writing your paper (from notes to essay)
GETTING ORGANIZED
- Prior to starting your paper, you will want to group or rearrange your notes or create an outline. (Try this Blank Worksheet for Outline.)
BODY PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
- ASSERTION: Start with a topic sentence that supports the thesis and presents the main idea of the paragraph.
- EVIDENCE: Insert your direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries here. Make sure to indicate the source of each piece of evidence.
- COMMENTARY: These are your thoughts, through which you show how the evidence supports the assertion.
- You may have several evidence -commentary pieces in each paragraph.
PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS
- Video and examples of MLA and APA in-text citations