Building Evidence-Based Arguments

How to turn research into a clear opinion you can actually defend

This is precisely what is meant when someone says "back up your opinion." An argument does not have to do with one’s feelings, but with making a clear claim backed by evidence, which is clearly articulated. Being able to craft a good argument based on evidence will be useful for you at school, on the Internet, and wherever else you need to present an opinion.

Why evidence-based arguments matter

Everyone can say that he or she believes something. It is more difficult to prove why your point of view is correct. Evidence-based arguments will give you an opportunity to go beyond assumptions, statements based on newspaper articles, or something that seems to be true. It will make you think about what is your claim, what proves it, and whether the evidence really correlates with your point of view.

It is better when an argument is not based only on one research paper, but by using several sources would increase its credibility by a large margin.

Why one study is not enough

This article addresses the need for several studies rather than one study alone to answer a question. It demonstrates how a more powerful argument can be made based on several studies rather than one.

A Simple Formula For a Strong Argument

Claim (What)

State your veiws clearly in one sentence

Evidence (How)

Use reasearch or examples from reilable soures to support your claim

Reasoning (Why)

Explain how your ecidnce proves your claim and why it matters to you

Activity

What Makes Your Evidence Strong?

Strong evidence

Comes from reliable sources (research studies and official data)
Includes facts or statistics not just opinions
Clearly connects to your claim
Can be checked or verified

Weak Evidence

Only based on personal opinion
Comes from an unknown or unreliable source
Is unclear
Does not support your claim

IS THIS STRONG OR WEAK EVIDENCE?

guess whether each statement is strong evidence or weak evidence before revealing the answers

1. According to the Oregon Department of Education data, high school graduation rates in Oregon have increased over the last several years

Strong Evidence

Uses offical data from a reliable government source

2. Students in Oregon schools are doing better because schools are simply getting better overall

Weak Evidence/ Opinion

It is a general statement with no data or source to support it

3. Oregon schools are too hard and students are stuggling beacuse teacher assigning too much work

Weak Evidence/ Opinion

It is based on personal opinion and does not include evidence or research

4. A statewide survey shows that many Oregon high school students report stress related to school workload

Strong Evidence

uses survey data which is based on real research

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