How to Incorporate Evidence in your Essay

Are you figuring out how to incorporate evidence in your essay? Read this article and join the community of best essay writers. Evidence plays an important role in academic essays. It helps to defend the argument in your essay. Before we learn how to incorporate evidence in your essay, we will look at three things. First, we explain why evidence is important in writing. Second, we discuss 4 types of evidence in writing. Third, we look at three ways through which you can include evidence in your essay. Then, we will look at how to incorporate evidence in your essay.

Why is evidence important in writing?

Evidence plays an important role in every essay. It helps to prove an argument in your essay. You need to prove every claim you make in your essay. You can achieve this by providing supporting details. The supporting details, in this case, is the evidence. It is through the evidence that you will convince your reader of the validity of your argument.

4 types of evidence in writing

Some people think that evidence only comes in statistics. This is wrong. We have several types of evidence. To understand how to incorporate evidence in your essay, you must understand these types of evidence.

Statistical evidence

You can use numbers to support your argument. This is the most common type of evidence. It is also considered the strongest type of evidence in essays. You can use it to prove your claim. For example, you can use statistical evidence to prove that mental illness is a common health problem in the US.

The evidence would be ‘almost 1 in 5 people in the U.S are living with a mental illness.’

Alternatively, you can say, ‘51.5 million people in the U.S are living with mental illnesses.

It is however important that the statistics come from a reliable source.

Textual evidence

Textual evidence refers to evidence from other writings. For example, you can use textual evidence from a book, an article, or other written documents.

Analogical evidence

Analogical evidence refers to evidence that compares an unknown situation to a known situation. For example, a historical event similar to your topic can serve as analogical evidence.

Anecdotal evidence

Anecdotal evidence is among the 4 types of evidence in writing. It is based on an individual’s observations.

You should decide which of these examples of evidence in writing is fit for your essay.

Note: Consider using stronger examples of evidence in writing such as statistical evidence.

How to use evidence in your essay

Before we learn how to incorporate evidence in your essay, let us answer the following question. How can you use evidence in your essay?

There are three main ways through which you can use evidence in writing.

Quotes

You can use quotes as evidence in your essay. This is one of the most effective ways of supporting your argument. Ensure that you use quotes effectively.

Only use quotes when;

The quote is relevant to your claim.
The exact words in the quote are necessary for your essay.
It is impossible to paraphrase the content.

Be very careful when using quotes. For example, don’t change the words in your quotation. Use the exact words. Remember to use quotation marks. Minimize the use of quotes. This means that you do not over-use quotes in your essay. Best essays use quotes when necessary only.

Paraphrasing

Second, you can include evidence in your essay in form of paraphrasing. For example, you can paraphrase textual evidence. Paraphrasing means presenting another writer’s information in your own words. However, you must give credit to that writer by including citations.

Summarizing

You can also provide evidence in form of a summary. This means writing in your own words but not changing keywords. Also, a summary doesn’t need brief quotes.

How to incorporate evidence in your essay

Now, let us learn how to incorporate evidence in your essay. We will provide a step-by-step process. Through this process, you will use evidence effectively and clearly.

Step 1: Make a claim

We use evidence to defend our claims. So, you must start by presenting your claim or argument. In the body paragraph, this will be your topic sentence. Ask yourself, “what is my argument about the essay topic?”

For example, you may argue that “Unemployment is among the root causes of drug abuse in the U.S.”

Step 2: Introduce your evidence

You must introduce your evidence first. This prepares your reader for your evidence. Some people make the mistake of dropping a quotation after making a claim. Avoid such mistakes. Instead, use introductory phrases to introduce your evidence. Such phrases include;

The author states that….

Author concludes…….

According to the author…………….

Use such phrases to introduce the evidence. This will ensure that the evidence fits effortlessly in your text.

Step 3: State the evidence

The next step on how to incorporate evidence in your essay is to state your evidence. If you are using a quote, don’t forget to use quotation marks. Then, provide the citation.

Example: “Unemployment is a risk factor for drug abuse (Lexis, 2010).”

Or,

According to Lexis (2010), unemployment is an important risk factor for drug abuse.

Always check the required citation style. This way, you will cite your evidence properly.

Step 4: Explain your evidence

After providing your evidence, you need to explain it. What message do you want to emphasize with this evidence? Also, ask yourself, ‘how does this evidence support my argument?’

Tell your reader how your evidence supports your argument.

Example: The study shows a clear connection between unemployment in the US and drug abuse.

Step 5: Link the evidence to your argument

After explaining your evidence, show how to relates to your claim. This is an important step on how to incorporate evidence in your essay.

Example: The study conducted by Lexis supports the argument that unemployment is a significant cause of drug abuse in the US.

Step 6: Present your final thoughts

Conclude your paragraph with your final thought.

Example: There is a need to address unemployment as among the root causes of drug abuse in the U.S.

After writing your final thoughts, you can move to the next paragraph. So, if you have three body paragraphs, you will follow the above process three times. What does this mean? It means for every paragraph;

Make a claim
Introduce your evidence
Provide your evidence
Explain your evidence
Link the evidence to your argument
Present your final thought

Conclusion

Best academic essays must have evidence supporting essay argument. The evidence helps to defend your argument or claim. It also shows that you have researched your topic. There are various types of evidence you can use in your essay. We have provided 4 types of evidence in writing. Choose the most appropriate for your essays. We have also learned three ways through which you can present your evidence.

Most importantly, you have learned how to incorporate evidence in your essay. We have provided a step-by-step process on how you can include evidence in your essay. Follow this guide to produce a high-quality essay. Good luck.