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Recognize Genre

Knowing the genre of a source can help you understand a great deal about its intended readers, the kind of evidence it is likely to use, and the kind of argument it is likely to make. An article in a professional journal, for example, will almost certainly rely on published sources or original research, and it will carefully cite its sources so that readers can easily locate related documents. In contrast, a blog entry is more likely to rely on personal observation and reflection.

By understanding the conventions of a particular genre, you can understand whether the information, ideas, and arguments found in it might be of use to you as you work on your writing project. To evaluate a genre, carry out the following activities:

Analyze the writing style. Determine how formally (or informally) the document is written. Check for the use of specialized terms that might be unfamiliar to general readers. Try to understand how the writer views himself or herself in relation to readers.
Consider how evidence is used. Identify numerical information; quotations and paraphrases; summaries of other documents; charts, graphs, and tables; and images and other illustrations. Ask yourself why the writer chose the types of evidence you’ve found in the document.
Look at the organization. Try to break the document into major sections. Ask whether you’ve seen this type of organization used in other documents, and think about the purposes of those documents. Documents within a genre often follow a similar structure.
Identify citation styles. Determine whether the sources of information, ideas, and arguments are identified in the document.
Consider design. A document’s appearance can tell you a lot about its purpose, intended readers, and likely means of distribution. Is the document’s medium print or digital? Does it use color, columns of text, and images or other illustrations? What types of readers might appreciate the use of these design elements? And what effect might these elements have on potential readers?