Evaluating the Evidence an Author Uses to Support Their Argument Chapter Notes | AP Research – AP Students - Grade 11 PDF Download

Introduction

This chapter guides AP Research students in critically assessing the relevance and credibility of evidence in arguments. It defines evidence broadly as anything supporting a claim, including facts, observations, and analogies. The chapter emphasizes the importance of context (time, purpose, and situation) in interpreting evidence and provides strategies for evaluating its credibility and role in supporting claims. This ensures students can select robust evidence for their research papers and avoid misrepresenting sources.

The Art of Evidence

• Definition: Evidence is anything used to support a claim, including facts, data, observations, predictions, analogies, explanations, and opinions.
• Example: An analogy about eating Hawaiian pizza counts as evidence if it backs a claim.
• Quality vs. Existence: Not all evidence is good; its effectiveness depends on relevance and credibility, not just its presence.

Context Matters!

• Time refers to the historical period when the argument was created. For example, an argument from a century ago will carry different assumptions and evidence than contemporary arguments. This historical aspect is crucial when evaluating evidence. Is a statistic outdated? Has subsequent research disproven it? An outdated evidence can sometimes undermine an entire argument.
•  Purpose indicates the intent behind the argument. Is it meant to persuade you to act, purchase something, or adopt a particular ideology? Understanding an argument's purpose is key for analyzing evidence because authors select evidence that aligns with their aims. You wouldn’t use evidence that contradicts your argument unless addressing counterarguments. Thus, the evidence presented may only represent one perspective.
•  Situation pertains to how an argument relates to other competing arguments. Academic papers exist within a broader academic discourse, interacting with various other viewpoints. (Your final paper will similarly engage with other scholars' work.) A playful way to visualize this is to ask: If this paper were a tweet, who would it @?

Evidence Check!

Additionally, be vigilant about possible data misrepresentation. Occasionally, writers may gloss over weaknesses in their evidence by not portraying it accurately. 

• A statistic might be presented in a manner that distorts its actual meaning. For instance, a 100% increase in success rate may sound impressive, but if it merely reflects a rise from 1 success to 2, it’s less significant.
• An author's quote might be taken out of context, being used to support an argument they would not actually endorse.

When using scholarly articles from academic databases, it is expected that the sources they cite are reliable; however, this is not always guaranteed.

What is this evidence doing here?

Purposes of Evidence (with fictional examples):

• Identify Relationships: “National Association of Pizza Lovers found approving pineapple on pizza correlates with good grades.”
• Explain Relationships: “Experts suggest this is because open-mindedness to pineapple reflects academic flexibility.”
• Identify Trends: “Pineapple Lovers’ Association reports a 15% rise in pineapple sales in 2022.”
• Explain Trends: “Increased restaurant use of pineapple boosted the pineapple economy.”

Conclusion

We have examined various strategies for thinking critically about evidence. It’s important to remember that you don’t need to subject every piece of evidence to thorough scrutiny. Simple facts, such as statistics, can often be verified quickly to ensure they aren’t outdated.

Key Terms

Research Question: A research question is a clearly defined query that guides the focus of a study, serving as the foundation for inquiry and investigation. It directs the research process by establishing the context, purpose, and scope, helping to formulate arguments and evaluate evidence throughout the research.