sample reaction paper

sample reaction paper

Analyzing and Critiquing Academic Research: A Guide to Writing a Persuasive Reaction Paper

1. Introduction to Reaction Papers

This short guide aims to outline an approach to writing reaction papers, providing a simple and distinct set of behavioral rules to guide readers through the process. The emphasis here is on addressing academic research; however, the approach can be adapted to writing reaction papers as quick response materials to other types of events or occurrences. The next section outlines the basic do’s and don’ts of writing a reaction paper. Later sections provide more detailed advice and suggestions. Application of these strategies involves reviewing the existing knowledge base and finding ways to effectively view evidence response information. We suggest two different question frameworks to guide this process: a map of the categories of questions to ask about the evidence and the evaluations from the call Respond empirical evidence indicated (Realist).

Reaction papers are short, focused essays that communicate inquiry results or analyses from policy-maker or stakeholder audiences to the research community. They aim to demonstrate the quality of, challenge, or extend academic insights on a specific research study or collection of studies, underpinning more persuasive dialogue between those producing research evidence and those responsible for decision-making and implementation. Writing such papers is an effective way to begin to engage with academic literature, and, when done well, can act as a gateway to more sustained forms of knowledge exchange, including subsequent publications such as research reports or journal articles.

2. Key Elements of a Reaction Paper

Analyzing and Critiquing Academic Research: A Guide to Writing a Persuasive Reaction Paper. Produced by EVDS. After completing a carefully considered initial Reaction Paper for your assigned article, get feedback from your dialogue group and from your section leader. Barring the value of a seminar experience, your final type-written paper should be grammatically sound at all times. Email your final paper type-written to your section leader by the stipulated day and time. Remember to incorporate the feedback you received from your dialogue group and from your section leader into your final paper. In turn, provide thoughtful written feedback to your dialogue group.

A well-written reaction paper adopts the following elements. It presents a thoughtful, coherent thesis statement in your opening paragraph that relates to the focus of the assigned reading. Write a succinctly focused, persuasive, and developed three- or four-part critique of the article or chapter. Summarize the content of the article you are critiquing without addressing the author’s thesis and then praises or skewers the overall article as a whole. Remember to evaluate the credibility and logic—ethos and logos—of the author in the thesis of the paper. Analyze all of the rhetorical strategies that the author deploys in the text, including the broad context from which the author writes. In addition, appraise the author’s style and the clarity and coherence of the overall article. Tickle your reader’s intellect throughout the paper, and end it with a satisfying conclusion.

3. Structuring Your Analysis

Remember to clearly state the research question(s) and the method(s) the researcher used in addressing the question(s). While it may be tempting to immediately launch into a debate about the strength or weakness of the paper, establishing context is helpful for the reader, in addition to the author(s). Include a discussion of the theoretical and empirical issues that the author addresses, and others that the paper raises. What does he seek to add to our collected understanding? Once you have established some of the contextual background of the paper, set forth the writer’s main argument. Recall that a clearly stated thesis should be mentioned in the introduction of most good papers. If it hasn’t been clearly stated early, you may need to read on for four or five pages before you make it to this substantial evidence. Note any theoretical assumptions the authors make, as well as any implications that stem from these assumptions.

To help you organize your response and analysis more systematically, follow the basic development of a research paper or article as a guide. This will help you cover the fundamental sections of a research paper and theoretically touch base with important issues and the structure of the analysis. Keep in mind that some aspects of this structure will be flawed or require complete elimination because the research paper that you are critiquing is flawed, incomplete, or inconsistent. It is important that you evaluate the overall organization of the original essay. Did the author use section headings? If so, how helpful were they? It is essential to ensure that you include references to specific parts of the paper being critiqued.

4. Developing a Persuasive Argument

A second approach for persuading readers examines how body paragraphs are structured. In other words, persuasiveness is a function of how the message is structured. Persuasiveness is more than compliance with the conventions of response paper style, such as topic sentences, transitions, and transitions. Persuasiveness in case-building demonstrates thorough understanding and comprehension in paragraph development. It is an application of rules of evidence resulting from the qualifications of the writer. Writing a reaction paper displays your qualifications in a particular subject area. Commit to completion of a quality job, add new views, and reflect on your comprehension of the response paper subject, which makes grounding your message extremely important. Commit to creating not just a report, but rather a persuasive, critical treatment of the content.

Developing persuasive arguments well requires committing to a central purpose for the message. That is, in order to convince readers, writers must not merely offer a topic but also a purpose. Despite the variety of response papers’ types, purposes are specific and personal. With the central purpose in mind, pursuit of the topic alters; it shapes the choice of supporting points that will or will not be detailed. The shape of the message is determined by the desired response. For example, thesis statements are necessary in response papers when the purpose is to convince others that a certain interpretation or synthesis of professional literature is valid. Moreover, declaring the thesis in the first paragraph indicates the writer’s intent and sets the pattern of support, comprehension, and analysis to be offered throughout the paper.

5. Concluding Thoughts and Final Considerations

While, in theory, anyone could write a reaction paper, it is usual that it would be academic people who would be most inclined to write reaction papers especially related to academia. They are practicing it all the time providing comments to colleagues on their papers, giving opinions about papers to publishers for them to identify if the paper could be of interest to the specialized audience. Nonetheless, even faculty might hesitate and show certain reluctance to write reaction papers due to several reasons. Common questions relate to the aim, motivation or maybe the applicability of the feedback. Once they have made up their minds and start writing reaction papers it is unlikely for them to jump back to their reluctance. It is not only a useful learning but a pleasant one! With practice, it will become easy and, moreover, these are but some of the reasons why we write reaction papers because they do not only help the authors to develop and improve their papers as well but also to learn in the process.

Writing reaction papers is a valuable exercise that can help you build critical thinking skills and develop a deeper understanding of the research process. At the same time, it offers you the opportunity to practice conveying your ideas in writing: a skill that will be crucial to developing your expertise in your chosen field. When you are reacting to another piece of academic literature, it is important to keep track of the primary focus of your paper: the aim to evaluate the scholarly work from your own perspective. Reactions may range from disagreeing with the conclusion or the interpretative framework of the piece of research in which you are reacting. This does not imply that your reaction paper could not give the results that you expected. The aim is to critically evaluate what has been done and to discuss what works and what does not. Remember that when you engage in a reaction paper, it is your ideas or your reflections that are actually being discussed. Keep your emotions far away from the review paper!