Analyze (v.): To divide a whole into its parts to discover meaning
Every time we write, we analyze. Writing a research paper? You’re analyzing sources. Writing a narrative about your life? You’re analyzing events of the past. Writing an interpretation or response of a case study or an article? You’re analyzing there, too. This resource will lay out the ways you can analyze as you write.
If your assignment asks you to analyze, interpret, compare, review, evaluate or discuss a topic, then you have come to the right place!
The following are possible ways to analyze as you write. You can use any one or a combination of these modes of analysis to achieve your purpose. See if you can find a mode below that is mentioned in your assignment prompt or competency, or research to find one that will!
Basic Modes of Analysis
Compare & Contrast
Sometimes you need to analyze differences between two like things. You can use this mode of analysis to compare two or more similar subjects (five therapies for depression, three films about love, two U.S. Presidents).
Cause-&-Effect
What will happen if certain events keep taking place? How did a certain effect come about? Your unique analysis of how or why events take place is necessary across many topics, both in school and in life! This option is often a good choice for persuasive or research-based papers about social issues (gun laws, vaccinations, sex education in schools).
Critical or Literary
In Critical Analysis, you want to evaluate a written work’s purpose and which methods the author uses to achieve them. Does the author use anecdotes, stories, dialogue? Does she cite outside sources and write logically? What is her intended tone or audience? By looking at an author’s strategies and choices, we can critique the entire work for effectiveness.
With any form you choose, you must provide proof. Include examples, quote sources or important people, and properly cite all outside information you gather. For more help on this, visit the Shapiro Library’s page on Research and Citation.
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