A Summary of "They Say I Say" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

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A Summary of "They Say I Say" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
"They Say I Say" is a guide to academic writing written by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein and published by the W.W. Norton & Company in New York/London. In the guide, Graff and Birkenstein advise academic writers on the importance of incorporating a summary of what other scholars and writers have said concerning their point of discussion in order to make their works captivating and easy for readers to understand.
Graff and Birkenstein emphasize the importance of academic writers starting their discussion or argument with what other writers or contributors have said about the topic under discussion. Graff and Birkenstein stress the need for academic writers to give their audience an elaborate explanation of what writers of different views from them say concerning the topic before finally revealing their take on the topic of discussion. Graff and Birkenstein also note that it is essential for academic writers not to be carried away by their summary of what other writers have said about the topic that they fail to give their view on the topic hand (Graff and Birkenstein, 20-22). The readers are interested in knowing the writer's views on the topic under discussion and should, therefore, not base a large percentage of their writing on the views of other writers. Graff and Birkenstein also emphasize the need for writers to keep "what they say" in view as this would ensure readers follow and relate with the discussion at hand (Graff and Birkenstein, 28). Readers should therefore be constantly reminded of the earlier sentiments by different writers and how those...