How to Use Evidence in Your Research Paper
A research paper is an essay which analyzes or discusses a topic. No matter what discipline of study you’re in your research paper should be able to present your thinking supported by other’s observations and opinions. To draw a comparison legal professionals study cases and applies them to his or her argument. Doctors interpret medical information and analyze them for patients who are unable to communicate with their doctors.
One area in which this happens often is in the field of education. One popular paper that I’ve been privileged to read was written by Bahador Bahrami, an associate professor at the University of Toronto. In his critical thinking essay Bahrami uses a method similar to mine called a presupposition reversal to show how our prior expectations about a topic led to the new reality that the prior belief was false. The essay begins with the assertion “Our beliefs about language are deeply ingrained.”
The premise is a good one, as is the next part of his argument. As I mentioned, his starting point is an assumption. It’s a great one. He then demonstrates how his assumption about language causes problems with his writing. His problem is mostly in his use of language however, his entire argument is couched in his usage of language. I’ll give him credit, though, because he correctly articulates his reasoning for using this particular term, “theorizing,” in the last paragraph of his argument.
This is a great method to demonstrate the general importance of your writing, and your ability to analyse and critique knowledge that is already spell check available. Without the ability to apply the skills that you’ve learned in your research papers your writing won’t be as unique. I’m sure you’ll do.
The essence of his argument is this the assumption (and I am in agreement with this assumption) that your basic idea is right and then proceeds to build his case from the assumption. But, if you read his arguments, it becomes apparent that you don’t really see the central idea until the author explains it. He makes a number of presuppositions in support of his principal idea that is the reason why the meanings of “proposition” or “intuition” are not recognized. In other words, he is committing the fallacy of induction. For more details, check out my previous post on this subject.
To challenge his argument, I would ask, what is your main idea? It doesn’t matter what the rest of us think about it if it’s not right. They’ve already seen that your idea doesn’t make sense, so it’s not necessary to argue with them. If it’s true, then it’s irrelevant to what others think. Simply examine your argument to demonstrate it.
Now, I know there are those who will disagree and argue that there could be an important and secondary argument. I’m not certain how significant this is, but it could be something that can be discussed in a discussion about the arguments. However, for now, I won’t. Let me leave the exercise to your intelligence.
This can be a difficult subject, and is that many students abandon before even beginning. But it doesn’t need to be. It is important to remember that the goal is to show your argument using logic and evidence. This isn’t possible without a solid argument.
What is an effective argument for your essay? There are basically two types of proof: deductive and inductive. A deductive proof is based on the facts. Although it might seem simple but there are a lot of deductive arguments. If I say that this vehicle is unsafe, you are already making my point.
It’s easy to slip into the’slippery slope of proof’ in which logic is used to back your argument. You could argue, for instance that since I mentioned that the car was old, it must be true. You would be right, but the point is you have just made an argument and that’s it. Inductive arguments can also be used. You could say, for instance, that I advised you to purchase a programa para corregir ortografia car because it’s less expensive than other brands. The argument here is because you have a direct experience with cars that are cheaper and brands, you should be able to trust that particular brand more (since it has worked for you).
The key to making your research paper efficient and effective is to utilize proper proof. Make sure that you actually examine your argument until the end. Also, ensure that you support your argument in the final section of your essay before you let readers take any other information from your paragraph. This way, you can make sure that they understand the main message – that your proof is valid and solid.