{"id":1259,"date":"2025-04-23T23:50:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T23:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1259"},"modified":"2025-08-02T15:18:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T15:18:01","slug":"finding-evidence-apply-it","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/finding-evidence-apply-it\/","title":{"raw":"Finding Evidence: Apply It","rendered":"Finding Evidence: Apply It"},"content":{"raw":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe strategies for doing preliminary research on a topic<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe strategies for synthesizing research with your own ideas<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2 data-start=\"804\" data-end=\"884\">Using MEAL to Incorporate Evidence<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"804\" data-end=\"884\">Imagine you\u2019ve chosen to write a research paper with the following thesis statement:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote data-start=\"886\" data-end=\"1066\">\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"888\" data-end=\"1066\">Starting the high school day later improves students\u2019 overall success by promoting better health, improving academic performance, and supporting emotional well-being.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1068\" data-end=\"1142\">To support this thesis, you\u2019ve broken your paper into three body sections:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"1146\" data-end=\"1163\">Health outcomes<\/li>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"1167\" data-end=\"1189\">Academic performance<\/li>\r\n \t<li data-start=\"1193\" data-end=\"1224\">Emotional and mental well-being<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1226\" data-end=\"1492\">You\u2019re working on the first body section, which focuses on how later start times improve physical health. While reviewing your sources, you come across a compelling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/human-neuroscience\/articles\/10.3389\/fnhum.2017.00588\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study by Kelley et al. (2017), published in <em data-start=\"916\" data-end=\"949\">Frontiers in Human Neuroscience<\/em><\/a>. It tracked changes in student health and academic performance when a UK school shifted its start time from 8:50 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. for two years.\u00a0In it, you read the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<blockquote data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1734\">\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1528\" data-end=\"1734\"><em data-start=\"1528\" data-end=\"1734\">\u201cImplementing a 10 a.m. start saw a decrease in student illness after 2 years of over 50%, and reverting to an 8:50 a.m. start reversed this improvement, leading to an increase of 30% in student illness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1736\" data-end=\"1843\">This seems like a great fit to support your claim that delaying school start times benefits student health. Now that you've decided to use this piece of evidence, let's practice using the MEAL paragraph method to incorporate it into your paper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox recall\" aria-label=\"Recall\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>M \u2013 Main Idea:<\/strong> Introduce the central point of your paragraph.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>E \u2013 Evidence<\/strong>: Support your main idea with information from a credible source.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>A \u2013 Analysis:<\/strong> Explain how the evidence supports your main idea.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>L \u2013 Link:<\/strong> Connect the paragraph back to your thesis or transition to the next point.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3 data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"500\">Step 1:\u00a0Start with the Main Idea (M)<\/h3>\r\n<p data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"500\">The first sentence in your paragraph should introduce the point you want to make. This is your topic sentence, and it should clearly reflect your opinion or claim.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">[ohm2_question hide_question_numbers=1]40762[\/ohm2_question]<\/section>\r\n<h3 data-start=\"2050\" data-end=\"2255\">Step 2: Add Your Evidence (E)<\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2050\" data-end=\"2255\">Now it\u2019s time to bring in the quote from Kelley et al. You could quote it directly, paraphrase it, or summarize the key point\u2014but either way, your job is to use it <strong data-start=\"2214\" data-end=\"2230\">purposefully<\/strong>, not just copy-paste it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2257\" data-end=\"2346\">[ohm2_question hide_question_numbers=1]40763[\/ohm2_question]<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h3>STEP 3: Analyze the Evidence (A)<\/h3>\r\nThis part is about your voice. What does the evidence show? Why does it matter? What\u2019s your takeaway?\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">[ohm2_question hide_question_numbers=1]40764[\/ohm2_question]<\/section>\r\n<h3>Step 4: <strong data-start=\"3161\" data-end=\"3189\">Link It Back (L)<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3191\" data-end=\"3328\">Your last sentence should wrap things up. Remind your reader why this matters for your paper as a whole\u2014or transition to your next point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3330\" data-end=\"3453\">[ohm2_question hide_question_numbers=1]40765[\/ohm2_question]<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3697\" data-end=\"3766\">Now that you\u2019ve built a complete MEAL paragraph, you can plug it right into the section of your paper about student health\u2014it\u2019s already structured, supported, and in your voice. As you write other sections (and even other papers), you can return to this same method: start with your point, support it with evidence, explain why it matters, and connect it back to your main idea. It\u2019s a clear, reliable way to make your writing stronger and more persuasive.