W9A. Reading Response Essay, Summary Paragraphs, Citation Patterns

Author

Georgy Gelvanovsky

Published

October 29, 2025

Quiz | Flashcards

1. Summary

1.1 Reading Response Essay (RRE)

A Reading Response Essay (RRE) is an academic paper that demonstrates your understanding of a text and your ability to critically engage with its ideas. The primary purpose is not just to summarize the source material, but to analyze it, question it, and connect it to broader concepts. A well-structured RRE typically involves a summary of the original text, followed by your personal response and critical analysis. Key skills for writing an effective RRE include the ability to summarize accurately, avoid plagiarism, and properly cite sources using appropriate academic conventions.

1.2 The Summary Paragraph

A summary paragraph is a crucial component of an RRE, condensing the essential information of the source article into a brief overview. It must be written in your own words to avoid plagiarism and should accurately reflect the original work.

1.2.1 Core Components of a Summary Paragraph

A comprehensive summary paragraph in an academic context typically includes the following elements:

  • Research Aim/Hypothesis: Start by identifying the author’s main goal, objective, or the central research question they aimed to answer. What was the purpose of the study?
  • Method/Procedure: Briefly describe the methods the author used to conduct their research. This could include the design, methodology, or the specific procedure followed to gather and analyze data.
  • Results: State the key findings or outcomes of the study. What did the author discover?
  • Discussion (Optional): You may optionally include a brief mention of the author’s discussion, interpretation, or the implications of their findings.
1.3 Using Reporting Verbs

Reporting verbs are specific verbs used to introduce ideas, arguments, or findings from another source. They are essential for integrating evidence into your writing and signaling your stance towards the cited information. The choice of verb can indicate whether you are simply reporting a fact, agreeing with a finding, or pointing out an author’s argument. Examples include states, argues, suggests, claims, and observes.

1.3.1 Reporting Verbs Across Disciplines

The frequency and type of reporting verbs used often vary by academic discipline, as shown in studies by linguist Ken Hyland.

  • Humanities (e.g., Philosophy): These fields frequently use verbs that relate to argumentation and cognition, such as say, suggest, argue, claim, and think.
  • Social Sciences (e.g., Sociology, Applied Linguistics): These disciplines use a mix of verbs, with argue, suggest, describe, and show being common.
  • Hard Sciences (e.g., Biology, Physics): These fields tend to use more neutral or procedural verbs like describe, find, report, show, and observe. The focus is on presenting research findings objectively.
  • Engineering: Disciplines like Mechanical and Electronic Engineering often use verbs related to process and presentation, such as propose, use, describe, show, and report.
1.4 Citation Patterns

Citation is the practice of acknowledging the sources of your information. There are two main patterns for integrating citations into your text: integral and non-integral forms.

1.4.1 Integral vs. Non-Integral Citations
  • Integral Citation: In this pattern, the name of the original author is included as a grammatical part of your sentence. This form is often used to emphasize the author or their specific contribution.
    • Example: Johnson [1], amongst other scholars, has argued that…
  • Non-Integral Citation: Here, the reference to the author is placed outside the sentence structure, typically in parentheses or as a number. This pattern places the focus on the information itself rather than the person who reported it.
    • Example: Several ways exist to address the issue of overpopulation [1].
1.4.2 Citation Patterns Across Disciplines

The preference for integral or non-integral citations varies significantly between fields.

  • Sciences (Biology, Physics, Engineering): These fields heavily favor non-integral citations (83-90% of the time). This reflects a focus on the research finding as an objective fact.
  • Humanities and Social Sciences (Philosophy, Sociology): These disciplines show a much greater use of integral citations (35-65% of the time). This highlights the importance of the individual scholar and their specific arguments within the ongoing academic conversation.
1.5 Types of Citation

When incorporating evidence, you can use several methods, ranging from direct quotation to broad generalization.

