Writing a Reaction Paper

• A reaction paper is a paper written after you evaluate a text. It has to be meaningful but should not be based on opinions only. You need to prove your argument by adding valid points and evidence. This type of writing requires full attention and concentration.
• You can only react to something once you have read it properly. So, a major part of writing a reaction paper is actually reading the text properly on which you have to react. If there is a slight misunderstanding in your perception of the text, your reaction will not be correct. Go through the text twice before you start writing the points down. Never start writing a reaction just after the first read.

Pre-writing for your Reaction Paper

A reaction paper should be pre-written to get the best results. To do this you should answer some of these questions. This will help you to judge the text easily and to add a structure to your own ideas.

• When I read the text, what is the first thing that comes to my mind?
• What feelings are aroused by this writing?
• If I were to change something in this text, what would it be?
• Being unbiased, what is my neutral opinion of this text?
• However, if I could change something, what would it be?

After finding answers to these questions, you can move on to the conclusion. Keep your conclusion simple and interesting.

Organizing your Reaction Paper

• Like all other written papers, a reaction paper also needs a structure. The good news is that the structure is not very difficult from the other papers. The main things are the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. The introduction should be simple. You do not want to overwhelm the reader right in the beginning. The main body should focus on all the main ideas. This should be in detail. The reader needs to understand your reaction clearly here. The conclusion will be simple.
• You can add as many paragraphs as you want in a reaction paper. It is better to write at least five or six paragraphs. This will help differentiate between the different ideas and the reader will not get confused.

• Go through the article again and again. Make sure you have not missed any part of the text because everything needs to be included in your reaction.
• Jot down the points you need to react on. This will help you remember them when you are actually writing the paper.
• Know the reasons behind your reaction to the points. This is the description that needs to be there in the main body of the paper.
• Try to add real world justification so that the reader understands your reaction clearly and can relate to it.

• Do not just write a summary of the article you have read.
• Do not write anything without proving it.
• Do not write unnecessary examples just to fill space.