1.4. Building Your Argument

An argument is the main idea of your essay or thesis, also called a "claim", "thesis" or "hypothesis".  An argument is directly linked to academic conversation the scholars work on and is supported by data or evidence that supports the idea. In academic texts, the author tries to convince the reader of an arguments they defend by presenting proves, findings, interpretations, and comparing with other studies about a subject. Therefore, Fahy (2008) characterizes academic writing as a form of a debate contains logical argument. Thus, a scientific argument should have “clearly defined topic” and one “side” of and academic debate.   

Since the argument in academic texts is the main claim of the study, in academic writing it can be presented more than once and in different ways.

• Presenting the argument in the abstract: Generally, readers when skimming read the abstract to see if the study is really relevant to their research. It is therefore important to mention the argument in the abstract to appeal to your potential readers.
• Presenting the argument in the literature review: Since academic studies aim to persuade the reader as a party to an academic debate, the literature review includes the a lot of different arguments that different studies defend in the field of similar subject matter. For this reason, expressing your argument in the literature review reveals what your study will contribute to the literature and what it can offer differently from previous studies.
• Presenting the argument in the discussion: The discussion section is where you compare the results of your academic study with other related academic studies in the literature, confirming the studies that support your results and emphasizing your differentiating results.  Therefore, by presenting your argument in the discussion section by discussing it with the results of other academic studies, you can demonstrate the contribution of your study to the literature and the originality of the study you have designed. 

As a result, argument can be presented more than once and in different ways in academic writing. First, it is important to present the argument in the summary section. Because readers often look at the abstract to determine whether the study is relevant to their research. Next, articulating the argument in the literature review reveals how the study will contribute to the literature and how it may differ from previous studies. Finally, presenting the argument in the discussion section helps to demonstrate the contribution of the study to the literature and the originality of the designed study by comparing the results of the study with other relevant academic studies. In this way, presenting the argument in different parts of the academic text highlights the contributions and originality of the work.

When you create your study’s argument you need to use some scientific information already existed such as empirical, theoretically and practice-based data. Then, in order to provide originality of the research, you need to define connections and distinctions between your studies and others in literature. Murray (2013) offers some questions to hone your own argument as;

• What are the connections between your work and the work of other scholars and researchers?
• What are the distinctions between your work and theirs?
• What is the main connection between your paper and their publications?
• What is the main distinction between your paper and theirs?

In other words, existing scientific data should be used to create the argument of the study and the connections and differences between this data and other studies in the literature should be identified. Murray (2013) suggests some questions to improve this process. These questions include identifying the  study's connections and differences with another research.

Ritzenberg and Mendelsohn (2021) suggested eight templates for developing arguments in their book of “How scholars write”.  These templates can be used in line with the aim of the study and the way arguments were created.

According to Table 3, Ritzenberg and Mendelsohn (2021) present eight different templates of argument construction in academic writing. These templates are based on themes of common understanding and complication, whole and part, piece and part, form and function, presence and absence, expectation and observation, assertion of a new scientific problem, and assertion of a new project. For example, one template used in constructing an argument is called the "Common Understanding and Complication Template" and aims to challenge a common belief of a topic and then reveal its complexity. Each template provides effective ways to present argument in different sections of academic writing.