1 of 8

Presenting Evidence:

How to Provide CONTEXT and INTRODUCE Text

How to CITE the Source

Skills for all writing assignments that �rely on providing textual evidence.

2 of 8

Presenting Evidence

  1. Provide context
    1. Use paraphrasing skills to inform the reader about the details that are specific to how the text appears in the original document

What is the definition of paraphrase?

    • Consider what information or subjects surround the text

Why does the reader need context to better understand your evidence?�

​

3 of 8

2. Introduce the text

    • Always use your own words to introduce textual evidence.
    • Use a lead-in to introduce the speaker, his/her credentials, and additional context.
      1. Speaker --> who said it and/or who wrote it?
      2. Speaker’s credentials --> title, employer, etc.
        1. Why do we care what this person said?
        2. What makes the person an expert, a witness, or otherwise important?
      3. Context --> publication information like date and genre
        • When was this said or written?
        • Was it presented in an interview? A letter? An informational article? A persuasive opinion piece?

4 of 8

2. Introduce the text, continued

    • Use small “snippets” of text to embed them in a sentence of your own.
      • “Snippets” are key words or phrases--incomplete sentences--taken from the textual evidence
      • “To embed” means to write a grammatically correct sentence using a mixture of your words and the textual evidence.�
    • Use a lead-in to alert your reader to the original source: avoid plagiarism!

5 of 8

Lead in With:

Speaker, Credentials, Context

Examples:

1. Ms. Spector, Clarkstown North English teacher, was overheard this morning saying, “I just don’t have enough purple and gold in my wardrobe!”�

2. Marianne Schnall of Feminist Magazine interviewed poet and novelist Maya Angelou in 2008. In this interview, when asked about the role or value of art in our society, Angelou responded, “Well, it reminds us that we are not just flesh and blood….That we have souls.”

​

6 of 8

3. Clearly identify the source

    • Lead-ins identify the source of your information; parenthetical citations do as well.
    • Each paraphrased or quoted piece of evidence must be connected to the source.
    • Use a combination of lead-ins and citations to identify the source of your information.
      • Never repeat information: if the information is in the lead-in, you don’t need a citation!
      • Make sure that the author or article title are clearly indicated.

7 of 8

Identifying the source, cont.

    • Use the publication information to identify the source.
      1. Authors are referred to by their last names.
        1. Not all sources have a listed author.
        2. If a source does not have an author, refer to the article title instead.
      2. Titles of articles, post titles, encyclopedia entries, etc. are put in quotation marks.
      3. Titles of containers--publications that collect smaller pieces like articles, posts, entries, etc.--are italicized when typed and underlined when handwritten.

​

8 of 8

Citation Examples

  • According to a 2016 article on the US Census, the list of most common last names in America is changing to reflect a more diverse population (Webster).
  • Ice cream driver Jackie Jones noted, “I’m done with the Rubenstein kid’s neighborhood. Take me off that route” (qtd in Garcia).
  • One happy tourist told the Florida Sun, “I’m coming back every year to swim with the dolphins” (qtd in Lee).

​