Writers commonly turn to information from sources when that information is clearer and more concise than what they might write themselves. For example, to define a concept, you might quote or paraphrase a dictionary or an encyclopedia. To help readers understand a complex process, such as the steps involved in cellular respiration, you might use an illustration.

Writers also use information from sources to clarify their statements. A writer might explain a point by providing examples from sources or by using quotations or paraphrases to back up an assertion.

Studies have found connections between weight loss and coffee intake. This doesn’t mean that drinking a couple of cups of coffee each day leads to weight loss. However, three recent studies reported that individuals who increased their coffee intake from fewer than three cups to more than eight cups of coffee per day experienced weight losses of up to 7% over a two-month period (Chang; Johnson and Salazar; Neiman). “It may be that increased caffeine intake led to a higher metabolic level, which in turn led to weight loss,” noted John Chang, a senior researcher at the Centers for Disease Control. “Or it might be that drinking so much coffee depressed participants’ appetites” (232).