If I'm Not Clear on a Particular Topic I Can Look for Additional Readings in the Online Library.

What this handout is near

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

Introduction

Many papers that you write in college will crave you to make an argument; this means that you lot must accept a position on the subject you are discussing and support that position with testify. It's important that you use the right kind of evidence, that you lot use it effectively, and that you have an appropriate amount of it. If, for instance, your philosophy professor didn't like it that you used a survey of public opinion equally your primary evidence in your ethics newspaper, you lot need to notice out more about what philosophers count every bit expert show. If your instructor has told you that you lot need more analysis, suggested that yous're "simply listing" points or giving a "laundry list," or asked y'all how certain points are related to your statement, it may hateful that you lot can do more than to fully incorporate your evidence into your argument. Comments similar "for example?," "proof?," "go deeper," or "expand" in the margins of your graded newspaper advise that yous may need more evidence. Let'south take a await at each of these issues—agreement what counts every bit evidence, using evidence in your argument, and deciding whether y'all need more evidence.

What counts every bit evidence?

Before y'all begin gathering information for possible use equally bear witness in your argument, you demand to be certain that you understand the purpose of your assignment. If you are working on a projection for a class, look carefully at the consignment prompt. It may give yous clues nearly what sorts of prove you will need. Does the instructor mention whatsoever particular books you should utilise in writing your paper or the names of whatever authors who take written about your topic? How long should your newspaper be (longer works may crave more than, or more than varied, bear witness)? 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 skillful idea to call up over what has been said near the consignment in class and to talk with your instructor if y'all need clarification or guidance.

What matters to instructors?

Instructors in different academic fields expect unlike kinds of arguments and prove—your chemistry newspaper might include graphs, charts, statistics, and other quantitative information as evidence, whereas your English language paper might include passages from a novel, examples of recurring symbols, or discussions of label in the novel. Consider what kinds of sources and evidence you accept seen in course readings and lectures. You lot may wish to come across whether the Writing Center has a handout regarding the specific academic field you're working in—for example, literature, folklore, or history.

What are principal and secondary sources?

A note on terminology: many researchers distinguish between main and secondary sources of testify (in this case, "primary" means "kickoff" or "original," not "most important"). Primary sources include original documents, photographs, interviews, and and so along. Secondary sources present data that has already been candy or interpreted by someone else. For example, if yous are writing a newspaper near the moving picture "The Matrix," the movie itself, an interview with the director, and production photos could serve as master sources of evidence. A movie review from a mag or a collection of essays about the film would exist secondary sources. Depending on the context, the same item could exist 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 nigh how editors gather diverse stories into collections, the same book might now part every bit a primary source.

Where can I find prove?

Here are some examples of sources of data and tips about how to use them in gathering evidence. Ask your instructor if y'all 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 mutual sources of evidence for academic writing. Our handout on evaluating print sources will help you choose your impress sources wisely, and the library has a tutorial on evaluating both print sources and websites. A librarian can assist you find sources that are appropriate for the blazon 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 yous tin directly observe the thing you lot are interested in, by watching, listening to, touching, tasting, or smelling information technology. For instance, if you were asked to write nearly Mozart'southward music, you could heed to it; if your topic was how businesses attract traffic, you might go and await at window displays at the mall.

Interviews

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

Surveys

Surveys allow y'all to observe out some of what a group of people thinks about a topic. Designing an effective survey and interpreting the data you get tin can be challenging, then it's a expert idea to bank check with your instructor before creating or administering a survey.

Experiments

Experimental data serve as the primary form of scientific show. For scientific experiments, you should follow the specific guidelines of the subject area you are studying. For writing in other fields, more informal experiments might exist adequate as bear witness. For example, if yous desire to prove that nutrient choices in a deli are afflicted by gender norms, you might ask classmates to undermine those norms on purpose and observe how others react. What would happen if a football game thespian 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 independent?

Personal experience

Using your own experiences tin can be a powerful manner to appeal to your readers. You should, however, utilize personal experience only when information technology is appropriate to your topic, your writing goals, and your audition. Personal experience should not be your but form of evidence in nearly papers, and some disciplines frown on using personal experience at all. For example, a story about the microscope you lot received every bit a Christmas gift when you were 9 years old is probably not applicable to your biology lab written report.

Using evidence in an argument

Does evidence speak for itself?

Admittedly non. Afterward y'all introduce evidence into your writing, yous must say why and how this testify supports your argument. In other words, you have to explain the significance of the evidence and its function in your newspaper. What turns a fact or piece of information into evidence is the connection it has with a larger claim or statement: evidence is always bear witness for or against something, and you lot accept to make that link clear.

Every bit writers, we sometimes assume that our readers already know what we are talking about; we may be wary of elaborating as well 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, organisation, transitions, and and then along. Try to spell out the connections that you were making in your mind when you chose your evidence, decided where to identify it in your paper, and drew conclusions based on it. Remember, you can ever cut prose from your newspaper later if you decide that you are stating the obvious.

Here are some questions you can enquire yourself about a particular flake of bear witness:

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 mode?
I've merely described what something is like or how I see information technology, but why is it like that?
I've just said that something happens—then how does it happen? How does it come to be the fashion it is?
Why is this information important? Why does information technology affair?
How is this idea related to my thesis? What connections exist between them? Does it support my thesis? If then, how does it do that?
Can I requite an instance to illustrate this point?

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

How can I contain bear witness into my paper?

At that place are many ways to present your evidence. Ofttimes, your testify will be included as text in the trunk of your paper, every bit a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Sometimes you might include graphs, charts, or tables; excerpts from an interview; or photographs or illustrations with accompanying captions.

