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Learn to Write

A guide to help you understand the process of writing and types of writing for assignments at NorQuest College.
Types of Research Evidence

There are three main categories of information source types available. They are:

  • Scholarly: academic books, journal articles, conference presentations, etc. (access these sources through the NorQuest Library website or Google Scholar)
    • Peer-reviewed articles are a type of journal article that are reviewed by research experts from the author’s field before the article is published.
  • Authoritative: information from industry/field experts on platforms like “.gov”, “.edu”, university websites, or trade magazines etc.
  • Popular: newspapers, magazines, entertainment websites, YouTube videos, popular books, etc.
  • Other: first-person interviews, experiments, clinical observations, etc.

The correct type of sources to use for your research depends on your research question, the purpose of your writing, and your assignment instructions (i.e. some instructors only allow students to use scholarly sources). It’s likely that you will not be able to answer your research question using just one source. You may need to use parts of several sources and stitch them together to answer your question. You can learn more about source types and their characteristics with this video.

 
Choosing Appropriate Sources
 

Credible (trustworthy) sources are created by experts and present factual, unbiased information. Websites like Wikipedia are not considered credible or reliable academic sources. To help you decide if a source is appropriate for your research, consider a source’s:

  • Purpose — why was it written?
  • Intended audience — who was it written for?
  • Type or category of content —is it specific enough for your needs? Is this what your assignment guidelines are asking for?
  • Quality and relevance - is this the highest quality source of information you can use? Could you find something more relevant and/or more suitable for your needs?
 
How to Work with Evidence

Evidence is the quotes and ideas you take from the sources you read. Research writing requires you to analyze or comment on the significance or meaning of each piece of evidence you use.

To analyze a piece of evidence, ask yourself questions like:

  • What does this evidence mean?
  • Why does it matter?
  • How does this evidence demonstrate my point? How does this evidence persuade my readers that my point is correct?
  • Does this evidence match or contradict other evidence I have included?
  • Does this evidence support or contradict my thesis statement?
  • What patterns do I see in the evidence overall?
  • What are the key trends in the issue I am investigating?
  • How does the author I am quoting use specific words, figurative language, perspective, persuasion tools, or tone to make their point?
The three main methods of adding evidence into your writing assignments are through paraphrasing, summarizing or (directly) quoting.

 

Methods of adding evidence

 

Direct Quote

Summary

Paraphrase

What 
Using text exactly as an author/creator has stated it; copying text word-for-word from a source of information
Condensing the main ideas of a source of information; aligns more with the author's original phrasing and thought
Restating/rephrasing information in the way in which you understand a piece of information; maintains the original meaning

How long
Same length as the original source
A shortened version of what is written in a source - if your source of information is 5 sentences long, a well-written summary may be 1-2 sentences long.
Of similar length to your original source - if your source is 5 sentences long, your paraphrase may be 3-4 sentences long.

How much detail
The exact same detail from your source
Only includes the main points or key ideas of a piece of information. Does not include details, examples, and specific data.
A similar level of detail as the original source, but explained in the way that you, as the author, understand it.

When to use
When the author/creator has phrased something in such a way that you are unable to paraphrase
Technical or discipline specific terms and definitions
Highlighting the original source of information in a clear, concise way
Providing a brief overview of a source of information
Most of the time when adding evidence to your writing (80-85% of your body text)
Used to clarify or simplify a piece of information

How to Paraphrase and Summarize

Summarizing and paraphrasing allow you to use your sources in a more creative and flexible way.

How to Use Quotations

  • Use quotations when the author’s words are the best possible way of phrasing the information and/or you want to analyze the author’s way of writing as well as the content of their writing.
  • You must always integrate quotations within your own words: put some of your own words before, after, or surrounding the quotation. It is not grammatically correct to make a quotation your entire sentence.
  • Direct quotations can be changed slightly to make the grammar match your sentence. Show the changes you make using square brackets. Ex. when Ellen confronted John she realized “[she] simply must speak [her] mind” (Ross, p.6). In this example, the pronoun “I” has been changed to “she” and “my” to “her”.
  • Direct quotations may also be shortened using ellipses “…” to show where words have been deleted out of part of the quotation.
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