A Brief Guide to

Writing Academic
Arguments
Stephen Wilhoit
Chapter One:
Academic Arguments
What are the three main goals of academic arguments?
Explain, Persuade, Mediate
Context matters: the rhetorical situation
Compositions are always SOMEONE writing SOMETHING for
SOMEONE
The Rhetorical Writing Situation
Writer-Expertise, Qualifications, Author Opinion
Audience-Prior knowledge, Hostile Audience?, Adjusting to
the audience
Topic- Writers focus, Exploration, Writer/Audience
Background, Shaping Argument
Occasion-Why this argument?, Context, Relevant to other
arguments?
Purpose-Persuasion, Knowledge (self, topic), Mediation,
Search for Truth
Effective Academic Arguments
Clear & Precise
Well Supported
Properly Qualified
Placed in Context
Voice and Tone
Follows Established Conventions
Chapter Two:
Persuasive Academic Arguments
Logic (Logos)
Emotion/Values (Pathos)
Credibility (Ethos)

Logic & Toulmin

Claim-Assertions
Grounds-Evidence
Explanations-Connection of grounds & claims
Qualifications-Limitations of claims
Rebuttals-Strategy
 Pathos:
Consider content & language-their feelings, emotional
response, appeals and alienation?
Appeal to readers
Feelings & values
Fears & concerns
Emotional needs/Self-esteem
 Ethos:
Your credibility-Prove it:
Knowledge of topic
Accurate writing-qualified claims/accurate use of
sources/Credible sources/Proper Quotation-
citation/langugae,grammar, mechanics, punctuation
Be honest and fair
Follow conventions
Logical Fallacies
LOGOS-Hasty generalization, False cause, Appeal to ignorance,
Non Sequitur, Begging the question, Straw man, False
dilemma
PATHOS- Bandwagon, Slippery slope, Scare tactics, Appeals to
sentiment, Appeals to tradition
ETHOS-Ad hominem attacks, Poisoning the well, False
authority, Dogmatism
Chapter Three:
Reading Academic Arguments
Critically
Approaching critical readings:
Summarize, analyze, critique
What are some prereading strategies?
Reading strategies?
What are some steps to analyzing an argument?
What are some steps to evaluating arguments?
Chapter Four: The Role of
Claims in Academic Arguments
A Claim: An assertion you want your readers to accept and
perhaps act on; often your thesis
What kind of claims work and dont work for an academic
argument?
What makes claims effective?
Three types of claims: Simple, Compound, Complex
Remember the 5 Rs: Research, Reflection, Rebuttal,
Rehearsal, and Revision
Chapter Five: Supporting
Claims
Reasons, evidence, and values
X is the case because of Y
How do you determine which reasons to include in your
argument?
Independent vs. interdependent structure
Types of Evidence in academic argument: facts, examples,
stats, expert opinion, interviews, surveys, observations,
experiments, personal experience
What makes evidence persuasive?
What is the role of beliefs and values in supporting
arguments? What are examples of beliefs and values you
might not have to support?
Chapter Six: Explaining Your
Argument
Connect claims, reasons, and evidence: Explain your reasoning
process, justify your assertions, elaborate on your evidence,
explicate your thoughts, and address possible exceptions to
your claims.
Courtroom Drama: (YouTube clip)
What typically needs explanation?
How do you explain reaching one conclusion and not another?
What are some common methods used to explain arguments?
Chapter Seven: Qualifying
Claims and Rebutting
Opposition
Why do you need to qualify claims in academic arguments?
When in the writing process should you begin addressing the
opposition? Why is it important to address opposing views?
How do you anticipate and then rebut opposition to your
argument?
Chapter Eight: Working with
Sources
Sources: Provide background information, support claims,
present opposing views, and improve ethos
Techniques for integrating source material: summarize,
paraphrase, or quote from readings
What makes for a good summary? What are the steps to
writing a summary?
When and why do you paraphrase material?
What are the qualities of a good paraphrase?
How do you paraphrase material? When and why do you
quote material?
How do you quote material?
How do you avoid plagiarism?
Common forms of plagiarism?
Chapter Nine: Working with
the Visual Elements of
Academic Arguments
Why is it important to understand visual elements of
arguments?
How do visuals function in academic arguments?
How do we read visual texts critically?
How do you work with pictures, drawings, and diagrams in
your own arguments?
How do you use and read tables?
How do typographical features change the rhetorical message
of a document?
Chapter Ten: Writing
Arguments: An Overview
What is the suggested three-stage process offered for writing
academic arguments?
Why is it important to consider the rhetorical situation of any
given assignment?
When working with an open topic, how do you choose a topic
for an argumentative essay?
How do you narrow and focus your topic?
How do you investigate your topic through research?
What is a thesis statement?
What makes an effective thesis statement?
What are the processes of crafting a thesis statement?
How do you organize an argument?
About drafting and revising an argument
Chapter Eleven: Writing
Definition Arguments
What are the different types of definition arguments?
How do you write the different types: A stipulative?
Categorical?
Consider which type of definition argument you will be writing
for this assignment and how you will plan, structure, and write
the argument.

All info from Stephen Wilhoits A Brief Guide to Writing Academic Arguments (2009), Longman.