1.5.1 Forms of Presenting Cited Work
  • Quotation: Using the exact words from the original source, enclosed in quotation marks. This should be used sparingly, only when the original phrasing is particularly powerful or precise.
  • Block Quotation: A longer quotation (typically more than two lines) that is formatted as a separate, indented block of text.
  • Summary: Condensing the main idea of a passage or an entire work into your own words. This is the most common and preferred method of citation in academic writing.
    • Example: Wegner and Wheatley (1999) proposed that the subjective experience of intentions causing behaviour is an illusion…
  • Generalization: Referring to a general finding, theory, or hypothesis that is supported by one or more sources, without going into specific details.
    • Example: The unitization hypothesis (Healy and Drenowski, 1983; Healy, Oliver and McNamara, 1987) argues that…
1.5.2 Citation Type Preferences in Disciplines

Across almost all academic fields, summaries are the most common form of citation.

  • In the sciences (Biology, Physics, Engineering), direct quotations are virtually non-existent (0%). The vast majority of citations are summaries (66-72%) and generalizations (32-38%).
  • In the humanities and social sciences (Philosophy, Sociology, Applied Linguistics), while summaries are still dominant (67-89%), direct quotations are used more frequently (2-8%) to analyze an author’s specific language or arguments.
1.6 Writing Practice and Avoiding Plagiarism

To write an effective RRE, you should focus on accurately representing the source material in your own words.

  • Summarize Effectively: The best way to avoid plagiarism is to understand the source material thoroughly and then explain it using your own sentence structures and vocabulary.
  • Use Reporting Verbs: Select reporting verbs carefully to signal your interpretation of the source’s claims.
  • Cite Everything: Use an in-text citation every time you refer to an idea or finding from your source.
  • Use Quotes Sparingly: While quotes are possible, they are often unadvisable. Over-reliance on quotes can suggest a lack of understanding. Summarizing demonstrates a deeper level of engagement with the text.

2. RRE Structure

Introduction (1 para)

  • background / research relevance;
  • the researcher’s name and the title of the article;
  • the researcher’s topic / main point / contribution;
  • a thesis statement that previews your analysis (1-2 sentences).

Summary (1 para)

  • research aim / goal / objective / hypothesis / research question;
  • method / design / methodology / procedure;
  • results;
  • (optional: discussion).

Response (critique, 2-3 paras)

Should contain at least two references per paragraph to external sources other than the source you respond to.

  • strengths (1 para)
  • weaknesses (1-2 paras)

In your essay, you can choose to write 1-2 paras of weaknesses first and finish with a para of strengths.

Conclusion (1 para)

  • restatement of the researcher’s topic / main point / contribution;
  • restatement of your thesis;
  • closing statement with recommendations for future improvements / future work.

References

  • At least five sources (one you respond to and two sources per response para).

3. Reading Response Essay Example

Graduate student enrollment remains steadily high, but these students face many challenges on their path to a degree. Researchers have noted that graduate students experience anxiety and stress that may be connected to high attrition rates [1]. In the article “Student anxiety: Effects of a new graduate student orientation program,” Hullinger and Hogan [2] examined the impact of an online orientation program on student anxiety. While this article produced significant results showing that an online orientation program potentially reduces the anxiety of new graduate students, the researchers could strengthen their research design in several ways.

Hullinger and Hogan [2] used a sample of 32 incoming graduate students at a Midwest regional state university to examine the impact of an online orientation program designed to connect new students with resources across the university. First, the researchers collected participants’ demographic information, such as gender, age, program type, work experience, and the period since their previous degrees. Then, they used the State Trait Anxiety Inventory to measure anxiety before and after the orientation program. Using t-tests, the authors found that the participants experienced a significant anxiety reduction after completing the online orientation program.

