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When writing in new genres, it can be helpful to look at the different ways others have approached the topic before you get started. As you read the sources you plan to cite, it can be helpful to think about what the author did to engage you as a reader so you can engage your readers better. You can also think of them as models for how you might organize information.
Organizational Logic and Signposting
Often, headings and the way authors transition from paragraph to paragraph depends on their purpose and the formal style they are writing in. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Is there an abstract? What information does each sentence provide?
What information does the introduction provide? How much space does it take up?
What does the organization tell you about the article? How do they do that?
Are the topics mentioned in the introduction?
What do the headings tell you?
Does the paragraph's spacing signal shifts from one step or topic to another?
What do the closing sentences do at the end of each paragraph?
Do they wrap up points made in the paragraph?
Do they introduce or foreshadow the point of the next paragraph?
Style
Typically, the style an author writes with depends on the field they write about or are publishing in. Are you or the author using APA, MLA, CMS, or something else?
What does writing in this style usually sound like? How does it compare to your own?
What do the headings look like?
Is the tone purely factual or does the author tell you their opinions?
If you'd like someone to help you with formatting, a Specialist can help walk you through one of the style manuals we have in the Writing Center Library.
Argument and Ideas
When getting a sense of what you want to say with your paper, thinking about how other authors expressed their arguments and ideas can help you decide on how you want to express your own.
Where is their thesis located? Is it explicit (can you point to it) or implicit?
Is it a statement or a question? How many sentences did they use?
How does the article contribute to the conversation?
(How) does the article invite the reader into the conversation?
What are the stakes of the argument?
What happens without it, or what is possible now that it exists.
Where does the author make their argument?
Evidence and Development
Looking at how other authors have used evidence in their writing can help you decide what kinds of evidence will be useful to you and how you can write about different kinds of information.
Where does the primary/secondary data come from?
With what other work is the article in conversation with?
How is evidence incorporated (quotes, paraphrase, images; in its own section or integrated throughout)?
How is evidence explained: How many details are provided for each example? How and where are details connected to the main ideas and arguments?
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