ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

CS_EN11 / 12A
L2

Lesson Objectives:
• familiarize the format of a Reaction Paper; and
• write a reaction paper, review, or critique
 A REACTION PAPER

 m a in ly b a sed on r espo nse towa rds ce r tai n d ee ds in a

stor y.
 on e h a s to a nal yze th e subje ct und e r invest igat io n
a n d acqu i r e all the usef u l inf o r matio n b efo re
p rovidin g a critique o n th e ma tter.
 T h e key th ing in writing a rea ction p aper is giv ing a n
op in io n on a subjec t and sup por ti ng you r
statem e nt r ele vantl y to th e sa tisfa cti on of who ever
wo uld b e rea din g yo ur wo rk .
HOW TO START A
REACTION PAPER
 The Context
 while star ting your writing you should first
introduce the reader to the topic through a
small background stor y on this theme. The
reader should be able to understand it so that
when you begin giving your opinions, they are
not left hanging.
The Need
 your readers should see the need for your
opinion on the book or movie you are
writing about, so you have a task of
creating suspense to attract them to your
work. Significance of your opinion
Thesis Statement
 The thesis constitutes a summar y of the
piece you are reacting to, the major
points of it and the contradiction in
opinions for different people.
Details of the Book (material)
 while writing about a book or a movie you
have to introduce it to the reader by
giving the name of the author and what
the book is about.
 FORMAT OF A
REACTION PAPER
The Introduction
 The introduction is the face of your paper
and you have to make sure that it looks
attractive and increases the urgency of
the reader to proceed to your body
paragraphs.
 You have to give a small description of
the author and the main problems and
ideas on the stor y.
The Body
 the main section, where all the ideas for
your essay are explained. In your body
parag raphs, you should start each one with
a topic sentence.
 You should include appropriate sources
to back up your opinions. In the body,
you can add theoretical evidence to
suppor t your statement.
The Body
 the main section, where all the ideas for
your essay are explained. In your body
parag raphs, you should start each one with
a topic sentence.
 You should include appropriate sources
to back up your opinions. In the body,
you can add theoretical evidence to
suppor t your statement.
The Conclusion
 in writing your conclusion, link your
thesis statement with a summar y of the
ideas in the body paragraphs. A good
way of encr ypting your conclusion is by
touching on the major points in
summar y then wrapping up ever ything by
clarifying your opinion.
List of Citations
 while writing a reaction paper you have
to include the citation for the
sources you have used within your
paper. The sources used should be
credible and scholarly so that they
can persuade the reader.
 STRUCTURE OF A REACTION
PAPER
Introduction (5%)
‣ Title of the book/article or
work
‣ Writer’s name
‣ Thesis statement
REACTION PAPER W/ NO
PRESCRIBED STRUCTURE
Introduction
‣ Basic details about the
material (title, director or artist
name of exhibition/event)
‣ Main assessment of the
material (for films and
performances)
 STRUCTURE OF A REACTION
PAPER
Summary (10%)
‣ Objective or Purpose
‣ Methods used (if applicable)
‣ Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
Review/Critique (in no particular order 75%)
‣ Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis
statement.
‣ What are the assumptions
‣ What are the contributions of the work to
the field where it belongs?
‣ What problems and issues are discussed or
presented in the work?
‣ What kind of information are presented in
the work?
REACTION PAPER W/ NO
PRESCRIBED STRUCTURE
Analysis or interpretation
‣ Discussion or analysis of the work
(critical approach)
‣ What aspects of the work make you
think it is a success or failure.
‣Were there unanswered questions or
plot lines? If yes, how did they affect the
story?
‣ How does the work relate in other
ideas ore events in the world?
‣ What stood out while you were
watching the film or the performance?
 STRUCTURE OF A REACTION
PAPER
Conclusion (10%)
‣ Overall impression of the work
‣ Scholarly or literary value of the
reviewed article, book or work.
‣ Benefits for the intended
audience
‣ Suggestion for future direction
of research
REACTION PAPER W/ NO
PRESCRIBED STRUCTURE
Conclusion or Evaluation
‣ Reinforcement of main
assessment
‣ Comparison to a similar
work.
‣ Recommendation of the
material (if you liked it)
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING A
REACTION PAPER, REVIEW, OR
CRITIQUE
FOR ARTICLES AND JOURNALS
 R e a d t h e w o r k t o b e r e v i e w e d c a r e f u l l y.
 Relate the content of the work to what you already
know about the topic.
 Focus on discussing how the book treats the topic
 Report the type of analysis or mode of presentation.
 Examine whether the findings are adequately
supported.
 Suggest points for improvement of the reasoning.
 Point out other interpretations that the writer missed
out.
FOR ARTWORKS AND OTHER MEDIA

 Use speculative verbs (evoke, create, appear,

& suggest) .
 Make sure to describe it to the reader (do not
spoil key events).
 Describe the material in simple terms
(artworks) .
GENERAL NOTE

 Did the work hold your interest?

 Did the work annoy or excite you?
 Did the work prompt you to raise questions to
the author?
 Did the work lead you to some realizations?
 Did the work remind you of other materials
that you have read, viewed or listened to?