Feel free to organize your paper with sections and headings if you wish. Here is a
suggested format to organize your thoughts (but you can do it another way if it
works for you) along with some questions to consider (although you probably can’t
answer all of them):
a. Background: Here you are telling me about the article. Who wrote it,
when they wrote it, where they wrote it, why you think they wrote it. Was
it part of a book? Was it a response to something someone else wrote?
You can consult the commentary at the beginning of the chapters in the
textbook for assistance with this one, if you like.
b. Main Arguments: What is the point? Can you find a thesis statement?
c. Evidence offered. How do they prove the points they are trying to make
d. Reactions: What do you think? Were you convinced? Why is this
significant to the study of communication? How might one or two of the
ideas presented in the reading be applicable to a contemporary example?
e. Conclusion: Summarize the arguments and your view of them
If you get anything from an academic source or from an article or website, please
make sure to cite it at the end of the paper in a section called “Sources Cited”.
