Referencing Styles : Footnotes and bibliography Suggested stages for preparing a document analysis essay: 1. Analyze a document that has to do with the European home front during world war one. 2. Read the document(s). An initial reading will allow you to discover what kinds of ideas are present in the document. 3. Identify the context. When was the document written, by whom (if applicable), and why? 4. Identify a thesis for your essay. 5. Reread the source(s). A second reading will allow you to identify what information and quotations will be useful in making your argument. Suggested framework for the essay (though use whatever format best suits your text and subject)