One thing that can be difficult with writing with other sources (and, thus, voices), is it feels a little unnatural. That’s probably because we never really wrote with sources while we learned how to write. Maybe one or two other voices might make it into our writing. Think of the book report, for instance, where you might write something like:
In the book, the main character grows up in a town…
The book report is a genre of writing that asks you to show how you are an expert on what happened in a book, and, maybe, why the book is important or why you liked it or didn’t like it. But it is just one book, and the genre already implies that you are always writing with the other voice of the author of the book, so you never really have to go out of your way to distinguish among other voices.
In research-driven writing, you often have to manage a lot of different voices. So, it becomes necessary to identify when you are doing that in ways that become readable in your writing.
Signal phrases are really helpful here to do that.
Signal Phrases
Read over this resource from The George Mason University Writing Center on signal phrases. This resource will give you some background on a variety of signal phrases and why we use them.
Here are some examples:
According to Maxwell and Hanson,…
As the 2017 IRS report indicates, …
Smith and Johnson state that …
Legal scholar Terrence Roberts offered a persuasive argument: “….”
Synthesis
Using signal phrases can help make your reading easier to follow when you work with a lot of sources.
Doing some responsible and sophisticated analysis is also another thing to get used to when you are managing several sources.
This resource from the Purdue Online Writing Lab on synthesis shows two really good examples of paragraphs that both use multiple sources but only one puts them in conversation with each other.
Your Tasks
There are two tasks for this review page.
- Go back to your Research-Driven Writing Project draft and select a sentence (or excerpt of multiple sentences if easier) that does not do a great job of using signal phrases (or does not have a signal phrase at all). In a comment below, paste the original and then paste a revision that includes a signal phrase if there is none or a new signal phrase. Keep in mind your documentation style and whether you should be using present or past tense. The George Mason page has a word bank of signal phrase words toward the bottom that can be helpful.
- Also in your comment below, besides than the use of “similarly,” what other things do your notice in the second paragraph example in the Purdue OWL page that helps put different sources in conversation with one another? How does it do that?
After commenting below with these two tasks (the revision and the answer about comparing the paragraphs), click on the button below to continue the module:
1. Original – For example, a national study conducted by (Blumenfeld and Cooper, 2010) found that 54% of the sexual minority respondents reported cyber-victimization within the past three months.”
1. Revision – For example, a national study conducted by (Blumenfeld and Cooper, 2010) found that 54% of the sexual minority respondents reported cyber-victimization within the past three months.” Blumenfeld and Cooper state this statistic that shows how social media can affect the youth in a negative way.
2. One thing that I see in the second paragraph example, is that the author uses it more in a conversation type manner and the sources a tied well together and nothing seems out of the ordinary.
1. Original: A paper published by a public policy think tank, Center for American Progress, spelled it out eloquently: “A series of structural reforms are needed to boost the economic security of Chinese workers . . . ” (Green).
Revised: A paper published by a public policy think tank, Center for American Progress, urges for adjustments to the substandard conditions among the Chinese working class: “A series of structural reforms are needed to boost the economic security of Chinese workers . . . ” (Green).
2. Another word I found that helps the paragraph’s sources flow together is “support.” Between sources, the author always uses some kind of transition that relates the following quote to the previous quote. In this case, before introducing the next evidence, the author states that “Martha J. Nepper and Weiwen Chai support Ben-Joseph’s suggestions.”
Original: Transcendental meditation is also reported to decrease the effects of previously stressful experiences and help individuals perform better under stressful situations (Travis 170). “Transcendental Meditation practice seemed to buffer effects of the high stress of finals’ week” (Travis 174).
New: Fred Travis, Director of at the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition, at the Maharishi University of Management states that Transcendental meditation is also reported to decrease the effects of previously stressful experiences and helps individuals perform better under stressful situations (170). In his study, Travis found that “Transcendental Meditation practice seemed to buffer effects of the high stress of finals’ week” (174).
In the second paragraph, the author introduces all of their sources properly and connects the ideas between them to strengthen their argument, making sources complement each other.
1. Original: This assertion is supported by research conducted by (Stewart et al., 2020), who notes that a review of prosecutorial decisions reveals that prosecutors tend to subject cases to stereotyping where they make assessments of victims and offenders based on racial characteristics.
Revised: This assertion is supported by research conducted by Stewart et al. (2020), who note that a review of prosecutorial decisions reveal that prosecutors tend to subject cases to stereotyping where they make assessments of victims and offenders based on racial characteristics.
