, title of the work, publication date, and page numbers. The specific requirements may vary depending on the citation style.
• Use in-text citations: Whenever you include evidence or information from a source, make sure to include an in-text citation. This helps your reader identify the source and locate it in the bibliography or works cited page.
• Create a bibliography or works cited page: Compile a list of all the sources you used in your essay, following the formatting guidelines of your chosen citation style. This page should include full bibliographic information for each source.
• Double-check accuracy: Accuracy is crucial when citing sources. Make sure to double-check all the details, such as spelling, dates, and page numbers, to ensure they are correct.

By following these steps, you can effectively cite your sources and provide your essay with the necessary credibility and integrity.

Remember, effectively incorporating evidence into your essay not only adds weight to your arguments but also illustrates your ability to engage critically with the subject matter. By following these guidelines, you will be able to seamlessly integrate evidence and produce a well-supported and persuasive essay.

Connecting Evidence to Main Arguments

Connecting evidence to your main arguments is a crucial aspect of introducing evidence in an essay. It helps to strengthen your claims and provide a clear and logical flow to your work. Here are some strategies to effectively connect evidence to your main arguments:

• Establish relevance: Clearly explain how the evidence you are presenting connects directly to your main argument. Clearly state the relationship between the evidence and the point you are trying to make.
• Provide context: Before introducing the evidence, provide some background or context to help the reader understand its significance. Explain why this particular piece of evidence is relevant to your argument and how it supports your overall thesis.
• Use transitional phrases: Utilize transitional phrases or words to smoothly introduce your evidence. For example, phrases like “according to,” “for example,” or “research has shown” can guide the reader from your argument to the evidence.
• Analyze and interpret: Don’t just present evidence without analysis. Take the time to explain how the evidence supports your argument and what conclusions can be drawn from it. Show the reader how the evidence reinforces your main point.
• Use topic sentences and paragraphs: Dedicate specific paragraphs or topic sentences to introduce and discuss each piece of evidence. This helps to clearly organize your essay and ensure that the evidence is effectively connected to your main arguments.

By following these strategies, you can successfully connect evidence to your main arguments, making your essay more convincing and compelling.

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• Evidence and Analysis

Why It Matters

An assignment prompt’s guidance on evidence and analysis sets parameters for the content and form of a writing assignment: What kinds of sources should you be working with? Where should you find those sources? How should you be working with them?

More on "Evidence and Analysis"

The evidence and analysis you're asked to use (or not use) for a writing assignment often reflect the genre and size of the assignment at hand. With any writing assignment prompt, it’s important to step back and make sure you’re clear about the scope of evidence and analysis you’ll be working with.  For example: 

In terms of evidence,

• what kinds of evidence should be used (peer-reviewed articles versus op-ed pieces),
• which evidence in particular and how much (3–5 readings from class versus independent research), and
• why (because op-ed pieces capture a kind of public discourse better than peer-reviewed articles, or because 3–5 readings from class is manageable for a 4-page essay and also reinforces the readings assigned for the course, etc.).

In terms of analysis,

• is the assignment asking you to make an argument? If so, what kind of argument? (e.g., a rhetorical analysis weighing the pros and cons of a think piece, or a policy memo making normative claims about recommended courses of action, or a test a theory essay assessing the applicability of a framework to real-world cases?)
• if not, what is it asking you to do with evidence? (e.g., summarize a source’s argument, or draft a research question based on an annotated bibliography or data set)
• why? (because it’s important to establish other thinkers’ positions accurately before taking your own position, or because asking questions before moving on to a thesis or conclusion will make the research process more compelling).

What It Looks Like

• Science & Technology in Society
• Ethics & Civics
• Histories, Societies, Individuals
• Aesthetics & Culture

STEP 1: PROPOSAL WITH ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Length: 250–500 words, not including annotated bibliography. The annotated bibliography must have at least 5 different references from outside the course and 5 different references from the syllabus.

