How to incorporate evidence into my paper

When writing academic papers, you need to use evidence. This helps to make your argument stronger. For many students, this is quite a challenge. This is the reason they ask about how to incorporate evidence into my paper. Today, we learn how to include evidence in your paper. This is important when you want to write a quality paper.

We will start by discussing the methods of including evidence in your paper. Then, we will look at 4 types of evidence in writing. Lastly, we will show you how to incorporate evidence into my paper.

Methods of incorporating evidence in your paper

You can use several methods to include evidence in your paper. This is important when learning how to incorporate evidence into my paper. Let us look at the 3 main methods.

Summarizing

You can choose to present evidence into your paper in form of a summary. Summarizing involves two things. First, you will be using an idea of another writer in your paper. Second, you will take this idea and state it briefly in your paper. The summary will have fewer details compared to the original work. You can summarize a book, a journal, or a chapter.

What would be a weak summary? A weak summary will use exact words from the source. It will not give credit to the author of the original work. Also, a weak summary will not make sense.

What would be a strong summary? A strong summary will use your language. It will contain fewer details but will make sense. For a strong summary, start by identifying relevant details from your source. Then, write a short version of those details. Lastly, give credit to the original author. In other words, provide an in-text citation.

Use summaries when you want to give your reader an overview of your source. Also, use summaries to give the background that supports your argument.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is another method of incorporating evidence in your paper. To paraphrase, use your words to present another person’s idea. Start by identifying a relevant idea. This is an idea that supports your point. Write this idea in your words. When writing, ensure that you focus on the meaning of that idea. Then, include an in-text citation.

Do not confuse between summarizing and paraphrasing. Summaries focus on larger texts such as books. Paraphrases focus on specific sections such as a paragraph. Also, summaries are shorter than the source. On the other hand, paraphrases are as long as the source.

A weak paraphrase will be similar to the source. The words and sentence structure will look the same. A strong paraphrase will have a new sentence structure. It will also give credit to the original author.

Quotes

You can use quotes when planning how to incorporate evidence into my paper. What are the benefits of using quotes? First, quotes are direct evidence useful in supporting an argument. Second, the use of quotes shows you have researched your topic.

When should you use quotes? You should use quotes carefully. If you use too many quotes, your paper will not have a good flow. Use quotes when it is the best option. For example, when summaries are not effective, use quotes. Also, use quotes when the quote is the focus of your paper.

To quote properly, start by finding a relevant text. Copy this text into your paper. It should be exactly like the original text. Use quotation marks around this quote. Then, give credit to the original author. When the text is too long, use three dots. This will show that you have removed some words from the quote.

In this article, we are learning how to incorporate evidence into my paper. Now you know three methods of including evidence in your paper. You need to select a method to use in your paper. But before you choose your method, choose the evidence you will present. Let’s look at some of the types of evidence you may present in your paper.

4 types of evidence in writing

When writing your paper, your reader will be the judge. You need good evidence to convince them. Your reader will rely on your evidence to form a conclusion. For some people, evidence is quotes and numbers. Well, these are types of evidence. But, we also have other types of evidence. Following are 4 types of evidence in writing.

Testimonial evidence

Testimonial evidence is in form of experts’ opinions. For example, in a court case, an expert opinion helps to support an argument. In the same way, you can use experts’ opinions to support your argument. What are some examples of testimonial evidence? A quote from an expert is a good example of testimonial evidence. But your expert must be reliable.

Analogical evidence

Analogical evidence involves comparing a known and an unknown situation. The conclusion is based on the comparison. Analogical evidence is a weak type of evidence. But it may be the only evidence available. For example, when a topic is under-researched, you may use analogical evidence. Some analogical evidence examples include;

Statistics from a peer-reviewed study related to your topic.
Quote from a court case similar to your topic.

Anecdotal evidence

Anecdotal evidence involves the use of stories. It is mostly used in the introduction to grab the reader’s attention. You can get anecdotal evidence from; first, a personal experience. Second, you can get stories from a letter You can also get anecdotal evidence from a case study in a research paper.

Statistical evidence

Statistical evidence involves the use of numbers to support a claim. This is a powerful type of evidence. But your statistics must come from good sources. Statistics are very good in capturing attention. Where can you get reliable statistics?

From your survey
From good sources such as scholarly journals and government reports.

How to incorporate evidence into my paper

Now you know the evidence your will use as well as the method. The next step is to include your evidence in your paper. Let’s look at how to state evidence in an essay.

Present your argument

We use evidence to support our arguments. So, before the evidence, present your argument. The argument will be the first sentence in your body paragraphs. It should be simple and clear.

Present an introductory phrase

Use an introductory phrase to prepare the reader for your evidence. Such phrases include;

<Author> states…

According to <author>…

The author argues that…

These phrases tell your reader that you are about to present your evidence.

Present your evidence

Next, present your evidence. What method did you choose to present your evidence? Will you summarize, quote or paraphrase it? The answer will guide you on how to state evidence in an essay. If you decide to use quotes, do it properly. Copy the text as it is in the source. Include an in-text citation. Remember to use quotation marks. Also, include in-text citations when using other methods such as summaries.

Discuss your evidence

Next, discuss how your evidence supports your argument. Explain how your evidence addresses your idea.

Show how your evidence links to the main argument

This is the next step on how to incorporate evidence into my paper. Show how your evidence relates to the main argument. This will show the importance of your evidence.

Present the final sentence

Lastly, present your final thoughts on your argument. Then, you can highlight the next idea. This will act as a transition to your next section.

Follow this procedure to include evidence in all the body paragraphs.

Conclusion

You need to include evidence in your essay assignments. Your evidence can be in form of quotes, summaries, or paraphrases. You can also use different types of evidence. You can choose to use statistics, stories, or expert opinions. But you must include your evidence properly in your paper. In this article, you have learned how to incorporate evidence into my paper. Follow our guide when including your evidence in your paper. This will ensure that your paper has a smooth flow. For further help, you may contact our support team. Expert writers will give you any essay writing help. All the best.