I got my essay back and the main comment was "you summarize too much — where's your analysis?" I thought I WAS analyzing. I explained what each source said, connected them to my topic. Isn't that analysis?
A writing guide I found says: "Summary tells what happened. Analysis explains why it matters" . For example:
The guide also says to ask "so what?" after every point. If your sentence doesn't answer "so what?", it's probably summary, not analysis.
For my next draft, I'm trying to go through each paragraph and add 2-3 sentences of interpretation. Not just "Smith says X" but "this matters because..." or "this connects to my argument by..."
Has anyone else struggled with this? How do you know when you've analyzed enough? I'm scared of over-analyzing and sounding like I'm making stuff up.
A writing guide I found says: "Summary tells what happened. Analysis explains why it matters" . For example:
- Summary: "Smith (2020) found that social media affects teen mental health."
- Analysis: "Smith's finding suggests that platforms like Instagram may need better age restrictions, though the study's small sample size limits generalizability."
The guide also says to ask "so what?" after every point. If your sentence doesn't answer "so what?", it's probably summary, not analysis.
For my next draft, I'm trying to go through each paragraph and add 2-3 sentences of interpretation. Not just "Smith says X" but "this matters because..." or "this connects to my argument by..."
Has anyone else struggled with this? How do you know when you've analyzed enough? I'm scared of over-analyzing and sounding like I'm making stuff up.