English 104Arguments of Fact

Understanding Arguments of Fact•Factual arguments try to establish

whether something is true.•For example:

▫Are the claims of a scientist accurate?▫Is a historical legend real?▫Has a crime occurred?

Understanding Arguments of Fact•People don’t usually argue undisputed facts

▫Examples: The earth orbits the sun George Washington was USA’s first president

•Facts are used to support controversial arguments that challenge people’s lifestyles and beliefs▫Such as controversies about childhood

obesity, endangered species, gay rights, gender roles

Developing a Factual Argument•Step 1: Identify an issue

▫Choose a suitable topic of interest▫Do quick preliminary research and reading

in order to arrive at a hypothesis, i.e. a tentative statement of your main claim/thesis statement Examples of hypotheses:

“Having a dog is good for your health.” “Americans really did land on the moon, despite

what some people think.”

Developing a Factual Argument• Step 2: Research your hypothesis

▫Libraries and the internet can provide you with many resources Find and use the best sources for your paper

Check your facts▫Example: www.politifact.com and www.factcheck.org

investigate the truths behind political claims Use primary sources whenever possible

▫If obtaining a quote indirectly from a secondary source, there’s a chance the quote has been taken out of context or misquoted

Determine which sources are the best fit for your essay and for your audience▫Some reputable sources may be too technical for a

general audience. However, some accessible sources may not be factually accurate or may be inappropriate for an academic audience.

Developing a Factual Argument• Step 3: Refine your main claim/thesis

▫As you learn more about your topic through research, you can revise your hypothesis accordingly, making it more specific. Example:

Hypothesis: Americans really did land on the moon, despite what some people think.▫Revision: Since 1969, when the Eagle supposedly

landed on the moon, some people have been unjustifiably skeptical about the success of the United States’ Apollo program.

▫Final: Despite plentiful hard evidence to the contrary – from Saturn V launches witnessed by thousands to actual moon rocks tested by independent labs worldwide – some people persist in believing falsely that NASA’s moon landings were actually filmed on deserts in the American Southwest as part of a massive propaganda fraud. (Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters 161)

Developing a Factual Argument• Step 4: Develop your main claim/thesis

statement in-depth within the body of your essay.▫Do not simply list the evidence without

discussing precisely how each piece of evidence supports your thesis statement

▫Example: Thesis statement: Despite plentiful hard evidence

to the contrary – from Saturn V launches witnessed by thousands to actual moon rocks tested by independent labs worldwide – some people persist in believing falsely that NASA’s moon landings were actually filmed on deserts in the American Southwest as part of a massive propaganda fraud. Body of the paper then goes into in-depth discussion of

the Saturn V launches, moon rocks, and the claims of conspiracy theorists

Works CitedLunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith

Walters. Everything’s an Argument with Readings. 6th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.