ESSAY & PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
INTEGRATING SOURCES
ORGANIZATION & TRANSITIONS
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
SMARTHINKING
Composition
ESSAY & PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
Essay & Paragraph Structure
ESSAY

Introduction
Thesis
Statement
PARAGRAPH

Topic Sentence

Supporting Sentences
 Includes
 Includes


details
Body Paragraphs
Conclusion
supporting

Concluding Sentence
(Relationship)
Paragraph Structure

A basic paragraph contains 3 main parts:
 Topic
Sentence
 States
the main or “controlling” idea
 Supporting
Ideas
 Provide
evidence to support Topic Sentence
 Include specific examples and details
 Create meaning for the Topic Sentence by examining the
relationship between it and the specifics
 Concluding
 Sums
Sentence
up the main idea and supporting ideas
Paragraph Structure
Key:
• Topic Sentence
• Supporting Ideas

• Specific Details
• Concluding Sentence
The Study Skills Center offers students a variety of free services designed to improve basic skills.
Those who discover their study habits are poor, for instance, may enroll in a six-week mini-course in
study skills that offers advice on such topics as how to read a text, take notes, and organize material
for review. Students whose math or writing skills are below par can sign up for free tutoring sessions
held five days a week throughout each semester. In addition, the Center presents weekly seminars on
special topics such as stress management and overcoming test anxiety for those students who are
finding college more of a nerve-wracking experience than they expected; other students can attend
evening seminars in such worthwhile endeavors as vocabulary building or spelling tips. Finally, the
Center offers a series of tests to identify the presence of any learning disabilities, such as dyslexia,
that might prevent a student from succeeding academically. With such a variety of free services, the
Center can help almost any student.
Paragraph Structure
The M.E.A.L. Plan: An Alternative Model
M
E
• Main
Idea
We could go on to third- and fourth-guess the list of heroes in textbook pantheons. My
concern here, however, is not who gets chosen, but rather what happens to the
heroes when they are introduced into our history textbooks and our classrooms.
• Example
Two twentieth century Americans provide case studies of heroification: Woodrow
Wilson and Helen Keller. Wilson was unarguably an important president, and he
receives extensive textbook coverage. Keller, on the other hand, was a “little
A
• Analysis
person” who pushed through no legislation, changed the course of no scientific
discipline, declared no war. Only one of the twelve history textbooks I surveyed
includes her photograph. But teachers love to talk about Keller and often show
L
• Link
audiovisual materials or recommend biographies that present her life as
exemplary. All this attention ensures that students retain something about both
these historical figures, but they may be no better off for it. Heroification so distorts
From “Handicapped by
History” by James Loewen
the lives of Keller and Wilson (and many others) that we cannot think straight
about them.
Paragraph Structure

Main Idea (Topic Sentence)
 Statement
 Opinion,
of Opinion/Debate
feeling, belief, point of view, etc.
 Focus
 Not
too broad or narrow in scope
 Placement
 Usually
occurs at beginning of paragraph
 Sometimes occurs at end of paragraph
 Purpose
 Answers
the reader’s “so what?” question
Paragraph Structure

Example
 Evidence
used to reinforce truth of main idea/topic
sentence
 Use various kinds of evidence
 Pathos
 Ethos
 Logos
 Evidence
is good, but you also don’t want it to
overwhelm your piece
Paragraph Structure

Analysis
 Explores
relationship between evidence presented and
main idea/topic sentence
 Emphasis on how and why
 You want ideally a 2:1 ratio of analysis to evidence
(1:1 at least)
 Allows you to restate evidence in own words and give it
meaning, based on your objective
Paragraph Structure

Link
 Reminds
the reader of your main idea before moving
on
 Provides a stepping stone between supporting ideas
and a new main idea
 Provides you a place to re-infuse your voice/style/
tone into the piece
Activity