Source requirements:

• Minimum 5 different references from outside the course (at least 3 must be peer-reviewed scholarly sources)   [1]
• Minimum 5 different references from Gen Ed 1093 reading assignments listed on the syllabus; lectures do not count toward the reference requirement, and Reimagining Global Health will only count as one reference   [2]
• Citation format either AAA or APA   [3] , consistent throughout the paper
• Careful attention to academic integrity and appropriate citation practices
• The annotated bibliography does not count toward your word count, but in-text citations do.   [4]

__________ [1]  Explicit guidance about what kinds of sources and how many sources to include [2]  Clarification about what does / doesn't count toward the required number of sources [3]  Clear guidance about citation format  [4]  Clarification about what does / doesn't count toward the required word count  

Adapted from Gen Ed 1093 : Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cares? Reimagining Global Health | Fall 2020

On p 13 of Why not Socialism?, G. A. Cohen states that the principle of “socialist equality of opportunity” is a principle of justice. What is the principle of “socialist equality of opportunity,” why does Cohen think it is a principle of justice, why does he think it is a desirable principle, and why does he think it is feasible? Which part of his argument do you think is most vulnerable to objections? Formulate some objections and explore how Cohen could respond. Do you think the objections succeed, or is Cohen’s view correct?

Proceed as follows:   [1]  State what socialist equality of opportunity is, by way of contrast with the two other kinds of equality of opportunity identified by Cohen. Explain why Cohen thinks, as a matter of justice, socialist equality of opportunity is preferable to the other two, and explain why an additional principle of community is needed to supplement that principle of justice. Then assess whether Cohen offers additional reasons (beyond the superiority of his principle over the alternatives) as to why equality and community are desirable, both for the camping trip and society at large. In a next step briefly summarize what he says about the feasibility of the principle. Devote about two thirds of your discussion to the tasks sketched so far, and then devote the remaining third to your exploration of the objections to parts of Cohen’s argument and an exploration of their success.

General Guidance

In section, your TF will discuss general guidelines to writing a philosophy paper.   [2] Please also consult the “Advice on Written Assignments” posted on Canvas before writing the paper. Recall that you will write three papers in this course. The assignments get progressively more demanding. In the first paper, the emphasis is on reconstructing arguments, allowing you to develop the skill of logical reconstruction rather than narrative summary of a text. …The second paper goes beyond reconstruction, putting more emphasis on the critically evaluating arguments. The third paper gives you an opportunity to develop a well-reasoned defense in support of your own view regarding one of the central issues of the class.   [3]  

__________ [1]   Students are given clear advice about how to use evidence differently at different points in their assignment. [2]  Students are assured that they will learn guidelines for working with evidence and analysis in a more disciplinary kind of writing (with which many of them will likely be unfamiliar). [3]  The move from “reconstruction” to “critically evaluating” to “well-reasoned defense” signals a scaffolded development of ways to work with evidence, along with reasons why students are being are being asked to work with evidence in a certain way for this first essay, viz., “ to develop the skill of logical reconstruction."

Adapted from Gen Ed 1121 : Economic Justice | Spring 2020 Professor Mathias Risse

Research Requirements

All projects, regardless of which modality you adopt, will need to include   [1]

• an annotated bibliography that includes at least 5 scholarly sources. These sources can include scholarly articles, books, or websites. For a website, please check with the TFs to confirm the viability of it as a source.   [2] There are legitimately scholarly websites, but many content-related sites are not scholarly.
• a 1-page artist statement.

See “How tos_Annotated Bibliography_your Artist Statement” for specific instructions for both the annotated bibliography and the artist statement.   [3]

__________ [1]  Explicit guidance about what kinds of sources and how many to include [2]  Advice on how to get help evaluating whether a source counts as viable evidence [3]  Additional resources (tied to guidelines and process) that help explain the roles of evidence and analysis in the assignment

Adapted from Gen Ed 1099 : Pyramid Schemes: What Can Ancient Egyptian Civilization Teach Us? Professor Peter der Manuelian

Introduce yourself to another student in the class by making a virtual mixtape for them. ⋮ Your tape should contain the following (in any order):   [1]

• The greeting on the Golden Record that best describes you (or record your own)
• One piece of music included on the Golden Record
• Your personal summer hit of 2020
• A “found sound” (recorded in your environment that seems characteristic or interesting)
• A piece of music that best describes you
• Your favorite piece/song by a musician outside the US/Canada

Use these guidelines as a starting point for your mixtape. Feel free to get creative. The mixtape should say something important about YOU. (There will be no written text accompanying your file. The sounds have to say it all.)   [2]

__________ [1]  Students are given a clear checklist of what to include in their assignment. [2]  In this assignment, the evidence makes its argument through curation, rather than additional written analysis. Making sure students understand that particular relationship of evidence to analysis ahead of time frames the assignment’s purpose and genre.

