Examples showing agreement/disagreement with the author and using 'Your Voice'
Showing the author's (Smith 2001) point of view:
- In Aeronautical engineering principles, Smith (2001, p.48) concludes that "..."
- The following quotation reveals Smith's (2001, p. 67) bias: "..."
- Unlike some authors, Smith (2001, p. 94) states that "..."
- Smith (2001, p. 123) is in favour of the idea and strategy that includes "..."
- Smith (2001) argues by adding that "..."
Showing your agreement with the author:
Note: there is usually a conscious effort not to use personal pronouns like 'I, we, our, us, me, my' because these can detract from the objectivity of the academic writing.
Students are generally encouraged to convey an objective tone, not a subjective tone.
Check with your lecturer or subject coordinator if it is acceptable to use these personal pronouns. Hence, to show your agreement with the author:
- I agree with Smith's (2001, p. 47) point that "...".
- It can be agreed with Smith's (2001, p. 47) point of view that "...".
- Like Smith (2001, p. 87), I believe that "...". because......
- Like Smith (2001, p. 87), it can be agreed that "...".because......
- Smith (2001, p. 34) is correct when he/she says that "...".because......
Examples of showing disagreement with the author:
- Smith (2001, p. 58) fails to address the issue when he says, "...".....because......
- When Smith (2001, p. 78) argues that "...", his reasoning is questionable because...
- One can disagree with Smith's (2001, p. 68) idea that "..."....because......
- It is not a question of "..." (Smith, 2001, p. 105), but one of .......because......
Using 'your voice' to disagree
- Justify why you believe what you believe. Justify by giving evidence and/or examples.
- When using a direct quote, once you have placed it in the text and cited its source, remember to then link it to your argument, i.e. state the main concepts of the quote and show their relevance to the assignment topic. You need to explain to the reader, the significance of the concepts to the context of your writing. This is 'your voice' represented.