1. I mean, your thesis statement is kind of like the bedrock on which your paper will either live and breathe, or dissolve into primordial soup. If we agree that the thesis is the backbone of your essay, then the claims are the vertebrae. He grew up in a really small town in Missouri with his nose in a book and a pen in his hand. Hence, a claim has to be arguable. Support your claim with references to case studies written by members of the class and available on the class web page. For example, the old man down the street might think his climate change argument is perfectly logical, but that doesn’t mean it belongs in an academic essay. For example, one could argue that the decriminalization of drugs would lower overall drug abuse rates. In one instance, she said all of those veterans “died in the last year,” citing a recent inspector general’s report. In other words, you need evidence to support the statements you make; also, you will need to cite your sources to prove the credibility of the data you use as supporting evidence. In a good argumentative essay, a writer attempts to persuade readers to understand and support their point of view about a topic by stating their reasoning and providing evidence to back it up. As we wrap up this post on claims, let’s circle back and talk about that celestial body around which your entire essay orbits: the thesis statement. Be specific about what you’re claiming, and consider breaking your claim into multiple claims if it covers too much area. Well, yes, it is. Any coincidences are accidental. Key Items Necessary: 1 - Transition 2 - Evidence 3 - Reasons In Greek Orphic tradition, Thesis, the goddess of creation, is worshiped for creating all of the matter we see in the world today. A claim must be argumentative. But how many people will be convinced by such a claim, all on its own? Take the time to explain the significance of the evidence you introduced in your essay. Depending on the assignment and subject, you paper could have more than three claims or only one. the specific arguments that make up your thesis. Again, it must be debatable. These two videos show the connections between the purpose of a piece of writing and the supporting evidence that appears inside the paragraphs. This video draws a helpful distinction between main ideas and supporting details, to show the connection between the topic sentence of a paragraph and other contents in the same paragraph. This doesn't mean that you have to reduce an idea to an "either/or" proposition and then take a stand. This is a sad fact of life. An errant claim with nothing to back it up is like a kite with no string. However, many essays are shorter or longer than five paragraphs. A claim is significant because you are trying to assert your own interpretation and understanding of your topic. Two important concepts in support and elaboration are sufficiency and relatedness. Claims backed by reasons that are supported by evidence are called arguments. Evidence is the facts or research to support the claim and reason. Write your claim in a right way Choose what you can prove. Sufficiency refers to the amount of detail — is there enough detail to support the topic? When writing an essay, you typically need anywhere between 3 and 5 clearly structured arguments to support your cause. A solution claim, also referred to as a claim of policy, takes the previous category a step further.  Support allows a claim to be verified, proven, and convincing to an audience. If you’re still unsure about your draft, send it over to the editors at Kibin. For example, when you tell me when and where you were born, what your name is, or what you do for a living, I will usually believe you unless I have some reason to doubt you word. The power of information is determined less by the quantity of details than by their quality. Now that you know how to pick a topic for an argumentative essay and how to make a strong claim on your topic in a thesis statement, you’re ready to think about writing the other sections of an argumentative essay. This may be true. The report also said 84 percent of those who died, or 258,367 individuals, died more than four years ago — not last year.[1]. Now that you can answer the question that brought you here—what is a claim in an essay?—let’s look at how claims might differ. The thesis should be analytic or interpretive rather than merely descriptive or factual. Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim) Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. What is an effective claim in an argumentative essay? People will usually take your word for certain kinds of claims. An effective argumentative essay addresses what the other side might say and explains why that point of view is wrong. A thesis provides the controlling idea for a paper and should be original (that is, not completely obvious), assertive, and arguable. In the academic writing world, it feels as if we are often worshiping her ourselves. Briefly summarize the texts State your claim. Although each of your claims will present an argument, not all claims will take the same approach to those arguments. The main purpose of the thesis is to do two things: Your thesis should go at the end of your introduction so that your claims can serve as a road map of the rest of your essay.  