How to Make Arguments the Right Way?
College students being assigned academic papers are not only to master their writing skills but also to learn to take their stands. Every point of view in an essay or coursework should be proven with arguments as well as supported by relevant evidence. If you don’t know how to do it professionally, follow this step-by-step route to create good arguments.
Step 1: Searching for a Claim
After choosing the topic for your future paper, start searching for the related issues which could be covered during the process of writing. Don’t use a claim that can’t be reinforced by facts or personal experience – it seems hollow. The good one must be challenging enough to hook the audience and solvable at the same time. Besides, check the following things:
Validity
The idea which is going to be discussed in the essay shouldn’t be unsubstantiated, but it has to be borne out by the solid facts. To make sure your claim is appropriate, surf the web, read periodicals, etc.
Also, you must know what actually the claim is. It is not a description or a summary of the information provided in the paper. It is a point of view on the issue which is going to be proved in the underlying paragraphs and transformed into an argument.
Attractiveness
Don’t choose such topics that may seem boring or incredibly complicated for an average reader familiar with your field of study. Many students use obsolete claims which have been discussed many times before. Try to attract the audience by a fresh little-known idea.
Justification
Even if the claim is valid but you don’t know how to back it up with the relevant data, the argument remains weak. There are a lot of theories on the Internet based on nothing, so beware.
The best place to go through lots of potential evidence is the Internet, but the majority of articles on unknown websites should be verified by more reputable resources. To find the facts, you may use printed and online publications, textbooks, dissertations, etc.
Step 2: Making an Argument
There are a few kinds of evidence. Let’s get acquainted with the most common of them:
Facts
The fact is an indisputable truth. While providing the reader with them, you aren’t leaving them even a single gap to doubt about your argument. Such information may be represented by:
- Numbers
With the population quantity – about 44,500 people for each square kilometer – the capital of Bangladesh – Dhaka – is the most populated city on the Earth.
- Names
Some people deem that human beings were created by God, but Charles Darwin has already proved the origins of our species.
- Dates
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 with the huge number of members in 2017.
This kind of evidence is the best to start involving the reader into an argument.
Judgments
Basing on already mentioned facts, the student can make his or her own assumption how the events could unfolding unless the situation existed. Even though the judgment can’t be immediately proven, it should be built on valid links revealed after examining the evidence.