Making Good Arguments Booth et al: Chapter 7

Research Process When you start your research you should have: 1) A Question. 2) A Tentative Answer (Thesis). 3) Objections and Response (Literature Review). …

7.1 Argument and Conversation Writing is similar to a conversation: 1) You make a claim, 2) Support it with reasons and evidence, 3) Acknowledge and respond to other views Claim because of Reason based on Evidence …

7.2 Basing Claims on Reasons Your Claim is your thesis. “It is the sentence or more that your whole report supports.” Claim and Reasons: Linked by Because. Claims are typically supported by some Reason. Example: “TV violence is harmful to kids, (Claim) because those exposed to lots of it tend to adopt the values they see. (Reason).” …

7.3 Basing Reasons on Evidence Evidence is something you and your readers can see, touch, taste, smell or hear. Example: “TV violence is harmful to kids, (Claim) because those exposed to lots of it tend to adopt the values they see. (Reason) Smith (1997) found that children between ages 5-9 who watch more than three hours of violent TV a day were 25% more likely to say TV reflected reality.” (Evidence). …

7.4 Acknowledging and Responding to Alternatives You should try to anticipate as many objections and rebuttals as possible by addressing them in the introduction, and critique them in detail in your literature review.

7.5 Warranting the Relevance of Reasons Readers may question how relevant your reasons to your claim. Your Reasons need to support your claim. A Warrant can be useful here: A warrant is a general principle that applies beyond your specific research and to which you can refer to connect your Claim and Reasons. The 1968 election was challenging for the Republican Party, (Claim) because of its success in 1966 (Reason). Warrant: The challenge of victory in American politics is almost as demanding as defeat. >>>