But how many people will be convinced by such a claim, all on its own? You have my vote. Yet before we create our own thesis statement, it’s best that we understand the parts that make one up. Gore, D'Angelo. 2.4 Support Your Claims. 2. Now that we’ve talked about the various ways in which you can approach a claim, let’s talk about how to ensure that your claims are good, no matter which approach you take. Consider a recent example of an unsupported claim from early in the 2016 US Presidential campaign: It may be coincidence that Fiorina was one of the first candidates to withdraw from the race…but then again, maybe not! Psst... 98% of Kibin users report better grades! So what is it made of? Jared is a Kibin editor, a wanderer, and an ESL teacher. You not only need to provide evidence of the dangers associated with an increasing global temperature, but you also must provide evidence that it’s not just a symptom of normal fluctuations that occur over time in the climate, but a symptom of human excess. For example, there’s competing research on how and when the dinosaurs went extinct. To win an argument, you first have to make a claim that is more than just an assertion. It must be debatable with inquiry and evidence; it is not a personal opinion or feeling. 4. Since most academic writing consists of a series of supported claims, learning to employ detail can greatly help writers make points effectively. I thought it was your main argument. But while the overall gist of your thesis may be that climate change is bad, claims are the specific arguments that make up your thesis (e.g., widespread drought will lead to an increase in terrorism). In narrative writing, this means providing enough descriptive details for the readers to construct a picture of the story in their minds. The writer can give support by referring to a known standard or through establishing an agreed-upon standard. Although each of your claims will present an argument, not all claims will take the same approach. Research, evaluation, and notetaking skills are vital for expository writers. A claim of cause and effect argues that one thing causes another. Because it provides a unifying theme for the rest of the essay, it typically appears early on—in shorter papers, most often within the first paragraph or two. “The earth is actually flat” is not a valid claim. This means that an argumentative essay must use only evidence-based support to back up a claim, rather than emotional or philosophical reasoning (which is often allowed in other types of essays). If you write an argumentative essay, the thing that you write may try to change the opinion of the reader. Make sure you are restating the … It may be coincidence that Fiorina was one of the first candidates to withdraw from the race…but then again, maybe not! It’s very easy to make a bold claim and walk away. However, not all arguments are created equal. So it’s important that you have a solid grasp of what a thesis statement is and how to best formulate it, which is why we’ve spent so much time on the subject here at the Kibin blog. Support and elaboration consist of the specific details and information writers use to develop their topics. 1) Introduction/Claim (One paragraph) Start with a hook or attention getting sentence. Sufficiency, however, is not enough. Addressing readers’ potential counterarguments will make your essay and your claims even stronger. Poets are especially adept at using precise details to focus on specific, concrete, observable things or experiences. A strong thesis also requires solid evidence to support and develop it because without evidence, a claim is merely an unsubstantiated idea or opinion. The purpose of most essays is to tackle a debatable topic. For example, let’s say your paper is focusing on climate change and the dangers that it poses. They also address the ways in which supporting ideas are “stacked” together inside a paragraph, with transitions to help a reader make sense of their internal relationships. Use subheadings to help clarify the different sections, if desired. Restating A Thesis Statement: Original Approach To The Issue Instead of writing an ambiguous claim that you find difficult to prove later, you should... Write your claim in a correct way. But poor record-keeping made it impossible to say how many of them died while waiting for care or how many of them even applied for care. A strong claim is supported not only by research that proves it, but also by the accompanying research that refutes the potential counterclaims. In narrative writing, details should be concrete: they contribute to, rather than detract from, the picture provided by the narrative. Use the format of your essay to punctuate and clarify your argument. A claim must be arguable but stated as a fact. There are several different styles of evidence (or proof). Sometimes, this involves making a distinct argument that only helps to prepare an audience. THE CLAIM Step 4: Be able to identify any fallacies and rhetoric styles the writer uses Understand the writer's purpose You must know what the writer's main intent is, in order to find the claim. Consider a recent example of an unsupported claim from early in the 