In this chapter, we’ll be looking at argument. Why? Well, because most writing that you will do, whether it is a scientific article, a lab report, a blog or an Instagram post promoting a fundraiser, contains some type of argument. Heck, arguments are all around us: influencing us, trying to get us to buy, to act, to change our minds. Studying arguments and how they work is extremely important, not only for your time at university, but for most of your life beyond.

Nearly all scholarly writing makes an argument. That’s because its purpose is to create and share new knowledge so it can be debated in order to confirm, dis-confirm, or improve it. That arguing takes place mostly in journals and scholarly books and at conferences. It’s called the scholarly conversation.

Just like your professors’ journal articles or scholarly books, your scholarly writing adds your voice to the conversation and should make an argument. Realizing that your final product for your research project is to make an argument gives you a big head start—you know that the sources you’re going to need are those that will help you write the components of an argument for your reader.

Adaptations

This section has been adapted from The Purpose of an Argument in Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research by Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.