Time out!
Do MEAL Plan Activity
 In
small groups, identify which parts of each paragraph
are M, E, A, and L
 As large group, discuss why you chose your answers
INTEGRATING EVIDENCE
The Top Ten Rules
1. You always should introduce a quote with your
own words.
◦
◦
(Note: if you want to use a quote to open your paper,
it’s often better to make it an epigraph).
WRONG  = “Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is
always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.” These
words, from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, signify the importance and
ubiquity of time.
◦
RIGHT  = In Mansfield Park, Jane Austen indicates the importance and
ubiquity of time, writing, “Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is
always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.”
The Top Ten Rules
2. In APA, textual references always should be made
in past (or present perfect) tense.
 WRONG  = In his Analects, Confucius writes, “I am not one who was
born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and
earnest in seeking it there.”
 RIGHT  = In his Analects, Confucius wrote, “I am not one who was born in
the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in
seeking it there.”
The Top Ten Rules
3. The quoted material always should fit grammatically,
so that the sentence reflects a complete thought.
◦
WRONG  = In Beyond Good and Evil, when Nietzsche wrote, “he who
fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster; and if
you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”
◦
RIGHT  = In Beyond Good and Evil, when Nietzsche wrote, “he who
fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster; and
if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you,” the
author was expressing the concept of justice, or vengeance, as a doubleedged sword: you’re definitely damned if you don’t fight, but you might
become damned if you do.
The Top Ten Rules
4. Once your quotation hits four lines, you always should format it as a block (indented)
quote.
◦
Note: when you use a block quote, you obviate (nullify) the need for quotation marks.
Additionally, you can capitalize the first word of the quote.
◦
WRONG  = D’Ambrosio wrote, “rebuilding began in a rudimental, dark, superstitious state
where blind luck or chance either saved or did not save. Later it turned out that God was with
the people who survived and the people who perished were now with God, a tautological
tidiness that always breaks my heart, tearing at an old longing for universal justice.”
◦
RIGHT  =
D’Ambrosio wrote:
Rebuilding began in a rudimental, dark, superstitious state where blind luck or
chance either saved or did not save. Later it turned out that God was with the
people who survived and the people who perished were now with God, a
tautological tidiness that always breaks my heart, tearing at an old longing for
universal justice.
The Top Ten Rules
5. With the previous rule in mind, you should quote only
what is necessary and paraphrase—or omit, using (…)—
the rest. What constitutes necessary? When the author…
◦
◦
◦
Explains the subject more clearly/succinctly than you would be
able to by using your own words
Writes about the subject more lyrically/beautifully than you
would be able to by using your own words
RIGHT  = D’Ambrosio depicts post-9/11 America as though in a
regressed state, where the primal urge to make sense of tragedy
reawakens the people’s belief in an omnipresent God. The author
calls this phenomenon “a tautological tidiness that always breaks
my heart, (…) an old longing for universal justice.”
The Top Ten Rules
6. For every line you quote, you should write at least
two lines of your own in explanation/analysis.

