EVALUATING AND INTEGRATING DATA

Elements that stand out from a text.

text features

what does title of a nonfiction text introduce

the topic

why are titles considered guiding features of organizations

they give clues about what is and is not covered

what does title on a fictional work do

does not always state the topic explicitly. (theme/set up tone)

provide subtopic information about supporting points and let readers scan to see how information is organized

headings and subheadings

generally more specific / smaller font than heading

subheadings

long work lists chapter titles and other largescale information so readers can predict the content. helps readers to determine whether or not a text will be useful to them and to find sections relevant to their research.

table of contents

is an alphabetical list of topics covered, complete with page numbers where the topics are discussed. Readers looking for information on one small subtopic

index

list sources, they allow the reader to find and evaluate the information an author is citing.

footnotes and endnotes

where are footnotes located

bottom page

where are endnotes located

end of section/chapter/text (list sources)

part of Emphasizing Concepts

formatting features and bulleting / numbering

Authors may use formatting features such as italics, boldfacing or underlining to emphasize a word, phrase, or other important information in a text.

formatting features

formatting features italics

long work like books, novellas, newspapers, titles, movies, music albums

formatting features “quotation marks'“

shorter works: short stories, poems, song title

and numbered lists set off information and allow readers to scan for bits of information they do not know. It also helps to break down a list of steps.

• present info / illustrate ideas

bulleting and numbering

part of Presenting Information and Illustrating Ideas

graphic elements and bulleting / numbering

Charts, graphs, diagrams, and other graphic elements present data succinctly, illustrate complex ideas, or otherwise convey information that would be difficult to glean from text alone.

graphic elements

parts of Providing Peripheral Information

sidebars and footnotes / endnotes

are text boxes that contain information related to the topic but not essential to the overall point.

sidebars

contain information that is not essential to the development of the main point but may nevertheless interest readers and researchers.¹

^{• 1}Anthony Grafton’s book The Footnote: A Curious History is an in-depth history of the origins and development of the footnote. (Also, this is an example of a footnote.)

footnotes / endnotes

are stylized pictures of place. may have a box labeled “Key” or “Legend” that provides information about the meanings of colors, lines, or symbols

may also be a line labeled “scale” that helps you figure out how far you need to travel to get from one point on the map to another

maps

labels are charts many people see daily, but not everyone knows how to read them.

nutrition facts

top third row of nutrition label

lists calorie counts, serving sizes, and amount of servings in a package.

what does it mean if a package contains more than one serving?

a person who eats the entire contents of the package may be consuming many times the number of calories listed per serving

on the nutrition label what do percentages not add up to ?

100

what intake do people need to be limited on

fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

organize information into vertical columns and horizontal rows.

tables