What's one element that needs to be included in the analysis of an article?

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Citations are essential when analyzing an article. They show exactly where ideas, data, and quotes come from, allow readers to locate the original sources, and help you avoid plagiarism. Citations also help you separate the article’s ideas from your own analysis, adding credibility to your evaluation and enabling others to verify what you discuss. In practice, your analysis will refer to the article’s claims and evidence and attach appropriate citations so readers can see the sourcing behind those points.

The article’s thesis or topic are important to understand and discuss, but they’re aspects of the article itself, not the practice that must be demonstrated in your analysis to show scholarly rigor. Notecards, meanwhile, are a planning tool rather than part of the analysis content. So citing sources is the best answer because attribution and traceability are fundamental to credible analysis.