The Argument, Research, and Citations

Introduction

Now that the topic and thesis statement have been created, it is important to consider the next step of essay writing, making the supporting argument and gathering research to support that argument. This lesson provides insights into creating a rationale for the thesis statement backed by other sources and sound thinking.

I Came Here for an Argument!

There is a classic Monty Python sketch involving a man who goes to a clinic to have an argument with a professional "arguer." After the protagonist pays, he and the arguer go back and forth contradicting each other over everything that comes up in conversation. Despite the customer's pleas for a "real argument," all he manages to get is an automatic gainsay from the arguer.

This comedy routine is very amusing in making its point, that an argument is an intellectual process of connected statements intended to establish a proposition (or thesis). It is not, as many in modern society have come to believe, the automatic contradiction of whatever another person says.

For our purposes in this section, an argument shall be defined as, "…A set of one or more declarative sentences (or 'propositions') known as the premises along with another declarative sentence (or 'proposition') known as the conclusion." (Wikipedia, 2008) In other words, each point the writer wishes to make should build on the previous one to establish the "conclusion," that is, the position created in the thesis statement.

Proving Points. Using Evidence Wisely.

Evidence, for the purposes of essay writing, is a collection of "…fact, opinions, anecdotes, illustrations, or clarifying examples that support your thesis statement." (McClain and Roth, 1999) This is to say, if the writer's thesis is, "Dogs make great pets." it is best to support that claim with data, feelings, and experiences of dog owners, biological facts about dogs, and so on.

"Each item of 'evidence' must lend support to your thesis statement. It also must be related in some way to your topic question." (McClain and Roth, 1999) Each type of evidence used should be relevant to the topic and bolster the claim made by the author's thesis. The various types are outlined below.

Facts. This is the "...Most frequently used form of evidence in academic essays." (McClain and Roth, 1999) Very few will take issue with the facts if they are presented accurately and are generally accepted as true. Facts are anything that is real and verifiable, names, dates, places, events, and other bits of hard data. (McClain and Roth, 1999) "America declared independence from Britain in 1776." and "The pond is 10 feet deep." are examples of facts.

Facts must be accurate, relevant, and authoritative. There must be a sufficient number of facts to prove the writer's point and they must be arranged in a way that best proves the thesis statement of the essay (general to specific, simple to complex, most important to least important, and so on). (McClain and Roth, 1999)

Authoritative opinions. Another popular type of evidence is the opinion of an expert or scholar in a given area. They can even be the opinion of the author so long as they are solidly grounded in facts. Many advertisements, legal cases, and political arguments use authoritative opinions to help their arguments. (McClain and Roth, 1999). "Dr. Michael Fritata, who has worked with nuclear power for years in Italy, says, 'America should build more reactors. They are safe and fun to operate.'" is an example of an authoritative opinion.

Quotable comments. Quotes can also be used as evidence, especially in academic subjects, but it is a good idea to not rely too heavily on them, since they can be taken out of context or otherwise be misleading. Quotes represent a single person's point of view, which may or may not be a commonly accepted view. Quotes should come from an authoritative source. (McClain and Roth, 1999) "A penny saved is a penny earned." (Benjamin Franklin) is an example of a quotation from a good source.

Anecdotes. While not considered to be "hard evidence," like facts and documented sources of data, anecdotes can still play a role as evidence in essay writing. They can lend an air of truth to the argument being made and can provide life and realism to writing that would otherwise seem stale. (McClain and Roth, 1999).

In summary, evidence used from any source should support the writer's thesis statement and bolster the relevant issues of the paper. (McClain and Roth, 1999) Any evidence used should help keep the focus of the paper and not broaden the scope by bringing in other, irrelevant, or unnecessary details.

Presenting the Evidence. Paragraph Structure.



Each paragraph of an essay can be viewed as a mini-essay of its own that introduces a relevant bit of information that supports the main thesis of the writing. Basic paragraph structure should follow the overall structure of the essay, that is, it should have a topic sentence, followed by supporting pieces of evidence (usually two or three). The most general statements in the paragraph should come first, followed by more and more specific information. (McClain and Roth, 1999)

It might be easier to think of a paragraph as an information funnel. At the top, the opening is wide, tapering dramatically to a narrow opening at the bottom. All the general, introductory information and the topic for the paragraph should be placed at the top, with the more detailed pieces of evidence located toward the "bottom".