To support an argument, writers often cite experts on the subject. Quoting, paraphrasing, or even just referring to a respected authority can add to a writer’s credibility. Authorities must be selected as carefully as are facts and statistics, however. One qualification for authorities is suggested by the way we refer to them: They must be authoritative—that is, trustworthy and reputable. They must also be specially qualified to contribute to the subject you are writing about. For example, a well-known expert on the American presidency might be a perfect choice to support an argument about the achievements of a past president but a poor choice to support an argument on whether adolescents who commit serious crimes should be tried as adults. Finally, qualified authorities must have training at respected institutions or have unique real-world experiences, and they must have a record of research and publications recognized by other authorities.
The following example comes from a New York Times article about some parents’ and experts’ heightened concern over boys’ behavior. The author believes that the concern is exaggerated and potentially dangerous. In the full argument, she is particularly concerned about the number of boys who are being given Ritalin, a popular drug for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):
Today, the world is no longer safe for boys. A boy being a shade too boyish risks finding himself under the scrutiny of parents, teachers, guidance counselors, child therapists—all of them on watch for the early glimmerings of a medical syndrome, a bona fide behavioral disorder. Does the boy disregard authority, make snide comments in class, push other kids around and play hooky? Maybe he has a conduct disorder. Is he fidgety, impulsive, disruptive, easily bored? Perhaps he is suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, the disease of the hour and the most frequently diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood. Does he prefer computer games and goofing off to homework? He might have dyslexia or another learning disorder.
“There is now an attempt to pathologize what was once considered the normal range of behavior of boys,” said Melvin Konner of the departments of anthropol-ogy and psychiatry at Emory University in Atlanta. “Today, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn surely would have been diagnosed with both conduct disorder and ADHD.” And both, perhaps, would have been put on Ritalin, the drug of choice for treating attention-deficit disorder.
—NATALIE ANGIER, “Intolerance of Boyish Behavior”
Angier establishes Melvin Konner’s professional qualifications by naming the university where he teaches and his areas of study.
For examples of two formal citation styles often used in college essays, see Chapters 27 and 28.
In this example, Angier relies on informal citation within her essay to introduce Melvin Konner, the authority she quotes, along with a reference to his professional qualifications. Such informal citation is common in newspapers, magazines, and some books intended for general audiences. In other books and in academic contexts, writers use formal citation, providing a list of works cited at the end of the essay.
Analyze how authorities are used in paragraphs 4 and 6 of Patrick O’Malley’s essay “More Testing, More Learning” in Chapter 7 (pp. 302–8). Begin by underlining the authorities’ contributions to these paragraphs, whether through quotation, summary, or paraphrase. On the basis of the evidence you have available, decide to what extent each source is authoritative on the subject: qualified to contribute to the subject, trained appropriately, and recognized widely. How does O’Malley establish each authority’s credentials? Then decide what each authority contributes to the argument as a whole. (If you have not read the essay, take time to read or skim it.)