Quotations

When you quote, you are reproducing some other writer'south words exactly as they announced on the page. Here are some tips to help you decide when to use quotations:

Quote if yous can't say it any ameliorate and the author's words are particularly vivid, witty, edgy, distinctive, a proficient illustration of a indicate yous're making, or otherwise interesting.
Quote if you are using a peculiarly authoritative source and you need the writer'due south expertise to back up your signal.
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'south agreement exactly what another writer says virtually the topic.

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

Like all pieces of testify, a quotation can't speak for itself. If you cease a paragraph with a quotation, that may be a sign that you lot accept neglected to talk over 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 whatsoever introduction, word, or follow-up.

Paraphrasing

When you lot paraphrase, you take a specific department 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, endeavor setting your source aside and restating the sentence or paragraph yous take just read, as though you lot were describing it to another person. Paraphrasing is dissimilar than summary because a paraphrase focuses on a particular, fairly short chip of text (similar a phrase, sentence, or paragraph). You'll demand to indicate when y'all are paraphrasing someone else'south text by citing your source correctly, just as you would with a quotation.

When might you want to paraphrase?

Paraphrase when yous want to introduce a writer's position, but his or her original words aren't special enough to quote.
Paraphrase when you are supporting a particular betoken and need to draw on a certain identify in a text that supports your indicate—for example, when one paragraph in a source is especially relevant.
Paraphrase when you want to present a writer'south view on a topic that differs from your position or that of another writer; you can so refute author'south specific points in your own words after you lot paraphrase.
Paraphrase when you desire to annotate on a particular example that another writer uses.
Paraphrase when y'all need to present information that's unlikely to be questioned.

Summary

When you lot 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 data, grounding your ain argument, or mentioning a source as a counter-statement. A summary is less nuanced than paraphrased material. It can be the most constructive way to incorporate a large number of sources when you lot don't accept a lot of space. When you are summarizing someone else's statement 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 difficult fact or visual representation of a fact. This type of evidence can be a solid backbone for your argument, but you nevertheless need to create context for your reader and draw the connections you want him or her to make. Remember that statistics, information, charts, graph, photographs, and illustrations are all open to interpretation. Guide the reader through the interpretation process. Again, always, cite the origin of your testify if you didn't produce the material yous are using yourself.

Do I demand more evidence?

Let'south say that you've identified some advisable sources, found some evidence, explained to the reader how it fits into your overall argument, incorporated information technology into your typhoon effectively, and cited your sources. How do you tell whether yous've got plenty evidence and whether it's working well in the service of a stiff statement or assay? Here are some techniques you can use to review your draft and assess your use of testify.

Make a reverse outline

A reverse outline is a great technique for helping y'all see how each paragraph contributes to proving your thesis. When you brand a reverse outline, you record the main ideas in each paragraph in a shorter (outline-like) class so that you tin see at a glance what is in your newspaper. The reverse outline is helpful in at least three means. Kickoff, information technology lets you see where yous accept dealt with too many topics in 1 paragraph (in general, you should have one primary thought per paragraph). Second, the reverse outline tin help you meet where you need more show to prove your signal or more analysis of that evidence. Third, the reverse outline can help you lot write your topic sentences: in one case you have decided what you want each paragraph to be most, you can write topic sentences that explicate the topics of the paragraphs and state the relationship of each topic to the overall thesis of the paper.

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

Color code your paper

Yous will demand iii highlighters or colored pencils for this exercise. Use one color to highlight full general assertions. These will typically be the topic sentences in your paper. Next, apply another colour to highlight the specific show 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 particularly contestable? How much evidence do you have for each exclamation? How much analysis? In general, you should have at to the lowest degree as much analysis equally you do evidence, or your paper runs the risk of being more than summary than argument. The more controversial an assertion is, the more than evidence yous may need to provide in order to persuade your reader.

Play devil's abet, act like a child, or dubiousness everything

This technique may be easiest to utilise with a partner. Ask your friend to have on one of the roles to a higher place, then read your paper aloud to him/her. Later on each section, suspension and let your friend interrogate you. If your friend is playing devil's advocate, he or she will always take the opposing viewpoint and force you to keep defending yourself. If your friend is acting like a child, he or she will question every sentence, even seemingly cocky-explanatory ones. If your friend is a agnostic, he or she won't believe anything you say. Justifying your position verbally or explaining yourself will strength you to strengthen the prove in your paper. If y'all already take enough bear witness but haven't connected information technology clearly enough to your main argument, explaining to your friend how the evidence is relevant or what it proves may assistance you to do so.

Mutual questions and boosted resources

I have a general topic in listen; how tin can I develop information technology so I'll know what evidence I need? And how can I become ideas for more evidence? Come across our handout on brainstorming.
Who tin aid me notice testify on my topic? Check out UNC Libraries.
I'thou writing for a specific purpose; how tin I tell what kind of evidence my audience wants? Encounter our handouts on audition, writing for specific disciplines, and particular writing assignments.
How should I read materials to gather prove? Meet our handout on reading to write.
How tin I make a skillful statement? Bank check out our handouts on statement 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 bear witness? See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial.
I think that I'k giving testify, but my instructor says I'm using as well 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"? Nosotros have a handout on when to use "I."

Works consulted

Nosotros consulted these works while writing this handout. This is non a comprehensive list of resources on the handout's topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to detect additional publications. Please practise not use this listing equally a model for the format of your ain reference list, as it may not match the commendation mode y'all 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." Inquiry Guides. Last updated October 28, 2019. https://lib.guides.umd.edu/researchusingprimarysources.

Creative Commons License This work is licensed nether a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License.
Yous may reproduce it for not-commercial utilize if you use the entire handout and aspect the source: The Writing Center, Academy of North Carolina at Chapel Colina

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If I'm Not Clear on a Particular Topic I Can Look for Additional Readings in the Online Library.

Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/evidence/