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Developing Scholarly Arguments

LeMardre Miller

Developing Scholarly Arguments

Developing scholarly arguments involves a process of developing and defending propositions and various types of claims. Though the main idea behind a paper is the explanation of a single idea through the whole paper, many times in the writing process the writer gives reasons to support the validity of the arguments presented in a paper. The process of analyzing and explaining a claim is an argument. The argument in a paper is the answer the question to the thesis of a paper (The University of North Carolina, 2013).

Viewing a paper as the development of a series of claims is one of the ways used to structure an argument. Arguments can also be developed by use of questions and answers that come from the central theme of a paper. The paper can also be viewed as an answer to a certain problem or solution to the main thesis of the paper accompanied by a defense of why an answer or a reason is a good one. By formulating questions in a paper, it is easier to develop arguments for the thesis by proposing answers to the questions and explaining why those answers support the proposed conclusion.

Writers can develop scholarly arguments in other ways. Though many writers of scholarly papers come up with arguments to answer questions or defend claims, it is also possible to make a claim and then further explore that claim without taking a position. However, writers in this instance must give reasons for the claims that they make to satisfy the readers. Speculating about possibilities in a scholarly paper may leave the reader of the paper not knowing what point the writer was trying to make. No matter what approach is used in developing arguments, the writer should always make an argument that provides an answer or solves a puzzle. Fundamentally, a scholarly paper must consist of reasons for the claims made by the writer (Purdue University, 2014).

There is no definite method that can be used in developing a strong argument, but there are ways that can be employed to defend the claims made or the main idea of a paper. It is good to use exploratory writing when developing an argument for a scholarly paper. Writing is a continuous thought process and not a result of the thinking process . A writer can also develop scholarly argument by remembering the main reasons for the central idea. If the reasons that the writer puts forward are strong reasons then it is likely that the reader will also find them valid.

When the writer has established the general purpose of the argument in a scholarly paper, the writer should go through a process similar to that used in developing the thesis in the construction of an argument. It is important to first briefly explain what the argument is then go-ahead and refine the argument. The writer should think about the different ways that they are going to use in defending the arguments that they make. The process of supporting a thesis is complicated and involves development in bits. If the writer is uncertain on how to proceed, he should think about what he has read and develop an exploratory formulation of the argument. When writing a scholarly article the writer should conduct research and read several materials that can help in deciding whether the writer is right. Reading from several sources and conducting research helps the writer to find different arguments and arguments that are a refinement of the original one.

In every step in the process of defending an argument, the writer should give enough evidence and a critical analysis of the evidence presented. The kind of evidence that the writer puts forward will depend on the scholarly article that the writer is writing. For example in scholarly article on sociology, the writer should use research data as evidence while in a history paper the writer may use evidence from primary sources. Regardless of the evidence that is used by the writer in supporting an argument, the writer should analyze the evidence to ensure that reader clearly understands how the evidence presented supports the arguments made by the writer. If the writer just presents a collection of facts or assertions without making an analysis, the writer will be avoiding their responsibility of answering the question of why the thesis of the scholarly paper is reasonable or legitimate (Princeton Writing Program, n.d.).

When the writer has developed an argument and has a draft of the paper, the writer can test the strength of the ideas in the scholarly paper by putting himself or herself in the position of the reader. The writer could also ask a friend to read through the outline of the scholarly paper and suggests the areas that need to be changed or areas that need to be refined. A friend can also help to identify the gaps that exist in the evidence presented or the analysis of the evidence. Some of the things that are raised by the third party are usually difficult for the writer to figure out.

One crucial way of strengthening an argument is expressing understanding of an issue by using objections or counterarguments in a scholarly paper. Including counterarguments in a scholarly paper helps the readers to have a reason to dispute one’s arguments. One can find counterarguments by carrying out research on opposing views. Analyzing the counterarguments in a way that lends comparative merit to one’s arguments is crucial in strengthening an argument (American Psychological Association, 2009).

The process of literature review or surveying the relevant literature is crucial in writing a scholarly paper. This involves surveying of imperative books, articles and any other sources that may be related to a topic under study. A survey of the relevant literature related to a topic helps the writer to frame his or her research. It also assists to provide background information on the topic under study or area of research. The process of literature review involves an evaluation of the findings reported by other author and analysis of their worth or validity. This also includes a critique of the arguments presented by other articles and how the gaps in the existing literature are going to be addressed in the scholarly article. This can help to strengthen the basis for conducting a study on a certain topic (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014).

In reviewing the relevant literature, only the significant and the most relevant literature need to be selected. After selecting the studies to be reviewed, the studies to be reviewed should be organized in an orderly sequence. The studies can be organized according to the topic, problems and solutions or cause and effect. The literature review can also be organized by use of an argument and counterargument approach. The studies can also be grouped depending on the research method applied. The review of the relevant literature should have a conclusion that corresponds directly with the hypothesis of the paper (Machi & McEvoy, 2008).

References

American Psychological Association (2009) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5

Machi & McEvoy (2008)The Literature Review: Six Steps to Success.

Purdue University (2014) Introductions, Body Paragraph Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Papergraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/724/1/

Princeton Writing Program (n.d.) Developing An Argument Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/il/rhet105/devel.html

The University Of North Carolina (2013) Argument Retrieved from http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/argument/

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2014) The Research Process Retrieved from http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/researchprocess.html

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