a claim essay meaning

What Is a Claim in an Essay? Read This Before Writing

What is a claim in an essay?

In this article, you’ll find the essay claim definition, characteristics, types, and examples. Let’s learn where to use claims and how to write them.

Get ready for up-to-date and practical information only!

What Is a Claim in Writing?

A claim is the core argument defining an essay’s goal and direction. (1) It’s assertive, debatable, and supported by evidence. Also, it is complex, specific, and detailed.

Also known as a thesis, a claim is a little different from statements and opinions. Keep reading to reveal the nuances.

Claims vs. statements vs. opinions

Where to use claims.

To answer the “What is claim in writing?”, it’s critical to understand that this definition isn’t only for high school or college essays. Below are the types of writing with claims:

• Argumentative articles. Consider a controversial issue, proving it with evidence throughout your paper.
• Literary analysis. Build a claim about a book , and use evidence from it to support your claim.
• Research papers. Present a hypothesis and provide evidence to confirm or refute it.
• Speeches. State a claim and persuade the audience that you’re right.
• Persuasive essays and memos. State a thesis and use fact-based evidence to back it up..

What can you use as evidence in essays?

• Facts and other data from relevant and respectful resources (no Wikipedia or other sources like this)
• Primary research
• Secondary research (science magazines’ articles, literature reviews, etc.)
• Personal observation
• Expert quotes (opinions)
• Info from expert interviews

How to Write a Claim in Essays

Two points to consider when making a claim in a college paper:

First, remember that a claim may have counterarguments. You’ll need to respond to them to make your argument stronger. Use transition words like “despite,” “yet,” “although,” and others to show those counterclaims.

Second, good claims are more complex than simple “I’m right” statements. Be ready to explain your claim, answering the “So what?” question.

And now, to details:

Types of claims in an essay (2)

Writing a claim: details to consider.

What makes a good claim? Three characteristics (3):

• It’s assertive. (You have a strong position about a topic.)
• It’s specific. (Your assertion is as precise as possible.)
• It’s provable. (You can prove your position with evidence.)

When writing a claim, avoid generalizations, questions, and cliches. Also, don’t state the obvious.

• Poor claim: Pollution is bad for the environment.
• Good claim: At least 25% of the federal budget should be spent upgrading businesses to clean technologies and researching renewable energy sources to control or cut pollution.

How to start a claim in an essay?

Answer the essay prompt. Use an active voice when writing a claim for readers to understand your point. Here is the basic formula:

When writing, avoid:

• First-person statements
• Emotional appeal
• Cluttering your claim with several ideas; focus on one instead

How long should a claim be in an essay?

1-2 sentences. A claim is your essay’s thesis: Write it in the first paragraph (intro), presenting a topic and your position about it.

Examples of Claims

Below are a few claim examples depending on the type. I asked our expert writers to provide some for you to better understand how to write it.

Feel free to use them for inspiration, or don’t hesitate to “steal” if they appear relevant to your essay topic. Also, remember that you can always ask our writers to assist with a claim for your papers.

Final Words

Now that you know what is a claim in an essay, I hope you don’t find it super challenging to write anymore. It’s like writing a thesis statement; make it assertive, specific, and provable.

If you still have questions or doubts, ask Writing-Help writers for support. They’ll help you build an A-worthy claim for an essay.

References:

• https://www.pvcc.edu/files/making_a_claim.pdf
• https://lsa.umich.edu/content/dam/sweetland-assets/sweetland-documents/teachingresources/TeachingArgumentation/Supplement2_%20SixCommonTypesofClaim.pdf  
• https://students.tippie.uiowa.edu/sites/students.tippie.uiowa.edu/files/2022-05/effective_claims.pdf
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What Is a Claim in Writing? Definition, Types, & Examples

• February 20, 2024
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What is a claim in writing, claim of fact, claim of value, claim of policy, types of writing with claims, examples of claims in writing, what is the difference between claims, opinions and facts, why do we use claims in writing, what is a counterclaim in writing, faqs on claim in writing, we also recommend.

When it comes to writing, making a claim is a crucial aspect of building a strong argument. But what exactly is a claim? Essentially, a claim is a statement that asserts a particular point or position on a specific topic. Claims serve as the foundation for persuasive writing and are essential for effectively making your case to your audience.

Understanding the different types of claims and how to effectively use them can greatly enhance the persuasiveness of your writing. Whether you are writing an essay, a research paper, or a persuasive speech, knowing how to craft strong claims is key to convincing your audience of your point of view.

In this article, we will explore the definition of a claim in writing, the various types of claims you can make, and provide examples to help you better understand how claims function in different contexts. By mastering the art of making compelling claims, you can elevate the quality of your writing and make a more convincing argument every time.

A claim in writing is the core argument defining an essay’s goal and direction. It’s assertive, debatable, and supported by evidence. Also, it is complex, specific, and detailed.

Think of a claim as a specific, debatable statement you, the writer, intend to prove or support. It’s the central argument in your essay, the core message of your blog post , and the foundation of your persuasive pitch. Unlike opinions, which are subjective beliefs without the burden of proof, claims demand justification. They’re the battle cry, the call to action, inviting your reader to join you on a quest for understanding and agreement.

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What Are The Types Of Claims In Writing?

There are three types of claims:  claims of fact, claims of value, and claims of policy . Each type of claim focuses on a different aspect of a topic. To best participate in an argument, it is beneficial to understand the type of claim that is being argued.

A claim of fact declares the existence, current presence, or future occurrence of something measurable. The core issue within a factual claim revolves around the reasonableness of the stated fact. To put it differently, a claim of fact engages in a discussion about the accuracy or inaccuracy, validity or invalidity, truth or falsehood of the statement. When making such assertions, our reasoning typically progresses from the known to the unknown. Claims of fact also center on examining cause-and-effect relationships.

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A claim of value makes qualitative assessments of people, things, and events in one’s surroundings on a good-to-bad continuum. You have made a valuable claim if you formulate an opinion that says something is good, terrible, or superior to another. Claims of worth include things like “Indian food is the best food of all,” “The Wizard of Oz is the greatest movie of all time,” and “Snowboarding is the greatest way to spend a vacation.”

A claim of policy makes the assertion that someone should or shouldn’t do a certain action. It suggests that a certain course of action ought to be followed, however, it’s not a given that it will. The conditional verb “should,” which indicates that a certain action ought to be taken but not that it must or will be taken, is crucial when making a claim about policy. For example, “Students should read the assigned text material before the instructor lectures on it,” or “The United States should send a manned expedition to Mars.”

Here’s a list of the types of writing with claims:

• Argumentative articles.  Consider a controversial issue, proving it with evidence throughout your paper.
• Literary analysis.  Build a claim about a book, and use evidence from it to support your claim.
• Research papers.  Present a hypothesis and provide evidence to confirm or refute it.
• Speeches.  State a claim and persuade the audience that you’re right.
• Persuasive essays and memos.  State a thesis and use fact-based evidence to back it up..

What can you use as evidence in essays?

• Facts and other data from relevant and respectful resources (no Wikipedia or other sources like this)
• Primary research
• Secondary research (science magazines’ articles, literature reviews, etc.)
• Personal observation
• Expert quotes (opinions)
• Info from expert interviews

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Here’s a rundown of examples of claims based on types:

Here’s how claims differentiate themselves from their close cousins:

• Opinions:  These are personal beliefs, unsupported by evidence. Saying “Pizza is the best food ever” is an opinion, not a claim.
• Facts:  These are verifiable truths, independent of interpretation. “The Earth revolves around the Sun” is a fact, not a claim.
• Claims:  These are debatable propositions that require evidence to be convincing. “Eating spicy food boosts metabolism” is a claim, as it needs proof to be accepted.

All forms of writing rely on claims to maintain the interest of the reader, give characters more nuance and depth, and convey the author’s own viewpoint on the issues covered.

The objective of a claim in writing is to persuade the reader of anything. Claims drive the reader towards a specific solution, even when they may not agree with the author’s statement at first or may need more information to come to their own opinion. If a reader already concurs with an author’s assertion, the material offered just strengthens and validates the reader’s position.

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When someone presents an alternative argument to your claim, that is a counterclaim. Another word for a counterclaim is a rebuttal. When someone presents a counterclaim, they are making a claim of their own. It will be up to them to state their counterclaim, and then seek to back it up with evidence (just as you did when making the initial claim).

A claim is a statement that asserts a particular stance or viewpoint, while an opinion is a subjective expression of personal beliefs or preferences.

Make your claims more persuasive by providing clear evidence, avoiding overgeneralization, and addressing potential counterarguments.

Writers should be cautious when making claims without sufficient evidence or in areas where the topic is highly subjective and lacks objectivity.

It depends on the nature of the evidence and the claims. In some cases, a well-supported piece of evidence may contribute to multiple related claims.

Claims in writing showcase the diverse ways in which writers express their perspectives and influence their audience. Whether rooted in facts, values, or policies, claims form the bedrock of effective communication. Crafting and evaluating claims require a thoughtful approach, ensuring that writers engage their readers with clarity, evidence, and nuance.

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Claim Definition

A statement essentially arguable, but used as a primary point to support or prove an argument is called a claim. If somebody gives an argument to support his position, it is called “making a claim.” Different reasons are usually presented to prove why a certain point should be accepted as logical. A general model is given below to explain the steps followed in making a claim:

Premise 1 Premise 2 Premise 3 … Premise N Therefore, Conclusion

In this model, the symbol and the dots before it signify that the number of premises used for proving an argument may vary. The word “therefore” shows that the conclusion will be restating the main argument, which was being supported all the way through.

With the help of a claim, one can express a particular stance on an issue that is controversial, so as to verify it as a logically sound idea. In case of a complex idea, it is always wise to start by classifying the statements you are about to put forward. Many times, the claims you make stay unnoticed because of the complex sentence structure; specifically, where the claims and their grounds are intertwined. However, a rhetorical performance, such as a speech or an essay , is typically made up of a single central claim, and most of the content contains several supporting arguments for that central claim.

Types of Claim

There are many types of claim used in literature, and all of them have their own significance. The type that we will be discussing here has great importance in writing and reading about literature because it is used frequently to build arguments. It is called evaluative claim .

Evaluative claims involve the assessment or judgment of the ideas in the original piece. They have been divided further into two types: ethical judgment and aesthetic judgment. As the name implies, aesthetic judgment revolves around deciding whether or not a piece of writing fulfills artistic standards.

You can easily find evaluative claim examples in book reviews. This type is about assessing an argument, or the entire essay on ethical, social, political, and philosophical grounds, and determining whether an idea is wise, good, commendable, and valid. The evaluative and interpretive claims typically consist of well-versed viewpoints. Where interpretive claims strive to explain or clarify the views communicated in and by the text, evaluative claims study the validity of those views by drawing comparison between them and the writer’s own opinions.

Claim Examples

Interpretive claims, example #1: animal farm (by george orwell).

The great thing about Animal Farm by George Orwell is that it has presented all animals equal in the eyes of the laws framed by them. They framed Ten Commandments when they expelled Mr. Jones from Manor Farm, and this rule, “ All animals are equal ,” became a shibboleth for them.

This interpretive claim presents an argument about the exploration of the meanings, and the evidence that is given within quotation marks has been interpreted as well.

Similarly, “To be or not to be…” is an evidence of the excessive thinking of Prince Hamlet in the play Hamlet , written by William Shakespeare . If a person interprets the play, he has evidence to support his claim. Papers on literary analysis are treasure troves of examples of claim.

Evaluative Claims

Example #2: animal farm (by george orwell).

As the majority of the animals were in the process of framing rules, it was understood that, although rats and several other animals were not present, whatsoever had four legs is an animal, and therefore is equal to any other animal. Hence, a general rule was framed that whatever walks on four legs is good. Later on, birds (having two wings and two legs) and other non-four-legged animals were also considered as animals. Therefore, all are equal.

Now this argument clearly shows the judgment given at the end, but it is after evaluation of the whole situation presented in the novel . This is called evaluative claim.

Function of Claim

The role of claims in writing any narrative or script is essential. If used correctly, they can strengthen the argument of your standpoint. The distinction between different types of claim can be highly confusing, and sometimes complicated. For instance, a composition that claims that Vogel’s play gives out a socially and ethically impolite message about abuse, can also assert that the play is aesthetically flawed. A composition that goes on developing and advocating an interpretive claim about another script shows that it at least deserves philosophical or aesthetical interpretation. On the other hand, developing an evaluative claim about a composition always remains in need of a certain level of interpretation.

Hence, the dissimilarities are subtle, and can only be identified after close and profound observation; but all things considered, they are important. Thus, lest it is suggested you do otherwise, you must always leave the evaluative claims for conclusions, and make your essay an interpretive claim.

