Integrating Sources in the Academic Essay

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Integrating Sourcesin the Academic Essay
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The Introduction

• The first paragraph of your essay should always
  state the author of your primary source and the
  name of your primary source.
• There should be no quotes or explicit
  information your intro provides the basic idea
  of what your essay will be exploring and, most
  importantly,
• it contains your thesis statement

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Body Paragraphs

• Because your essay must be four to five pages in
  length, you will have many body
  paragraphspossibly between 7-10.
• Each body paragraph must begin with a main idea
  and each main idea must be supported with textual
  evidence.

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How should I structure a body paragraph?

• Begin your body paragraph with an idea that you
  believe supports your thesis statement.
• You then must support this idea with examples
  from the text, passages of text from your primary
  source, and passages of critical response to your
  text that support your main idea.

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Look at this example of a student response to
Kate Chopins The Awakening. . .
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What to notice. . .

• A strong topic sentence that asserts a main
  ideaan assertion that is NOT a SOLID FACT!
• The author does NOT use first or second person
  pronouns
• The blocked quotation is properly documented
  using MLA
• . . .continued

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• The blocked quotation is justified through the
  student analysis that follows it.
• The student analysis does not refer to the quote
  as a quote (as in this quote shows, in this
  quote, this quote says. . .
• The student author shows her strong knowledge of
  her topic choice. She does not solely rely on
  the critic to support her paragraphs idea.

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Nearly every one of your body paragraphs should
include a quotation from your primary source and
a quotation from one of your critics, your
secondary sources.
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• A good model to follow is
• Topic sentence
• Any further information you want to share in
  order for readers to understand your topic
  sentences main idea.
• Context (for quotation, either from primary or
  secondary source)
• Quote (quotation using proper MLA documentation)
• Analysis (analysis of quotation of choice)

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At this point you can either begin a new body
paragraph, conclude your essay, or choose to
include a second quotation and repeat the same
format. The choice is yours.
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Whatever you choose to do, realize the goal of a
great essay You want to convey your argument,
your thesis, in the most efficient manner. This
means you dont want to overstate a single main
idea, but you do want to make sure your readers
follow your logic. Youll have many main ideas
in your essay and each one needs sufficient
attention, explanation, and support from both
your primary source and secondary sources.
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The Conclusion
Your conclusion may contain a quote from either a
primary or secondary source. Standard essay
conclusion rules apply. Make sure you analyze
any quote you include in your conclusion.