Review “Respond to a Source” handout and use the guidelines

Respond to a Source

Putting your response into words can help you sort out your reactions to the ideas, information,
and arguments in a source. Use the following guidelines to write an informal response to the text.
1. Identify a focus for your response. You might select important information, an intriguing idea,
or the authors’ overall argument.

2. Decide what type of response you are going to write:

• Agree / Disagree – Write about why you agree or disagree with the text. In your response,
clearly define the idea or argument to which you are responding. Then explain whether you
agree or disagree with the idea or argument – or whether you find yourself in partial
agreement with it – and why.
• Reflective – Consider the meaning or implications of what you read. You might focus on
a key passage or idea from a source, explaining or elaborating on it. Or you might reflect
on your own experiences, attitudes, or observations in relation to a piece of information,
an idea, or an argument. You can also use a reflective response to consider how an idea or
argument might be interpreted by other readers, how it might be applied in a new context,
or how it might be misunderstood.
• Analytical – Focus on the important elements of a source, such as its purpose, ideas,
arguments, organization, focus, evidence, and style. For example, you might ask whether
the main point is stated clearly, or whether appropriate types of evidence are used to support
an argument. You might also analyze the logic of an argument or map its organization. Or
you might offer suggestions about how an author could have made the source more
effective.
• Some combination of the three types
3. Write an introduction that identifies the information, idea, argument, or source to which you
are responding, lays out your overall response (your main point), and identifies the author and title.
4. Provide reasons to support your main point and evidence to support your reasons.
5. Clearly credit the sources of any information, ideas, or arguments you use to support your
response: use quotation marks for direct quotations, and identify the page or paragraph from which
you’ve drawn a paraphrase or quotation.

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