How do you use evidence in your research paper
A research paper is an essay that examines or discusses a subject. No matter what discipline of study you’re studying, your research paper should be backed by the views and observations of others. A lawyer studies the experiences of others to draw comparisons, then applies them to their own situation to justify their argument. Doctors interpret medical data and analyze them for patients who cannot communicate with their physicians.
One area in which this happens regularly is in the field of education. One of the papers I’ve been privileged to read was written by Bahador Bahrami, an associate professor at the University of Toronto. In his essay on critical thinking, he uses a technique similar to mine, called a presupposition reversal to explain how our prior expectations regarding a topic created the new reality that the previous belief was not true. The essay begins with the statement “Our beliefs about language were deeply ingrained.”
The premise he uses is strong and so is his argument. His starting point is, as I stated above, an assumption and it’s a valid one. He further proceeds to show the way this assumption about language can cause a problem in his writing. The problem is primarily in his use of language. However his entire argument is based on his language usage. I’ll give him credit, though, because he correctly states his reason for using this particular term, “theorizing,” in the final paragraph of his argument.
This is a great opportunity to show the importance of your writing and also your ability to critically evaluate and critique existing knowledge. Your writing won’t be unique unless you use the skills you’re learning in your own research papers. I’m sure you have.
The argument he is arguing about boils down to this: He assumes (and the assumption is correct this assumption) that your primary idea is successful and then constructs his argument from there. However, when you read his arguments, you don’t see the main idea at work until he explains it. He makes a number of presuppositions to support his main argument, which is why the writing paper meanings of “proposition” or “intuition” aren’t understood. He is guilty of the fallacy known as induction. For more details, check out my previous post on this subject.
To attack his argument, I would like to ask what is your principal idea? It doesn’t matter what other people think about it if it’s not right. They’ve already seen that your main idea isn’t sensible, so it’s not necessary to debate with them. If it’s true no matter what others consider. Simply look at your argument to demonstrate it.
There will be those who don’t agree with me and will argue that there can be two sides to the argument. This isn’t a big deal to me but it is something that could be discussed if you discuss the details of your argument. However, for now, I won’t. Let me treat this as an exercise in intelligence.
This subject can be challenging and many students give up on it. But it doesn’t have to be. It is important to remember that your objective is to prove your point with logic and evidence. This can’t be done without a convincing argument.
So, what makes a good argument for your paper? There are two kinds of proof: deductive and inductive. Deductive proofs are built on facts. It might seem easy but if you consider it, you’ll see that there are a lot of deductive arguments. For example If I say that you shouldn’t buy this car due to the issues that it has in the first place, you’re already showing that my main point is correct.
The issue is that it’s extremely easy to slip into the “slippery slope” of proof when you begin using logic to support your argument. For instance you could argue that since I said that the car was old, then it is true. You’d be correct but the issue is that you’ve made an argument, and that’s all it is. You can also make use of inductive arguments. For instance, that I advised you to buy a car since it is cheaper than other brands. The argument here is that because you have a direct experience with cheaper cars and brands, you should be able to trust that particular brand more (since it worked for you).
The most important thing to make your research paper successful and efficient is to use the correct proof. Be sure to read the entire argument from beginning to end. Also, ensure that you back up your argument in the end of your essay before you let readers take any other information from your paragraph. This will ensure they understand your main point and will ensure that your evidence is solid and reliable.