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What Is a Claim in an Essay? Unpacking the Core Element with Writing Tips

Picture yourself as a captain steering your ship, a.k.a. your essay, across a wild ocean of ideas. Your secret weapon? The claim. It’s not just some fancy statement – it’s the backbone of your essay, the big point you’re itching to make and stand by.

Getting the hang of crafting a killer claim is like hitting the jackpot for any essay writer. It sets the mood, points the way, and basically makes or breaks your essay. So, let’s dive deep into what makes a claim tick.

What’s a Claim, Anyway?

Think of a claim as your essay’s thesis or main argument. It’s way more than an opinion. It’s a bold, assertive statement that lays down the foundation of your argument. Depending on your essay’s vibe, claims can come in different flavors:

• Factual claims ─ The straight-up truths, like “The Earth does its dance around the Sun.”
• Definitional claims ─ The “what’s what” of things, like “Genetically modified munchies can totally be called organic.”
• Cause and effect claims ─ The “this led to that” stuff, like “Scrolling through Insta all day shoots up anxiety in teens.”
• Value claims ─ Your judgment call, like “Free speech is the lifeblood of democracy, no question.”
• Policy claims ─ The “let’s shake things up” kind, like “Making buses free could clear up city smog.”

Figuring out your type of claim is like choosing the right gear before setting off on an essay adventure.

Building a Rock-Solid Claim

A solid claim is like a good cup of coffee – clear, strong, specific, and just what you need:

• Clear as day ─ It’s got to be easy to get, no beating around the bush.
• Open for debate ─ A tasty claim gets people talking, not just nodding along.
• Specific ─ It zeros in on your essay’s heart, with no wandering off.
• Relevant ─ It’s got to jive with your essay’s main jam.

Cooking Up a Strong Claim

Crafting a top-notch claim? It’s like making a masterpiece. Start broad, then get down to the nitty-gritty:

• Brainstorm central ─ Kick off by throwing ideas around. Ask questions, scribble thoughts, and play with different angles.
• Idea filter ─ Sift through your thoughts, and pick the ones that have that zing of debate.
• Wordplay ─ Your choice of words and tone is key. Be bold, but keep it in line with your essay’s style .
• Learning by example ─ Check out strong and weak claims to see what makes or breaks them.

Rooting Your Claim with Evidence

Your claim needs roots, like a tree. That’s your evidence – the stuff that makes your claim stand up tall:

• Back it up ─ Throw in facts, stats, expert say-so, and real-life tales to beef up your claim.
• Keep It balanced ─ Your evidence should be like a good sidekick – supportive but not stealing the spotlight.
• Counterpunch ─ Tackle the naysayers head-on. It shows you’ve done your homework and you’re not afraid of a little debate.

Claims in Different Essay Worlds

Your claim shifts gears depending on your essay type:

• Analytical essays ─ Here, you’re dissecting stuff like books or historical events to dig out hidden treasures.
• Argumentative essays ─ You’re taking a stand on a hot-button issue, backed by evidence that packs a punch.
• Expository essays ─ You’re the explainer, shining a light on concepts, often with a “here’s the 411” vibe.

Watch Out for These Slip-Ups

Even seasoned essay sailors can hit rough waters:

• Overgeneralizing ─ Steers clear of claims that are too broad. Specific is terrific.
• Evidence MIA ─ Don’t leave your claims hanging without backup. That’s just asking for trouble.
• Going in circles ─ Don’t use your claim to prove your claim. That’s like saying, “It’s true because I say so.”

Fine-tuning Your Claim Crafting a Claim Can Be a Trial-and-error Deal

• Draft city ─ Play around with different versions. Mix and match perspectives and wording.
• Revise for impact ─ Get feedback, then tweak and polish your claim until it shines.
• Open ears ─ Good feedback can turn a decent claim into a showstopper. Embrace it.

The Bottom Line

A well-crafted claim is like the heart of your essay, pumping life and direction into your arguments. Getting good at building strong claims is a game-changer for essay writing. Practice, pay attention to the details, and you’ll be churning out claims that grip your readers and don’t let go. And hey, if you hit a wall, remember there’s help out there – like  custom essay writing services – ready to give you a leg up. Keep at it, and you’ll be the master of claims in no time!

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What is a claim?

A claim is a statement that presents an idea or series of ideas as arguments. Arguments therefore consist of claims, or another way to put it is, to say that claims are the building blocks of a good argument.

In research writing, claims will be the backbone that form a thesis or a hypothesis (here the term ‘hypothesis’ refers to the argument that is evidenced within the scope of the work).

According to Heady (2013) “Claims are the points you want to prove, interpretations you want to offer, and assertions you want to make” (p. 74). Importantly, in academia claims are statements that can be supported by evidence.

‘Traditional classroom teaching is boring’

For example, claiming that traditional classroom teaching is boring is not a good claim because it lacks definition (what does ‘traditional classroom teaching’ actually mean? and how do we measure ‘boring’)? It may also be a ‘sweeping statement’ (meaning it’s far too general in scope). However, claiming that “traditional teaching methods, like didactic instruction, do not provide sufficient interaction with students and lead to poor learning outcomes” is a good argumentative claim, because it can be investigated and measured.

Characteristics of a good claim

In order to make effective claims it is important to understand the difference between statements  and  sentences. While a statement is also a sentence (in that it is a grammatical unit with subject, verb, object clause), not all sentences are statements (in other words, not all sentences consist of a stance or a position).

The following provides examples of the difference between sentences and statements. The statements present a stance or position about the topic under discussion. This is important to understand as all claims must consist of a stance towards the topic.

Function of claims

The function of claims in academic writing is to provoke, analyse, or interpret rather than merely describe or present facts. They can do this by affirming, acknowledging, confirming, or refuting the proposition being made. In this way, claims do the job of building an overall argument or thesis in a piece of work (i.e. each claim progresses the key argument). It is for this reason that claims will appear in topic sentences, thesis statements, introductory and concluding sentences/paragraphs.

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Research and Writing Skills for Academic and Graduate Researchers Copyright © 2022 by RMIT University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What Is a Claim in an Essay: Definition, Types, & Examples

• 14 April 2024
• 16 min read

Essays are important academic papers that students use to present and express their thoughts. A quality essay revolves around a central claim or thesis statement, which expresses the writer’s thoughts toward a topic, problem, or research question. The term “claim” refers to an assertion that convinces, argues, demonstrates, and suggestively implies something to a reader who agrees with or disputes it using available evidence, knowledge, or experience. These assertions differ from general statements in that others may approve or disagree with arguments. Good assertions should be clear, concise, distinct, affirmative, and easy to prove. The right step in writing a claim in an essay includes exploring the topic, asking critical questions, determining the goal of writing, and taking a unique standpoint. These phases must focus on assertions to align them with the existing knowledge and evidence for justification.  

General Aspects of Writing a Claim in an Essay

Providing a claim in an essay is the main argument that determines its complexity, effectiveness, and quality. This guideline focuses on how to write a claim in an essay and contains concise examples that people should follow to create outstanding academic papers. Anyone reading this article can understand the role of an argument in defining an essay’s direction, scope, and purpose. In different types of papers , authors must use evidence, quotations, arguments, expert opinions, statistics, and details to affirm their claims. A good argumentative statement should be specific, which helps to focus on a single idea. General assertions may make an entire essay vague and boring to readers. A good essay should contain a thesis statement as a central claim. However, each body paragraph should have supporting claims related to the thesis statement. Because all types of essays are important in communicating useful information to readers, one must make specific, believable, and justifiable assertions.

Definition of What Is a Claim and Its Meaning

A claim is an assertion that convinces, argues, demonstrates, and suggests something to a reader who agrees with or disputes it based on available knowledge and understanding. Claims are useful in an essay since they define its scope and direction. In writing an argumentative essay , students use their thoughts to make claims and support them using evidence. The nature of the main assertions determines if the targeted audience can read through, agree, or disagree with the main message of an essay. In turn, a claim statement refers to a written sentence that reflects someone’s opinion. As a result, after choosing their essay topics , authors make argumentative statements to mean expressing their thoughts regarding a subject under discussion.

Claim vs. Statement

The main difference between a claim and a statement is the levels of agreeableness. For example, a claim means a debatable statement regarding a specific issue. Although readers may not disagree with statements, they can have diverse opinions regarding an argumentative claim. On the other hand, a statement may represent facts that are not debatable. An example of a general statement is: “The first African American president of the United States was Barack Obama.” One cannot dispute this statement because it represents a fact. However, an example of a claim is: “The election of Barack Obama as the American President marked the end of racism based on skin color.” In summary, some people may disagree with this argument under existing cases of racial discrimination against African Americans during and after President Obama’s tenure.

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Types of Claims

Writers can use various types of claims to make their essays more convincing. This section explains different types of assertions when writing a claim in an essay.  

• Cause and Effect . This claim contains information about two or more phenomena regarding their origin and effect.
• Argumentative . Results from reasoning and reflects people’s opinion toward a subject. However, writers must use evidence to support any argumentative claim.
• Fact . The factual statement is useful in arguing out the truth or falsity of some assertions. One must use facts to justify the correctness or invalidity of any statement.
• Definition . This claim asserts that something is the case without providing evidence. Moreover, assertions accurately describe an object, event, or situation.
• Solution . This assertion provides an answer to an existing problem or question of interest and responds directly to an inquiry or an existing doubt.
• V alue . The value argument is a statement about what people should regard as worthwhile. Such claims should show different policies, things, beliefs, and facts that humans regard as more valuable than others.
• Comparative . The comparative claim refers to an assertion that relates different objects or things to reveal their differences or similarities. Comparisons are necessary for showing the diversity of objects to enable readers to make informed choices depending on their needs.
• Importance . This claim reveals the significance of a statement, information, object, or even opinion. An assertion of importance should convince the audience that an item is better than other similar things.

4 Easy Steps for Writing a Strong Claim for an Argumentative Essay

Developing a claim for an argumentative essay should contend for a certain interpretation or understanding debate topics . For example, students must understand a specific subject and take a position to justify it. However, the main assertion may contradict popular opinions regarding the subject. In turn, one must provide justifiable evidence to affirm any position taken. The following are the necessary steps that students should take to write a suitable claim for an argumentative essay.

Step 1: Exploring a Specific Topic

The first step in writing a claim for an argumentative essay is to explore sensitive or controversial debate topics . In this case, one must do preliminary research on the selected or assigned topic to develop concrete ideas for possible arguments. The information gathered should allow writers to support and justify a specific position. For example, if the topic concerns global warming, one may gather evidence to justify why cutting down trees is a major cause of heat waves experienced in different parts of the world.

Step 2: Asking Questions

The second step of making a claim in an essay should involve narrowing it down to a specific subject by asking critical questions regarding the evidence gathered. This stage is necessary to enable authors to determine the quality of the information obtained on the subject. Interrogating the evidence allows one to determine if the selected side of the argument is valid and convincing. As a result, examining the topic may lead to identifying possible counterclaims and valid opposite arguments.

Step 3: Determining an Essay’s Goal

Reviewing the assignment briefing to understand the primary goal of the argument is an important step in developing a strong claim. In this stage, writers should develop a deeper understanding of the primary goal of making a good argument. The resulting insights are necessary to focus the essay’s scope and develop a claim that challenges the target readers’ opinions. Besides, reviewing the goals is essential in refuting what one assumes to be true. On the other hand, reviewing the essay’s goals is important in combining related and relevant ideas. Even if argumentative essays focus on multiple issues, quality papers should address a central theme guided by a clear thesis statement. In turn, writers must connect related ideas to make refutable claims demonstrating a clear stand on the main subject.

Step 4: Taking a Unique Standpoint

The fourth step should involve a unique standpoint to make a refutable argument. Most students need to start stating arguable facts followed by straightforward claims. A quality essay should contain a unique argument that convinces the audience to develop an alternative thought on the subject. Moreover, students should critically evaluate the obtained evidence and deduce a unique position to argue about. As a result, all sides taken should rebut popular beliefs and truths and affirm a distinctive position.

Types of Essays, Use of Claims, and Difference

Different academic articles should have unique claims. In this case, students should identify the type of essay to make a suitable assertion, including a hook . The most common types of academic work encountered during academic studies include a research paper , an argumentative essay, a persuasive speech , a literary analysis , a persuasive essay , a rhetorical analysis, and a memo . This section contains information on the type of assertions one should make when writing these papers.  

