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Courtesy the Odegaard Writing & Research Center
http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
Adapted from UW Expository Writing Program handouts
Top 6 Myths About Claims for Academic Arguments
Myth #1: A claim should be general so that lots of evidence in the text will support
its argument.
Correction: Usually, a really broad claim can only be supported by really broad evidence,
which ends up describing rather than arguing. So be specific, be concrete, be focused. Think
carefully about what you are trying to argue, what the stakes of your argument are, and
use relevant quotes from your supporting material to help you generate a specific claim.
Myth #2: A claim shouldn’t include everything the paper is going to say because
then it “gives it all away” and eliminates the suspense.
Correction: An argument essay is not a mystery novel—you want to be clear about where
you are going with your argument so the reader can follow and understand and believe you.
This is not to say that you need to make your claim an obvious road map nor does it have
to be paragraphs long. State what it is you are trying to do, what it is you are trying to
argue, and how you plan to accomplish it. The rest of your paper can flesh out your main
claim with subclaims, specific quotes, telling details, examples, and evidence.
Myth #3: A claim should never be longer than a sentence.
Correction: While your claim will tell you where you need to go, don‟t feel trapped inside the
five-paragraph essay. Do present the information in a reasonable manner and place
emphasis appropriately so the reader knows what is important and what is not.
Myth #4: You can present the essay you are reading and working from and the
present your ideas. The connection between them will be obvious.
Correction: Don‟t confuse a claim, an argument for a thesis statement or a topic sentence.
Your claim may fit into one sentence or it may require more space to fully outline, develop,
and express. Depending on the length of your essay and the complexity of your argument,
your claim should fit the project at hand.
Myth #5: A claim should present a theme and provide 3 examples of that theme.
Correction: Remember that the essays you read for your assignments are in support of your
ideas, your argument. How can you apply relevant material and ideas and methods and
critiques drawn from an essay to your own claim? Writing is all about making connections
and making explicit the ways your ideas mix, mingle, and reciprocate other writers‟ ideas.
Obviously, proper citation and attribution must be maintained.
Myth #6: A claim should be true or correct beyond a doubt so the reader “buys”
the argument.
Correction: Constructing an argument and substantiating a claim is rarely entirely black-or-
white, on-or-off, all or nothing. Argumentative writing is about being able to articulate a
position and argue it using academic evidence. In fact, in your research you may find
yourself disagreeing with sources at one point and agreeing with them later in the same
essay. Arguments are often a mixture of assertion, acknowledgement, confirmation,
refutation, and concession. Complex claims rarely have a single right or wrong answer;
rather they are provocations, analyses, explications, or applications of concepts, theories,
and ideas.