The researchers [2] provided a promising research-based argumentation for handling the intricate issue of graduate student anxiety through administering an online orientation and, therefore, paved another possible way to a better academic environment for students. Similar attempts to address student anxiety are known in the research literature. They range from more conventional counselling by university services [3] to less implementable approaches, such as poetry therapy programs [4], music therapy [5], and even the consumption of Camellia sinensis tea [6]. One obvious advantage of the approach suggested by Hullinger and Hogan [2] compared to other existing options consists in its relative cost-effectiveness and time efficiency. For instance, poetry therapy may require hiring a professional or significant time for implementation. Specifically, [4] uses Mazza’s poetry therapy practice model, and mastering the therapy requires effort [7]. On the contrary, the approach of an online orientation program could be cheap and useful for students as it would allow them to have important information at their fingertips, regardless of if they are on campus or not, and, thus, reduce anxiety.

Meanwhile, Hullinger and Hogan [2] proposed a questionable research procedure and, thus, arrived at contestable findings. First, the sample size seems small. Out of 802 incoming students who were invited to participate, only 32 students completed the pre- and post-anxiety inventory. From a statistical point of view, such a small sample could interfere with the results’ validity [8]. Moreover, generalizing these findings to the larger graduate student population is difficult because of a small sample size and due to the fact that all participants in this study were recruited from a state university in the Midwest. While Hullinger and Hogan [2] stated that the study should be replicated with a larger population and at other schools, the authors did not discuss how these factors of their study were limitations. Research replicability is also unlikely since the researchers [2] did not provide the contents of the orientation program they used in their study. This omission seems critical because replicability is perceived as a cornerstone of academic transparency and an indication of high research culture [9], while [2] adds to the existing “reproducibility crisis” [10]. Consequently, this lack of details can hinder further research on this kind of orientation program to reduce anxiety.

In conclusion, Hullinger and Hogan [2] focused on a significant issue within higher education. One of the barriers graduate students face is anxiety, so an online orientation designed to reduce anxiety could be one useful tool to address this problem. Hullinger and Hogan [2] shared encouraging results of an online orientation program designed to connect incoming graduate students with university resources. However, this study did not adequately describe this orientation program so that future researchers can replicate this program in other samples. Furthermore, the small sample size and lack of diversity among participants limit the generalizability of these findings. Future research on online orientation programs with a clear description of the program among a larger, more diverse sample is necessary to provide evidence of the impact of online orientation programs.

References

[1] M. C. Poock, “Graduate Student Orientation: Assessing Need and Methods of Delivery.,” J. Coll. Stud. Develop., vol. 43, 2002.

[2] M. Hullinger and R. L. Hogan, “Student anxiety: Effects of a new graduate student orientation program,” Administrat. Issues J., vol. 4, pp. 27–34, 2014, doi: 10.5929/2014.4.2.3.

[3] S. B. Oswalt and C. C. Riddock, “What to Do about Being Overwhelmed: Graduate Students, Stress and University Services,” Coll. Stud. Aff. J., vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 24–44, 2007.

[4] J. H. Park, J. Y. Kim, and H. O. Kim, “Effects of a group poetry therapy program on stress, anxiety, ego-resilience, and psychological well-being of nursing students,” Arch. Psychiatr. Nurs., vol. 41, pp. 144–152, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2022.07.027.

[5] E. Hernandez-Ruiz, “Music to decrease anxiety in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Arts Psychother, vol. 80, p. 101953, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101953.

[6] M. Bakhriansyah, S. N. Sulaiman, and R. Fauzia, “The effect of Camellia sinensis tea on a decreased risk of anxiety for medical students at Universitas Lambung Mangkurat Indonesia,” Clin. Epidemiol. Global Health, vol. 17, p. 101114, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2022.101114.

[7] N. Mazza, Poetry Therapy: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2021. doi: 10.4324/9781003022640.

[8] E. Hatch and A. Lazaraton, The Research Manaual: Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics. New York: Newbury House, 1991.

[9] B. Vachon et al., “Changing research culture toward more use of replication research: a narrative review of barriers and strategies,” J. Clin. Epidemiol., vol. 129, pp. 21–30, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.09.027.

[10] S. L. K. Stewart et al., “Reforms to improve reproducibility and quality must be coordinated across the research ecosystem: the view from the UKRN Local Network Leads,” BMC Res. Notes, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 58, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.1186/s13104-022-05949-w.

