Claims vs Evidence

Combining Claims and Evidence
Common Problems
Too many claims:
saying a lot without backing it up with evidence
unsubstantiated claims
vagueness

Too much evidence:
no claims about the evidence
point of evidence in paper is unclear

Connection between evidence and claims unclear
Evidence
Use evidence to back up and further your claims, complicate or test your ideas, and to develop your analysis
Give evidence by summarizing, quoting, paraphrasing
What might you use as evidence in your analysis paper?

Watkins article
Yours and your classmates' experiment results

Claims
Combining Evidence and Claims
Avoid long passages of summary

Slow down - focus on making interpretations about specific pieces of evidence; elaborate on your claims

Always explain the connection between your claims and evidence
explain quotes
use relevant evidence
use transitions
Claims-Evidence Sequence
When writing an analysis, you must make interpretations and claims. What might you make claims about in your analysis paper?
Class's multimedia results: your interpretations of the results, and your overall experience
Watkins article: your thoughts and interpretations of certain claims he makes, the evidence he uses, etc.
Back up all of your claims with evidence
1.) Make a claim

2.) Give evidence - quote, paraphrase, summary

3.) Explain Evidence - "In other words..."

4.) How does the evidence complicate or develop your claim? Make a claim about the evidence
It's important to have a balance of claims (what you think) and evidence (support for what you think) when writing an analysis.
*This sequence should be repeated all throughout your paper, several times.