This document discusses arguments of fact and how to develop a factual argument in an essay. It explains that factual arguments aim to establish whether something is true by using evidence to support claims. It also outlines four steps to develop a factual argument: 1) identify an issue and hypothesis, 2) research the hypothesis, 3) refine the main claim, and 4) develop the main claim in the body of the essay with in-depth discussion of evidence.

1. English 104
Arguments of Fact

2. Understanding Arguments of Fact
• Factual arguments try to establish whether
something is true.
• For example:
▫ Are the claims of a scientist accurate?
▫ Is a historical legend real?
▫ Has a crime occurred?

3. Understanding Arguments of Fact
• People don’t usually argue undisputed facts
▫ Examples:
 The earth orbits the sun
 George Washington was USA’s first president
• Facts are used to support controversial
arguments that challenge people’s lifestyles and
beliefs
▫ Such as controversies about childhood obesity,
endangered species, gay rights, gender roles

4. Developing a Factual Argument
• Step 1: Identify an issue
▫ Choose a suitable topic of interest
▫ Do quick preliminary research and reading in
order to arrive at a hypothesis, i.e. a tentative
statement of your main claim/thesis statement
 Examples of hypotheses:
 “Having a dog is good for your health.”
 “Americans really did land on the moon, despite what
some people think.”

5. Developing a Factual Argument
• Step 2: Research your hypothesis
▫ Libraries and the internet can provide you with many
resources
 Find and use the best sources for your paper
 Check your facts
▫ Example: www.politifact.com and www.factcheck.org
investigate the truths behind political claims
 Use primary sources whenever possible
▫ If obtaining a quote indirectly from a secondary source, there’s
a chance the quote has been taken out of context or misquoted
 Determine which sources are the best fit for your essay and
for your audience
▫ Some reputable sources may be too technical for a general
audience. However, some accessible sources may not be
factually accurate or may be inappropriate for an academic
audience.

6. Developing a Factual Argument
• Step 3: Refine your main claim/thesis
▫ As you learn more about your topic through research,
you can revise your hypothesis accordingly, making it
more specific.
 Example:
 Hypothesis: Americans really did land on the moon, despite
what some people think.
▫ Revision: Since 1969, when the Eagle supposedly landed on
the moon, some people have been unjustifiably skeptical about
the success of the United States’ Apollo program.
▫ Final: Despite plentiful hard evidence to the contrary – from
Saturn V launches witnessed by thousands to actual moon
rocks tested by independent labs worldwide – some people
persist in believing falsely that NASA’s moon landings were
actually filmed on deserts in the American Southwest as part
of a massive propaganda fraud. (Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and
Walters 161)

7. Developing a Factual Argument
• Step 4: Develop your main claim/thesis statement
in-depth within the body of your essay.
▫ Do not simply list the evidence without discussing
precisely how each piece of evidence supports your
thesis statement
▫ Example:
 Thesis statement: Despite plentiful hard evidence to the
contrary – from Saturn V launches witnessed by
thousands to actual moon rocks tested by independent
labs worldwide – some people persist in believing falsely
that NASA’s moon landings were actually filmed on
deserts in the American Southwest as part of a massive
propaganda fraud.
 Body of the paper then goes into in-depth discussion of the
Saturn V launches, moon rocks, and the claims of conspiracy
theorists

8. Works Cited
Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith
Walters. Everything’s an Argument with Readings. 6th
ed. New
York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.