 Evidence is a type of literary device that appears in different categories of essays and theses, in

the form of paraphrase and quotations. It is presented to persuade readers, and used with
powerful arguments in the texts or essays. It is factual information that helps the reader reach a
conclusion and form an opinion about something. Evidence is given in research work, or is
quoted in essays and thesis statements, but is paraphrased by the writer. If it is given as it is,
then it is quoted properly within quotation marks.
 In rhetoric, when a person makes a claim or presents an argument, he needs to present
evidence in support of his claim or argument, in order to establish the veracity of his
statements. If there is no evidence, the claim stands quashed. The same is true with a case in
law, where a case or litigation is quashed if there is no evidence to support the claim. However,
literary evidence is only used in literature, essays, and research papers for persuasion and
convincing purposes.
 Good readers must PROVE their abilities as good readers with evidence, too. When we read, we
often are asked to answer questions or express our ideas about the text. In order to let people
know we aren’t making stuff up, we should use Textual Evidence to support our opinions or
answers. Textual evidence is required any time you draw a conclusion, make an inference, or
make a prediction about a text to show WHY you think that way. In real life, people who can
back up an opinion about a text with Textual Evidence are taken more seriously than people
who can only give a reason of “just because.” Evidence is the PROOF that your inference,
opinion, or conclusion is CORRECT and fits with the meaning of the text.

What does Textual Evidence mean? The name really says it all.

 Textual = from the text

 Evidence = support or PROOF for your answer, opinion, or idea

1. State your analysis: State the ideas/conclusions you have about the text (if you are responding to a
specific question, be sure your idea restates the question).

2. Cite what in the text led you to that idea: Give supporting evidence from the text (by paraphrasing or
directly quoting from the text).If you are directly quoting from a text, you must use quotation marks.
Sentence starters = In the first paragraph, _____ the author says...The text states...The text
describes/For example...The author explains...Early in the text, the author/For instance

3. Explain the Evidence: Explain how the quote(s) or paraphrase(s) you pointed out support your idea.
Sentence starters = This shows...This is because...This means...This reveals...This i"ustrates...This
highlights the difference between...

 When you write about something you have read, you need to use text evidence - that is, details
from the text - to support the points you are making. You can use text evidence in the form of a
direct quotation (author's exact words) or a paraphrase (a restatement of what the author
wrote). You also need to explain WHY that text evidence is relevant.
Direct quotation: A quotation is an exact copy of the words the author or speaker uses. Surround a
direct quotation with quotation marks. When using a direct quote, copy down the exact words from a
sentence. Surround a direct quotation with quotation marks.

Paraphrase: To paraphrase is to put something written or spoken by someone else into your own words.
A paraphrase is not surrounded by quotation marks. To paraphrase is to put something written or
spoken by someone else into your own words. You don't change the meaning of what the other person
wrote or said, just the wording. A paraphrase is not surrounded by quotation marks.

 An inference is something that you think is true based on information that you have. An
inference is NOT directly written in the text. To make an inference, we use evidence from the
text, and our prior knowledge. Sometimes we have to “read between the lines.” Authors don’t
always tell us everything. We need to use textual evidence and prior knowledge to understand
the text better.