By this point in your research project, you have evaluated several resources related to your topic and have completed your Annotated Bibliography. It is now time to gather the evidence you will use to support claims in your essay.
The Research 101 essay requires at least five total sources integrated throughout the essay. Select at least five of the sources in your Annotated Bibliography and pull strong evidence from these sources that supports your thesis statement. Remember that each piece of evidence must be cited using MLA parenthetical documentation, or in-text citation.
Now, let's review information on finding evidence and planning your paragraphs.
Finding Reliable Sources and Planning Paragraphs 
Evidence is important to back up the claims in formal writing. But how does a writer make note of and incorporate this evidence? Take a look at the following steps:
1. Find Evidence in the Reliable Sources. Now that you have determined what reliable sources you will use, look for proof that directly supports claims made in the development and topic sentences. Remember to create the source citations for the evidence—there are more details on source citations in this lesson.
2. Make Notes of the Supporting Evidence. Copy down the evidence word for word either in the brainstorm, notecards, notepaper, or in a chart (see example of a chart in the assignment for this lesson).
3. Analyze the Evidence. After finding evidence, complete the brainstorm with an analysis of the evidence, or begin on the Rough Draft and analyze the evidence within the Rough Draft. Remember that after using evidence, always indicate why the evidence functions well by pairing the evidence with supporting claims in the essay. Writers should never simply summarize or explain what the evidence means; the analysis of evidence answers the question: How or why does this piece of evidence prove the claims of the piece of writing?
4. Add Concluding Sentences to the Paragraph. Once the analysis of evidence is complete for all claims throughout each paragraph, add concluding sentences to the paragraphs. Then, write the introduction paragraph, conclusion paragraph, and double-check MLA formatting. After completing these steps, the Rough Draft is complete and ready for proofreading.
RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.