THE WRITING CENTER
Argument: Purpose and Process
Written arguments likely appear in your everyday life, whether you read them, for example, in the
form of an editorial in a newspaper, or write them, as in the form of a cover letter to a potential
employer, asking to be hired. Arguments can also be visual: advertisements are a prime example.
Using reason and emotion to persuade others is a daily part of every person’s life—private and
public—and producing effective arguments is a vital skill in and out of school.
PURPOSE

Persuasion: An attempt to influence the audience towards a particular action or belief.
o Examples


advertisements to induce one into buying a particular product or brand

campaign letters to induce one into donating money to a certain candidate

application letter to gain admittance to a university or organization
Justification: An attempt to rationalize to yourself and others what you believe and why.
o Examples


address to constituents by a public figure regarding an issue like taxation

letter to board members by a CEO that defends how profits are spent

job evaluation delivered to an employee by a supervisor
Problem Solving and Decision Making: An attempt to find solutions to an issue under debate.
o Examples

legal briefs presented to a judicial member who is rendering a decision

business memos sent to decision-makers in a company

proposals created by contractors who have to satisfy their clients and regulators
D:\98927888.doc
Created on 8/5/2010 4:21:00 PM: Contributor: Teri Green
Material adapted from Prentice Hall Reference Guide 6th Edition by Muriel Harris
THE WRITING CENTER
Argument: Purpose and Process
Successful argumentation asks you to conduct research, which is just a fancy way of saying ‘finding
information,’ in order to locate support for your claims. In addition, you must also engage in a process
of reasoning so that you can both explain and defend your actions, beliefs, and ideas. Once you’ve
conducted your research and begun your reasoning process, you will also need to take into account
such factors as credibility of material and yourself as the author, audience response to you, and later,
the development of your material and how you organize it in a persuasive, sound manner.
PROCESS

Topic Selection: The topic should be one that is debatable or several possible solutions.
Additionally, the topic should be relevant to your audience’s concerns and of interest to them.

Writer’s Credibility: Your motives for argument should be apparent to the audience as
reasonable and worthwhile, and ideally should be a way to establish some common ground.
Also, avoid ambiguity and exaggerated statements, which only weaken your credibility.

Audience: To whom are you writing? If the audience agrees with you already, then what is the
purpose of making your argument? If they do not agree, can you acknowledge and address their
viewpoints?

Research: to gain the reader’s trust and respect, you must indicate you are in possession of
credible information, are truthful, and are reasonable in your consideration of opposing points.
To accomplish this, you must look for and gather information that is credible and relevant to
your argument, including information that may be contradictory, in order to address any
concerns about your credibility as the author of the argument.

Outline: several patterns of argumentation exist that can help you to organize your material
into a cohesive, logical, and well-supported argument. These patterns are available in any book
on research writing, grammar reference books, books on rhetoric and argumentation, and in
simplified version as a handout from the University of Toledo Writing Center.
D:\98927888.doc
Created on 8/5/2010 4:21:00 PM: Contributor: Teri Green
Material adapted from Prentice Hall Reference Guide 6th Edition by Muriel Harris