• Research Paper . Claims used in this work should provide insights into specific research topics by informing readers more about the main idea or argument. Assertions used in research papers should lead to a greater understanding of the subject instead of presenting different viewpoints.
• Argumentative Essay . Central claims used in this paper should take a clearly defined stance on a subject to allow writers to build an evidence-based case to support all positions. The most unique feature of argumentative claims is that they should be questionable.  
• Persuasive Speech . Students should present convincing opinions, ideas, or assertions. Such claims are useful in swaying or influencing people’s beliefs, attitudes, values, or behaviors.  
• Literary Analysis . Possible assertions used in literary analysis papers should affirm a certain position as truthful. Writers can make factual or judgmental claims to express their point of view, interpretation, evaluation, or critical assessment of a literary work.
• Persuasive Essay . Claims used in this type of paper should convince the audience to accept a certain point of view. A persuasive assertion should openly communicate the central theme or idea presented in an essay and affirm its credibility.
• Rhetorical Analysis . The claim used in rhetorical analysis should reflect the evidence or appeals used in a piece of work to convince readers. One should mention the rhetorical devices and appeals used in the specific work under evaluation.
• Memo . The primary purpose of writing a memorandum is to inform a group of professionals about a specific problem, solution, event, or situation relevant to their institution. The claim used in a memo should state the proposed solution to a problem and important points on the identified course of action.

Types of Evidence for Writing Claims

• Expert Opinions . Professionals in various areas of specialists give opinions regarding issues that contain credible information. Such views are important in shaping claims for an essay focusing on current issues.  
• Interviews . Researchers gather first-hand evidence by interviewing participants affected by a problem under investigation. Analysis of obtained views and opinions of participants should inform the formation of a central claim in an essay.
• Direct Observation . Scholars may observe how humans behave in their natural settings without informing them. The findings may lead to the development of convincing claims regarding social behaviors.  
• Examples of Past Experience . Examples from past incidents allow people to gain unique insights regarding real-life issues. One may use the information to develop an argumentative claim for an essay.  
• Primary Research . Through primary research, students obtain first-hand evidence and knowledge, contributing to understanding real-life issues. The conclusion drawn from such studies is good for developing credible assertions for research papers.  
• Synthesis of Secondary Research . Scholars present their research findings in journal articles and reports. One can draw evidence from secondary sources to develop a claim for argumentative or persuasive essays on specific issues or topics of interest.   
• Facts, Statistics, or Other Data . Historical facts, statistics obtained from primary research, and other forms of credible sources are crucial in justifying an assumption, a hypothesis , or a theory under analysis. Critical evaluation of these reliable sources of information can lead to claims for memos, persuasive speeches, and various types of essays.

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Topic Examples for Making Claims in an Essay

Research Paper Topics

• Excessive Use of Social Media Platforms Enhances Academic Performance Among Teenagers
• Children From Divorced Families Demonstrate Greater Psychological Resilience
• Low Salaries Are the Primary Cause of Corruption in Modern Societies

Argumentative Essay Topics

• Impacts of Technology on Society
• The Ethical Implications of Gene Editing: A Paradigm Shift in Medicine
• Roles of Parental Attachment in Child Development
• Balancing School Curriculum: Is Art Education as Important as Science?
• Pros and Cons of Self-Driving Vehicles: Evaluating Safety and Efficiency
• It Is Ethical for Doctors to Modify Unborn Fetuses to Meet Their Parents’ Desires Genetically
• The Government Should Ban Social Media Platforms That Collect Users’ Data Without Consent
• Abortion Is a Fundamental Right for Women

Persuasive Speech Topics

• Reimagining the Role of Technology in Enhancing Sports Performance
• Martin Luther King’s Speech “I Have a Dream” Changed People’s Lives
• Doctors Should Embrace Art and Music Therapy to Enhance the Healing Process
• Students Should Learn an Instrument in School to Boost Their Creativity
• Introverts Make Great Leaders Than Extroverts

Literary Analysis Essay Topics

• Great Gatsby Essay: The American Dream, Pursuit, and Corruption
• Gender Roles in “The Great Gatsby”
• Flower Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily”
• Endurance in “The Old Man and the Sea”

Persuasive Essay Topics

• Childhood Vaccinations and Their Importance in Society
• Local Governments Should Regulate Gambling and Betting
• Teenagers Should Be Allowed to Acquire Driving Licenses
• Poverty Lowers Academic Achievement

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Topics

• Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”
• Problems in Education and Ken Robinson’s “Do Schools Kill Creativity”
• Analysis Essay of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Speech “I Call for You to Do More”
• Evaluating the Speech Writing Power in President Obama’s Inaugural Speech
• Analyzing the Ise of Rhetorical Devices in Harry Porter

Memo Topics

• Explaining Human Resource Policy Change
• Company Budget Cuts
• Summary of the 2023 Action Plan

Examples of Claims for Essays

• Abortion is a fundamental right for women – Although some scholars argue that abortion is unethical because it terminates the life of an innocent fetus, women have a fundamental right to make decisions regarding their bodies, especially when they face terminal health risks.
• Children from divorced families demonstrate greater psychological resilience – Because kids experience social and economic challenges, they develop greater psychological resilience as a coping mechanism.  
• Doctors should embrace art and music therapy to enhance the healing process – Doctors should include a method as an intervention to lower stress among admitted patients and enhance recovery because art and music create a soothing effect to enhance psychological well-being.
• Gender roles in “The Great Gatsby” – The novel “The Great Gatsby” reflects on opposing values of social models through different female characters who become objectified by men.  
• Poverty lowers academic achievement – Because parents from low-income families cannot afford quality education, academic achievement among their children remains lower than those from middle- or high-income backgrounds.
• Evaluating the rhetorical devices in Harry Porter – J. K. Rowling used literary devices, such as irony, symbolism, contrasting characters, pathos, and ethos, to present the theme of death.
• Explaining human resource policy change – The board of directors agreed that employees must take their scheduled annual leave without fail to promote psychological resilience.

What to Include in a Claim Paragraph

A claim paragraph should contain adequate information to explain the focus of an essay or research paper. One should include an attention-getter or start with a quote to attract readers’ attention to go through the information provided. The passage should contain background information about the topic presented in the paper to provide the target audience with a glimpse of the main ideas. Other important details include the main argument of the essay’s thesis statement.

Thesis Statement as a Claim in an Essay

A central claim may serve as a thesis statement in an essay. Academic papers should have an introduction with an argumentative thesis statement, which serves as a central claim. In this case, the main assertions should be last sentences of a college essay introduction , which provide the paper’s overview and focus when used as a thesis statement.  

A hypothesis in a research paper represents a statement that requires testing for validation. Such a claim represents an unvalidated relationship between independent and dependent variables. Researchers state their assumptions or predictions about what their research results will confirm. This statement represents a tentative answer to the research question. In this case, hypotheses do not represent claims because they indicate unjustified answers that may be correct or wrong.

The results from a research paper refer to the confirmed and justified findings. Scholars use available evidence, theories, and results to test and affirm hypotheses. In turn, conclusion examples made become the findings in specific research work. Besides, these results may take a form of claims since they represent a justifiable or debatable position on a topic of interest.  

Body Paragraphs

A typical paragraph should have a topic sentence or claim, supporting evidence, and explanations. For example, any claim in an essay should begin with a statement followed by supporting evidence. One must provide a clear explanation linking the evidence to the assertion. In turn, justifications provided should link all claims to a central thesis statement.

What Is a Counter Claim and Its Meaning for an Essay

A counterclaim refers to a statement that refutes a central argument in an essay. Different scholars have unique views regarding a specific topic. Such opposing thoughts reveal an alternative way of understanding the subject. For instance, opposers in a debate make counterclaims to contest the motion, while proposers make assertions and rebuttals to counter opposing statements. In this case, rebuttals are unique counterclaims that allow debaters to justify their arguments.  

20 Tips to Write a Good Claim in an Essay

Claims used in essays should be clear and easy to prove. Basically, one should choose a statement that is easy to justify using available evidence. Because assertions convey the main points in a paper or paragraph, writers should include a strong supporting statement. Besides, any claim should have a definitive and affirmative tone.

10 Things to Do When Making a Claim:

• Choose a justifiable claim.
• Use simple terms.
• Cover a decisive tone.
• Maintain a positive tone.
• Take a single-issue stand.
• Define a narrow and clear scope in logical order .
• Create a unique approach to the topic.
• Describe the issue clearly.
• Follow active voice.
• Include a short statement.

10 Things Not to Do:

• Selecting a broad scope.
• Implementing negative language.
• Including complex vocabulary.
• Writing first-person statements.
• Basing claims on emotional appeal.
• Cluttering arguments with multiple ideas.
• Presenting wordy sentences with multiple fill-up words.
• Using passive voice.
• Placing claims in illogical order.
• Covering ambiguous statements that are hard to prove.

Summing Up of What Is a Strong Claim in an Essay

• Claims are important in an essay since they reflect the writer’s perspective.
• All arguments should be clear and justifiable statements about a topic.
• A central assertion must provide the accurate scope of an essay.
• Some types of claims include cause and effect, argumentative, fact, definition, solution, value, comparative, and importance assertions.
• Claim paragraphs are important in outlining the scope of an essay.
• Good claims should be clear, specific, justifiable, and presented in a simple, assertive, and distinctive tone.

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

Impacts of Social Media on Society: Progress or Peril?

• 16 August 2023

Roles of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence

• 15 August 2023

Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process.

Learn how to use logical reasoning methods when making a claim.

What is a Claim?

Claims are assertions , arguments, and conclusions about something. For instance, claims can be about definitions, causes and effects, claims of fact, or policies. A claim may me a macro-claim —i.e., a major claim that informs an entire text . Or a claim may be a micro-claim —a subclaim attached to a larger claim. Logical reasoning may require proof of a number of smaller claims to reach a larger claim.

Key Concepts: Argument ; Toulmin Heuristic; Organizational Scenario; Direct

Types of Claims

In written discourse , writers, speakers, and knowledge workers . . . engage in rhetorical reasoning and rhetorical analysis so that they know how to best craft claims for particular rhetorical situations . Claims , like rhetorical situations , may be nuanced and complex. Examples of typical types of claim include the following.

Cause & Effects

Example: “Learning to write well helps people achieve financial independence.”

Claims of Fact

Example: “U.S. literacy levels are ranked #13 in the world, after countries like Japan, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, according to the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies .”

Definitions

Example: “Literacy is ‘the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential’ ( National Center for Education Statistics ).”

Example: “Students should be given opportunities to write frequently and receive critical feedback.”

Example: “Learning to write well is the best way to prepare people for future challenges.”

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What Are Claims in Writing?

Written by Haley Boyce

What are claims in writing? Anytime you state something you believe, then you’re making a claim. Claims in writing most often come into play in argumentative, persuasive, or literary analysis essay writing. These can be written professionally and submitted to journals and magazines, and frequently in academics. So, if you’re in class (any class — doesn’t have to be an English or creative writing class) and your instructor assigns an essay that requires you to prove a point, you will say what you believe then spend the rest of the essay explaining why your belief is correct. 

As a writer, your goal is to convince your reader to agree with your claim by the time they are done reading your essay. 

What Are the Two Parts of a Claim?

There are two parts to a claim: 1) stating it, and 2) backing it up with proof.

Think of a defense attorney in a courtroom. Their job is to fight for their client by first claiming their innocence, then to build a case proving why their claim of innocence is true. To win their case, what does the lawyer need to provide to get the jury to agree with their claim? Evidence. A knife with DNA or fingerprints, phone records, an alibi — it’s an exhaustive list.

With an essay, you will also use various types of evidence to support your claim. 

Sure, it would be great ( *cough* easy) if opinion qualified as strong, convincing evidence. But in academics, any essay is only as good as its evidence, which means you’re going to need text-based proof.

If the claim is the roof of a house, the evidence is what holds it off the ground. The more support you have for your claim, the better. 

Having evidence isn’t enough, though. Much like the lawyer before a jury, you’ll need to explain to your reader why your textual evidence validates the point you are trying to make. 

How Do I Write a Claim in a Paragraph?

If you’re new to making and supporting claims in writing, or just need a refresher, here’s a trick of the trade for structuring paragraphs for textual evidence. Ladies and gents, we give you *drumroll* TEPAC.

