Consider the “level” of various sentences and paragraphs. At the top, you will find
the general, expansive or sweeping statements that establish location or facts that
will be used subsequently in the paper. Beware of generalizations that are unsupported
by either examples or actual references in a note or in-text parenthetical
citation. Unsupported generalizations are a symptom of sloppy thinking, especially when the author hopes you’ll just agree without asking what evidence there is for
these statements.