Some people love a good argument. Others go out of their way to avoid conflict. Regardless of where you stand, it’s hard to deny the important role that debate and discussion play in our daily lives. Unfortunately, few of the arguments we encounter on a daily basis are well grounded and fully thought out. Whether you’re listening to a talk show, reading the lunatic ravings of a misinformed blogger, or streaming a clever clip on YouTube about the issue of the day, it can be almost comically easy to pick out the flaws in a weak argument.

An effective argument, on the other hand, makes a well-supported, well-considered point about an issue in an attempt to convince or persuade readers. Convincing involves gaining readers’ agreement that a position on an issue is reasonable and well founded. Persuading involves getting them to take action. One writer, for example, might seek to convince readers that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen, while another might attempt to persuade teenagers to take a vow of sobriety.

Whether they attempt to convince or persuade, writers who make arguments adopt the role of advocate. An effective advocate considers not only the argument he or she will advance but also how best to formulate and express that argument for a particular audience. Although readers of arguments typically share the writer’s assumption that an issue is important and are willing to consider new ideas, they bring their own values, beliefs, and experiences to the conversation. A writer who wants to change readers’ minds or persuade them to act must give careful thought to who readers are and where they come from, what they value, how resistant or receptive they might be to an argument, and what kinds of argumentative strategies — such as appeals to logic, emotion, or authority — are most likely to sway them.

Sources of evidence used in argumentative documents include numerical data, reports of a writer’s direct observation, and statements by experts, to name just a few. Advocates sometimes use charged language, but more often than not they adopt a straightforward, reasonable tone. They typically offer evidence and reasoning to align their arguments with authorities and with other writers, provide background information, support their claims and reasoning, and refute opposing arguments. Advocates might also offer evidence in the form of illustrations, such as images, video and audio clips, or tables and charts, to set a mood or call attention to specific points. Their decisions about the type of evidence they use are shaped by both the type of document they choose to write and the context in which they find themselves.

Argumentative documents are the means through which many written conversations make progress on an issue. By stating a claim and providing evidence to support it, advocates help readers understand options for addressing an issue. By pointing out the drawbacks of competing arguments, they help participants in the conversation weigh alternatives. More than any other type of document, written arguments help us decide — individually and as a group — what we should believe and how we should act. In doing so, they have a profound effect on how we live our lives.