Click to edit Master title style Building an argument: PhD students session Dr Robert Wapshott...

Click to edit Master title styleBuilding an argument:PhD students session

Dr Robert WapshottCentre for Regional Economic and Enterprise Development

Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship @RobertWapshott @UoS_Management

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• Why you need an argument• One approach…• Starting points – the essentials• Building your arguments• Counter arguments?• Discussions and conclusions

Session Structure


• It is your job to persuade your reader(ship) to see things your way

• You can attempt this through assertion but this can be easily dismantled in the academic context

• it’s a safer bet to achieve this through ordered persuasion with supporting logic and / or evidence

Why you need an argument


• This is a reflection on how I think I go about building an argument

• I will highlight key points and ideas

• It is not the only way to build an argument• It is, ultimately, a practical skill that you develop

through applying yourself and seeing what works for you and your ideas

One approach


• As obvious as it may sound, before you can start building your arguments you need your raw materials!

• There’s no substitute for intelligent reading and building understanding

• Read, read, read – copy & paste, NVivo, other• Reflect – what do you think? (your informed opinion)

Starting points – the essentials


• As obvious as it may sound, before you can start building your arguments you need your raw materials!

• There’s no substitute for intelligent reading and building understanding

• Read, read, read – copy & paste, NVivo, other• Reflect – what do you think? (your informed opinion)

Building your arguments


• Once you know what you think, you need to consider carefully why you think that – what are the most persuasive texts and arguments in your view?

• Identify the essence of those key points and identify what makes them so persuasive

• Summarise the key points and why you find them so persuasive



• There’s a good chance that to make your contribution you need to synthesise several areas of literature

• Taking each key area of literature, as it relates to your research topic or study, consider the key points and how they link between those areas

• What is the best order to link those points together?

• If pieces don’t fit … does your argument work? Do you need to conduct further reading? Are you overloading your points?



• Plan your paragraphs – one point per paragraph • Work with key literature and focus on making your

point – you’re aiming to persuade here so make a case

• (see introductory sections of papers in your field)



• While you need an appreciation of alternative explanations and literature that contests the viewpoint you find persuasive, you don’t need to give all points equal weighting

• Make your case first• If alternative explanations must be addressed, then

you need to kill them off as you go – building your argument and showing why your view is better than the (limited) alternatives

• Do not get into ‘flip flopping’ with ‘on the one hand…but on the other hand…’ say something!

Counter-arguments?


• Draw together your arguments from the first part of the paper / document

• Link with the empirical evidence you have presented to reinforce the point you are making

• Hammer home the point in the conclusion

Discussion and conclusions

Click to edit Master title style

Click to edit Master title style Building an argument: PhD students session Dr Robert Wapshott...

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