Click to edit Master title style Building an argument: PhD students session Dr Robert Wapshott Centre for Regional Economic and Enterprise Development Institute for Small Business

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover Why you need an argument One approach… Starting points – the essentials Building your arguments Counter arguments? Discussions and conclusions Session Structure

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover It is your job to persuade your reader(ship) to see things your way You can attempt this through assertion but this can be easily dismantled in the academic context it’s a safer bet to achieve this through ordered persuasion with supporting logic and / or evidence Why you need an argument

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover This is a reflection on how I think I go about building an argument I will highlight key points and ideas It is not the only way to build an argument It is, ultimately, a practical skill that you develop through applying yourself and seeing what works for you and your ideas One approach

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover As obvious as it may sound, before you can start building your arguments you need your raw materials! There’s no substitute for intelligent reading and building understanding Read, read, read – copy & paste, NVivo, other Reflect – what do you think? (your informed opinion) Starting points – the essentials

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover As obvious as it may sound, before you can start building your arguments you need your raw materials! There’s no substitute for intelligent reading and building understanding Read, read, read – copy & paste, NVivo, other Reflect – what do you think? (your informed opinion) Building your arguments

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover Once you know what you think, you need to consider carefully why you think that – what are the most persuasive texts and arguments in your view? Identify the essence of those key points and identify what makes them so persuasive Summarise the key points and why you find them so persuasive Building your arguments

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover There’s a good chance that to make your contribution you need to synthesise several areas of literature Taking each key area of literature, as it relates to your research topic or study, consider the key points and how they link between those areas What is the best order to link those points together? If pieces don’t fit … does your argument work? Do you need to conduct further reading? Are you overloading your points? Building your arguments

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover Plan your paragraphs – one point per paragraph Work with key literature and focus on making your point – you’re aiming to persuade here so make a case (see introductory sections of papers in your field) Building your arguments

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover While you need an appreciation of alternative explanations and literature that contests the viewpoint you find persuasive, you don’t need to give all points equal weighting Make your case first If alternative explanations must be addressed, then you need to kill them off as you go – building your argument and showing why your view is better than the (limited) alternatives Do not get into ‘flip flopping’ with ‘on the one hand…but on the other hand…’ say something! Counter-arguments?

Click to edit Master title style PowerPoint header for front cover Draw together your arguments from the first part of the paper / document Link with the empirical evidence you have presented to reinforce the point you are making Hammer home the point in the conclusion Discussion and conclusions

Click to edit Master title style