Adapted from Gen Ed 1006 : Music from Earth | Fall 2020 Professor Alex Rehding

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How to Write Evidence in Essays or cite argumentative claims

How to Write Evidence in Essay

An academic essay is a detailed type of writing that aims at developing a student’s idea through the use of analysis and evidence. You will likely encounter different types of academic essays in your degree course or PhD voyage.

They range from argumentative, descriptive, and persuasive to narrative essays written in the first person.

The level of education defines the length and content of your writing. Other factors, such as the subject of study and requirements, of course, can also determine the essay you will write. At university levels, students usually write argumentative essays.

All types of essay writing involve the stages of preparation, writing then the revision part.

In preparation, a student will choose the topic to write and come up with a good outline. The student’s argument is set out in the essay introduction. With credible evidence, nurture it clearly, then do the winding in the conclusion.

The revision part is very critical to avoid presenting an essay that is full of spelling and grammar issues.

 What Is Evidence in an Essay                                                                  

Essays and research papers need credible and stronger evidence for the purposes of supporting all claims made. You cannot overlook the significance of evidence.

An essay that does not have strong evidence appears weak and uninformed.

In essence, evidence offers integrity to all arguments and claims made in the essay. If you present the foundation of your essay improperly, the entire essay will not move your professor.

Readers of your essay do not want to believe statements made without attached evidence that is substantial and credible.

For your evidence to be considered strong, it must be extracted from a trustworthy source. Also, ensure that you collect the evidence from multiple sources .

You create a good essay when the evidence is specific and not general. In addition, it must be relevant to the subject of discussion in the paper so that your essay has a consistent flow.

Needless to say, it must be evidence that is not outdated and presented to support your argument. For an essay argument to appear strong in your essay, explain all sections of the evidence.

A writer must outline to the audience how the evidence is connected to the respective claims.

Strong evidence in your academic essay should include studies, statistics, good examples, and quotes that a writer can obtain from updated articles or reports.

A good source can be:

• Academic journals
• School Library
• Verified news reports

There are also reliable internet websites that can yield good evidence, but you ought to verify if the information is true.

How to Write Evidence in an Essay

1. evidence set up.

Writing your evidence starts with its introduction, where you will create an idea at the beginning of the first paragraph of your essay. Afterward, you bring in your evidence to support the idea you introduced.

Analyze the evidence properly so that your audience will understand. A maximum of two sentences is enough for you to set up your evidence because it has to be precise and summarized. Below are more detailed steps on how to write the evidence:

• Bring in a declaration explaining to the reader what you make of the main idea. Bear in mind that this declaration or argument to bring in ought to bond with the evidence.
• Another option is to focus on a specific idea related to your essay and bring in the evidence. This is considered a less direct methodology for introducing your evidence and is more applicable in explorative types of essays and not argumentative.

2. Putting in the Evidence

To put in the evidence, start with an initial item and ensure it fits effortlessly into the text. This important item should be placed at the start of the phrase that you are using as evidence.

With a good argument, bring in the evidence. However, you can also opt to use your own claim in introducing the evidence so that it appears more emphatic. For a smooth and more natural flow, place the evidence of your essay in a short sentence.

Ensure to write the name of the author and the reference title especially if you are introducing the evidence for the first time in the essay.

This means that the next time you present your evidence there will be no need to mention the title again.

When it comes to the use of direct quotes in your evidence, make use of quotation marks. This helps to indicate that these are not another person’s words.

3. Evidence Citation

As usual, evidence needs proper citation . Place the citation in the comments appearing at the end of your evidence. A good citation consists of the number of the page where you can trace the quote in the primary source.

