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A central goal of academic essays is to engage with and contribute to existing conversations about the selected issue or topic. Furthermore, an academic writer strives to add something new to the ongoing conversation rather than to simply repeat or reiterate perspectives or insights that already exist. While there’s no set “formula” for incorporating evidence and sources, keeping this goal at the forefront of a writer’s mind can provide clear strategies or “paths of analysis” for structuring arguments.

In order to develop complex paths to analysis, each path requires:

• using sources as described by ExACT source use
• analysis of the evidence
• engaging a specific existing argument in order to respond to it, based on the insights gleaned from analyzing specific evidence i.e. synthesis.

In a typical academic essay, a writer might employ multiple paths of analysis.

Possible Analysis Paths

Possible Path 1

1. Introduce relevant theory.
2. Use theory to conduct lens analysis of specific aspect of exhibit.
3. Introduce existing argument about that aspect of exhibit.
4. Analyze and confirm, contradict, complicate, or extend that existing argument based on the conclusions from your analysis.

Possible Path 2

1. Introduce and analyze existing argument about specific aspect of exhibit.
2. Introduce relevant theory.
3. Use theory to conduct lens analysis of that specific aspect of exhibit.
4. Discuss how analysis confirms, contradicts, complicates, or extends existing argument.

Possible Path 3

1. Introduce relevant contextual information.
2. Introduce relevant theory.
3. Use theory to conduct lens analysis of specific aspect of exhibit.
4. Introduce existing argument about that aspect of exhibit.
5. Confirm, contradict, complicate, or extend existing argument.

Possible Path 4

1. Describe observation (e.g. pattern or anomaly) in exhibit.
2. Introduce relevant theory.
3. Use theory to conduct lens analysis of specific aspect of exhibit.
4. Introduce existing argument about that aspect of exhibit.
5. Confirm, contradict, complicate, or extend existing argument.

Forge Your Own Path!

While this guide is a useful tool for helping you to think about how you might organize your analysis paragraphs, keep in mind these paths of analysis won’t work for every analysis paragraph. Allow your sources to further your conversation, but don’t allow them to take it over. It’s your essay, so you’re the one steering the conversation. Weave sources into your analysis of the evidence and use key terms and ideas from them to make the connections between their ideas and yours clear.