aleena sheihk

Writing an analysis is different than the expository style papers most of you have

written your entire academic careers.

In this class we are learning to write analytically. In an analysis of fact and opinion, as

your papers will be, you have to do more that just quote, paraphrase, and summarize.

You must interpret, question, compare, and judge the statements and data you cite.

You explain why one opinion is sound and another is not; why one fact is relevant and

another is not; why one writer is correct and another is mistaken.

Your purpose may vary with your topic; you may seek to explain a situation, to

recommend a course of action, to reveal a solution to a problem, or to present and

defend a particular interpretation of an event or work of art. But whether the topic is

avian influenza, solar power, tsunami preparedness, or Shakespeare’s Hamlet, an

analysis deals actively with the statements it cites.

Analyses make data work together in an argument you create – an argument leading

to a conclusion of your own. The very least you should normally do with information

and data you use, quote, or cite in an analysis is explaining the relationships between

them. Unless it is immediately obvious, you should tell the reader how one statement

reinforces, qualifies, or contradicts another.

In an analysis you should critically evaluate statements you cite, especially when they

represent conflicting points-of-view. If you don’t critically evaluate the statements and

choose between them, you will not make your own viewpoint clear, and you will fail

to present an argument in the paper as a whole. This is important to remember – in

your analysis papers your opinions of data, information, and statements concerning

the website or risk you are analyzing is what’s required, needed, and the key to a

successful paper. You must give your opinion of the information you are exploring: if

you don’t do this, your paper won’t be successful. Don’t be afraid to give your

opinions and ideas. Opinions and ideas make your paper an analysis.

An analysis is not a review or an evaluation. Both of those positions can merely be

expressions of personal opinion, taste, or philosophy. With an analysis you don’t just

report information or opinion; you want to be writing; “I read this and I think (it

works, doesn’t work, is bunk, is not bunk, makes sense, doesn’t make sense, is useful,

is not useful) AND THIS IS WHY...” You must write with authority.

To write with authority you have to write why you choose to think about the

information the way you do: basically, you are writing what you think about your

subject and why you think that way. Your opinion should, and must, be stated but you

have to tell the reader how and why you arrive at your opinions.

Let me give you a couple tips for writing a good analysis: 1) write your paper in the

first person present tense active voice – no third person passive writing; 2) at the end

of each paragraph you write, look to see if you’ve concluded the paragraph with a

summary of what you just wrote in the paragraph. If the paragraph has contained

information and data, you should have an opinion about what the data implies; 3) if

your paper reads similar to all the expository papers you have written your entire

academic career, it probably means you are writing the wrong paper.

There is no format or template for writing these analysis papers. Choose your energy

subject and write about it in your own words, making sure you back up each and every

idea, opinion, or argument you make, and do so in English. You must support your

ideas, opinions, and arguments whether from another source, personal experience,

tests you’ve run, or something you’ve heard and fact checked from the news. You

don’t have to write pages about why you are doing the paper or how you are doing

your research; the reader isn’t interested, and in many cases you can write about the

“process” as a sentence within your arguments for your opinions.

It is key for a successful paper to get to the point. Here are a couple examples I put

together that might help illustrate what I mean by getting to the point and not having

to rely on structured writing.

Example 1: “I think the most effective method for analyzing different alternative

energy sources is is by comparative analysis. Comparative analysis allows for a critical

review of multiple existing sources. In my analysis paper I present a comparative

analysis of four alternative energy sources presenting the most current information on

each energy sources cost benefit to consumers.”

In this example I just plain got to the point; stated what I thought was the best

methodology and stated what I was going to do with it - no multi-paragraph ramble

about approach, means, and methods.

Example 2: "The Podunk website contains no examples of art work; this seems very

odd for a website dedicated to the artwork of Dali. I looked at three other websites

dedicated to Dali's work - Deedleweb, Tweedleweb, and Dummweb - and each are

richly illustrated with examples of Dali's art (Figures 1-4). I find being able to see a

painting is more powerful than reading a description of what it looks like. I think a

website dedicated to discussing and describing the artwork of a renowned painter

should exhibit samples of their work. The old cliché is a picture is worth a thousand

words; but not even a thousand words can describe the emotional reaction I get when

viewing powerful art. Words to describe art cannot be compared with actually seeing

the artwork. Imagine all your favorite pieces of music by Bach: can you describe them

to someone with words or is it more effective to actually hear the sounds of the music?

I believe the same principle applies to the study of artwork. Viewing two-dimensional

art; touching sculpture, hearing music is always more powerful and informative than

reading only a description. If Podunkweb wishes to be an affective advocate of art

education and information it needs to include examples of the artist's work to its

webpage to enhance their written descriptions."

In this example I stated an opinion, gave examples to backup my opinion, stated a

conclusion for the observation and then gave a recommendation. At this point I would

move onto my next observation and start a new paragraph - that's analyzing.

Another key point to remember is you should write your analysis in the present tense.

I’m going to be marking many papers in red because they will read “...the article

said...” or “the website showed...” or “...the data was...” and these are incorrect

phrases. All these information sources still exist, anyone can go to the Internet or

library and look them up; and you did not do your analysis in the past, the paper is

your analysis and you are doing the analysis as you write the paper in real-time.

Therefore, you should write “...the article states...” or “...the data is...” or “I find the

website to be...” As I’ve mentioned before, writing your paper in the first person

active voice in present tense is the best option for writing your analysis paper. YOU

are making the analysis. You are voicing YOUR opinions of the website. YOU are

coming to a conclusion of YOUR own based on YOUR findings. YOU are not a third

person passive voice. YOU are the first person actively doing the analyzing. Do not

write, “It is thought to be...” or “The website suggests...” Do write, “I think the website

to be...” or “My analysis suggests the website...” In an analysis you need to take

personal responsibility for your opinions and conclusions. It is much easier to give

your opinions and ideas – to analyze – if you write in the first person active voice.

One of the other things that will be important for all of you to do with your papers is

to make sure when you are writing you define subjective words when you use them.

Words such as “accurate”, “credible”, “clarity”, “reputable”, and ”up-to-date” all have

different meanings to each of us based on our experiences. I can assure you my

definition of the word “credible” may be very different than someone else’s definition

of “credible” based on my education, experiences, usage, and expectations of what

“credible” means. What is important for you as a writer to do is simply define how

you are using subjective words in the context of your paper. By defining subjective

words usage for your reader they understand how you are using them in your writing.

When you define a subjective words usage the reader can then follow your line of

thought to the conclusions you draw. The reader may not agree with your definition

of a subjective word, and that’s okay, but at least they understand how you’ve chosen

to use the word in the context of your analysis.

Also, avoid using these words and phrases: “I believe” and “I feel”. Your paper is not a

philosophical or theological debate. Your paper is an analysis of fact; readers want to

know what you think, find, suggest, and conclude from the information and facts you

have established and argued for as the result of your analysis.