• Topic Sentence: Usually the first sentence of the paragraph. It tells the reader the focus of the paragraph.
• Evidence: This is where you will provide your reader with proof that supports your claim, usually in the form of a direct quote pulled from a textbook or work of literature. It is critical to say where the quote is from, who said it, and the page where you found it. This should be done by introducing the quote or including a parenthetical citation after the quote.
• Paraphrase: It’s not enough for an attorney to show a jury a piece of evidence without explaining what it proves, and it’s not enough for you while writing an argumentative or persuasive essay or literary analysis. Paraphrasing in TEPAC is one simple sentence restating what is being said in the quote. This might feel redundant, but it actually helps your argument because you’re able to not only break it down for the reader who might need the additional help in understanding context, and it proves that by saying it in your own words, you truly understand what is going on and why it is a convincing piece of evidence.
• Analysis: This is your interpretation of the evidence. Possibly the most crucial part of providing evidence is how well you analyze the weight of its importance. To have the strongest argument possible, you absolutely must provide an analysis of the evidence. As you grapple with the meaning of the evidence, consider these two questions — what is happening and what does it prove?
• Conclusion: The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph. It should emphasize the claim. Keep in mind that a solid concluding sentence restates why the claim being argued is so important. Remember that a concluding sentence does exactly what it sounds like — it concludes the paragraph. Thus, this is not (repeat not!) the place to add a new quote or bit of information not previously mentioned in this paragraph. Keep it focused.

Aristotle, the Godfather of Persuasion, Held School for Rhetoric

He categorized so much of what we use today, from contributing to the classification of animals to founding formal logic. His career spanned most of the sciences and many of the arts, and considering that he did all of this Before Common Era but we still use it today, it’s safe to say Aristotle was one of our very first influencers. The O.G., if you will. 

With regard to persuasive writing, Aristotle believed that for an argument to be convincing, it must have elements that appeal to the audience in several different ways. Thus, he developed what are known as rhetorical devices:

• Ethos : Wherein the writer or speaker uses their credibility to persuade their audience. For example, a doctor should have more influence on your belief of science than someone without the same degrees or experience. 
• Logos : This is an appeal to reason, or logic. To understand logos, consider a car salesperson. If you arrive at the dealership with your three children, in search of a fancy new sports car, the dealer will possibly try to sway you in the direction of a sizable minivan and will use logic to convince you.
• Pathos :  said that to be persuasive, a speaker (or writer in our case) must appeal to one’s emotions. Aristotle believed that people follow the call to action by the way a speaker makes them feel. This is why, as writers, we must consider our audience. What taps the emotions of a soccer mom could be different than that of a twenty-year-old member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. 
• Metaphor : This device is used to make difficult concepts easier to understand. The idea is to compare two using the word is or are. For example, “your smile is the sun” is a very simple metaphor communicating that a person’s smile is bright, gives life, or makes someone feel warm (who wouldn’t want to hear that?!). In the words of the man himself, Aristotle said that “to be a master of metaphor is the greatest thing by far.”
• Brevity : Overload your argument with too many words and you’ll lose your audience. Don’t be afraid to cut out excess information or points that aren’t as strong as the rest of your argument.

What Are the Different Types of Claims in Writing?

There are three main types of claims that a writer can make. 

• Fact: When you make a claim about something that can be either proven or disproven with the support of concrete fact. The key thing to keep in mind here is that the point of your argument is to assert a claim that can be debated. If someone can disagree with you, you’ve found a debatable topic. With a claim of fact, you’re basically trying to win your argument by using the strongest facts possible so that there is no denying how sound (correct, agreeable, undeniable) your argument is.
• Value: This one is about morals — what’s good or bad, right or wrong. This should be handled carefully since your readers come to your paper with their own set of beliefs, and if you assert your values too forcefully or with weak support, it’s possible that you will lose your reader completely before they’ve even reached the middle of your essay. This is similar to our third and final type of claim.
• Policy: This type of claim is one which is meant to call the reader to take some form of action. The goal here is to provide information that will persuade your reader to understand your perspective of a topic so much that they not only agree with you but also feel moved to take part in it somehow. Topics for policy tend to focus on an area of society that needs reformation. Perhaps you see an increase in homelessness in your community and are using your essay as a platform to present a solution.

Be careful to maintain your command of the topic by disallowing yourself from becoming too emotional while writing about a topic you are passionate about.

You’ll lose your reader’s buy-in if they feel like you are demanding them to do something about your topic. Rather, focus on the persuasion. Make your reader feel like it was their idea to agree with you. 

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What Is a Claim in an Essay?

Most students make the mistake of confusing between an opinion and an arguable claim. However, the two are very different. For instance, while an arguable claim is supported by debatable evidence, opinions are often just supported by more opinion. In addition, claims can be substantiated through evidence, testimony, research and academic reasoning. However, please remember that not every claim has equal strength. Most of the time when students hear about a claim in essays, they tie it to a thesis.

But Wait, What Is a Thesis?

In the context of essay writing, a thesis refers to the main claim or main argument of the essay. Since the thesis offers a unifying theme for the entire essay, it generally appears at the beginning of the paper. In short essays , the claim often comes within the first or second paragraph. A good thesis statement is more interpretive or analytic, rather than just factual or descriptive. Creating a clear and original thesis statement is critical to writing a good argumentative essay.

Many students often assume that the term thesis statement means that the central claim has to be stated in one sentence. However, effectively articulating a complex claim often demands more than just one sentence in most cases, more than one sentence will be necessary to assert your central claim. Although there are no defined rules on how you should formulate and express your claim, there are some useful strategies that you could use to develop stronger claims, as well as mechanisms for evaluating the strength of your claim.

Some Myths about Claims in the Context of Academic Essays

As you prepare to write your essay , it is important to demystify some misconceptions about claims as they are used in academic writing. You may have come across some of these myths, and may even believe some yourself. However, let us set the record straight on the most common myths:

• A claim ought to be general to allow lots of evidence in the text

In an actual sense, a claim that is too broad can only be supported by evidence that is really broad. In the end, you find yourself describing instead of arguing. In other words, it is best to be concrete, specific and focused. Consider carefully what you intend to argue, and the implications of your argument.

• A claim must not include everything in the paper as it gives away information, eliminating the suspense

This is far from true. An academic essay is not a mystery novel that requires suspense. It helps to be clear from the onset what you intend to argue to allow your audience to follow, comprehend and believe your points. State what you intend to do, and how you intend to do it. The remaining element of your essay can then go to fleshing out the central claim through the use of subclaims, for example, telling details, and evidence.

• A claim ought to be correct or true beyond doubt

A widely held misconception is that a claim in an essay must be true, if the reader is to buy into your argument. Well, the processes of developing an argument and substantiating a claim are never truly black and white. Rather argumentative essays are more about the writer’s ability to articulate a position and argue for that position, supported by relevant evidence. In fact, there are times when you may find yourself disagreeing with some of the sources at some point in the essay and agreeing with them later in the same paper. Instead of having a wrong or right response, complex claims are more of provocations, explications, analyses, or application of ideas, concepts, and theories.

Other Tips for Effective Claims

During the entire process of writing your essay, your thesis the or claim is likely to evolve and become more refined. In fact, your central claim is likely to change severally as you gather evidence and reconsider your main ideas. As such, it helps to think of your central claim as serving the roles of motivating and structuring your initial draft, and as the main organizing idea of the final draft. In essence, therefore, you are likely to have a working claim that guides the process of drafting and outlining, and a more refined final claim that covers your careful and thorough consideration of the evidence presented. Here are some tips to help with your central claim:

• Draft a working claim

Brainstorming questions on your topic will help you develop the working claim. Consider debates and controversies to which you can contribute. Focus on the connection between the outcome you are interested in and what could be the cause of the outcome. The point is to ensure that you develop a central argument to give your first draft an organizing and unifying idea.

• Evaluate your claim

As you come up with your working claim, it is important to assess its efficacy based on the elements of a strong claim. In general, a strong claim is contestable, reasonable, specific, significant, and interpretive.

• Revise your claim

After finalizing your initial draft, it is time to revise your paper, including your central claim. Consider whether the evidence you have presented supports your claim. Is it possible to make a claim more precise and specific? Ensure that your claim conveys exactly what you intend to argue and that the evidence that you have presented is directly linked to the claim.

To summarize, the goal of this article is to improve students’ understanding of claims in an essay and how they can be formulated. Students ought to remember that strong claims are clear, concise, direct, and provocative. There is no room to be vague and undecided. Most importantly, focus on one main idea.

What this handout is about

This handout will define what an argument is and explain why you need one in most of your academic essays.

Arguments are everywhere

You may be surprised to hear that the word “argument” does not have to be written anywhere in your assignment for it to be an important part of your task. In fact, making an argument—expressing a point of view on a subject and supporting it with evidence—is often the aim of academic writing. Your instructors may assume that you know this and thus may not explain the importance of arguments in class.

Most material you learn in college is or has been debated by someone, somewhere, at some time. Even when the material you read or hear is presented as a simple fact, it may actually be one person’s interpretation of a set of information. Instructors may call on you to examine that interpretation and defend it, refute it, or offer some new view of your own. In writing assignments, you will almost always need to do more than just summarize information that you have gathered or regurgitate facts that have been discussed in class. You will need to develop a point of view on or interpretation of that material and provide evidence for your position.

Consider an example. For nearly 2000 years, educated people in many Western cultures believed that bloodletting—deliberately causing a sick person to lose blood—was the most effective treatment for a variety of illnesses. The claim that bloodletting is beneficial to human health was not widely questioned until the 1800s, and some physicians continued to recommend bloodletting as late as the 1920s. Medical practices have now changed because some people began to doubt the effectiveness of bloodletting; these people argued against it and provided convincing evidence. Human knowledge grows out of such differences of opinion, and scholars like your instructors spend their lives engaged in debate over what claims may be counted as accurate in their fields. In their courses, they want you to engage in similar kinds of critical thinking and debate.

Argumentation is not just what your instructors do. We all use argumentation on a daily basis, and you probably already have some skill at crafting an argument. The more you improve your skills in this area, the better you will be at thinking critically, reasoning, making choices, and weighing evidence.

Making a claim

What is an argument? In academic writing, an argument is usually a main idea, often called a “claim” or “thesis statement,” backed up with evidence that supports the idea. In the majority of college papers, you will need to make some sort of claim and use evidence to support it, and your ability to do this well will separate your papers from those of students who see assignments as mere accumulations of fact and detail. In other words, gone are the happy days of being given a “topic” about which you can write anything. It is time to stake out a position and prove why it is a good position for a thinking person to hold. See our handout on thesis statements .

Claims can be as simple as “Protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged,” with evidence such as, “In this experiment, protons and electrons acted in such and such a way.” Claims can also be as complex as “Genre is the most important element to the contract of expectations between filmmaker and audience,” using reasoning and evidence such as, “defying genre expectations can create a complete apocalypse of story form and content, leaving us stranded in a sort of genre-less abyss.” In either case, the rest of your paper will detail the reasoning and evidence that have led you to believe that your position is best.

When beginning to write a paper, ask yourself, “What is my point?” For example, the point of this handout is to help you become a better writer, and we are arguing that an important step in the process of writing effective arguments is understanding the concept of argumentation. If your papers do not have a main point, they cannot be arguing for anything. Asking yourself what your point is can help you avoid a mere “information dump.” Consider this: your instructors probably know a lot more than you do about your subject matter. Why, then, would you want to provide them with material they already know? Instructors are usually looking for two things:

• Proof that you understand the material
• A demonstration of your ability to use or apply the material in ways that go beyond what you have read or heard.

This second part can be done in many ways: you can critique the material, apply it to something else, or even just explain it in a different way. In order to succeed at this second step, though, you must have a particular point to argue.

Arguments in academic writing are usually complex and take time to develop. Your argument will need to be more than a simple or obvious statement such as “Frank Lloyd Wright was a great architect.” Such a statement might capture your initial impressions of Wright as you have studied him in class; however, you need to look deeper and express specifically what caused that “greatness.” Your instructor will probably expect something more complicated, such as “Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture combines elements of European modernism, Asian aesthetic form, and locally found materials to create a unique new style,” or “There are many strong similarities between Wright’s building designs and those of his mother, which suggests that he may have borrowed some of her ideas.” To develop your argument, you would then define your terms and prove your claim with evidence from Wright’s drawings and buildings and those of the other architects you mentioned.

Do not stop with having a point. You have to back up your point with evidence. The strength of your evidence, and your use of it, can make or break your argument. See our handout on evidence . You already have the natural inclination for this type of thinking, if not in an academic setting. Think about how you talked your parents into letting you borrow the family car. Did you present them with lots of instances of your past trustworthiness? Did you make them feel guilty because your friends’ parents all let them drive? Did you whine until they just wanted you to shut up? Did you look up statistics on teen driving and use them to show how you didn’t fit the dangerous-driver profile? These are all types of argumentation, and they exist in academia in similar forms.

