A typical paragraph is likely to rely on both generalizations and particulars. A generalization is a broad statement that establishes a point, viewpoint, or conclusion. A particular is an instance, a detail, or an example—specific evidence that a general statement is reasonable. Your particulars support your generalizations; compelling instances, details, and examples back up your broader point. Likewise, your generalizations pull together your particulars, identifying patterns or connections that relate individual cases.

To link particulars and generalizations, you can use an inductive or a deductive process. An inductive process begins with the particulars—a convincing number of instances, examples, tests, or experiments. Together, these particulars substantiate a larger generalization. In this way a number of long-term studies of weight loss can lead to a consensus about the benefits of walking, eating vegetables, or some other variable. Less formal inductive reasoning is common as people infer or conclude that particulars do or do not support a generalization. If your sister ate strawberries three times and got a rash each time, she might infer that she is allergic to them. Induction breaks down when the particulars are too weak or too few to support a generalization: not enough weight-loss studies have comparable results or not enough clear instances occur when strawberries—and nothing else—trigger a reaction.

A deductive process begins with a generalization and applies it to another case. When your sister says no to a piece of strawberry pie, she does so because, based on her assumptions, she deduces that it, too, will trigger a rash. Deduction breaks down when the initial generalization is flawed or when a particular case doesn’t fit the generalization. Suppose that each time your sister ate strawberries she drizzled them with lemon juice, the real culprit. Or suppose that the various weight-loss studies defined low-fat food so differently that no one could determine how their findings might be related.

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Once you have reached your conclusions—either by using particulars to support generalizations or by applying reliable generalizations to other particulars—you need to decide how to present your reasoning to readers. Do you want them to follow your process, perhaps examining many cases before reaching a conclusion about them? Or do you want them to learn your conclusion first and then review the evidence? Because academic audiences tend to expect conclusions first, many writers begin essays with thesis statements and paragraphs with topic sentences. On the other hand, if your readers are likely to reject an unexpected thesis initially, you may need to show them the evidence first and then lead them gently to your point.

In “Disaster Planning for Libraries: Lessons from California State University, Northridge,” librarian Mary M. Finley opened her presentation at the Eighth Annual Federal Depository Library Conference with a broad generalization and then supported it with specifics from her campus:

At the end of her presentation, she reversed her approach. She detailed several extensive action plans, listing specific procedures, issues, and questions that fellow librarians might consider to prepare for disasters on their own campuses. Based on these particulars, she personalized her broad concluding generalization:

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