I.
What is the thesis or the argument?
II.
What is the purpose of the argument?
III.
Who is making the argument?
a. Author?
b. Publisher?
c. What have either of these produced in the past?
d. Goals? Policies? Contributers? Funding?
IV.
What/who is the target audience?
a. What is the context of the argument?
b. Does the author employ certain kinds of ethos targeted specifically at the target
audience?
V.
Examine the pathos used in the writing.
a. Look specifically at the author’s choice of words. Are there any words that evoke
specific emotions?
VI. Examine the Ethos used in the writing.
a. Does the writer have the experience or authority to write on this subject?
b. Are all claims qualified reasonably?
c.
d.
e.
f.
Is evidence presented in full, not tailored to the writer’s agenda?
Are important objections to the author’s position acknowledged and addressed?
Are sources documented?
Does the writer sound trustworthy?
VII. Examine the Logos of the Argument
a. How are the claims supported by good reasons and reliable evidence?
b. Are there smaller propositions being made (sub-arguments)? Examine the relationships
among them. Are they solidly linked?
c. Are there inconsistencies that the writer should acknowledge?
d. Does the end of the piece support what the writer said at the beginning?
e. What is the quality of the information presented? Is it accurate? Is it conveniently
displayed? (charts, graphs, visuals, in the text)
f. Do the sources cited represent a range of respected opinions on the topic?
VIII. Examine the Structure
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
How is the writing organized?
Examine the transitions, heading, subheadings. What do they lend to the overall argument?
Are the sources accurately documented?
What is the overall tone or voice?
Is the genre appropriate? Would the argument be better made in another genre?
Would images improve the argument?
If images are included, do they support the argument? Do they distract from the written
argument and diminish its substance?
IX. Examine the Author’s Style
a. Is the writing dull, off-key, or offensive?
b. Do you notice any patterns in the writer’s sentence structure?
c. Does the writer’s word choice, formality, voice, presentation, etc. support the argument?
X. How well do the components of the argument work together to persuade or move the audience?