The last name of the author should also be included. Citations need to include charts, all quotes, graphs and relevant resources.

The inclusion of citation is very important as it portrays the author as a writer who is not only responsible but also able to support his stated points with actual evidence.

In addition to this, select the right citation style too use. MLA, APA and Harvard referencing are among the leading styles you can use to cite. However, consult your professor if you are not sure in order to get further clarification.

It is important to know that evidence needs to be analyzed one piece at a time for the readers to understand them seamlessly. Therefore, analyze the piece of evidence fully before embarking on the next so that they do not appear sloppy.

Finally, analyze your evidence with detailed discussion on how the different pieces of evidence support the arguments.

How to Explain Your Evidence

The stage of explaining different pieces of evidence can be an uphill task. Give this explanation as soon as you state the evidence. The explanation must be thorough with the main idea clearly analyzed to avoid confusing the audience.

The description you give should include the means through which your statements are supported by this evidence. Let the reader comprehend the relationship between the essay’s main idea and the evidence you are presenting.

If there is any confusion in the quotes you have included, give an in-depth clarification to ensure the readers will have a good understanding. 

The Importance of Evidence in Essay Writing

An essay written without good evidence can be compared to a building built without proper foundation. Evidence makes your essay credible by backing up and supporting all arguments made.

Essays backed up with strong evidence will have authority and give the audience easy time in evaluating the assertions. Without evidence, an author will not be able to substantiate any claims made in the essay.

As a good researcher, always go for strong evidence that comes from credible sources. If the evidence you have does not emanate from trustworthy sources, it cannot be considered as strong.

There is need for a thorough scrutiny, if you are using internet websites or social media, to get accurate and reliable source.

Fortunately, you can make use of available search engines or academic databases to help you in screening sources so that you settle for those that are trustworthy. This also helps you to compare the various sources and know if they are all conveying same information and statistics.

James Lotta

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Developing Evidence-Based Arguments from Texts

About this Strategy Guide

This guide provides teachers with strategies for helping students understand the differences between persuasive writing and evidence-based argumentation. Students become familiar with the basic components of an argument and then develop their understanding by analyzing evidence-based arguments about texts. Students then generate evidence-based arguments of texts using a variety of resources. Links to related resources and additional classroom strategies are also provided.

Research Basis

Strategy in practice, related resources.

Hillocks (2010) contends that argument is “at the heart of critical thinking and academic discourse, the kind of writing students need to know for success in college” (p. 25). He points out that “many teachers begin to teach some version of argument with the writing of a thesis statement, [but] in reality, good argument begins with looking at the data that are likely to become the evidence in an argument and that give rise to a thesis statement or major claim” (p. 26).  Students need an understanding of the components of argument and the process through which careful examination of textual evidence becomes the beginnings of a claim about text.

