Metacommentary
Chapter 10 of They Say / I Say
• What is metacommentary? Why do authors
sometimes feel the need to include it in their
writing?
• In your research paper, you might need to
explain to your readers how to read your
points in order to avoid confusion or
misunderstanding.
Chapter 10 of They Say / I Say
• P. 129 of TSIS says, “metacommentary is a way of commenting on
your claims and telling others how—and how not—to think about
them.”
• As you write your paper, you may find yourself in a situation where
you need to include one or more examples of metacommentary
that tells your reader how to think about your points.
– Are there any potential misunderstandings that you can clarify? (p.
135)
– Can you introduce and then provide a specific example of your point?
(p. 136)
– Can you anticipate some objections to your point and answer them?
(p. 136)
– Can you tie all of your small points together to make one general
point? (p. 137)
Goals for Today:
• Find and read at least one credible source
from the databases or a general internet
search.
• Make at least one entry of the required seven
for your annotated bibliography.
– Works Cited Entry for the source
– Two paragraphs about source: one of summary,
one explaining the source’s credibility and
usefulness.