Elise and Jessica What is Evidence Evidence concerns

Elise and Jessica

What is Evidence? • “Evidence concerns facts (actual or asserted) intended for use in support of a conclusion”. –World Health Organization

Finding Evidence • Journal articles, scholarly books, records from archives, personal observations, fieldwork and surveys • How evidence was collected, by whom, and for what purposes may become part of the argument itself

Considering the Rhetorical Situation • Evidence should match your rhetorical situation • Quantitative data may be the best evidence – the sort that can be observed and counted

Some Questions to help you understand the rhetorical situation of a particular field • How are statistics or other numerical information used and presented as evidence? • Are tables, charts, or graphs commonly used? – How much weight do they carry? • What or who counts as an authority in this field?

Using Data and Evidence from Research Sources • Academic arguments – books, articles, films, documents, photographs – can be found in libraries, databases, or online • Explore library resources: printed works and databases • Explore online resources

Explore library resources • • Printed materials: books, periodicals, reference works Databases Nonprint sources: audiotapes, videotapes, artwork, or photos Narrow your searches (by data, field, types of material) Searches with keywords – Limit (or expand) your search Determine early on how current your sources need to be Read enough sources to feel comfortable discussing it with someone with more knowledge than you – need to come off as well informed

Collecting Data on Your Own • Perform experiments – Academic arguments can be supported by evidence you gather through experiments – Experiments should be taken with a grain of salt

Make observations • Requires concentration • Make sure that the observation relates directly to your claim • The way you record data will affect the outcome – in respect to what you decide to include in your observational notes and what you leave out • Record the precise data, time, and place of the observation

Conduct interviews • Expert opinion, firsthand accounts, biographical information • Some good guidelines to conduct effective interviews – Determine the exact purpose of the interview, and be sure it’s directly related to your claim – Prepare a written list of both factual and openended questions – Record the subject’s full name and title, as well as the date, time, and place of the interview – Can be eye-opening

Use questionnaires to conduct surveys • “yes” or “no” or ranking them on a scale are particularly easy to tabulate • Limit the number of questions you ask • Some guidelines to help prepare for and carry out a survey – Brainstorm potential questions to include in the survey – Figure out how many people you want to contact, what the demographics of your sample should be and how you plan to reach these people – Short, specific questions – Test the questions on people first – Proofread

• Evidence can be used to support a conclusion, but it is not the same as a conclusion. Evidence alone does not make decisions. – World Health Organization