Every field has slightly different requirements for acceptable evidence, so familiarize yourself with some arguments from within that field instead of just applying whatever evidence you like best. Pay attention to your textbooks and your instructor’s lectures. What types of argument and evidence are they using? The type of evidence that sways an English instructor may not work to convince a sociology instructor. Find out what counts as proof that something is true in that field. Is it statistics, a logical development of points, something from the object being discussed (art work, text, culture, or atom), the way something works, or some combination of more than one of these things?

Be consistent with your evidence. Unlike negotiating for the use of your parents’ car, a college paper is not the place for an all-out blitz of every type of argument. You can often use more than one type of evidence within a paper, but make sure that within each section you are providing the reader with evidence appropriate to each claim. So, if you start a paragraph or section with a statement like “Putting the student seating area closer to the basketball court will raise player performance,” do not follow with your evidence on how much more money the university could raise by letting more students go to games for free. Information about how fan support raises player morale, which then results in better play, would be a better follow-up. Your next section could offer clear reasons why undergraduates have as much or more right to attend an undergraduate event as wealthy alumni—but this information would not go in the same section as the fan support stuff. You cannot convince a confused person, so keep things tidy and ordered.

Counterargument

One way to strengthen your argument and show that you have a deep understanding of the issue you are discussing is to anticipate and address counterarguments or objections. By considering what someone who disagrees with your position might have to say about your argument, you show that you have thought things through, and you dispose of some of the reasons your audience might have for not accepting your argument. Recall our discussion of student seating in the Dean Dome. To make the most effective argument possible, you should consider not only what students would say about seating but also what alumni who have paid a lot to get good seats might say.

You can generate counterarguments by asking yourself how someone who disagrees with you might respond to each of the points you’ve made or your position as a whole. If you can’t immediately imagine another position, here are some strategies to try:

• Do some research. It may seem to you that no one could possibly disagree with the position you are arguing, but someone probably has. For example, some people argue that a hotdog is a sandwich. If you are making an argument concerning, for example, the characteristics of an exceptional sandwich, you might want to see what some of these people have to say.
• Talk with a friend or with your teacher. Another person may be able to imagine counterarguments that haven’t occurred to you.
• Consider your conclusion or claim and the premises of your argument and imagine someone who denies each of them. For example, if you argued, “Cats make the best pets. This is because they are clean and independent,” you might imagine someone saying, “Cats do not make the best pets. They are dirty and needy.”

Once you have thought up some counterarguments, consider how you will respond to them—will you concede that your opponent has a point but explain why your audience should nonetheless accept your argument? Will you reject the counterargument and explain why it is mistaken? Either way, you will want to leave your reader with a sense that your argument is stronger than opposing arguments.

When you are summarizing opposing arguments, be charitable. Present each argument fairly and objectively, rather than trying to make it look foolish. You want to show that you have considered the many sides of the issue. If you simply attack or caricature your opponent (also referred to as presenting a “straw man”), you suggest that your argument is only capable of defeating an extremely weak adversary, which may undermine your argument rather than enhance it.

It is usually better to consider one or two serious counterarguments in some depth, rather than to give a long but superficial list of many different counterarguments and replies.

Be sure that your reply is consistent with your original argument. If considering a counterargument changes your position, you will need to go back and revise your original argument accordingly.

Audience is a very important consideration in argument. Take a look at our handout on audience . A lifetime of dealing with your family members has helped you figure out which arguments work best to persuade each of them. Maybe whining works with one parent, but the other will only accept cold, hard statistics. Your kid brother may listen only to the sound of money in his palm. It’s usually wise to think of your audience in an academic setting as someone who is perfectly smart but who doesn’t necessarily agree with you. You are not just expressing your opinion in an argument (“It’s true because I said so”), and in most cases your audience will know something about the subject at hand—so you will need sturdy proof. At the same time, do not think of your audience as capable of reading your mind. You have to come out and state both your claim and your evidence clearly. Do not assume that because the instructor knows the material, he or she understands what part of it you are using, what you think about it, and why you have taken the position you’ve chosen.

Critical reading

Critical reading is a big part of understanding argument. Although some of the material you read will be very persuasive, do not fall under the spell of the printed word as authority. Very few of your instructors think of the texts they assign as the last word on the subject. Remember that the author of every text has an agenda, something that he or she wants you to believe. This is OK—everything is written from someone’s perspective—but it’s a good thing to be aware of. For more information on objectivity and bias and on reading sources carefully, read our handouts on evaluating print sources and reading to write .

Take notes either in the margins of your source (if you are using a photocopy or your own book) or on a separate sheet as you read. Put away that highlighter! Simply highlighting a text is good for memorizing the main ideas in that text—it does not encourage critical reading. Part of your goal as a reader should be to put the author’s ideas in your own words. Then you can stop thinking of these ideas as facts and start thinking of them as arguments.

When you read, ask yourself questions like “What is the author trying to prove?” and “What is the author assuming I will agree with?” Do you agree with the author? Does the author adequately defend her argument? What kind of proof does she use? Is there something she leaves out that you would put in? Does putting it in hurt her argument? As you get used to reading critically, you will start to see the sometimes hidden agendas of other writers, and you can use this skill to improve your own ability to craft effective arguments.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. FitzGerald. 2016. The Craft of Research , 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Ede, Lisa. 2004. Work in Progress: A Guide to Academic Writing and Revising , 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Gage, John T. 2005. The Shape of Reason: Argumentative Writing in College , 4th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. 2016. Everything’s an Argument , 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Write an Effective Claim (with Examples)

Formulating a claim for your essay can be difficult even if you are already a masterful debater — especially if you are not quite sure what a claim is, and how it may differ from a counterclaim or thesis statement. This guide will make it easy to decide on your claim!

Essay Claim Basics

In essay writing, a claim can most succinctly be defined as "a debatable statement" — which the writer then defends with supporting evidence and rhetoric. It is easy to confuse a claim and a thesis statement, because the thesis is indeed a type of claim as well. Essays can contain further claims that orbit the topic of the thesis statement, however.

Claims straddle the line between opinion and fact. If you're hoping to make a strong claim that seamlessly fits into a powerful essay, you will need to make sure that your claim ticks the right boxes:

• Your claim can debated — solid arguments can be made both in favor and against. Therefore, statements such as "I live in Queens" or "Joe Biden is the President" are not claims. In an argumentative essay, "the death penalty should be abolished" is an example of a claim. Even scientific papers make claims, such as "Keyboards contain more germs than toilet seats", which can be tested. These are called hypotheses.
• You will state your claim as a matter of fact. "Many people oppose the death penalty, and with good reason" is not a good claim, but "the death penalty is no longer an appropriate punishment in modern America" can be.
• Your claim is sufficiently specific to allow you to explore all aspects that you intend to tackle. "The Victorian era was Britain's darkest era" give you more bite than you can comfortably chew. "Fast food should be taxed to reduce obesity rates" is more specific.

Types of Claim (With Examples!)

Claims are debatable statements, but there are numerous different types. If you have specifically been asked to present a claim in an essay, you may be able to choose what kind of claim you would like to work with.

1. Claim of Fact or Definition

In research essays, a claim of fact or definition is one that defines a fact, as you see it, and proceeds to lay out the evidence in favor of the claim. Here are some examples to show you how it works:

• Plant species are becoming extinct at a faster rate than animal species, yet the plight of plants has been overlooked.
• Amazon's Alexa has revolutionized many people's daily lives — but this appliance also makes us vulnerable to new forms of hacking.
• Commercial air travel transformed the way in which we do business.

2. Claim of Cause & Effect

In a claim of cause and effect, you argue that one thing causes another, such as:

• Internet gaming has a widespread negative effect on students' grades.
• Lax enforcement of preventative measures against Covid has enabled the pandemic to continue for much longer than it need have.
• Playing jigsaw puzzles leads to novel cognitive connections that help senior citizens stay sharp.

3. Claim of Value

Claims of value are more heavily opinion-based than other types of claims. If you are making a claim of value, you will usually want to compare two things. For example:

• George W Bush was a better President than George W H Bush.
• Emotional health is just as important as physical health.
• Stephen King is the best horror writer of al time.

4. Claim of Solution or Policy

Claims of solution or policy state a position on a proposed course of action. In high school and college essays, they typically focus on something that should be done, or something that should no longer be done. Examples might include:

• Depressed patients should always be offered talk therapy before they receive a prescription for antidepressants.
• The United States should not accept refugees from Afghanistan.
• First-time offenders should be given lighter sentences.

Claim vs. Counterclaim vs. Thesis Statement

If you've been told to make an essay claim, you may be confused about the differences between a claim, counterclaim, and thesis statement. That's understandable, because some people believe that there's no difference between a claim and a thesis statement.

There are important distinctions between these three concepts, however, and if you want to write a killer essay, it's important to be aware of them:

• A thesis statement is the very foundation of your essay — everything else rests on it. The thesis statement should contain no more than one or two sentences, and summarize the heart of your argument. "Regular exercise has consistently been shown to increase productivity in the workplace. Therefore, employers should offer office workers, who would otherwise be largely sedentary, opportunities to work out."
• A claim is a statement you can defend with arguments and evidence. A thesis statement is a type of claim, but you'll want to include other claims that fit neatly into the subject matter as well. For instance, "Employers should establish gyms for employees."
• A counterclaim is a statement that contradicts, refutes, or opposes a claim. Why would you want to argue against yourself? You can do so to show that arguments that oppose the claim are weak. For instance, "Many employers would balk at the idea of facilitating costly exercise classes or providing a gym space — employees can work out in their own time, after all. Why should the boss pay for workers to engage in recreational activities at work? Recent studies have shown, however, that workplaces that have incorporated aerobics classes enjoy 120% increase in productivity, showing that this step serves the bottom line."

Together, a thesis statement, claims, and some well-placed counterclaims make up the threads of your story, leading to a coherent essay that is interesting to read.

How to Write an Effective Claim

Now that you've seen some examples, you are well on your way to writing an effective claim for your essay. Need some extra tips? We've got you covered.

First things first — how do you start a claim in an essay? Your claim sentence or sentences should be written in the active voice, starting with the subject, so that your readers can immediately understand what you are talking about.

They'll be formulated as an "[Subject] should be [proposed action], because [argument]. You can stay with this general structure while making different word choices, however, such as:

• It is about time that
• We have an obligation to
• Is the only logical choice
• It is imperative that

Once you have formulated a claim, you will want to see if you can hook your readers with an interesting or provocative statement that can really get them thinking. You will want to break your argument down into sections. This will lead you to sub-claims. If your claim is your main argument, your sub-claims are smaller arguments that work to support it. They will typically appear naturally once you contemplate the subject deeply — just brainstorm, and as you research, keep considering why your claim is true. The reasons you come up with will sprout sub-claims.

Still not sure what to write? Take a look at these examples of strong claim statements:

• A lack of work experience has proven to be the main barrier to finding satisfying employment, so businesses should be incentivized to hire recent graduates.
• The rise in uncertified "emotional support animals" directly causes suffering for people suffering from severe pet dander allergies. Such pets must be outlawed in public places to alleviate the very real harm allergy patients now experience on a daily basis.
• Emerging private space exploration ventures may be exciting, but they greatly increase CO2 emissions. At a time when the planet is in crisis, private space exploration should be banned.

Additional Tips in Writing a Claim the Right Way

You now know what you need to include in a claim paragraph to leave a strong impression. Understanding what not to do is equally important, however.

• Take a stand — if you're writing an argumentative essay, it is perfectly OK to take a controversial opinion, and no matter what you write, it is bound to have the potential to offend someone . Don't sit on the fence. Even when you're defending a position you disagree with, embrace it wholeheartedly.
• Narrow your claim down. The more specific you can get, the more compelling your argument can be, and the more depth you can add to each aspect of your argument.
• Have fun! You want your essay to be interesting to read, and any genuine passion you have will be apparent.
• Choose the right subject — one about which you can find a lot of data and facts.

What should you avoid in writing a claim, you wonder? Don't:

• Use any first-person statements. The claim is about your ideas, not about you.
• Base your claim on emotional appeal. You can work some pathos in, but don't make feelings your center.
• Clutter your claim with too many separate ideas, which will make the rest of your essay harder to read, less powerful, and unwieldy for you to develop.

How do you use a claim?

When you're writing your essay, you can think of the thesis statement as the spine. The claims you make are, then, your "ribs", so to speak. If you prefer a different analogy, the thesis is your trunk, and the claims branches. You use them to build a strong final product that shows you have considered all aspects of your argument, and can back them up with evidence and logic.

What is a good way to start a claim?

You can start with a shocking fact, objective data from a reliable source, or even an anecdote — or, if you prefer, you can simply offer your argument without bells and whistles.

