Reaction Paper

A person writing in a notebook
A reaction paper is a written paper containing a personal opinion regarding a given piece of content.

A reaction paper, also known as a response paper, refers to a written assignment that involves one’s opinions and analysis of a particular piece of content. It is more than just a summary of the text as it demands personal thoughts and evaluation. One can write a reaction paper on books, articles, movies, or even presentations. Reaction papers are usually short and can range from 500 words to 5 pages of text. They are of various types such as argumentative, analytical, definition, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and so on. They are often used as tools in schools to encourage critical thinking among students. Thus, writing a reaction paper provides an opportunity for deeper engagement with the content. In addition, it enables one to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the creator of the material.

The primary goal of writing a reaction paper is to demonstrate one’s understanding of the chosen text and provide an informed and thoughtful response. The response should reflect one’s ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret the content along with a unique perspective.  

A reaction paper usually comes with instructions that can be found in the course syllabus. Besides paying attention to the structure, grammar, and citations, one needs to format the paper as per the requirement, i.e., in the APA, MLA, or Chicago style. 

Browse the essays below for various examples of reaction papers.

Reaction Paper Examples

Reaction Paper On A Man For All Seasons

A Man for All Seasons is the story of a man who knows who he is, expressing courage and faithfulness at all costs.  In addition, every character has their own ends to meet, and the only distinguishable feature between them is how they go about it.

Elie Wiesel’s Night: Reaction Paper

This is the scene where Elie is in the hospital part of the camp because of the operation that he has just had done to his foot.  After Elie and his father decide to stay, leave the hospital, and be evacuated with the rest of the camp, he explains how he found out that the Russians liberated the rest of the people in the hospital two days after the evacuation.

Reaction Paper on an Article about Criers, Liars, and Manipulators

Being a feminist, I am going to focus my reaction paper on Criers, Liars, and Manipulators: Probation Officers’ Views of Girls by Gaarder, Rodriguez, and Zatz. While I was reading this acticle, I often found myself thinking, “if they only had better options” for not only females, but for all juveniles in the system – despite gender, race, class, etc.

Reaction Paper On Intellectualization

1. Nancy McWilliams explains that the individual who is using intellectualization as a defense mechanism, is talking about their emotions; however, in an unemotional way (McWilliams, 2011).

Reaction Paper On Adolescence

My topic of this research paper is adolescence. I will first be discussing about my experience of adolescence. My story is about the embarrassment of my bangs, zits from them, and the nickname I got from them. The story shows how I cracked from the social pressure and followed the crowd.

How to Write a Reaction Paper

A magnifying glass placed in front of a pile of books
A reaction paper has three important parts: the introduction, followed by a thesis statement, the body that contains explanatory paragraphs, and the conclusion.

It’s important to approach the task of writing a reaction paper with an open mind and clear thoughts. Unlike other academic assignments, a response paper stresses personal opinions.

The general outline of a reaction paper, like other types of papers, includes:

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraphs
  • Conclusion
  • List of citations

Each section serves a different purpose and is equally important.

1. Introduction: The introduction of a reaction paper should begin with a hook that keeps the readers engaged. This can be done by starting the paper with an unusual fact. This section further provides information on the author, title, year of publication, and publisher of the work. It also provides an overview or summary of what the reaction paper intends to do. Direct quotations from the work are used to highlight the important points. Any aspect of the work is not explained in detail but just summarized enough to provide the main idea to the readers. Personal reactions to the work are avoided in the introduction and explored, instead, in body paragraphs. 

An introduction ends with a thesis statement. Defining the thesis is crucial, as it condenses the main idea of a response paper into a clear and concise statement. It also acts as a roadmap for the rest of the paper. A thesis statement is not a fact or a statement but an assertion. It should take a stand while being sufficiently specific and narrow. While writing a thesis statement, its strengths, shortcomings, and effectiveness are given importance too.

2. Body Paragraphs: These paragraphs contain the explanation for the thesis statement and evidence with quotes. In this section, the opinion, analysis, and evaluation are done by answering the “w” questions, i.e., why? where? when? what? and so on. Some questions that can be addressed in this paragraph include the following:

  • Was the content well-researched?
  • Was the author’s opinion one-sided?
  • Did the author miss out on anything crucial?

