Source Integration

In the beginning of the semester, I didn’t even know what a Barclay paragraph was.  No one had ever mentioned anything like this in high school. When told what the concept of a Barclay was, it seemed so challenging and confusing. Integrating 3 sources into one paragraph seemed almost impossible to me. When I used the layout for it for the first time, it felt uncomfortable and something I had to get used to. As shown in the image below, I wasn’t sure of a good way to integrate the sources. I used the reference of 2 authors at a coffee shop to help visualize what this paragraph could look like even though it was uncomfortable. 

“Empathy is Overrated” Draft Essay

After some practice, I started to get a feel for how to integrate sources efficiently. It still is very new to me, but I definitely feel and see improvement. The part that was most difficult for me was putting three sources together. The two sources were simple, but that third made it harder. I definitely think I need more practice with integrating sources, but there has definitely been much improvement in bringing my own voice and the author points into one paragraph. 

“Joy in the Little Things” Final Essay

All into consideration, Barclay paragraphs have advanced my writing and have made my essays stronger and better than they ever have been before.