Can a claim be in a paragraph or is it a single sentence only?

Claims are almost always limited to a single sentence. It can be a long compound sentence, though! The claim does not have to remain all alone in the paragraph. You can immediately surround it with rhetorical punches or further facts.

What are some examples of argumentative claims?

So, you want to learn to argue like a pro? Watching speeches politicians make is a great way to look out for claims, and court transcripts and academic debates are two other places you can look for great argumentative claims.

Is there a claim generator you can use?

Yes! Some claim generators are free to use, while others require a subscription. These tools can be interesting to play with, and can serve as inspiration. However, it's always best to tweak your final claim to fit your needs.

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What Does It Mean to Make a Claim During an Argument?

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Claims backed by reasons that are supported by evidence are called arguments. To win an argument, you first have to make a claim that is more than just an assertion. You use critical thinking skills and argue your case using claims, reason, and evidence. In rhetoric  and argumentation , a claim is an arguable statement—an idea that a rhetor (a speaker or writer) asks an audience to accept.

Persuasive Claims

Generally, there are three primary types of claims in an argument, also called persuasive claims:

• Claims of fact assert that something is true or not true.
• Claims of value assert that something is good or bad, or more or less desirable.
• Claims of policy assert that one course of action is superior to another.

A persuasive claim is an opinion, idea, or assertion. In rational arguments, all three types of claims must be supported by evidence . Jason Del Gandio, in the book, "Rhetoric for Radicals," gives these examples of persuasive claims in an argument:

"I think we should have universal health care.

"I believe the government is corrupt.

"We need a revolution."

Gandio explains that these claims make sense, but they need to be backed up with evidence and reasoning.

Identifying Claims

The University of Washington says a claim "persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or provocatively suggests something to a reader who may or may not initially agree with you." A claim is more than an opinion but it is less than a universally agreed upon truth, such as "The sky is blue" or "Birds fly in the sky."

An academic claim—a claim you make in an argument—is considered debatable or up for inquiry. James Jasinski explains in "Argument: Sourcebook on Rhetoric" that a claim "expresses a specific position on some doubtful or controversial issue that the arguer wants the audience to accept."

A claim is not, then, an opinion, such as "I think Twinkies are delicious." But if you took that same sentence and recrafted it into an arguable statement, you could create a claim, such as "Twinkies and other sugary, processed foods can make you fat." Not everyone might agree with your claim, but you would be able to use scientific and medical evidence (such as studies showing that sugary processed foods lead to weight gain and other health problems) to support your claim.

Types of Claims

You can further break claims in an argument into four basic types, says Mesa Community College :

Claims of fact or definition: Particularly in this day and age, people disagree on hitherto commonly accepted facts. A claim of fact or definition might be that grades do not accurately measure student progress or lie detector tests are inaccurate. Traditionally, grades have been the common measure of student success, but you could argue that they do not really represent a student's true abilities. And lie detector tests were at one point thought to provide clear and accurate evidence, but you could use facts to argue that they can be unreliable.

Claims About Cause and Effect: This type of claim argues that given causes lead to specific effects, such as watching too much television when young leads to obesity or poor school performance. To make this claim, you would have to present evidence (scientific studies, for example) that show television leads to these outcomes. Another debatable cause-and-effect claim would be that video games that depict violence lead to real violence.

Claims About Solutions or Policies: This kind of claim might argue that because the health care system does not adequately assist Americans (you would argue that this is a fact), it should be reformed (you argue for the solution/policy), says Mesa Community College.

Claims About Value: This type of claim might be the trickiest to argue because you are trying to prove that one thing is better or superior to another. For example, you might claim that people who are blind or deaf have a unique culture of blindness or deafness. You could support either argument by researching and presenting facts that these two areas of disability do indeed have unique cultures and communities.

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What is Claim? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Claim definition.

A  claim  (KLAYM) in literature is a statement in which a writer presents an assertion as truthful to substantiate an argument. A claim may function as a single argument by itself, or it may be one of multiple claims made to support a larger argument.

Nonfiction writers use claims to state their own views or the views of others, while fiction writers and playwrights use claims to present the views of their characters or narrators. Claims are more than opinions; you can back a claim up with evidence, while an opinion is simply something you feel is truthful or accurate.

The literary definition of the word  claim —as maintaining something to be true—was first utilized in the 1860s, though the  Century Dictionary  of 1895 called it an “inelegant” term. The word comes from the Latin  clamare , meaning “to cry, shout, or call out.”

Types of Claims

There are several types of claims. These are some of the most common that appear in literature:

An evaluative claim, or value judgement, assesses an idea from either an ethical or aesthetic viewpoint.

An ethical evaluative claim comments on the morality or principles—or lack thereof—of a person, idea, or action. For example, in  East of Eden ,  John Steinbeck writes, “As a child may be born without an arm, so one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience.” This is a value judgement about the lack of ethics that plague the character of Cathy.

An aesthetic evaluative claim judges the artistic merits of the claim subject. Critics often make these types of claims when writing reviews and analyses of creative works.

Interpretative

An interpretative claim explains or illuminates the overall argument the writer is attempting to make. On a basic level, a simple book report is a type of interpretative claim; you present your own understanding of the text, how it conveys meaning, and your interpretation of the larger points the author makes.

A factual claim argues an accepted truth about reality. Verifiable information can support these claims. In  A Quick Guide to Cancer Epidemiology , authors Paolo Boffetta, Stefania Boccia, and Carlo La Vecchia write, “Tobacco smoking is the main single cause of human cancer worldwide and the largest cause of death and disease.” This is a factual claim backed up by years of research and scientific evidence.

A policy claim tries to compel a reader—usually, a politician or governing body—to take a specific action or change a law or viewpoint. These types of claims are common in politically and socially focused nonfiction. For instance, in the book  Dead Man Walking , Sister Helen Prejean reflects on her friendship with a death-row inmate and other pivotal events that shaped her opposition to the death penalty; the book relies on policy claims to challenge the government’s position on capital punishment.

The Function of Claims

The purpose of a claim is to convince a reader of something. The reader may not initially agree with the statement the author makes or may require more information to reach their own conclusion, and claims point them in the direction of a specific answer. If a reader already agrees with an author’s claim, the information presented only underscores the reader’s conviction and supports their viewpoint. All kinds of literature depend on claims to keep stories engaging, add complexity and depth to  characterizations , and establish the author’s unique  perspective  on the subjects addressed.

Claims in Rhetoric

A claim in  rhetoric  is a statement that the speaker asks the audience to accept. A claim, by nature, is arguable, meaning listeners could conceivably object to the claim the speaker makes. Rhetorical claims reside somewhere between opinions and widely accepted truths. They are more substantial than mere beliefs, but they typically aren’t universally understood as facts.

Claims Outside of Literature

The advertising and marketing worlds rely heavily on claims to sell products and services. Claims are largely concerned with  persuasion , convincing target audiences to respond in certain ways, so they go hand in hand with advertising. For instance, Trident gum once used the factual claim that “four out of five dentists recommended sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum,” which compelled viewers to purchase Trident.

Claims are also common in academia. A professor might use a claim to explain a subject in more detail. A student undertaking an academic writing assignment will utilize a claim as the main argument of their essay or a series of claims to back up a larger argument.

Public speakers often use claims to persuade and inspire audiences. They typically make dramatic claims to rouse emotion in the listener and paint vivid mental  imagery , all in service of a greater argument. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s  “I Have a Dream”  speech, for instance, King imagines a bleak future if Black Americans do not obtain basic civil rights and liberties:

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

Examples of Claims in Literature

1. Harper Lee,  To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee’s classic novel charts Scout Finch’s coming of age amid racial tensions in the Deep South. Scout’s father, Atticus, makes the claim that killing a mockingbird is a sin, a claim that Scout’s friend Miss Maudie further substantiates:

“Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.

“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

This is an evaluative claim, as it highlights an ethical argument suggesting that mockingbirds only contribute good to the world and do not deserve killing.

2. Roxane Gay, “The Solace of Preparing Fried Foods and Other Quaint Remembrances from 1960s Mississippi: Thoughts on  The Help ”

Gay’s 2011 essay, which originally appeared on  The Rumpus  and was later included in her essay collection  Bad Feminist , includes numerous evaluative claims about the aesthetic value of the movie  The Help :

The Help  is billed as inspirational, charming and heart warming. That’s true if your heart is warmed by narrow, condescending, mostly racist depictions of black people in 1960s Mississippi, overly sympathetic depictions of the white women who employed  the help , the excessive, inaccurate use of dialect, and the glaring omissions with regards to the stirring Civil Rights Movement in which, as Martha Southgate points out, in  Entertainment Weekly , “…white people were the help,” and were “the architects, visionaries, prime movers, and most of the on-the-ground laborers of the civil rights movement were African-American.”  The Help , I have decided, is science fiction, creating an alternate universe to the one we live in.

Gay also offers interpretative claims by discussing the key events in the movie and how the filmmakers present these events.

3. Maggie Smith, “Good Bones”

In her 2016 poem, Smith grapples with how she will present a broken world to her children and how she will inspire them to improve it:

…Life is short and the world

is at least half terrible, and for every kind

stranger, there is one who would break you,

though I keep this from my children. I am trying

to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,

walking you through a real sh*thole, chirps on

about good bones: This place could be beautiful,

right? You could make this place beautiful.

Smith makes several evaluative claims of an ethical nature, such as the world being “half-terrible” and the existence of strangers “who would break you.” She also makes a factual claim in the simple statement that “Life is short”; though lifespans grow with each passing generation, in the grand scheme of planetary time, life is, indeed, short.

Further Resources on Claims

The Odegaard Writing & Research Center at the University of Washington examines  claims and counterclaims in academic writing .

Jeffrey Schrank delves into  the language of advertising claims .

W.W. Norton offers insights into  interpretative versus evaluative claims in literary essays .

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9.3: The Argumentative Essay

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Learning Objectives

• Examine types of argumentative essays

Argumentative Essays

You may have heard it said that all writing is an argument of some kind. Even if you’re writing an informative essay, you still have the job of trying to convince your audience that the information is important. However, there are times you’ll be asked to write an essay that is specifically an argumentative piece.

An argumentative essay is one that makes a clear assertion or argument about some topic or issue. When you’re writing an argumentative essay, it’s important to remember that an academic argument is quite different from a regular, emotional argument. Note that sometimes students forget the academic aspect of an argumentative essay and write essays that are much too emotional for an academic audience. It’s important for you to choose a topic you feel passionately about (if you’re allowed to pick your topic), but you have to be sure you aren’t too emotionally attached to a topic. In an academic argument, you’ll have a lot more constraints you have to consider, and you’ll focus much more on logic and reasoning than emotions.

Argumentative essays are quite common in academic writing and are often an important part of writing in all disciplines. You may be asked to take a stand on a social issue in your introduction to writing course, but you could also be asked to take a stand on an issue related to health care in your nursing courses or make a case for solving a local environmental problem in your biology class. And, since argument is such a common essay assignment, it’s important to be aware of some basic elements of a good argumentative essay.

When your professor asks you to write an argumentative essay, you’ll often be given something specific to write about. For example, you may be asked to take a stand on an issue you have been discussing in class. Perhaps, in your education class, you would be asked to write about standardized testing in public schools. Or, in your literature class, you might be asked to argue the effects of protest literature on public policy in the United States.

However, there are times when you’ll be given a choice of topics. You might even be asked to write an argumentative essay on any topic related to your field of study or a topic you feel that is important personally.

Whatever the case, having some knowledge of some basic argumentative techniques or strategies will be helpful as you write. Below are some common types of arguments.

Causal Arguments

• In this type of argument, you argue that something has caused something else. For example, you might explore the causes of the decline of large mammals in the world’s ocean and make a case for your cause.

Evaluation Arguments

• In this type of argument, you make an argumentative evaluation of something as “good” or “bad,” but you need to establish the criteria for “good” or “bad.” For example, you might evaluate a children’s book for your education class, but you would need to establish clear criteria for your evaluation for your audience.

Proposal Arguments

• In this type of argument, you must propose a solution to a problem. First, you must establish a clear problem and then propose a specific solution to that problem. For example, you might argue for a proposal that would increase retention rates at your college.

Narrative Arguments

• In this type of argument, you make your case by telling a story with a clear point related to your argument. For example, you might write a narrative about your experiences with standardized testing in order to make a case for reform.

Rebuttal Arguments

• In a rebuttal argument, you build your case around refuting an idea or ideas that have come before. In other words, your starting point is to challenge the ideas of the past.

Definition Arguments

• In this type of argument, you use a definition as the starting point for making your case. For example, in a definition argument, you might argue that NCAA basketball players should be defined as professional players and, therefore, should be paid.

