II. Comparisons (can be one paragraph or several,
depending on how comparable the two sources are).
a. Make a general statement evaluating how similar the two
sources are. (This claim will be backed up by what you say in
II.b.)
b. What are the chief similarities or agreement between the
two sources? Be specific. Comparisons might include
comparable subject matter;
comparable approach or method of investigation;
comparable conclusions; or
other similarities such as comparable expertise or
backgrounds of the authors, comparable dates of
publication, comparable quality of publications in which
the sources appeared.
c. If one source mentions the other, what favorable comments
are made?
III. Contrasts (can be one paragraph or several,
depending on how dissimilar the two sources are)
a. Make a general statement evaluating how dissimilar the two
sources are. (This claim will be backed up by what you say in
III.b.)
b. What are the chief dissimilarities or disagreement between
the two sources? Be specific. Distinctions might include:
minor differences in subject matter (The assignment calls
for you to write about two sources on the same subject, but
minor differences are almost inevitable.);
different approach or method of investigation;
different conclusions; or
other distinctions such as different expertise or
backgrounds of the authors, different dates of publication,
different quality of publications in which the sources
appeared.
c. If one source mentions the other, what unfavorable comments
are made?
IV. Conclusion
a. What has your essay covered? And how have you accomplished
your purpose in writing (from I.c)?
b. Restate your thesis statement (from I.c) in slightly more
specific and elaborated terms: what's been shown?.
c. What questions appear to be unresolved by
these sources?
d. Are these unresolved questions suitable for further
investigation in your research project?