• Begin by helping students understand the differences between persuasive writing and evidence-based argumentation: persuasion and argument share the goal of asserting a claim and trying to convince a reader or audience of its validity, but persuasion relies on a broader range of possible support. While argumentation tends to focus on logic supported by verifiable examples and facts, persuasion can use unverifiable personal anecdotes and a more apparent emotional appeal to make its case. Additionally, in persuasion, the claim usually comes first; then the persuader builds a case to convince a particular audience to think or feel the same way. Evidence-based argument builds the case for its claim out of available evidence. Solid understanding of the material at hand, therefore, is necessary in order to argue effectively. This printable resource provides further examples of the differences between persuasive and argumentative writing.
• One way to help students see this distinction is to offer a topic and two stances on it: one persuasive and one argumentative. Trying to convince your friend to see a particular movie with you is likely persuasion. Sure, you may use some evidence from the movie to back up your claim, but you may also threaten to get upset with him or her if he or she refuses—or you may offer to buy the popcorn if he or she agrees to go. Making the argument for why a movie is better (or worse) than the book it’s based on would be more argumentative, relying on analysis of examples from both works to build a case. Consider using resources from the ReadWriteThink lesson plan Argument, Persuasion, or Propaganda: Analyzing World War II Posters
• The claim (that typically answers the question: “What do I think?”)
• The reasons (that typically answer the question: “Why do I think this?”)
• The evidence (that typically answers the question: “How do I know this is the case?”).
• Deepen students’ understanding of the components of argument by analyzing evidence-based arguments about texts. Project, for example, this essay on Gertrude in Hamlet and ask students to identify the claim, reasons, and evidence. Ask students to clarify what makes this kind of text an argument as opposed to persuasion. What might a persuasive take on the character of Gertrude sound like? (You may also wish to point out the absence of a counterargument in this example. Challenge students to offer one.)
• Point out that even though the claim comes first in the sample essay, the writer of the essay likely did not start there. Rather, he or she arrived at the claim as a result of careful reading of and thinking about the text. Share with students that evidence-based writing about texts always begins with close reading. See Close Reading of Literary Texts strategy guide for additional information.
• Guide students through the process of generating an evidence-based argument of a text by using the Designing an Evidence-based Argument Handout. Decide on an area of focus (such as the development of a particular character) and using a short text, jot down details or phrases related to that focus in the first space on the chart. After reading and some time for discussion of the character, have students look at the evidence and notice any patterns. Record these in the second space. Work with the students to narrow the patterns to a manageable list and re-read the text, this time looking for more instances of the pattern that you may have missed before you were looking for it. Add these references to the list.
• Use the evidence and patterns to formulate a claim in the last box. Point out to students that most texts can support multiple (sometimes even competing) claims, so they are not looking for the “one right thing” to say about the text, but they should strive to say something that has plenty of evidence to support it, but is not immediately self-evident. Claims can also be more or less complex, such as an outright claim (The character is X trait) as opposed to a complex claim (Although the character is X trait, he is also Y trait). For examples of development of a claim (a thesis is a type of claim), see the Developing a Thesis Handout for additional guidance on this point.
• Modeling Academic Writing Through Scholarly Article Presentations
• And I Quote
• Have students use the Evidence-Based Argument Checklist to revise and strengthen their writing.

More Ideas to Try

• This Strategy Guide focuses on making claims about text, with a focus on literary interpretation. The basic tenets of the guide, however, can apply to argumentation in multiple disciplines—e.g., a response to a Document-Based Question in social science, a lab report in science.
• For every argumentative claim that students develop for a text, have them try writing a persuasive claim about the text to continue building an understanding of their difference.
• After students have drafted an evidence-based argument, ask them to choose an alternative claim or a counterclaim to be sure their original claim is argumentative.
• Have students use the Evidence-Based Argument checklist to offer feedback to one another.
• Lesson Plans
• Professional Library
• Student Interactives
• Strategy Guides

Students prepare an already published scholarly article for presentation, with an emphasis on identification of the author's thesis and argument structure.

While drafting a literary analysis essay (or another type of argument) of their own, students work in pairs to investigate advice for writing conclusions and to analyze conclusions of sample essays. They then draft two conclusions for their essay, select one, and reflect on what they have learned through the process.

The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Citation Basics / Citing Evidence

Citing Evidence

In this article, you will learn how to cite the most relevant evidence for your audience.

Writing for a specific audience is an important skill. What you present in your writing and how you present it will vary depending on your intended audience.

Sometimes, you have to judge your audience’s level of understanding. For example, a general audience may not have as much background knowledge as an academic audience.

The UNC Writing Center provides a general overview of questions about your audience that you should consider. Click here and read the section, “How do I identify my audience and what they want from me?”

Addressing Audience Bias

In addition to knowledge, values, and concerns, your audience may also hold certain biases , or judgments and prejudices, about a topic.

Take, for example, the topic of the Revolutionary War. Your intended audience may be British economists who see the American Revolution as a rebellion, which hindered British imperialism around the world.

When writing for this audience, you still want to present your claims, reasoning, and evidence to support your argument about the American Revolution, but you don’t want to alienate your British audience. You will need to be sensitive in how you explain American success and its impact on the British Empire.

Quotes, Paraphrases & Audience

Using quotes and paraphrases is a terrific way to both support your argument and make it interesting for the audience to read. You should tailor the use of these quotes and paraphrases to your audience.

