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UMGC Effective Writing Center How to Use Sources in an Expository Essay

Let's take a quick look at a sample essay that uses sources. Our goal is to examine the techniques used by the student author, Jane Doe, to integrate research into her expository essay done in APA style.

APA Level 1 Subheadings

First, note that in APA style, all major sections have a subtitle on top of them. In this five-paragraph essay, the main sections are single paragraphs, so that is where you will see the titles and subtitles. The first paragraph is the introduction paragraph, and you see the repetition of the main title from the title page on top of the intro paragraph鈥攖his is standard APA style.

Say Hello to the Intro

Next comes the introduction paragraph itself, which serves several functions.

  • provides background context for the topic
  • generates reader interest
  • introduces the thesis, which should come at or near the end of the paragraph

Let read Jane鈥檚 thesis and examine how she led up to it.

罢丑别蝉颈蝉:听鈥淭he result is that prison overcrowding is a serious financial burden for Americans.鈥

So, this is the overall concept, the controlling idea that the essay will illustrate, corroborate and, hopefully, present a convincing case for. Let鈥檚 return to the beginning of the intro to see how she led up to this thesis. Her introduction聽begins: 鈥淪omething needs to be done about prison overcrowding and the lack of rehabilitation programs.鈥 聽This is Jane鈥檚 thought and opinion expressed in her own words.

Example of General Knowledge

Next sentence鈥斺淲ithout proper rehabilitation, prisoners become repeat offenders.鈥 These are also Jane鈥檚 words. However, does this idea (the lack of rehabilitation causes repeat offenders) need a citation?

No, it does not. Anyone who has studied this issue, and Jane has, knows the terrible problem of repeat offenders because of the lack of rehabilitation in these human warehouses we鈥檝e created.聽 Jane鈥檚 statement is probably an example of聽General Knowledge, which is something Jane (and most聽adults in America) probably knew before even beginning the paper. The high rate of repeat offenders is a generally accepted and unfortunate fact.

Example of Common Knowledge

Next sentence: 鈥淭his means we have to build new facilities just to keep up with the overcrowding.鈥 Again, these are Jane鈥檚 words. But this idea is pretty specific and probably not something Jane knew before she began researching the topic. So, does the sentence need a citation?

No. And here鈥檚 why:聽Common Knowledge. Common knowledge is something known by everyone or nearly everyone in a specific field or academic discipline. It usually does not have to be cited because it鈥檚 not associated with a single author anymore. In other words, before writing her paper, Jane probably didn鈥檛 know that 鈥渨e have to build new facilities just to keep up with the overcrowding.鈥 But once she began reading about America鈥檚 prison system, it became clear that this is common knowledge among聽researchers and writers in this field. They all share this idea and do not cite it. The knowledge is common to them.

Let鈥檚 look at this example from history: You鈥檙e writing a paper on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and you wish to use the following fact in your research essay:

Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Would you have to cite that? No, it is an example of聽general knowledge鈥攕omething known by most everyone without having to do any research.

狈别虫迟:听Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth in Ford鈥檚 Theatre. Would you have to cite that? No. Although you may not have known the name of the theatre before you began your research, as you read about the assassination you saw that 鈥淔ord鈥檚 Theatre鈥 is an example of聽common knowledge鈥攕omething that is known by virtually every historian in the field.

Last:聽Abraham Lincoln was shot by the actor John Wilkes Booth in聽 Ford鈥檚 Theatre while watching the play 鈥淥ur American Cousin.鈥澛燚o any of those facts need citing? No. Booth鈥檚 profession (actor) and the name of the play are聽common knowledge.聽Perhaps you didn鈥檛 know that before you began researching, but as you read you saw these facts in virtually every source you consulted.

So, let鈥檚 return to Jane鈥檚 statement: 鈥淭his means we have to build new facilities just to keep up with the overcrowding.鈥 Is it general knowledge? No. Jane probably didn鈥檛 know it before she began researching. Is it common knowledge? Yes. As Jane did her research, she saw that this idea--the expanding need for new prison facilities--is a concept known and shared by experts in this field. Therefore, no citation is needed.

Back to Jane's Essay

Now this next sentence in her intro: 鈥淭he current cost to our nation to incarcerate inmates is $75 billion per year, which is expected to quadruple in the next decade (Crawford, 2010).鈥

This is clearly statistical information associated with a single source, Crawford. It鈥檚 not common knowledge, and so must be cited. Notice that Jane chose NOT to quote from Crawford but to put the stats in her own sentence. This is a good choice because quotations should be used only when the original wording is important for some reason. It鈥檚 also easy to see a strong justification for the use of this source鈥檚 statistics: Jane鈥檚 subject is the financial burden of the prison system, so it was important for her to establish right away the numbers that support this notion of 鈥渇inancial burden.鈥

In her introduction, Jane used a single source in an effective way (summarized instead of quoted) for an important reason鈥攖o provide clarification of what she meant by 鈥渇inancial burden.鈥 And this in-text citation (Crawford, 2010) refers to the full reference citation on the References page at the end of the paper.