RIGHT  = D’Ambrosio depicted post-9/11 America as
though in a regressed state, where the primal urge to make
sense of tragedy reawakens the people’s belief in an
omnipresent God. The author called this phenomenon “a
tautological tidiness that always breaks my heart, (…) an old
longing for universal justice.”
The Top Ten Rules
7. Before you introduce a quote and/or after you
conclude a quote, you must write either a clause or new
sentence restating the author’s argument in your own
words.
◦
RIGHT  = As Sandra Silberstein argued in her article
“From News to Entertainment: Eyewitness Accounts,” there is
an “increasing conflation of news and entertainment.
Increasingly, news reports cover the emotional reactions of
people (…) rather than the events themselves.” This focus on
emotional experience and the visual often takes priority over
the delivery of information.
The Top Ten Rules
8. Once you restate the argument in your own words, you
always must connect the quote to your own argument,
as well as hi-light its relevance and/or implications.
◦
RIGHT  = As Sandra Silberstein argued in her article
“From News to Entertainment: Eyewitness Accounts,” there is
an “increasing conflation of news and entertainment.
Increasingly, news reports cover the emotional reactions of
people (…) rather than the events themselves.” This focus on
emotional experience and the visual often takes priority
over the delivery of information. As news approaches
entertainment, the effect for readers and viewers is that they
encounter a product packaged for their consumption rather
than perceive a collective identity to which they can connect.
The Top Ten Rules
9. Punctuation Review
A. Only capitalize a quote mid-sentence if the quote is a complete sentence.
◦
WRONG  = President Kennedy famously said, “ask not what your country can do
for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
◦
RIGHT  = President Kennedy famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for
you; ask what you can do for your country.”
◦
WRONG  = According to President Kennedy, America “Has tossed its cap” over the
wall of space.
◦
RIGHT  = According to President Kennedy, America “has tossed its cap” over the
wall of space.
The Top Ten Rules
B. Periods and commas (at the end of a quote) belong inside the quotation
marks. Colons and semi-colons belong outside of the quotation marks—
regardless of the context of the quoted material.
◦
WRONG  = Also, President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to
fear is fear itself”.
◦
RIGHT  = Also, President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is
fear itself,” which sounds true to me.
◦
WRONG  = Also, President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to
fear is fear itself;” I fear he may be right.
◦
RIGHT  = Also, President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is
fear itself”: a stroke of genius.
The Top Ten Rules
C. On the other hand, the placement of exclamation points and
question marks is conditional. When the quoted material is
an exclamation/question, the punctuation belongs inside the
quotation marks. However, when the exclamation/question is
issued by you (the paper writer), the punctuation belongs
outside the quotation marks.
◦
WRONG  = Who said, “I don’t want to do that?”
◦
RIGHT  = I can’t believe George said, “I don’t want to do
that”!
The Top Ten Rules
D. The in-text citation occurs after you conclude your quote, but
before you punctuate your sentence. In APA format, the custom is
to include the author’s last name, year of publication, and page
number.
◦
WRONG  = The public nature of workshops may “nudge
students into working harder because they have more at stake
(Ransdell, 2001, p. 4)”.
◦
RIGHT  = The public nature of workshops may “nudge students
into working harder because they have more at stake” (Ransdell,
2001, p. 4).
The Top Ten Rules
10. If you mention the author’s name in your introduction
to the quote, you do not need to include the name in
your in-text citation.
◦
WRONG  = As Ransdell argued, the public nature of
workshops may “nudge students into working harder
because they have more at stake (Ransdell, 2001, p. 4)”.
◦
RIGHT  = As Ransdell argued, the public nature of
workshops may “nudge students into working harder
because they have more at stake” (2001, p. 4).
The (Extra) Eleventh Rule

11. You should try to integrate multiple sources within paragraphs as much
as possible so they are “in conversation” with one another.

Ex. The consensus among the youth seems to be that the power of the N-word
lies in its context and that it isn't a matter of forgetting; it is a matter of taking
what is rightfully owed. Bryan Monroe, in his editorial "Enough! Why Blacks-and Whites--should never use the 'N-word' again," cited Damon Wayans, who
was fined $320 for using the N-word 16 times in a comedy routine. Wayans
explained his actions by saying, "I'll be damned if the White man uses that word
last. This is part of our culture now. Don't take that from us" (2007, p. 199).
There is a mixture of both emotional and intellectual claims that young, black
Americans have tapped into and clasped onto. They follow the argument of
Stanley Fish in his essay "How to Recognize a Poem When You See One" in its
fullest sense when he wrote that "interpretation is not the art of construing but
the art of constructing" (1980, p. 361). Not only would they take the power out
of the word for whites, but also they would use it to empower themselves. It
does seem, however, that there is one issue that both generations can agree on,
however. And that is that a white person should never use the Nword colloquially, ever. Period.
Activity

Do Integrating Textual Evidence Activity
ORGANIZATION & TRANSITIONS
Organization & Transitions

Ways to Order Information:
 Within
Paragraph or Paper
 Order
of Space
 Order of Time
 Deductive Order
 General
 Inductive
to Particular
Order
 Particular
 Order
to General
of Importance
Organization & Transitions

Unity Through Transitions:

Giving Examples


Comparison


Even though, despite, although, however, etc.
Sequence


Similarly, also, in comparison, as well as, etc.
Contrast


For example, specifically, namely, etc.
First, next, after, in addition, moreover, etc.
Results

Resultantly, hence, thus, consequently, etc.
Organization & Transitions

Repeat key words

Aim for variety in your word choice—unless a word is
central to the theme of your essay

Ex. The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed--for lack
of a better word--is good. Greed is right. Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of
the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms--greed for
life, for money, for love, knowledge--has marked the
upward surge of mankind. And greed--you mark my words-will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning
corporation called the USA.

