When teaching a Dissertation by Design course on the lit review this week, I emphasized the need to develop claims and discovered many attendees didn’t know what a claim was or how to construct an argument. I realized I had jumped ahead, so I wanted to write this post to help everyone get on the same page. Arguments play a key role in scholarly and academic writing, so it’s important we all start with the same basic knowledge about them.

**Note: Unsure of the difference between scholarly and academic writing? Check out this previous post.**

Scholarly and academic arguments consist of a claim, also called a thesis statement, followed by logical reasoning and evidence to support the claim. You may be surprised to learn that counterarguments and objections also play a key role in academic writing. They contribute to your argument’s persuasiveness and bolster your credibility as a researcher by showing your awareness of the issues and your ability to address differing viewpoints. When writing about your research, you don’t want to get caught sweeping objections under the rug!

Literature Search

To develop an argument, you must first conduct a literature search to familiarize yourself with the available evidence and arguments provided by other researchers in your field. The comprehensive inclusion of counterarguments and objections depends on this critical step. Otherwise, readers may perceive your argument as biased and not credible—and you don’t want that!

Overview of How to Develop an Argument

Develop a claim (thesis statement)
Provide evidence
Provide examples
Address counterarguments or objections

The Claim

The claim represents the first component of an argument. In a research article or dissertation, a claim presents the paper’s main idea or thesis statement. You can make a simple or a complex claim. A simple claim involves a concise declarative statement, whereas a complex claim introduces reasoning and evidence.

When constructing the overarching argument for your thesis, dissertation, or article, you will likely make a complex claim. Oftentimes, these pieces of writing will also include numerous simple claims. For instance, your introduction may contain one complex claim followed by one or more simple claims for each section of the literature review.

Let’s put this into action. Can you see what distinguishes the following simple claim from the complex claim?

Simple claim: Medications represent a common cause of increased fall risk in older adults.

Complex claim: Medication management represents the most effective intervention for decreasing fall risk in older adults.

The simple claim presents a fact derived from evidence (i.e., data), such as the number of falls attributed to the effects of medication. The complex claim presents a value judgment, arguing one method of decreasing fall risk works better than other methods. This argument will require more involved examples and reasoning to make the case.

Evidence and Examples

To support a simple claim, you must provide the evidence. For example: “This study linked close to 90% of falls in older adults to medications.”

The complex claim requires reasoning and examples in addition to evidence to demonstrate why medication management provides the most effective method for reducing fall risk in older adults. You need to argue your point to support this claim.

When writing an argument to support a complex claim, use real or hypothetical examples that are relevant to the claim. To support the above complex claim, you might say: “For instance, nursing home administrators may find that teaching patients how to manage their medication increases medication compliance, which is more effective at reducing falls than requiring nursing home staff to complete professional development courses on fall-risk prevention.”

The evidence used to support the claim should include reputable primary and secondary sources that logically support the claim.

The Counterargument

Counterarguments play a key role in academic arguments by demonstrating your understanding of others’ positions and enhancing your argument’s credibility. Let’s look at a few templates for addressing counterarguments (Graff & Birkenstein, 2009):

● The claim that _________ rests upon the questionable assumption that _________.

● X may have been true in the past, but recent research has shown that ___________.

● By focusing on _____, author X has overlooked the more significant problem of _________.

● Though I concede that ___________________, I still insist on ________________.

● While it is true that ___________, it does not necessarily follow that ____________.

Organizing Your Argument

Before you begin developing your argument, consider following a specific organizational structure to ensure the reader can follow your reasoning. Three popular organizational structures exist for developing an argument: the Toulmin method, the classical method, and the Rogerian method. You can find detailed descriptions on the Purdue Online Writing Lab website.

Happy writing!

Source: Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2009). They say/I say: The moves that matter in academic writing (2nd ed.). Norton.

What is an Argument, and How do I Make One?