Integrating

critical
research

1. How many critics’ comments do I

include in my essay?

2. Where do I put the phrases that I’ve

selected from my critical articles in
my paragraphs?
 Reminders:

You are selecting short words or phrases from your critical articles to either reinforce or refute in your
essay body paragraphs.

The best quotes are where a critic/academic has managed to articulate an idea central to your
argument better than you could!

It’s important to remember that these quotes should complement your argument; not take the place
of a strong topic sentence idea.

Avoid integrating long quotes (as with textual evidence, the best quotes are 2-5 words). Don’t copy
whole sentences or paragraphs- you just don’t have the word count for this!

Don’t forget to integrate them. You don’t need to provide context on the academic writing thea rticle,
but you can’t plonk them in as quotes without introducing who is asserting this interpretation and
providing an APA in text reference.
Q: How many critics’ quotes should I integrate?

A: Three is a good rule of thumb; perhaps one per body paragraph! You have the
option of an additional quotation from a critic in the introduction and/or conclusion to
really reinforce your thesis.
Q: But where do I put the phrase from my critic in my essay?

A: You have options! There is no one place.

Option 1- integrate a comment after your thesis in the Introduction.

Q: But where do I put the phrase from my critic in my essay?

A: You have options! There is no one place.

Option 1- integrate a comment after your thesis in the Introduction.

Option 2- integrate a comment in your body paragraph after your topic sentence to
reinforce it.
Q: But where do I put the phrase from my critic in my essay?

A: You have options! There is no one place.

Option 1- integrate a comment after your thesis in the Introduction.

Option 2- integrate a comment in your body paragraph after your topic sentence to reinforce it.
Option 3- integrate a word/phrase in your body paragraph after your analysis of how
Spiegelman’s literary choices prove your topic idea (after the analysis). A comment from a critic here can
feel like clever evaluation.
Note: Your paragraphs must still have all the compulsory elements of a literary
analytical essay. Don’t forget the basics. The critical comment is a small addition.
Q: But where do I put the phrase from my critic in my essay?

A: You have options! There is no one place.

Option 1- integrate a comment after your thesis in the Introduction.

Option 2- integrate a comment in your body paragraph after your topic sentence to reinforce it.
Option 3- integrate a word/phrase in your body paragraph after your analysis of how
Spiegelman’s literary choices prove your topic idea (after the analysis). A comment from a critic here can feel like
clever evaluation.
Option 4- integrate a comment from a critic that you agree in your conclusion. This does not break the rule of
introducing new information into a conclusion; rather it just reinforces your thesis.
 Apply today’s
learning to your
own analytical
research essay
Now that you’ve seen a range of
words/phrases from critics integrated into
analytical paragraphs, it’s time to apply this
learning to your own writing.

What have you learnt today

about effective integration of
critics’ opinions into a literary
essay?
 Now work on your
assessment task
By now you should’ve:
If not, this is overdue. Focus and do it
1. Chosen your prompt now.
2. Planned and brainstormed
3. Crafted your thesis

Today you are to:

4. Craft your 2-3 topic sentences
5. Work on the evidence tables in OneNote to get quality analysis in your body paragraphs
6. Homework: start to consider where and how to integrate critics’ evidence from today