2016 US Presidential campaign: Carly Fiorina on several occasions has said 307,000 veterans have died while waiting for care from the Veterans Health Administration. The heavy lifting of most writing comes in the form of supporting details. To the right, the tall peak of The Matterhorn rose even higher. But that’s not what the report says. Support and elaboration consist of the specific details and information, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carly_Fiorina_by_Gage_Skidmore_3.jpg, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/few/685, CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, identify various forms of support that can be used in a text to validate a thesis, identify use of personal forms of support (narrative, anecdote), identify use of research-based forms of support (facts, statistics, outside authority), identify relationship between the rhetorical context of a text, and the effectiveness of the types of support used. Not only do they provide specifics and details in support of a claim, but the vivid description they often include helps to capture and retain the reader’s attention. In essay writing, this means the author finds enough information to support a thesis, and also finding information that is credible and accurate. For example, you could argue that mass shootings in the United States should be considered terrorist attacks. That’s because there are certain pitfalls that can tank your claims—and in turn your essay—if you’re not careful. That’s where claims come in. Get inspiration from over 500,000 example essays. They will ensure your claims are strong. That’s what we’ll be talking about today. Remember, your argumentative essay is arguing to get the reader to accept your claim. Thus, an argumentative essay has a burden of substantiated proof and sources , whereas some other types of essays (namely persuasive essays) do not. On the other hand, you could argue that climate change will be the greatest geopolitical crisis of your lifetime. Example (source): Introduction: “From the parking lot, I could see the towers of the castle of the Magic Kingdom standing stately against the blue sky. More often, it involves establishing a piece of fact (also see evidence) or advocating for a judgment of value. In a traditional five-paragraph essay, you’ll have an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end. Mini Lesson: What to Prepare in advance: Download, print, cut, laminate and attach to sticks the FREE resource below. Whereas value claims often argue how bad something like climate change is, a solution claim argues how we can best fix the problem. A claim is a unifying theme of an essay. It’s very easy to make a bold claim and walk away. Some ways that writers “show, don’t tell” include the following: Information is the key to developing support and elaboration in the expository (essay) genres — informational, critical, and argumentative writing. What is Evidence? Although you have lots of great research to back up your arguments, you still have to address your detractors. The key to developing support and elaboration is getting specific. A claim defines your paper‟s goals, direction, scope, and exigence and is supported by evidence, quotations, argumentation, expert opinion, statistics, and telling details. The claim statement you write depends on the primary objective of your paper. You can talk about the quality of beef all day, but some people genuinely prefer burgers made out of crappy beef. To put it simply, scientific, cold facts with no opinions or personal insights count as evidence – what you do with them, how you build them up to support your case, is an argument. Followed by supporting evidence. These are the parts that will flesh out your argument and support the claim you made in your thesis statement. Unsupported Claims For example, you could argue that money in politics leads to the ineffectiveness of congress. The last element of authors claim definition is defining a goal for your essay. Support allows a claim to be verified, proven, and convincing to an audience. Rather, you need to develop an interesting perspective that you can support and defend. Directions appear below. Good writers use concrete, specific details, and relevant information to construct mental images for their readers. So how does this differ from the thesis? The report also said 84 percent of those who died, or 258,367 individuals, died more than four years ago — not last year. In essay writing, information should be relevant to the writer’s goal and strengthen the writer’s ability to meet that goal. A thesis is supposed to be quite narrow in its scope. So needless to say, your claims should not have a broad focus. Construct the first paragraph. But that doesn’t make this an academic claim. The Claim for Value Essay is a type of persuasive rhetoric, which argues that something has value, either aesthetically or morally. Ending an essay with the same scenario might help to prove your point and create a better understanding. Relatedness refers to the quality of the details and their relevance to the topic. Tell the reader how the evidence supports the claim or argument you used to set up the quote. You begin by researching a topic and then choose a side. Between