Researched Argument Third Draft
Introducing and Integrating Sources
Using introductory/connecting phrases to integrate sources
Developed from Reading Rhetorically by John Beans et al.
The three techniques for integrating source material we have discussed—summary, paraphrase, and quotation—work best with introductory/connecting phrases such as “Social linguist Deborah Tannen writes…” and “According to social linguist Deborah Tannen….” These short phrases connect or attribute material to its source. In the process of acknowledging the source, the phases can also enhance the rhetorical effect of your text by giving readers valuable information about the credibility of that source, shaping your readers’ response to it, and demonstrating that you, not your sources, are in charge.
1. Introductory/Connecting phrases help readers distinguish your sentences and ideas from those in your sources (whether summarized, paraphrased, or quoted).
Example: (Distinguish your own ideas and others’ ideas.)
The Time Magazine article mentioned earlier claims that romance readers insist on formulaic plots of “childlike restrictions and simplicity,” and says that as a result, these books lack “moral ambiguity” (Gray and Sachs 76)
2. Introductory/connecting phrases enhance your credibility by showing readers that you are careful with source materials and remain in charge of the paper. They also enhance your text’s credibility by indicating the credentials or reputation of an expert you are using as a source.
Example: (Show the credibility of your sources.)
Professor of linguistics Deborah Tannen says that she offers her book That’s Not What I Meant! to “women and men everywhere who are trying their best to talk to each other” (19). Tannen goes on to illustrate how communication between women and men breaks down and then to suggest that a full awareness of “genderlects” can improve relationships (297).
3. Introductory/connecting phrases provide a quick method of showing readers the published context of your source material. This context will help you show how the text you are writing fits within a published conversation about the issue under discussion.
Example: (Provide a published context for your sources.)
“In her review of Virginia Woolf’s book, Jane Smith argues…,” “Tom Miller, in an article detailing the results of this year’s CAHSEE, contends…,” or “When talking about the use of water in California, Maria Lim points out….”
4. Introductory/connecting phrases give you the opportunity to shape reader’s responses to the material you are presenting. Your choice of verbs to describe the source’s influence is important because it will imply your attitude toward the source. Some verbs suggest that you agree with the source and others suggest your doubt about what the source says. For example, the first two of the following examples convey the writer’s positive attitude toward the source material being introduced; the second two convey a skeptical attitude, leading the reader to expect that the writer will counter the source’s point.
Example 1: (Use different verbs to show your attitude toward your sources.)
Research by Deborah Tannen and her colleagues documents the scope of the problem. A July 2007 Time Magazine article verifies this claim.
Example 2:
Some literary critics claim that the books depend too much on magic.
Predictable plots, so the argument goes, offer escape.
As the above examples illustrate, introductory/connecting phrases can offer a variety of information in accordance with a writer’s purpose and sense of the intended audience’s background knowledge. The possibilities range from facts that appear in citations (e.g., author’s name, work’s title, publisher, or date) to supplementary details about the author (e.g., credentials or purpose) or about the work (e.g., its context or reputation since publication).