One can add external statistics or information to back up their reactions. 

In most cases, dividing the ideas or opinions into separate sections helps. Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence reflecting the section’s main theme. This is followed by a brief summary of a single aspect of the content. The paragraphs that follow are about one’s opinion and the explanation of it. These can be supported by proper sources and citations. One can address some of the questions while giving personal reactions:

  • How is the work related to problems of the present-day world?
  • How is the material related to the writer’s life, experiences, and feelings?
  • Did the work change the writer’s perspective or understanding of any issue?

3. Conclusion. This part is brief and involves summing up the author’s main ideas along with the reaction paper writer’s opinions. The thesis statement is also linked as a part of this explanation. One can target readers and explain their own learnings here. This final section provides closure to the readers.

4. List of Citations: This includes all the references. Every non-original thought present in the text needs to have a reliable source. Mentioning it in this section safeguards writers from any plagiarism risks. It also allows readers to refer to the cited works and read them for themselves. Citations can be styled either in APA, MLA, or the Chicago manual format, and this is usually specified in the instructions.

All these sections together ensure clarity and coherence for readers and need to be laid out correctly to maintain a proper flow of information. 

Reaction Paper on Leadership in Businesses

Why is it that a few companies develop from an organization with good results as measured on the stock market to a great one? Jim Collins and his team selected 11 companies from more than 1400 that had been listed in the Fortune 500 from 1965 to 1995.

Reaction Paper on Koffka’s and Kohler’s Theories

Kurt Koffka’s excerpt from “Perception: An Introduction to Gestalt-Theorie” was an attempt in 1922, to introduce the then new and becoming German school of thought in psychology, Gestalt-Theorie, to America. The gestalt-theorie is rooted in the field of perception and Koffka aimed to prove how more efficient their theory has proven to be. 

Reaction Paper on Nursing

I have to admit, while watching this movie I shed some tears and surprisingly it did not have soporific effect.   The movie definitely made me more aware of how much impact we as nurse have in our patients’ lives.

Reaction Paper On Procrastination

Procrastination has been connected to irrational behavior, and neurological disorders. I’m a procrastinator and I am going to try to change my behavior by reading a few articles. As of today, I tell myself that I will clean my room later tonight and a week goes by, before I actually do something.

Tips for Writing a Reaction Paper

A person writing on a book with a pen
Using evidence while critiquing is a useful practice as it makes a reaction paper more reliable.

Here are certain tips one can use to make their reaction paper more effective. 

  • Follow the basic template for writing a paper, with each major paragraph addressing one main idea.
  • Proofread to check for errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, word use, and spelling.
  • Express opinions in a thoughtful, well-constructed manner.
  • Back up the critique with evidence and examples to convince readers effectively.

Writing a reaction paper requires careful analysis, thoughtful evaluation, and effective expression of one’s personal perspective. Following the steps mentioned above can help one develop a well-structured and insightful reaction paper.

Copper Sun Reaction Paper

Copper Sun is a book about a fifteen year old girl named Amari who was stolen from her village by white slave traders, and lived a horrible life as a slave until she finally escaped. “Copper Sun”, the title of this book, is very important because the main character, Amari, only uses the description “Copper Sun” when talking about places she considers home. 

Reaction Paper: Was Marx Wrong?

Karl Marx was an influential character of history, a man of tremendous intelligence as well as a great inspiration to many philosphers and people past and present. Karl Marx was a man of action for the less fortunate class, in that sense his theories are not wrong, to a certain extent they are positve inquisitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the ideal length for a reaction paper?

    The length of a reaction paper varies based on academic guidelines. However, a typical one is around 500–800 words and 2–5 pages in length as it analyzes and evaluates the subject content.

  • Are personal pronouns a part of a reaction paper?

    Yes, it is acceptable to use personal pronouns such as "I" in a reaction paper. Since a reaction paper is about expressing one’s opinion, using personal pronouns is valid.

  • Are reaction papers and reflection papers the same?

    Reaction papers and reflection papers are synonymous. Though both types feature a student’s reaction to certain content (book or film), the primary difference lies in the type of focus on the topic. Reaction papers focus on the writer’s feelings, whereas a reflection paper dives deep into their learnings.