Adapted from GLOBAL CAMPUS Writing Center, U Arizona.

4. Prompt for feedback on your paragraph

TSA 4 Feedback Prompt
on Summary Paragraph

"Task: Audit my one-paragraph research article summary for accuracy, academic integrity, and writing quality. Do not be nice. Be exact, specific, and corrective.

Inputs I will provide:
1) Full bibliographic reference and a link or PDF/text of the original research article.
2) My single summary paragraph that includes: research aim/goal/objective/hypothesis/question; method/design/methodology/procedure; results; optional discussion; in-text citation.

Your checks and actions:
A. Fidelity and coverage
- Verify whether my summary accurately reflects the article’s core:
aim/goal/objective/hypothesis/question; method/design/procedure; key results; any warranted discussion/implications. If anything is missing, vague, or incorrect, name it plainly and provide the corrected content in a rewritten sentence that fits a one-paragraph summary. Cite in the correction.

B. Plagiarism scan (hard rule: 3+ consecutive words verbatim)
- Compare my paragraph to the article text. List every string of 3 or more consecutive words that matches the source verbatim, even if common phrases; quote them and show the source sentence. Then rewrite each flagged segment in original wording without loss of meaning. If there is heavy paraphrase but sentence structure mirrors the source, call it out and rewrite.

C. Reporting verbs and citation
- Check that claims about the article use accurate reporting verbs (e.g., argue, find, report, demonstrate, show, propose) and avoid casual verbs. Replace weak or inaccurate verbs with precise options, explaining why. Confirm in-text citation appears at least once when referring to the article; add or reposition it if needed.

D. Principles of effective academic writing (apply all, no exceptions)
Flag and fix every violation below. For each, quote the problem fragment, explain the issue, and provide a corrected version.
1) Formality: no contractions; no spoken language; no attitude punctuation.
2) Concision: replace phrasal verbs with single verbs; prefer affirmatives over negatives; remove redundant pairs (e.g., each and every); remove redundant modifiers (e.g., completely finish); delete metaconcepts and replace with concrete terms.
3) Precision: eliminate vague words (big, good, nice, thing); supply complete lists instead of etc.
4) Clarity and syntax:
  - Avoid nominalizations as subjects with any form of BE; use action verbs.
  - Prefer active voice over passive except for methods.
  - Make verbs carry the action; use concrete actors as subjects.
  - Avoid expletives (There is/are; It is/was), isolated demonstratives (This/That/These/Those without a noun), and gerund subjects where possible.
  - Place subjects early; keep verbs close to subjects.
5) Pronouns: restrict I/We to authorial roles; avoid You; replace You with concrete nouns (e.g., Table 3 shows…).

E. Structure and length
- Confirm it is one paragraph, concise, and within 120–170 words unless the article’s complexity demands up to 200 words; justify any need to exceed 170. Ensure the sequence is logical: aim → method → results → brief discussion (optional).

F. Rewrite deliverables
Provide all of the following:
1) A bullet list of exact errors you found, grouped under sections A–E. Keep bullets short and specific.
2) Sentence-level edits: show original → revised for every sentence, with a one-line rationale.
3) A fully corrected one-paragraph summary that:
  - States the research aim/goal/objective/hypothesis/question.
  - States method/design/methodology/procedure with concrete nouns and action verbs.
  - States the principal results, quantifying if possible.
  - Optionally adds one sentence of warranted discussion/implication without speculation.
  - Uses precise reporting verbs and includes in-text citation when referring to the article.
  - Complies with all effective academic writing principles above.
4) A plagiarism report listing all 3+ word matches and their rewrites.

Output format:
- Start with a one-line verdict: ‘Acceptable as is’ or ‘Needs revision’.
- Then provide sections A–F with subheadings.
- Use compact bullet points; no fluff.
- Be explicit, blunt, and corrective.

Now ask me for:
- The full article (URL or pasted text) and bibliographic reference.
- My current one-paragraph summary."