2. The second example is more detailed than the first because it provides several ideas that are tied together. The ideas add to the strength of the argument because they all support it albeit in different approaches.
1. Original: The sectors that took the biggest hit were in petroleum, real estate, entertainment, travel, and hospitality (Mazur, Dang, Vega).
Revised: Based on the research conducted by Mieszko Mazura, Man Dang, and Miguel Vega, the sectors that took the biggest hit were in petroleum, real estate, entertainment, travel, and hospitality (Mazur, Dang, Vega).
2. While both paragraphs make a lot of the same points, the second paragraph cites where they got their information from. The second paragraph often gives the name of a sources and then proceeds that with what the source is trying to convey.
Original –
In this edition of the James Bond film franchise, “A cryptic message from the past leads James Bond (Daniel Craig) to Mexico City and Rome— After infiltrating a secret meeting, 007 uncovers the existence of the sinister organization SPECTRE. Needing the help of the daughter of an old nemesis, he embarks on a mission to find her. As Bond ventures toward the heart of SPECTRE, he discovers a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks” (IMDb).
Revised –
IMDb states that “In this edition of the James Bond film franchise, “A cryptic message from the past leads James Bond (Daniel Craig) to Mexico City and Rome— After infiltrating a secret meeting, 007 uncovers the existence of the sinister organization SPECTRE. Needing the help of the daughter of an old nemesis, he embarks on a mission to find her. As Bond ventures toward the heart of SPECTRE, he discovers a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks”.
Most of my thoughts throughout my paper were cited properly. In the revised version, however, I flipped around where the quotes’ author is placed in order to make sentence structure flow better, rather than just going straight to the quote.
1. As a solution to this problem some may burn plastic, which can have worse effects on the environment. Burnt plastic fills the air with toxins and pollution that are harmful to everyone. Some of these toxic substances include Dioxins, Furans, and Mercury (Verma et al., 2015).
1. As a solution to this problem some may burn plastic, which can have worse effects on the environment. Burnt plastic fills the air with toxins and pollution that are harmful to everyone. This includes substances like Dioxins, Furans, and Mercury (Verma et al., 2015).
2. In the second paragraph they use many words signal phrases in order to add information from sources. One example is when they uses “suggest” and then brought in a fact from their source.
Original: Author Matthew Schwartz stated that, “Studies have shown that bilingual employees can earn between 5% and 20% more money per hour than those who speak only one language. Bilingual employees have a useful skill that can translate into increased revenue for the company, and as a result, some companies will compensate these employees accordingly.”
Revised: Author Matthew Schwartz expresses the idea that, “Studies have shown that bilingual employees can earn between 5% and 20% more money per hour than those who speak only one language. Bilingual employees have a useful skill that can translate into increased revenue for the company, and as a result, some companies will compensate these employees accordingly.”
I tend to write stated because it is simple and it is ok to use at times. However, I do want to try and use other words or phrases to introduce information. “States” or “stated” is used way too much in essays and I want to be more descriptive and not so basic.
1. Original: With a very public political campaign being so anti-addict, an alarming amount of non-violent drug offenders were placed in prisons with no hesitation or recognition from the media. Entire neighborhoods were being raided and many were locked away for an absurd amount of time.
Revised: This very public, anti-addict political campaign allowed for an alarming amount of non-violent drug offenders to be placed in prisons with no recognition from the media. The media also failed to cover raids that occurred often in poor neighborhoods and the absurd sentence times drug offenders were receiving.
2. The quote from Ben-Joseph perfectly meshes the two ideas of body image and parental influence together.
1. While news agencies can verify their sources and information with fact-checks, a 2019 survey by Pew Research Center of 5,107 U.S. adults showed that 55% of them get their news often or sometimes from social media, with Facebook as the most significant source. 62% of them said that social media companies have “too much control over the news people see”.
1 Revised. While news agencies can verify their sources and information with fact-checks, a 2019 survey by Pew Research Center of 5,107 U.S. adults reported that 55% of them get their news often or sometimes from social media, with Facebook as the most significant source. Also, 62% of them believed that social media companies have “too much control over the news people see”.
2. The paragraph began with a sentence that introduced the claim and backed it up with 3 different supporting sources that add depth and build upon each other.
Original: “The number of assaults against Muslims in the United States
rose significantly between 2015 and 2016, easily surpassing the modern peak reached in 2001” (Kishi 1).
Revised: According to Kishi, “The number of assaults against Muslims in the United States rose significantly between 2015 and 2016, easily surpassing the modern peak reached in 2001” (Kishi 1).
The first one gives no introduction to the quote. However, the second one does.