From Wall Street
Organization & Transitions

Repeat key pronouns
Provides unity similar to that found in repeating key words
 Beware of confusing different pronouns, though!
 Once you start introducing new subjects, the technique no
longer works (i.e. use with one main subject)


Ex. this is how to sew on a button;
this is how to make a buttonhole for the button you have
just sewed on;
this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming
down and to prevent yourself from looking like the slut
you are so bent on becoming;

From “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
Organization & Transitions

Grammatical Parallelism



Uses similar types of words
(gerunds or prepositional
phrases, for example) and/or
similar lengths of
words/phrases to provide
unity
Also involves playing with
word order
Ex. “Ask not what your country
can do for you, but what you
can do for your country.”

President John F. Kennedy

Ex.
You just slip out the back,
Jack.
Make a new plan, Stan.
You don’t need to be coy, Roy.
Just get yourself free.
Hop on the bus, Gus.
You don’t need to discuss
much.
Just drop off the key, Lee.
And get yourself free.

From “50 Ways to Leave You
Lover” by Paul Simon
Organization & Transitions
Organization & Transitions

Known-New Contract
 Start
a sentence with information that is known from
previous sentence
 End the sentence with information that is new
 The two words or phrases that act as synonyms create
the “idea bridge”
 Ex.
Sue is afraid of open spaces. Therefore, Montana is not
a place she should live.
#1 Organizational Pitfall

Not all supporting details in
your paragraph directly
support your topic sentence


OR
Example:

Not all paragraphs in your
paper directly support your
thesis statement


Three fixes:



Move the information to
another paragraph or paper
Modify the topic sentence or
thesis
Rewrite your supporting
statements or paragraph



Thesis: Providing children with
a pet teaches them
responsibility at a young age.
T.S. #1: Pets take time to care
for
T.S. #2: Pets take energy to
care for
T.S. #3: Pets take money to
care for
T.S. #4: Pets are fun to care
for
Activity

Do “cut-up essay” activity
 Put

the paragraphs back into the correct order
Answer question:
 What
transitional devices does this essay employ that
enabled you to figure out the proper order?
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
Avoiding Plagiarism


Most plagiarism is unintentional and happens when
a writer fails to or incorrectly cites a source
This presentation concerns two types of this kind of
plagiarism:
 Word-for-Word
Plagiarism
 Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Word-for-Word Plagiarism



This is the kind of plagiarism with which most
people are familiar
It involves preserving a majority of the original
language of passage and not crediting the author.
If you are using over fifty percent of the same
words as the author, change up additional
language or opt for a direct quote. EITHER WAY
YOU WILL HAVE TO CREDIT THE AUTHOR.
Word-for-Word Plagiarism
Source

Mark Twain's use of a boy as narrator in
Huckleberry Finn provided American writers one
important entry to the language and homely
particulars of American life . In that story we hear
no condescending adult voice by which Huck can
be judged insufficient. His idiom is the standard.
And because Huck is a boy, not only is his language
natural to him, but his attitude toward the world of
particulars around him is one of unremitting interest.
His quiet concentration upon all that surrounds him
invests the commonplace world with dignity,
seriousness, and an unforeseen beauty that radiates
through the very words he uses. An adult is tainted
with stylistic original sin-double vision, awareness of
tradition, vanity. Huck's style is prelapsarian in its
innocence and single-minded directness . That is its
excellence, but its limitation too, for although Huck
saw deeply, his was a narrow vision. After the
example of Huckleberry Finn, writers had to learn
how to overcome the limits of his restricting viewpoint
(Bridgman 9).
Word-for-Word Plagiarism