the two, you will have three body paragraphs, each one focused on supporting one of your claims. In this article, the writer's purpose is to persuade the reader into giving their You could make your own claim on the matter if you have the research to back it up. As we explain in this post about essay structure, the structure of your essay is an essential component in conveying your ideas well, and therefore in writing a great essay. You use critical thinking skills and argue your case using claims, reason, and evidence. Writing teachers often praise students for using a technique called a "telling detail" to lend support to a claim made in an essay. Revision and Adaptation of Support and elaboration. The heavy lifting of most writing comes in the form of supporting details. If you’re going to challenge something that has long been considered fact, you must be able to back it up with research. These include claims about events that you have personally participated in or observed. After the thesis, you will begin to tackle each claim, one by one, supporting the claims in the body of your paper with research. In the following paragraph, the writer includes examples of mistreatment to support the claim that women’s right to vote was “hard-won”. So make sure you only include a claim if you’ve done the research to support it within the body of your essay. No opinion allowed. You begin by researching a topic and then choose a side. Good writers supply their readers with sufficient details to comprehend what they have written. Write an essay of at least three pages in which you make a claim about the state of the health care industry, from either the patient or the provider's perspective. A claim of definition argues how something is defined. The purpose of most essays is to tackle a debatable topic. Write or type examples of a claim, counterclaim and rebuttal then cut up. Good writers select only the details that will support their focus, deleting irrelevant information. Fact Proof – Includes statistics and objective information. It looks good, but it’s not going to work like you want it to. Human bodies have developed over time to support a vegetarian diet. So now that you’ve developed some strong claims that can be used in your academic essay, it’s time to look at the flip side. “Baseball is the best sport” is not a valid claim because any support you come up with will be steeped in opinion. Just as the basic unit of all matter, the atom, can be divided into subatomic particles, the thesis statement can also be divided into parts. SUPPORTING CLAIM A supporting claim is any argument that, if accepted, will make it easier to prove the primary claim. You may have noticed a few warnings interspersed with the examples above. A good thesis sentence will make a claim. * All the following information, data, and sources are made-up. Insert the thesis sentence(s) you developed earlier into this first paragraph. For Example Proof – Includes examples that support your primary claim. Without this attention to detail, readers struggle to picture what the writer is talking about, and will often give up altogether. If your claims are weak, the gravity of your thesis will be too. This is a dead-end claim because it’s purely based on opinion. A claim of value requires you to argue how good or how bad your topic is. There is no argument there. Many writers work under the advice to “Show, don’t tell.” Good writers help their readers imagine the story by describing the action, providing sensory descriptions, and explaining characters’ thoughts and feelings. As a result, in expository writing, authors need the ability to find and use relevant information: facts, statistics, examples, and anecdotes. If your claim is boring or obvious, the rest of the paper probably will be too. As you might imagine, some types of supporting details work more appropriately than others, given the purpose of the writing overall. This is called the counterclaim.  It describes the techniques of outlining and mapping a paragraph for greater understanding. Case Proof – A case in which your opinion is validated and/or the opposing view isn’t. 1. Introduce your topic so the reader knows exactly what he is reading about and what claim you are going to make. While writers of narratives can often rely solely on their own observations and inner resources to develop their writing, writers of expository genres have to look outside themselves for the information they need to develop their writing. Einstein Proof – You come across information that reveals a note-worthy person or scholar agrees with the point you are trying to make. For an academic claim to be worthy of a place in your essay, it should be complex, debatable, supported by research, and focused on the facts. Your claims are even more narrow arguments within that argument. Remember, strong claims are the building blocks of a good thesis. A clear argument gives your essay structure. A reason tells why a claim is made. Argumentation is pretty much one person trying to change another’s mind using a string of logic, personal values, and evidence. This will depend on the scope of the project. There are several approaches to making a claim. 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