Evidence Sources & Audience

Whether you’re quoting or paraphrasing, the source of your evidence matters to your audience . Readers want to see credible sources that they trust.

For example, military historians may feel reassured to see citations from the Journal of Military History (the refereed academic publication for the Society for Military History) in your writing about the American Revolution.

They may be less persuaded by a quote from a historical reenactor’s blog or a more general source like The History Channel . Historical fiction or historical films created for entertainment likely will not impress them at all, unless you are creating a critique of those sources.

It can sometimes be helpful to create an annotated bibliography before writing your paper since the annotations you write will help you to summarize and evaluate the relevance and/or credibility of each of your sources.

Quoting/Paraphrasing with Audience in Mind

Choosing ­ when to use quotes or paraphrases can depend on your audience as well.

If your audience wants details, if you want to grab the attention of your audience, or if audience bias may prevent acceptance of a more generalized statement, use a quote.

If your audience is new to the topic or a more general audience, if they will want to see your conclusions presented quickly, or if a quote would disrupt the reading of your text, a paraphrase is better.

Using Quotes and Paraphrases Effectively: Example

John Luzader, who has worked with the Department of Defense and the National Park Service, can be considered an expert who understands the technical aspects of military history.

Click here to read his “Thoughts on the Battle of Saratoga.” As you read, consider whether you would quote or paraphrase this text when using it as evidence for a school newspaper article explaining why the British surrendered.

Quotes and Paraphrases Example: Explained

A high school newspaper’s audience is usually intelligent and informed but not expert. Unless it is a military academy’s newspaper, it is unlikely that the audience has enough expertise to understand specific technical terms like “redoubt,” “intervisual,” or “British right and rear.”

For this audience, Luzader’s Thoughts on the Battle of Saratoga would work better as a paraphrase:

Military historian John Luzader (2010) argues that the British position on the field at Saratoga allowed the Americans to take the earthwork fort that protected the Redcoats and form a circle around the British, forcing their defeat.

Notice that the above paraphrase uses an in-text citation, which all paraphrases should. Because Luzader’s name is included in the sentence, we only need the year of publication (2010) in parentheses.

Relevant Evidence for Claims and Counterclaims

As a writer, you need to supply the most relevant evidence for claims and counterclaims based on what you know about your audience. Your claim is your position on the subject, while a counterclaim is a point that someone with an opposing view may raise.

Pointing out the strengths and limitations of your evidence in a way that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases helps you select the best evidence for your readers.

Relevant Evidence for Counterclaims: Example

Your audience’s concerns may include a counterclaim you must address. For example, your readers may think that the American Revolution cannot be considered a world war because it was a fight between one country and its colonies.

You should acknowledge these differences in beliefs with evidence, but be sure to return to your original claim, emphasizing why it is correct. Your acknowledgment may look like this (the counterclaim is in italics):

Although the American Revolution was primarily a battle between the British empire and its rebellious North American colonies , the foreign alliances made during the American Revolution helped the colonists survive the war and become a nation. The French Alliance of 1778 shows how foreign intervention was necessary to keep the United States going. As Office of the Historian for the U.S. State Department (2017) explains, “The single most important diplomatic success of the colonists during the War for Independence was the critical link they forged with France.” These alliances with other nations, who provided financial and military support to the colonists, expanded the scope of the Revolution to the point of being a world war.

Now you know how to select the best evidence to include in your writing! Remember to consider your audience, address counterclaims while not straying from your own claim, and use in-text citations for quotes and paraphrases.

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• How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on April 8, 2022 by Courtney Gahan and Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 1, 2023.

Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning.

Paraphrasing is an alternative to  quoting (copying someone’s exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it’s usually better to integrate sources by paraphrasing instead of quoting. It shows that you have understood the source, reads more smoothly, and keeps your own voice front and center.

Every time you paraphrase, it’s important to cite the source . Also take care not to use wording that is too similar to the original. Otherwise, you could be at risk of committing plagiarism .

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Table of contents

How to paraphrase in five easy steps, how to paraphrase correctly, examples of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase, paraphrasing vs. quoting, paraphrasing vs. summarizing, avoiding plagiarism when you paraphrase, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about paraphrasing.

