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Incorporating Sources

Do you ever find yourself wondering how to strengthen your argument in an essay?

Or do you want to present readers with a broader perspective than whatyou know?

If so, you want to include a source that provides an "expert" opinion in your paper.

When incorporating sources, you strengthen your own position by connecting to what others have to say in agreement with you, or by pointing out the problems in opposing views.

To smoothly incorporate a source -- whether you paraphrase or quote directly from the source --

Follow these tips :

• Introduce a quote or paraphrase by using the source's name in combination with a signal word: this alerts readers that you are incorporating a source to strengthen your point.

• Sample signal words: illustrates, explains, supports
  

  asserts, suggests, responds

  stresses, reports, believes

• End the sentence with and in text citation that identifies the source and the page number where the information can be found.
  
• Once you have incorporated the source, follow it up with an explanation of why it is important or how it connects to your argument.

Example :

Another problem with ADHD is that psychiatrists have no validated test that proves it can be considered a disorder. Dr. Fred A. Baughman reports that "[We] do not have an independent, valid test for ADHD (cited in Whittle and Stout 5a). Since there is no test that proves ADHD is a legitimate disorder, why do 7-8 million school children in the U.S. alone take a psychiatric drug like Ritalin to treat it? With no valid test and no proven disorder, it just does not make sense to have all these children on drugs.

• Dr. Fred A. Baughman is the source name and signal phrase that introduces the quote. The phrase is the "lead in."
• (cited in Whittle and Stout 5a) is the in-text citation that identifies the source and the page number from the source.
  
  
  Notice in the above example that the source acts as a BRIDGE :

- It provides proof for the writer's point that psychiatrists have no valid tests to identify ADHD as a disorder.

- It provides a connection to the writer's next point: that it doesn't make sense to prescribe drugs to children with a "disorder" that cannot be validly diagnosed.

- It offers support and allows the writer to stay in charge of the essay's argument rather than just report on what sources have to say.

- It is the writer's responsibility to explain why source information is important or to connect it to your own ideas. .

• Incorporating sources smoothly with signal words and bridge connections v. simply "plugging" a quotation in the middle of a paragraph is how you build an argument or position.

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