The review and the reaction paper formats are similar, so many students get confused and do not understand what is expected from their writing. This guide will help you figure out what the professor wants to see in your reaction paper and how to write the one.
Reaction Paper – Meaning of a Term
Besides the definition of a reaction paper, many scholars need help understanding its meaning even though they come across this paper a few times in their careers. It is true that for every action, there is always a reaction, and the same does apply to reading. When you are asked to write a reaction essay, you should not take it as difficult because the examiner is just trying to test your ability to review the work of other writers and give personal views sensitive to the subject.
A reaction paper is mainly based on a response to certain deeds in a story. Before getting to the reaction paper, one has to analyze the subject under investigation and acquire all the helpful information before critiquing the matter.
The key thing in writing a reaction paper is giving a view on a subject and supporting your statement to the satisfaction of whoever reads your work. A reaction paper usually has two audiences, the first audience is the readers of your work, and the second one is the referees who choose the appropriate articles to post. In most cases, reaction papers might be used for references by other writers in the future, so you should create clear content.
Reaction Paper Outline and Structure
The common topics you might be asked to write about are literature books or movies. Most students are usually asked to prepare a critique for a movie because, in the modern world, this is one of the trending entertainment resources that most people are fond of watching. Movies influence many people and are utilized to pass their information to the audience.
To come up with great content for your movie or book analysis, you have to:
- Watch a movie and note down the main points in the episodes. If it is a book, you must reread it and get all the themes in the story before you can complement it.
- After reading/watching the piece, the next step is evaluating the story and figuring out the needs of the paper. You have to get back to the instructions given by your examiner. You may be asked to react to a specific part of the story, so the examiner’s instructions are key because your paper must reflect the question. If you are asked to write on a specific part, you must quote a sentence or theme of that region and relate it to the author’s purpose. You might be asked to write two types of reactions by your teacher.
First, you may be asked to give personal opinions concerning a certain theme in a book. In this case, your opinions should be centered on your experience and knowledge of the topic. The second option is that you might be asked to write about the author’s opinion on the literature resource allocated. In this case, you will have to major your points on what the author thought concerning the idea and not your opinions. You are restricted from discussing the theme depending on how it is brought up in the book.
Explain the personal view about the piece and illustrate using evidence from credible sources. In your explanation, include examples to back up your statement.
We also know that some students experience difficulties with writing some particular kinds of papers. Use the best essay writing services to get help if that’s the case.
How to Start a Reaction Paper?
There is no common reaction paper template to use. But it’s totally creative work so that you can write in your style. Before starting a reaction paper, some questions include, “What is my feeling about the intention of the writer of the book I am reviewing?” You must understand the author’s main objective and know its feelings.
The start of any essay determines the piece’s score when grading it. If you go through various samples of reaction papers, you will find out that the following guide is useful for starting your work:
- The context – while starting your writing, you should first introduce the reader to the topic through a small background story on this theme. The reader should be able to understand it so that when you begin giving your views, they are not left hanging.
- The need – your readers should see the need for your view on the book or movie you are writing about, so you have an assignment of creating suspense to attract them to your work. You can write this by stating the significance of your opinion and how it impacts the lives of others.
- Thesis statement – you must write a thesis statement at the beginning of your text. The thesis constitutes a summary of the piece you are reacting to, the major points of it, and the contradiction in views of different people.
- Details of the book – while you write about a book or a movie, you have to introduce it to the reader by giving the author’s name and what the book is about. If it is a movie, you have to give the name of the film and the characters to familiarize your reader with the piece. You must also state the main objective of the movie or book you are writing about in the introduction.
How to Write a Reaction Paper: Step-by-step Guide
Since a review and a reaction are similar, the steps involved in writing them are also similar. The only thing is when you are asked to write a reaction paragraph, they want to see how you understood the work and how you feel about it, while the review is a deeper study of the work.
Step 1. Carefully study the work
To make a reaction paper, you first must carefully read the book or watch the movie the professor asks for. While watching, you can write notes to make it easier to compose later. You can also study information about the author and what meanings they were trying to convey. Perhaps they talk about their experiences or rethink global world events.
Step 2. Highlight the main idea of your reaction
Come up with a main idea you will talk about in your reaction. What will it be? You may consider the work from the point of view of the confrontation between the main characters or tell how the text reflects the events of the period of the writer’s work.
Step 3. Write a plan
At this stage, you should know what you want to write in your reaction and how you will do it. To avoid missing anything, write a plan and ensure your thoughts are sequenced. Check that there are no logical errors in the structure of the reaction essay.
Step 4. Write your reaction
Now, following your plan and the notes you have taken, write the test paper to take at your college. State the essence, and do not worry about inaccuracies. You will edit them in the next step. Also, ensure you use the correct quoting norms if you insert any work passages into the reaction.
Step 5. Reread the text and edit your reaction
Now it’s time for the final touches. After the text is finished, set it aside for a while, and then return and reread it. Most likely, you will see some errors and typos. Take them away. Besides, ensure the text is formatted correctly and contains information about you as the writer. After making edits, reread the finished reaction paper one more time.
Reaction Paper Format Guidelines
A reaction paper adopts different formats depending on the instructions given. A reaction paper is divided into several parts. To organize your work, you must understand every part of the essay and what it entails. In a reaction paper, just like in any other essay format, there is the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Besides the three main parts, a reaction paper constitutes the citation list.
- The introduction of the reaction – the introduction is the face of your paper. Therefore as a writer, you have to make sure that it looks attractive and increases the reader’s urgency to proceed to your body paragraphs.
- The body of the reaction is the main section, where all the ideas for your essay are explained. You should start each paragraph with a topic sentence in your body paragraphs.
- The conclusion of the reaction – while you write the conclusion, you should link your thesis statement with a summary of the ideas in the body paragraphs.
- List of citations of your reaction – while you write a reaction paper, you must include the citation for the sources you have used.
Useful information: What does a research paper look like?
Examples of Reaction Papers
To advance your skills in writing a reaction paper, you have to go through various samples. When you read and analyze them, you can note writers’ common mistakes and avoid them. One may be asked to write on many reaction paper topics, such as documentary movies and novels. Most reaction paper samples are found in articles, journals, magazines, and educational websites. By going through various examples, you get exposed to different topics, improving your knowledge so that you cannot be taken aback when given any of them.
See a good example of a reaction paper from Hunter College. And if you need more, you can find free samples from other students online.