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Essay Examples

• Click here to read an argumentative essay on the consequences of fast fashion . Read it and look at the comments to recognize strategies and techniques the author uses to convey her ideas.
• In this example, you’ll see a sample argumentative paper from a psychology class submitted in APA format. Key parts of the argumentative structure have been noted for you in the sample.

Link to Learning

For more examples of types of argumentative essays, visit the Argumentative Purposes section of the Excelsior OWL .

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• Argumentative Essay. Provided by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/rhetorical-styles/argumentative-essay/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
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Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: What You Need to Know

Has an instructional coach or administrator told you to start using a claim, evidence, and reasoning (or C-E-R) framework for writing in your classroom?

Maybe you need to closely adhere to the Common Core State Standards but aren’t quite sure where to begin.

If you’re like me, your whole school may be committing to using a C-E-R language in all classes to build consistency and teacher equity for students.

Regardless, here you are wondering, what the heck is claim, evidence, and reasoning anyway ? In this post, I aim to break it down for you.

There are plenty of science examples out there, but that is not my specialty. For this post, I’ll focus on my subject area, high school English, but know that the C-E-R framework can be applied to multiple content areas. 

If you’d like to teach the C-E-R writing framework to your students, I have a whole bundle of resources right here.

C-E-R (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) Writing Overview

C-E-R writing is a framework that consists of three parts: Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning. Science classes use it frequently, but it works well in any content area. In fact, my entire school uses it–down to the gym classes!

A C-E-R writing framework works especially well for teachers adhering to the Common Core State Standards. The words “claim”, “evidence”, and “reasoning” are directly from the standards themselves. 

C-E-R writing works especially well for argumentative or persuasive writing, but also holds true for research-based writing.

Note that these are academic forms of writing. You wouldn’t, for instance, probably use claims, evidence, or reasoning in a creative writing class or with a narrative or poetry unit.

While C-E-R may seem formulaic at first, it does come from a natural flow of solid arguments. Any attempt at persuasion must take a stance, support it with logic, and make a case.

The formulaic nature of C-E-R writing makes it a helpful writing scaffold for students who struggle to organize their ideas or generate them in the first place.

The claim sets the tone for the rest of the writing.

It is the argument, the stance, or the main idea of the writing that is to follow. Some may say that in C-E-R writing, the claim is the most important piece.

I have found that the placement and length of the claim will vary according to the length of the writing. 

For a paragraph, I feel the claim makes a great topic sentence and thus, should be the first sentence. The body of the paragraph then will aim to support the topic sentence (or claim).

In a standard five-paragraph essay , the first introductory paragraph may build to the claim: the thesis. The body paragraphs then will each contain a sub-claim so-to-speak that supports the overarching claim or thesis.

Claims, while logical, should present an arguable stance on a topic. 

I often have to remind my students that if they are writing in response to a question, restating the question in the form of a sentence and adding their answer is an easy way to write a claim.

A Claim Example for an English Class

Let’s use a Shakespearian example. A popular essay topic when reading Romeo and Juliet poses the following question: who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

A claim that answers this question might read:

“Friar Laurence is most to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.”

This claim is strong for multiple reasons. First, it is direct. There’s no question about what the rest of the writing will be about or will be attempting to support. Second, this claim is arguable –not provable–but also logical. The idea can be supported by examples from the text. 

A claim is not a fact. Evidence should support it, which we’ll discuss in a moment, but ultimately, it should not be something that can be proven . 

The next step in the C-E-R writing framework is evidence.

Evidence is the logic, proof, or support that you have for your claim. I mentioned earlier that your claim, while arguable, should be rooted in logic. Evidence is where you present the logic you used to arrive at your claim.

This can take a variety of forms: research, facts, observations, lab experiments, or even quotes from interviews or authorities. 

For literary analysis, evidence should generally be textual in nature.

That is, the evidence should be rooted–if not directly quoted from–in the text. For example, the writer may want to use quotes, paraphrasing, or a summary of events from the text. 

I encourage my students to use word-for-word textual evidence quoted and cited from the text directly. This creates evidence with which it is difficult to argue.  

An Evidence Example for an English Class

If we continue with the Romeo and Juliet example, we could support our previous claim that Friar Laurence is most to blame for the couple’s death by presenting several pieces of evidence from the play.

Our evidence may then read as follows:

“ In the play, Friar Laurence says to Juliet, ‘Take thou this vial, being then in bed/ And this distilled liquor drink thou off;/ …The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade/ … And in this borrow’d likeness of shrunk death/ Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,/And then awake as from a pleasant sleep ’ (4.1.93-106).”

This is strong evidence because the text proves it. This quote comes directly from Shakespeare; you can’t argue with it.

It is also on-topic. it shows a piece of the play that supports the idea that Friar Laurence is most to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. 

For claim, evidence, and reasoning writing, the strength of the argument depends on its evidence. 

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Reasoning is the thinking behind the evidence that led to the claim. It should explain the evidence if necessary, and then connect it to the claim.

In a one paragraph response, I usually recommend that students break down their reasoning into three sentences:

Personally, this is where my students struggle the most. They have a hard time understanding how to explain the evidence or connect it to their claim because it’s obvious to them.

• Explain or summarize the evidence that was just used
• Explain or show how this evidence supports the claim
• Finish with a conclusion sentence

If your students, like mine, struggle with crafting reasoning, I recommend giving them sentence starters like “This shows that…” or “This quote proves that….”

I also go over different ways to approach writing conclusion sentences, as my students often struggle in ending their writing.

(If you’d like help breaking this down for your students, my C-E-R Slideshow covers reasoning–including what to include and three different ways to write a conclusion sentence.)

A Reasoning Example for An English Class

For our Romeo and Juliet example, it may read something like this:

“This quote shows that Friar Laurence is the originator of the plan for the two lovers to fake their deaths. Had he not posed this plan, Romeo could not have mistaken Juliet for dead. Thus, he would never have committed suicide, nor Juliet. As the adult in the situation, Friar Laurence should have acted less rashly and helped the couple find a more suitable solution to their problems.”

This reasoning is strong for several reasons.

First, note the transition in the beginning. It discusses the textual evidence–the quote presented earlier–directly and explains what is happening in the quote.

Next, it walks the reader step-by-step through the writer’s rationale about the evidence that led her to believe the claim. Even if the reader does not agree with the reader’s claim, he or she must concede that the writer has a point. 

You may have noticed that in this example, the reasoning tends to be longer than either the claim or the evidence. The length of the reasoning will vary according to the assignment, but I have found that good reasoning does tend to be the bulk of C-E-R writing. 

Get Started with Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning Today!

And there you have it! An overview of the C-E-R writing framework. No doubt, you can see how this framework can easily be applied to a myriad of assignments in any content area. 

If you need help getting started in using the C-E-R writing framework in your English class, I have a few resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store that can help you. Check them out! Start with a FREE student guide to claim, evidence, and reasoning!

Growth Mindset

What is manifestation science-based ways to manifest, here's what the research says about manifestation..

Updated December 3, 2023 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

What is manifestation?

The word " manifestation " means to turn an idea into a reality. Usually, we want to manifest things that improve our happiness and well-being (take this well-being quiz to check your current level of well-being). People generally talk about manifestation as the process of using thoughts, feelings, and beliefs to bring something into reality, but given the science behind manifestation, it seems important to also include actions as a key part of the manifestation process.

What does manifestation really mean?

Manifestation has become popular thanks to books like The Secret and The Law of Attraction . Unfortunately, most psychological scientists will tell you that these books are based on pseudoscience—they claim to be scientific and factual, but they're not actually based on scientific evidence.

So as a psychological scientist I can't, in good conscience , recommend these books. However, I feel like many psychologists throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to the idea of "manifestation." They'll often say it's junk science. But I say: Of course we can manifest positive things in our lives—if we couldn't then what would be the point of therapy , wellness interventions, or any of the tools we use to help people?

So what does the science actually say about manifestation ? How can we take a goal or idea we have in our heads and make it real?

What is the science behind manifestation?

There actually is science behind the idea of manifestation—that is, turning an idea into a real thing. Here are some areas of research and how they lend support to manifestation:

A growth mindset can help you manifest your dreams and reach your goals

Research by Dr. Carol Dweck clearly shows that believing you can do something makes it more likely that you'll successfully do it. That means that our beliefs about our ability to learn, grow, and succeed—our growth mindset —can indeed affect whether we effectively manifest what we desire.

Importantly, this research suggests that if we truly believe we can achieve something, we are willing to do the hard work to achieve it. This is in contrast to law-of-attraction style manifestation which suggests that belief alone is enough to bring about manifestation. Ultimately, the science suggests that our beliefs bring about behaviors (and responses from others) that lead to the outcomes we desire.

Self-fulfilling prophecies may explain manifestation

Research shows that our expectations, positive or negative, tend to be confirmed. This is what is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. So if we expect to bring our idea to life or reach our goal, we're more likely to.

For example, if you don't think you can succeed in some goal, let's say getting your dream job, you'll set in motion events that will actually make it more likely that you won't get your dream job. Maybe you'll be cold or grumpy during a job interview. Maybe you'll engage in negative self-talk with someone who could help you. Or maybe you'll just feel angry and not spend the necessary time required to reach your goal. Your beliefs set in motion circumstances that affect your ability to manifest an outcome.

Negativity bias may explain perceptions about manifestation

Research shows that if we're already feeling bad, we're more likely to interpret neutral circumstances in a negative way. It may be that someone with a more positive attitude just pays more attention to the ways in which they have successfully manifested parts of their dreams. Another person with a more negative outlook may experience the exact same things and only see where they failed to manifest what they desired. That's how bias may affect manifestation .

Upward spirals of positive emotion may explain manifestation success

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson's research has also shown that positive emotions enable us to think more creatively. Similarly, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky has shown that happiness leads to success and not the other way around. People who are generally happy and positive attract more opportunities, have better relationships, and seem to be able to manifest what they set their minds to more easily.

It makes sense when you think about it, right? We prefer to be around positive, optimistic people. And being around people with a negative attitude? It's off-putting and doesn't lead us to want to help these people.

How do we use science to manifest what we want?

1. Get clear on what you want to manifest

What do you actually want? Spend some time focusing to get clarity on your manifestation goal. Mindful meditation can be a useful tool for this—it quiets the mind and helps increase self-awareness . Or, you could talk to a friend. Sometimes just talking can help you gain the clarity you need to manifest something.

2. Manifest what matters to you

When deciding what to manifest, ask yourself a few reflection questions:

• Will this make me happy and fulfilled?
• Does it feel right for me? (Or is there something or someone influencing me?)
• Will this do any harm to myself or others?

By asking yourself these questions you can choose the right things to manifest—things that you will be more likely to believe in, things that you have positive expectations about, and things that make you feel more positive. As a result, you'll be more likely to manifest them.

3. Visualize your manifestation to generate positive emotions

Visualizing what you desire can help you feel positive emotions related to it more strongly. And those emotions can help you believe in yourself more. Just close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and imagine a scene from your future life as you desire it. Here's a future visualization exercise if you need more help.

Created with content from The Berkeley Well-Being Institute.

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. , is a consultant, writer, and expert on well-being technology.

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No, the House didn't pass bill to 'outlaw' the New Testament | Fact check

The claim: House passed bill to outlaw the New Testament

A May 3 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) shows a screenshot of a headline that claims federal lawmakers took steps to ban a religious text central to Christianity.

"US Congress House Passes Bill to Outlaw New Testament," the headline reads. Below it is text that reads, "The US House of Representatives passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, but concerns arise over its potential restriction on the biblical portrayal of Jesus' crucifixion."

The post's caption reads, "Remember, they don't want to you (sic) reading the Bible!"

The post was shared more than 100 times in a week.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

The bill referenced in the post would not outlaw the New Testament, according to multiple legal experts. Instead, it would require the Department of Education to use a certain definition of antisemitism when it enforces federal anti-discrimination laws on college campuses.

Bill defines antisemitism in federal anti-discrimination law

In early May, the House approved legislation that, if enacted, would expand the definition of antisemitism that the Department of Education uses when it investigates discrimination against Jews on college campuses. It passed with some bipartisan support amid a wave of protests on college campuses over Israel's war in Gaza. The bill's fate in the Senate is uncertain, the Associated Press reported.

The legislation, called the Antisemitism Awareness Act , would apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance 's definition of antisemitism to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , which prohibits discrimination based on "race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance." That includes all colleges and universities that receive federal funds.

In a post on X , formerly Twitter, Florida Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said before the vote she wouldn't support the legislation, claiming it "could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews." Similarly, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said in an X post that “the Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of the bill.”