American writers were given an important
entry to the language and homely
particulars of American life when Mark
Twain used a boy as narrator in
Huckleberry Finn . In that story we hear
no condescending adult voice by which
Huck can be judged insufficient. His idiom
is the standard. His quiet concentration
upon all that surrounds him invests the
commonplace world with dignity , and his
innocence and single-minded directness
lends truth to his observations.
Paraphrasing Plagiarism



Students are less familiar with this type of
plagiarism
This is when a student changes the language
and/or phrasing from his/her source, but still fails
to credit the author with the idea or information.
This kind of plagiarism can occur on a small scale
(individual lines) or on a large scale (throughout
paragraph/paper)
Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Line
Source (Original)
Plagiarized

Mark Twain's use of a boy as
narrator in Huckleberry Finn
provided American writers one
important


entry to the language and
homely particulars of American
life. In that story we hear no


condescending adult voice by
which Huck can be judged
insufficient. His idiom is the
standard. . . .

Mark Twain utilized a boy as a
narrator in his classic,
Huckleberry Finn, and gave
native writers an
opening wedge into the
language and particulars of
ante-bellum America. In that
novel there is no
condescending adult voice to
judge Huck by. On the contrary,
his way with words is the
standard.
Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Paragraph
Source (Original)

Mark Twain's use of a boy as narrator in Huckleberry
Finn provided American writers one important entry
to the language and homely particulars of American
life. In that story we hear no condescending adult
voice by which Huck can be judged insufficient. His
idiom is the standard. And because Huck is a boy, not
only is his language natural to him, but his attitude
toward the world of particulars around him is one of
unremitting interest. His quiet concentration upon all
that surrounds him invests the commonplace world
with dignity , seriousness, and an unforeseen beauty
that radiates through the very words he uses. An
adult is tainted with stylistic original sin-double vision,
awareness of tradition, vanity. Huck's style is
prelapsarian in its innocence and single-minded
directness. That is its excellence, but its limitation too,
for although Huck saw deeply, his was a narrow
vision. After the example of Huckleberry Finn, writers
had to learn how to overcome the limits of his
restricting viewpoint (Bridgman 9).
Plagiarized

Unlike that other book by Mark Twain, The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer , there is no
condescending adult voice in Huckleberry Finn .
The words are all Huck's, and because he is young
and inquisitive, what he tells us has an interest and
freshness all its own. His quiet concentration makes
the commonplace world a thing of dignity and
beauty . It is as if everything is seen for the first
time (Bridgman 9).
Avoiding Plagiarism

Biggest Tips:
◦
Make sure you have listed sources in two places:


◦
◦
◦
In-text
References Page
If you are ever in doubt whether you should cite something
or not, cite it.
If you ever need to double-check a source before you write
something, cite it.
You may feel like you have too many citations. If you do,
work on your analysis. Connecting your information to your
thesis will yield the majority of your original writing.
Time Out

Take IU Plagiarism Quiz
SMARTHINKING DEMO
Smarthinking
1. Log into your Campus Connect account.
2. Click on the “Courses” button. Then, click on the
“Composition 121” course link.
Smarthinking
3. Once you are at the Composition 121 homepage, click
on the “Tools” link, which is located in your control panel
sidebar on the left side of the screen.
Smarthinking
4. Once you are within the “Tools” menu, scroll down
to find the “Smarthinking Login” link. Click on it.
Smarthinking
5. The Smarthinking window will pop up (make sure
you enable pop ups for the site)
Smarthinking
6. Under “submit your writing,” select “Essay Center”
Smarthinking
7. Fill out the e-form
Smarthinking
8. Continue filling out e-form
Smarthinking
9. Choose “First Available e-structor,” upload your essay, and click
“Submit Your Writing”
Smarthinking
10. Click “Continue” when you see the form below. A confirmation
email will be sent to you.
Smarthinking
11. The e-structor
should send a
response within 1-5
business days.
This will appear in
your Smarthinking
Inbox.
Smarthinking
12. Click on “Inbox” to open it. You will see your reviewed essay
under “Essay Incoming”
Smarthinking
11. See Sample Comments.
Make sure you turn these in with your final essay.
If you don’t, you will lose out on 25 points.