IDENTIFYING AND ANALYZING ARGUMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Laurier Library's presentation on "Identifying and Analyzing Arguments"
This presentation will explain the steps you should take to create strong and effective arguments from
the academic sources you discover through your research.
By the end of this presentation, you should be able to understand the characteristics of an argument,
identify those arguments that you find within an academic paper, and analyze those arguments.
Let's begin!
IDENTIFYING ARGUMENTS
An argument, in the context of your university career, is a formal way to make a point in academic
writing.
This remains distinct from the "real world" definition where an argument might mean a fight or a
conflict.
An argument consists of two parts.
1. Firstly, a claim or statement that summarizes the main idea
2. and secondly, reasons why that claim is true, and/or evidence to support that claim.
Let's look at an example.
Reflective writing can help students become better thinkers. It can help students see that ideas
are meant to be discussed and debated. Bridges and Jost found that students who did weekly
reflective journal writing about their course content for a semester could analyze course
concepts at a deeper level than those who didn’t (131).
In this case, the sentence "Reflective writing can help students become better thinkers" is the claim.
The claim is expanded upon in the next sentence, "It can help students see that ideas are meant to
be discussed and debated."
Finally, evidence is presented, often in the form of a citation. Here, we read that "Bridges and Jost
found that students who did weekly reflective journal writing about their course content for a semester
could analyze course concepts at a deeper level than those who didn't."
This evidence supports the originally presented claim and its expansion.
This diagram displays a recommended argument structure which should be utilized in a university-
level essay.
1. A main argument, or thesis, is presented first.
2. Then, different sections are formed with the purpose of supporting the main argument.
3. Within those sections, we find paragraphs which hold the purpose of supporting the sections
that support the thesis.
Page 1 of 5
, Utilizing this type of hierarchy structure is an excellent way to ensure that your essay stays on track
and continues to argue what it sets out to argue.
Let's move on to identifying arguments within academic writing.
When reading, you will need to identify arguments in order to properly understand the main points.
In paragraphs, a topic sentence often identifies the main claim or idea of the paragraph.
This is usually the first sentence, but not always.
To find it, follow the following steps:
1. Firstly, read the paragraph.
2. Next, ask "What is this paragraph about?"
3. Thirdly, summarize the content in your own words, and lastly, find the sentence within that
paragraph that best matches that summary. This is likely the stated claim of the paragraph.
Most other sentences in the paragraph provide reasons and evidence to support the claim made in
the topic sentence.
Reasons and evidence explain why and how the claim is true, and usually consists of quotes or ideas
from other scholars, data, or facts.
Let's look at an example. Let's take for example the following paragraph:
The story of Disney's "The Lion King" draws direct inspiration from Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Simba represents Hamlet, the successor of the King/Mufasa, who swears revenge on his evil
uncle Scar/Claudius. Likewise, Simba's best friend Nala represents both Ophelia, a love
interest, and Horatio, a best friend.
Take a minute and follow the four-step process to determine the stated claim. Click "Continue" when
you have an answer in mind.
After reading the paragraph, it seems clear that the author is comparing "The Lion King" to "Hamlet".
More specifically, it is saying that the similarities between the two are too great to be only
coincidences.
As a result, it would appear as though the best 'sentence' match to this summary would be the first
sentence. This is likely the stated claim.
It is important to note that not all paragraphs have topic sentences.
If there isn't one, identify the important ideas in the paragraph, then look at what they have in
common and summarize that to get the main claim or idea.
Let's look at an example. Take, for example, the following paragraph.
According to a paper published in the journal 'Science', people in America living near coal-fired
power stations are exposed to higher radiation doses than those living near nuclear power
plants. In addition, despite popular belief, the production of nuclear energy results in a lower
yearly death rate compared to coal energy production.
This paragraph does not appear to contain a topic sentence.
Follow the three-step process to determine what the stated claim might be. Click "Continue" once you
have an answer in mind.
