Evidence from other sources should support, not overshadow, your own ideas. To effectively synthesize evidence, ensure smooth transitions between your ideas and those of your sources, and provide context to help readers interpret borrowed material.
Note: The examples in this section use MLA-style source documentation. Citations not only acknowledge borrowed material but also clarify where it begins and ends.
Introduction of Borrowed MaterialReaders may lose focus if borrowed material does not integrate seamlessly into your sentences. The example below shows an awkward integration where the writer fails to mesh their sentence with the source’s wording:
Awkward: One editor disagrees with this view and “a good reporter does not fail to separate opinions from facts” (Lyman 52).
In the revised version, the writer adds words to smoothly incorporate the quotation:
Revised: One editor disagrees with this view, maintaining that “a good reporter does not fail to separate opinions from facts” (Lyman 52).
To blend your words with a source’s, you may need to modify quotations using brackets to indicate changes:
- Words Added: “The tabloids [of England] are a journalistic case study in bad reporting,” claims Lyman (52).
- Verb Form Changed: A bad reporter, Lyman implies, is one who “[fails] to separate opinions from facts” (Lyman 52). [The bracketed verb phrase replaces fail in the original.]
- Capitalization Changed: “[T]o separate opinions from facts” is the work of a good reporter (Lyman 52).
- Noun Supplied for Pronoun: The reliability of a news organization “depends on [reporters’] trustworthiness,” says Lyman (52). [The bracketed noun replaces their in the original.]
Even when integrated correctly, borrowed material can be ineffective if presented without explanation. Simply inserting a quote without context leaves readers to interpret it themselves:
Dumped: Many news editors and reporters maintain that it is impossible to keep personal opinions from influencing the selection and presentation of facts. “True, news reporters, like everyone else, form impressions of what they see and hear. However, a good reporter does not fail to separate opinions from facts” (Lyman 52). [Readers must deduce that the writer’s sentence and the quotation present opposing views.]
The revised version provides context to guide the reader’s understanding:
Revised: Many news editors and reporters maintain that it is impossible to keep personal opinions from influencing the selection and presentation of facts. Yet not all authorities agree with this view. One editor grants that “news reporters, like everyone else, form impressions of what they see and hear.” But he insists, “a good reporter does not fail to separate opinions from facts” (Lyman 52). [The writer’s additions clarify the quotation’s purpose.]
In the revised passage, verbs like grants and insists signal the source author’s stance and prepare readers for the quotations. Below are additional verbs to indicate a source author’s attitude or approach, written in the present tense as is standard for discussing written works:
| Author Argues | Author is Uneasy or Disparaging | Author Infers or Suggests | Author is Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| admits agrees concedes concurs grants claims contends defends disagrees holds insists maintains |
belittles bemoans complains condemns deplores deprecates derides laments warns |
analyzes asks assesses concludes considers finds predicts proposes reveals shows speculates suggests supposes |
comments describes explains illustrates notes observes points out records relates reports says sees thinks writes |
Acknowledgment: Special thanks to the SIUC Writing Center. For additional resources, visit the UMSL Writing Center.