<\/p>","rendered":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\n<ul>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe strategies for doing preliminary research on a topic<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe strategies for synthesizing research with your own ideas<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h2 data-start=\"804\" data-end=\"884\">Using MEAL to Incorporate Evidence<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"804\" data-end=\"884\">Imagine you\u2019ve chosen to write a research paper with the following thesis statement:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"886\" data-end=\"1066\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"888\" data-end=\"1066\">Starting the high school day later improves students\u2019 overall success by promoting better health, improving academic performance, and supporting emotional well-being.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1068\" data-end=\"1142\">To support this thesis, you\u2019ve broken your paper into three body sections:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li data-start=\"1146\" data-end=\"1163\">Health outcomes<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1167\" data-end=\"1189\">Academic performance<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1193\" data-end=\"1224\">Emotional and mental well-being<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1226\" data-end=\"1492\">You\u2019re working on the first body section, which focuses on how later start times improve physical health. While reviewing your sources, you come across a compelling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/human-neuroscience\/articles\/10.3389\/fnhum.2017.00588\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study by Kelley et al. (2017), published in <em data-start=\"916\" data-end=\"949\">Frontiers in Human Neuroscience<\/em><\/a>. It tracked changes in student health and academic performance when a UK school shifted its start time from 8:50 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. for two years.\u00a0In it, you read the following:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1734\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1528\" data-end=\"1734\"><em data-start=\"1528\" data-end=\"1734\">\u201cImplementing a 10 a.m. start saw a decrease in student illness after 2 years of over 50%, and reverting to an 8:50 a.m. start reversed this improvement, leading to an increase of 30% in student illness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1736\" data-end=\"1843\">This seems like a great fit to support your claim that delaying school start times benefits student health. Now that you&#8217;ve decided to use this piece of evidence, let&#8217;s practice using the MEAL paragraph method to incorporate it into your paper.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox recall\" aria-label=\"Recall\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>M \u2013 Main Idea:<\/strong> Introduce the central point of your paragraph.<\/li>\n<li><strong>E \u2013 Evidence<\/strong>: Support your main idea with information from a credible source.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A \u2013 Analysis:<\/strong> Explain how the evidence supports your main idea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>L \u2013 Link:<\/strong> Connect the paragraph back to your thesis or transition to the next point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h3 data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"500\">Step 1:\u00a0Start with the Main Idea (M)<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"500\">The first sentence in your paragraph should introduce the point you want to make. This is your topic sentence, and it should clearly reflect your opinion or claim.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm40762\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=40762&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm40762&source=tnh\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n<h3 data-start=\"2050\" data-end=\"2255\">Step 2: Add Your Evidence (E)<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2050\" data-end=\"2255\">Now it\u2019s time to bring in the quote from Kelley et al. You could quote it directly, paraphrase it, or summarize the key point\u2014but either way, your job is to use it <strong data-start=\"2214\" data-end=\"2230\">purposefully<\/strong>, not just copy-paste it.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2257\" data-end=\"2346\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm40763\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=40763&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm40763&source=tnh\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h3>STEP 3: Analyze the Evidence (A)<\/h3>\n<p>This part is about your voice. What does the evidence show? Why does it matter? What\u2019s your takeaway?<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm40764\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=40764&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm40764&source=tnh\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n<h3>Step 4: <strong data-start=\"3161\" data-end=\"3189\">Link It Back (L)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3191\" data-end=\"3328\">Your last sentence should wrap things up. Remind your reader why this matters for your paper as a whole\u2014or transition to your next point.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3330\" data-end=\"3453\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm40765\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=40765&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm40765&source=tnh\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3697\" data-end=\"3766\">Now that you\u2019ve built a complete MEAL paragraph, you can plug it right into the section of your paper about student health\u2014it\u2019s already structured, supported, and in your voice. As you write other sections (and even other papers), you can return to this same method: start with your point, support it with evidence, explain why it matters, and connect it back to your main idea. It\u2019s a clear, reliable way to make your writing stronger and more persuasive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"menu_order":17,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":202,"module-header":"apply_it","content_attributions":[],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3555,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1259\/revisions\/3555"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/202"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1259\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}