Resources on argumentation in academic writing

Usually in academic writing, the role of argumentation is less about trying to change “what readers believe, think, or do,” and more about convincing “yourself or others that specific facts are reliable or that certain views should be considered or at least tolerated” (A. A. Lunsford and J. J. Ruszkiewicz, Everything’s an Argument).

The resources on this page focus on fundamentals of academic argument (unless otherwise stated, these resources were created by the Student Learning Commons). Foremost is thinking critically (that is, analytically) about what you read and write, then creating and supporting sound, reasonable claims: including a solid thesis or position.

Critical thinking and argumentation

Thesis statements