Reaction Paper Guide
A reaction paper is a way to express what you think about a piece of writing in an organized way. It usually includes: 1) evidence that you have understood what the text says and does; 2) your reaction to the writer’s ideas and reasoning; and 3) your evaluation of the text’s strengths and weaknesses.
Do not just summarize the texts. You are supposed to be reacting or responding to them, not simply repeating what they say. If there is no analysis involved, then you have not responded, only regurgitated.
The length of your final paper should be 800-1000 words, double-spaced, 12-point Times-Roman or equivalent font. Please create a PDF version of your file and upload it on Quercus for submission.
To write a good reaction paper, please follow the steps and suggestions below.
I. SUMMARY/SYNOPSIS – What are you reacting to?
GOAL: Show that you understand the thesis, main & supporting ideas in the reading.
In this part, try to identify: 1) the author’s stated purpose or motive for writing the piece; 2) the author’s thesis statement or central claim/argument(might be similar to the purpose, but not necessarily); 3) the author’s primary presumptions and assumptions; 4) the author’s primary supporting ideas; and 5)the author’s primary supporting evidence.
In your paper, you don’t need to address all the five aspects in a comprehensive and balanced manner. Just think about 1 or 2 major points you want to articulate in your reaction paper and place your focus on them throughout. In your summary, try to avoid direct quotation by paraphrasing in your own language. To do so, you can: 1) change the vocabulary (use synonyms and synonymous phrases), 2) change the verb forms (active to passive and vice versa), 3) change the word class (verb to noun phrase, adjective to verb phrase, etc.), and 4) synthesize pieces of information (ideas, opinions, etc.).
II. Analysis/Evaluation–What are the strengths and weaknesses of the piece?
Goal: Show that you understand what the author does well and not so well.
Some questions you might consider:
• Was the piece convincing? Why or why not, specifically? Is it well-researched? Is the reasoning sound? Are the sources the author uses reputable? Why or why not?
• Did the author overlook or leave out anything important? What?
• Did the author overemphasize or over-privilege anything? What?
• Is the author one-sided (even if he/she takes your side), or does the author presented a balanced view?
III. Your Reactions–How do you react to the piece on a personal level? How does the piece relate to your own experience/belief?
Goal: Share your own impressions and your own experiences with readers.
Here are some questions you might consider answering:
- Did the piece hold your interest? Why or why not?
- Did the piece bother or annoy you? Why or why not?
- What would you ask, or tell, the author of the piece if you could?
- What did you realize as a result of reading the piece?
- What questions does the piece raise for you — about the material, about other things?
- Does the piece remind you of other readings you’ve done for the class? Briefly compare and contrast the piece to those readings.
- How can you link this piece to other key issues that we discussed in class?
Always back up your opinion with appropriate details, quotations, examples and explanations. You can consider drawing a conclusion by restating your thesis and summarizing your main ideas. But given the word limit, this is optional especially if your three parts are already clear and substantive.
Reaction Paper Rubric
| Section/Area | Criteria | Grade |
| Summary and Synopsis | Does the paper show an adequate & accurate understanding of the main objective, argument, theoretical framework, empirical approach, and scholarly contribution of the reading? Is the paper able to paraphrasing the main aspects of the reading through the student’s own language? | 20% |
| Analysis and Evaluation | Is the paper able to state the main strengths and weaknesses of the reading accurately and plausibly? Has the paper provided plausible justification of its evaluation of the reading? | 40% |
| Reactions | Is the paper able to express some meaningful responses based on the student’s personal knowledge and (research) experience? Is the paper able to make connection in an insightful manner to the course materials, other pertinent scholarly sources, and/or the student’s own research project? | 25% |
| Style, language, length and organization | Is the paper free of errors in grammar, spelling, and citation? Is the length of the paper in the expected range? Does the paper follow a scholarly citation style correctly and consistently? Are the writing style and format of the paper appropriate? | 15% |
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