Fact check : House condemned pro-Palestinian slogan in resolution, did not ban it

But Richard Painter , a University of Minnesota law professor, told USA TODAY that the legislation "doesn't outlaw the New Testament at all," nor would it ban the religious text from federally funded institutions.

"You're not banning something, you're conditioning federal funds on something," Painter said. "That's different than banning it."

While certain passages of the New Testament could potentially be interpreted in ways that fit the bill's definition of antisemitism, "that doesn't mean the New Testament itself would meet the definition of antisemitism," Painter said.

Jason Mazzone , a law professor at the University of Illinois, said there is no plausible way to interpret the legislation as banning the New Testament, even in a higher education setting.

"Title VI has never been understood to require schools and other recipients of federal funding to remove or prohibit from campus books on the basis that they may contain offensive material," Mazzone said. "Nothing in the Antisemitism Awareness Act newly imposes such a requirement. And if it did, it would be a clear violation of the First Amendment."

There is only one reference to the New Testament in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism – in this example : "Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis."

The Anti-Defamation League and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum both consider the claim that Jews killed Jesus to be an antisemitic myth used to justify violence against Jews for centuries. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that there is no basis in scripture to support the claim that Jewish people as a whole were collectively responsible for Jesus' death, CBS News reported .

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Richard Painter , May 8, Phone interview with USA TODAY
• Jason Mazzone , May 9, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Associated Press, May 1, House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war
• The New York Times, May 2, Bill to Combat Antisemitism on Campuses Prompts Backlash From the Right
• Congress.gov, accessed May 10, H.R.6090 - Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023
• International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, accessed May 10, Working definition of antisemitism
• Justice Department, accessed May 10, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here .

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta .

IBM open-sources its Granite AI models - and they mean business

Open-sourcing large language models (LLMs) isn't easy. Just ask the  Open Source Initiative  (OSI), which has been working on an AI-compatible open-source definition for nearly two years. Some companies -- Meta, for example -- claim to have open-sourced their LLMs. (They haven't.) But, now  IBM has gone ahead and done it . 

IBM managed the open sourcing of  Granite code  by using pretraining data from publicly available datasets, such as GitHub Code Clean, Starcoder data, public code repositories, and GitHub issues. In short, IBM has gone to great lengths to avoid copyright or legal issues. The Granite Code Base models are trained on 3- to 4-terabyte tokens of code data and natural language code-related datasets. 

Also:  Why open-source generative AI models are still a step behind GPT-4

All these models are licensed under the Apache 2.0 license for research and commercial use. It's that last word -- commercial -- that stopped the other major LLMs from being open-sourced. No one else wanted to share their LLM goodies. 

But, as IBM Research chief scientist Ruchir Puri said, "We are transforming the generative AI landscape for software by releasing the highest performing, cost-efficient code LLMs, empowering the open community to innovate without restrictions."

Without restrictions, perhaps, but not without specific applications in mind. 

The Granite models, as IBM ecosystem general manager Kate Woolley said last year, are not "about trying to be everything to everybody. This is not about writing poems about your dog. This is about curated models that can be tuned and are very targeted for the business use cases we want the enterprise to use. Specifically, they're for programming."

These decoder-only models, trained on code from 116 programming languages, range from 3 to 34 billion parameters. They support many developer uses, from complex application modernization to on-device memory-constrained tasks.

IBM has already used these LLMs internally in IBM Watsonx Code Assistant (WCA) products, such as WCA for Ansible Lightspeed for IT Automation and WCA for IBM Z for modernizing COBOL applications. Not everyone can afford Watsonx, but now, anyone can work with the Granite LLMs using IBM and Red Hat's InstructLab . 

Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT and alternatives

As Red Hat SVP and chief product officer Ashesh Badani said, InstructLab will "lower many of the barriers facing GenAI across the hybrid cloud, from limited data science skills to the sheer resources required." The point is to lower the entry level for developers who want to use LLMs. 

How low? As Matt Hicks said at the  Red Hat Summit , "Capabilities that, just a year ago, were coupled to high-end, fairly exotic hardware can now run on a laptop. Training techniques that once ran in the hundreds of millions of dollars are now being replicated for a few thousand." 

For example, besides InstructLab, you can use Ollma to run LLMs locally. As Bala Priya C explains in KDnuggets , "With Ollama, everything you need to run an LLM -- model weights and all of the config -- is packaged into a single Modelfile. Think Docker for LLMs ." The models are available on platforms like Hugging Face , GitHub , Watsonx.ai , and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) AI .

IBM anticipates that programmers, in addition to writing code with the Granite LLMs, will save time and energy by using these LLMs to create tests and find and fix bugs. "Many of the quotidian but essential tasks that are part of a developer's day -- from generating unit tests to writing documentation or running vulnerability tests -- could be automated with these models.  

Also: AI21 and Databricks show open source can radically slim down AI

Besides helping developers, IBM sees business benefits in Granite models because, unlike many others, their licensing is clear, as is how the models have been trained. In addition, the data has been cleaned and filtered for hate, abuse, and profane language.

So, if your company has hesitated to explore using AI to build programs for legal reasons, IBM has just provided you with the open-source tools you'll need to improve your software development work. Give them a try. Some of you will build great things from these Granite blocks. 

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Rose Zhang birdies four of her last five holes to claim 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup

D own by three with five holes to play at the Cognizant Founders Cup, Rose Zhang didn’t panic. She dug deep and tried to enjoy herself.

When she poured in her fourth birdie in five holes on the 18th – dead center in the cup – Zhang bent over in a state of shock and relief. In the post-round interview, the former Stanford star told Golf Channel’s Karen Stupples that she was still shaking.

“It's honestly very cliche, but I have to give it back to my faith,” said Zhang of how she’s able to rise to the occasion time and again. “I think I had so much strength in me to really go out there and try my best, and without any other consequences or no matter what I shoot I'm going out there and I'm glorifying God.

“I mean, this is for Him for sure.”

The wise and mature Zhang, who turns 21 later this month, closed with a 66 at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey, winning her second career title by two over Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom.

Sunday at the Founders Cup felt more like a Solheim Cup as Sagstrom and Zhang had separated themselves from the field by 10 strokes. Sagstrom began to pull away midway through the round, carding five birdies in an 11-hole span.

But down the stretch, the show belonged to Zhang, who this time last year was putting the finishing touches on her second NCAA title at Stanford. Zhang finished the Founders Cup at 24 under while Sagstrom came up short at 22. Rookie Gabriela Ruffels, who finished solo third, was at 9 under.

Sagstrom, a big hitter with an even bigger heart, shed some tears in her post-round TV interview but held her head high, calling this week the best golf she’s played in years.

“Just being in this position, this is what we all trying to do,” she said. “We're trying to feel these nerves. I was nervous today. I chunked a chip on 1. Just pure nerves.

“I think you're not going to learn by not being here.”

The week began with all eyes on Nelly Korda, who looked to become the first player in LPGA history to win six consecutive starts. Korda’s rounds of 73-73 over the weekend put her in a share of seventh for the tournament .

Nancy Lopz (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) are the only other players to win five consecutive starts on the LPGA. Neither finished in the top 10 in their quest to win six in a row.

Zhang next heads to Liberty National for the Mizuho Americas Open, site of her maiden victory last spring when she became the first player since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win on the LPGA in her pro debut.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rose Zhang birdies four of her last five holes to claim 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup

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We Can Get the Electricity We Need Without Frying the Planet (or Our Pocketbooks)

By Jonathan Mingle

Mr. Mingle is an independent journalist and the author of “Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future.”

Electric utilities from Georgia to Wisconsin to Virginia are predicting a dizzying surge in power demand from new industrial facilities, electric vehicles and, most of all, the data centers that store our digital photos and will enable large-language models for artificial intelligence. For months now, they have been signaling that they won’t be able to keep up.

To keep the lights on, many utility companies are proposing to build dozens of new power plants that burn natural gas. North Carolina-based Duke Energy alone wants to add 8.9 gigawatts of new gas-fired capacity — more than the entire country added in 2023. Using their own projections of soaring energy demands as justification, these companies are also pushing back on the climate targets set by their states and the Biden administration.

If state regulators sign off on these plans, they will be gambling with our country’s future. We need to electrify everything from cars to appliances to slow climate change, but we won’t be able to reach our climate goals if we power all of those machines with dirty energy.

There is a better way. But to get there, legislators will need to overhaul the incentives driving utilities to double down on natural gas, so that they can turn a profit without cooking the planet.

Companies like Duke, Dominion Energy and Georgia Power argue that they need more gas-fired plants to reliably provide power during times of peak demand — for instance, on a hot summer weekday afternoon when home cooling systems and data servers are all humming at maximum output, and the grid strains to keep up. But those peaks tend to materialize only for a few dozen hours per year, and there are ways to deal with them that don’t require a massive amount of new methane-burning infrastructure.

The real reason the utilities want to build these plants is quite simple: The more stuff they build, the more money they make. Regulators let utilities charge their customers enough money to cover what they spend on assets like combustion turbines and wires, plus a generous rate of return (up to 10 percent) for their investors. This longstanding arrangement incentivizes power providers to build expensive things whether society needs them or not, in lieu of lower-cost, cleaner options, and to invoke their duty to keep the lights on as a post hoc rationalization.

This dynamic can push some companies to extreme lengths in pursuit of gas-generated profits. Nearly a decade ago, Dominion and Duke partnered to build a 600-mile-long pipeline across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, largely to supply their own new power plants. Back then, the companies cited their own forecasts of rising energy demand and claimed more gas supply was needed to back up intermittent wind- and solar-generated power coming onto the grid. But it soon became clear that there wasn’t any need for those plants, and most were canceled. The pipeline’s core premise had proved to be a mirage. And in 2020 , faced with relentless grass-roots opposition, Dominion and Duke finally abandoned it.

It makes sense that Dominion and Duke executives would pursue these potentially lucrative investments; their job is to maximize returns for their shareholders. But utilities aren’t like other shareholder-owned companies. They are granted the right to be monopolies in exchange for providing essential services to society. And regulators’ job is to hold them accountable to the public interest. This century-old model is in dire need of an upgrade, so that utilities can be compensated for achieving goals — such as using clean, affordable energy and building a resilient grid — that are in everyone’s interest.

Although breathless forecasts of artificial intelligence gobbling up all of our power supply may or may not prove correct, there’s no question that after decades of remaining mostly flat, electricity demand is increasing. Fortunately, utilities have plenty of ways to meet this new need.

They include “ virtual power plants ” — when technologies such as home batteries, rooftop solar systems, smart water heaters and thermostats are linked together and managed via software to provide the same services as a conventional power plant. Utilities in Vermont, Colorado and Massachusetts are already using them, to quickly respond to rising demand at a much lower cost than operating natural gas combustion turbines. According to one estimate , virtual power plants could lower U.S. utilities’ costs by as much as $35 billion over the next decade.

Utilities could also accelerate efforts to replace outdated transmission lines with newer ones that can carry double the electric current and to bring more battery storage online. They can compensate customers for using less energy during times when demand is high and invest far more in energy efficiency, helping customers to adopt devices that use less electricity.

All of these solutions would save customers money and reduce carbon emissions. They could, according to a Department of Energy analysis , meet the entire projected growth in U.S. peak electricity demand over the next decade.

Sure, they wouldn’t provide utilities nearly as much money as building new gas-fired power plants. But that’s why public utility commissions must step in to require utilities to make investments that benefit the climate and their customers, without scaring off their shareholders. What’s needed is not more regulation, just smarter regulation.

There are promising signs that this shift is already underway. In Connecticut, where customers pay some of the highest electricity rates in the nation, the chairwoman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has created a program to test-drive tweaks to utilities’ incentive structure, as part of a larger initiative to build an “equitable, modern electric grid.”

More than a dozen other state legislatures have directed regulators to impose or study some kind of performance-based regulation to reward utilities based on what they do , instead of on how much they spend . This move has predictably elicited pushback from some companies, which believe that their traditional business models are under threat. But others have embraced the new opportunities: Hawaii’s approach has earned the support of the state’s biggest electric utility.

We need utilities to succeed now more than ever before. But the definition of success needs to evolve. We need them not only to shore up a grid being battered by extreme weather and wildfires fueled by climate change, but also to fully embrace the work of phasing out fossil fuels.

The United States has very little chance of reining in its emissions without investor-owned utilities putting their expertise and deep resources to work. We can’t build a carbon-free energy system without them — or without regulators and lawmakers willing to compel them to accelerate, rather than postpone, the clean energy transition.

Jonathan Mingle is an independent journalist and the author of “Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future.”

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