I always thought a lot of yelling was the best way to make an argument, turns out it’s not.

A quick review for section three of “The Craft of Research”.

It is important to keep in mind that when writing a research report, the report is not an argument but a discussion, where the report is a medium to purse a claim. To support a claim, the report needs sub claims or reasons of support. Then, these sub claims need evidence to show that it is true. With evidence the reader will gain trust and they will be able to realize that the writer is not a shady idea dealer who’s trying to score a quick one but an actual researcher whose claims have valid points. The key is to have trust between the researcher and reader. Another way to achieve more trust is to show that the researcher isn’t arrogant, but that they understand all sides of the argument, this will also thicken the argument. This is shown by acknowledging counterarguments and confusing parts of the argument. Either explain why that train of thought is incorrect or it is even possible to just acknowledge and not answer. But when an answer is given, it needs support and should be treated as a sub claim. The last way to gain trust and have a clearer argument is to have warrants, these can be achieved explaining the connection between points, the reader might not understand why X is important to Y so the researcher needs to explain that when X then Y.

I decided to try to use these methods to try to make an argument. The first time I tried to claim that the 2015-2016 Warriors were the best basketball team of all time. After I started I realized that I did not have enough evidence to support my claim. I learned that before starting an argument it is best that there is enough information to make it, specifically reasonable and not far fetching. I’m now going to make the reverse argument that the 1996 Bulls are the greatest basketball team of all time.

Claim: The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls are the greatest team of all time.

Sub claim: The 1996 Bulls were one of the best offensive teams of all time, and they were incredibly balanced. Evidence: The 1996 Bulls had the second best offensive rating of all time, and out of the 100 best offensive teams of all time they had the second best defensive rating.

Sub claim: They won the 1996 championship along with one of the best regular season records. Evidence: They won the 1996 championship in a dominating fashion with a 15-3 playoff record.

Sub claim: The 1996 Bulls had the best player of all time, along with various all stars. Evidence: The 1996 Bulls had Michael Jordan on the team, they also had the greatest rebounder and wildcard of all time in Dennis Rodman.

Counterargument: The 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors had a better regular season record. Answer: They had a better regular season win record by one win, but they lost the NBA finals. The greatest team of all time should not lose in the playoffs or otherwise the 2015-2016 Cavilers be the best team of all time. Also, the Bulls had better offensive and defensive ratings during the season.

References:

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. Chicgo: U of Chicago, 2008. Print.