Beefing Up the Body

Let鈥檚 turn now to Jane鈥檚 first body paragraph with the APA Level One subheading,聽Rehabilitation. Note that in this paragraph, Jane uses the classic formula for a body paragraph in an expository essay. That formula is:

  1. State the main point of the paragraph
  2. Explain/elaborate on the main point
  3. Support the main point
  4. Conclude the paragraph, typically with your own words.

If you put a sentence in a body paragraph, if must fulfill one of those four functions or you should consider whether it belongs or not.

Let鈥檚 read the paragraph鈥檚 stated main point: 鈥淔irst, prison overcrowding is a financial burden because prisoners are not getting enough rehabilitation to transition back to society.鈥 So, the point is stated in Jane鈥檚 own words and becomes the point that the paragraph will have to develop and support to a convincing degree--鈥渓ack of rehabilitation.鈥

In the Explain/Elaborate sentence, Jane writes, 鈥淭he responsibility of the Bureau of Prisons is to safely confine its prisoner population; however, another mission of the Bureau is to rehabilitate.鈥 Since there is no citation, we assume that Jane found that the twin role of the Bureau of Prisons (confine and rehabilitate) is common knowledge among those who study this issue; in other words, it is stated repeatedly in the sources she consulted.

But then Jane does something smart. She chooses one of the experts who know about the dual role of the Bureau of Prisons to add the voice of authority to her paragraph: She summarizes the opinion of an expert named Pavis in her first support sentence. Jane writes in her own words: 鈥淲e must provide inmates with skills that will aid them in their ability to readjust after being released鈥 (Pavis, 2012). When we check on the reference page citation, we see that Pavis was writing for an academic journal.

What you see at this point in Jane鈥檚 paragraph is another common use of research鈥to support a point you have just stated in your own words. Doing so shows that what you assert is accepted by experts in this field, and therefore your assertion is given credibility.

Now let鈥檚 look at Jane鈥檚 next two sentences: 鈥淢ost inmates come to jail with little or no education at all. Once released, these prisoners are right back where they started from.鈥

Again, due to her research and thinking on this topic, Jane has formed some specific opinions. These opinions belong to her and are expressed in her own words. But because this is an academic research essay, Jane also knows that she must聽add the voices of published authorities to support her assertions.

In this case, she chooses an article that Talbot published in 2008. Let鈥檚 read this quotation and see if there is justification for using the author鈥檚 exact words to take up space in Jane鈥檚 paper.

"Talbot (2008) states, 'Many will be drug abusers who received no treatment for their addiction while on the inside, sex offenders who got no counseling, and illiterate high school dropouts who took no classes and acquired no job skills.'"

That was well written by Talbot and paints a bleak picture of people who are doomed to repeat offensives due to the lack of basic help. One other thing to notice is how Jane set up the Talbot quote with her lead-in sentence: 鈥淥nce released these prisoners are right back where they started from.鈥 And then she lets Talbot tell us exactly who these prisoners are and why their relapse is likely.

The lack of rehabilitation鈥攖he subject of this paragraph鈥攊s driven home with Jane鈥檚 concluding sentence, which should be in her own words unless there is some compelling reason for it not to be: 鈥淭he more prisoners that are rehabilitated, the quicker they can start to contribute to society once they are released.鈥 After the dark picture she has painted, she provides the solution鈥攖he same one she opened with at the top of the paragraph鈥攖he need for more rehabilitation.

Quick Review

  1. Common Knowledge鈥these are facts and concepts already known by those who regularly write and research in a given area. You will be acquiring common knowledge as you research. As long as you are sure you have seen this information in the majority of sources you consulted, you do not need to cite it.
  2. Your Own Opinions鈥as a product of your reading and thinking about the topic, you will synthesize the material to form your own opinions, your own positions and beliefs. These are also yours and don鈥檛 need to be cited. However, it is a very, very good idea to add the voice of published experts to back up your opinions, especially in the form of quotations and paraphrases.
  3. Summarize or Quote?聽You can聽do only three things with a source: summarize information from it, paraphrase it in your own phrasing and sentences, or quote from it directly. Before choosing which option to use, be sure to have a good reason for your chosen action.
  4. Signal Phrase.聽Finally, it鈥檚 always a good idea to introduce any quote you use with a signal phrase. Quotes shouldn鈥檛 seem like they just dropped out of the sky and landed in your paper. You should introduce who is speaking and it should be clear how the quote relates to the sentence immediately before it.

Follow those four strategies and you鈥檒l be well on your way to using research effectively in your essays.

Good luck!

Image Still for Video: How to Use Sources in an APA Research Paper or Essay

How to Use Sources in an APA Research Paper or Essay

Follow along with the UMGC Effective Writing Center as we walk through how to use sources in an APA Research Paper.

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