Page 2 of 5
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Laurier Library's presentation on "Identifying and Analyzing Arguments"
This presentation will explain the steps you should take to create strong and effective arguments from
the academic sources you discover through your research.
By the end of this presentation, you should be able to understand the characteristics of an argument,
identify those arguments that you find within an academic paper, and analyze those arguments.
Let's begin!
IDENTIFYING ARGUMENTS
An argument, in the context of your university career, is a formal way to make a point in academic
writing.
This remains distinct from the "real world" definition where an argument might mean a fight or a
conflict.
An argument consists of two parts.
1. Firstly, a claim or statement that summarizes the main idea
2. and secondly, reasons why that claim is true, and/or evidence to support that claim.
Let's look at an example.
Reflective writing can help students become better thinkers. It can help students see that ideas
are meant to be discussed and debated. Bridges and Jost found that students who did weekly
reflective journal writing about their course content for a semester could analyze course
concepts at a deeper level than those who didn’t (131).
In this case, the sentence "Reflective writing can help students become better thinkers" is the claim.
The claim is expanded upon in the next sentence, "It can help students see that ideas are meant to
be discussed and debated."
Finally, evidence is presented, often in the form of a citation. Here, we read that "Bridges and Jost
found that students who did weekly reflective journal writing about their course content for a semester
could analyze course concepts at a deeper level than those who didn't."
This evidence supports the originally presented claim and its expansion.
This diagram displays a recommended argument structure which should be utilized in a university-
level essay.
1. A main argument, or thesis, is presented first.
2. Then, different sections are formed with the purpose of supporting the main argument.
3. Within those sections, we find paragraphs which hold the purpose of supporting the sections
that support the thesis.
Page 1 of 5
, Utilizing this type of hierarchy structure is an excellent way to ensure that your essay stays on track
and continues to argue what it sets out to argue.
Let's move on to identifying arguments within academic writing.
When reading, you will need to identify arguments in order to properly understand the main points.
In paragraphs, a topic sentence often identifies the main claim or idea of the paragraph.
This is usually the first sentence, but not always.
To find it, follow the following steps:
1. Firstly, read the paragraph.
2. Next, ask "What is this paragraph about?"
3. Thirdly, summarize the content in your own words, and lastly, find the sentence within that
paragraph that best matches that summary. This is likely the stated claim of the paragraph.
Most other sentences in the paragraph provide reasons and evidence to support the claim made in
the topic sentence.
Reasons and evidence explain why and how the claim is true, and usually consists of quotes or ideas
from other scholars, data, or facts.
Let's look at an example. Let's take for example the following paragraph:
The story of Disney's "The Lion King" draws direct inspiration from Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Simba represents Hamlet, the successor of the King/Mufasa, who swears revenge on his evil
uncle Scar/Claudius. Likewise, Simba's best friend Nala represents both Ophelia, a love
interest, and Horatio, a best friend.
Take a minute and follow the four-step process to determine the stated claim. Click "Continue" when
you have an answer in mind.
After reading the paragraph, it seems clear that the author is comparing "The Lion King" to "Hamlet".
More specifically, it is saying that the similarities between the two are too great to be only
coincidences.
As a result, it would appear as though the best 'sentence' match to this summary would be the first
sentence. This is likely the stated claim.
It is important to note that not all paragraphs have topic sentences.
If there isn't one, identify the important ideas in the paragraph, then look at what they have in
common and summarize that to get the main claim or idea.
Let's look at an example. Take, for example, the following paragraph.
According to a paper published in the journal 'Science', people in America living near coal-fired
power stations are exposed to higher radiation doses than those living near nuclear power
plants. In addition, despite popular belief, the production of nuclear energy results in a lower
yearly death rate compared to coal energy production.
This paragraph does not appear to contain a topic sentence.
Follow the three-step process to determine what the stated claim might be. Click "Continue" once you
have an answer in mind.
Page 2 of 5
