B. quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing, and providing data
In a research paper, evidence is used to support the author's thesis statement or main idea. Evidence is information taken from outside reliable sources to prove that the author's ideas are based in fact and worth paying attention to. Evidence can be a direct quote, a summary of information, a paraphrase, or relevant data. For example a research paper on school violence in Boston might contain a direct quote from a school resource officer, a summary of the worst instances of violence, a paraphrase of information about psychological effects of school shootings, and statistics about the prevalence of violence in schools.
It is important to cite evidence in a research paper by giving credit to the source from which the evidence came. To do this the author must use a works cited page and parenthetical citations. However, while these give credit to the evidence used, they are not a type of evidence.