If you’re struggling to get to grips with the process of paraphrasing, check out our easy step-by-step guide in the video below.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Putting an idea into your own words can be easier said than done. Let’s say you want to paraphrase the text below, about population decline in a particular species of sea snails.

Incorrect paraphrasing

You might make a first attempt to paraphrase it by swapping out a few words for  synonyms .

Like other sea creatures inhabiting the vicinity of highly populated coasts, horse conchs have lost substantial territory to advancement and contamination , including preferred breeding grounds along mud flats and seagrass beds. Their Gulf home is also heating up due to global warming , which scientists think further puts pressure on the creatures , predicated upon the harmful effects extra warmth has on other large mollusks (Barnett, 2022).

This attempt at paraphrasing doesn’t change the sentence structure or order of information, only some of the word choices. And the synonyms chosen are poor:

• “Advancement and contamination” doesn’t really convey the same meaning as “development and pollution.”
• Sometimes the changes make the tone less academic: “home” for “habitat” and “sea creatures” for “marine animals.”
• Adding phrases like “inhabiting the vicinity of” and “puts pressure on” makes the text needlessly long-winded.
• Global warming is related to climate change, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

Because of this, the text reads awkwardly, is longer than it needs to be, and remains too close to the original phrasing. This means you risk being accused of plagiarism .

Correct paraphrasing

Let’s look at a more effective way of paraphrasing the same text.

Here, we’ve:

• Only included the information that’s relevant to our argument (note that the paraphrase is shorter than the original)
• Introduced the information with the signal phrase “Scientists believe that …”
• Retained key terms like “development and pollution,” since changing them could alter the meaning
• Structured sentences in our own way instead of copying the structure of the original
• Started from a different point, presenting information in a different order

Because of this, we’re able to clearly convey the relevant information from the source without sticking too close to the original phrasing.

Explore the tabs below to see examples of paraphrasing in action.

• Journal article
• Newspaper article
• Magazine article

Once you have your perfectly paraphrased text, you need to ensure you credit the original author. You’ll always paraphrase sources in the same way, but you’ll have to use a different type of in-text citation depending on what citation style you follow.

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It’s a good idea to paraphrase instead of quoting in most cases because:

• Paraphrasing shows that you fully understand the meaning of a text
• Your own voice remains dominant throughout your paper
• Quotes reduce the readability of your text

But that doesn’t mean you should never quote. Quotes are appropriate when:

• Giving a precise definition
• Saying something about the author’s language or style (e.g., in a literary analysis paper)
• Providing evidence in support of an argument
• Critiquing or analyzing a specific claim

A paraphrase puts a specific passage into your own words. It’s typically a similar length to the original text, or slightly shorter.

When you boil a longer piece of writing down to the key points, so that the result is a lot shorter than the original, this is called summarizing .

Paraphrasing and quoting are important tools for presenting specific information from sources. But if the information you want to include is more general (e.g., the overarching argument of a whole article), summarizing is more appropriate.

When paraphrasing, you have to be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism .

This can happen if the paraphrase is too similar to the original quote, with phrases or whole sentences that are identical (and should therefore be in quotation marks). It can also happen if you fail to properly cite the source.

Paraphrasing tools are widely used by students, and can be especially useful for non-native speakers who may find academic writing particularly challenging. While these can be helpful for a bit of extra inspiration, use these tools sparingly, keeping academic integrity in mind.

To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper. And of course, always be sure to read your source material yourself and take the first stab at paraphrasing on your own.

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
• Critical thinking

 Plagiarism

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

To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:

• Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
• Combining information from multiple sentences into one
• Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
• Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning

The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.

Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly cite the source . This means including an in-text citation and a full reference, formatted according to your required citation style .

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

• Paraphrasing is plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
• Paraphrasing is plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should quote it instead.
• Paraphrasing  is not plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words and properly cite the source .

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To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

• Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
• You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
• You’re presenting a precise definition
• You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

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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.

Gahan, C. & Caulfield, J. (2023, June 01). How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-paraphrase/

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