wia1elp_ch11

Authority and testimony.

Authority and testimony. Another way to support an argument logically is to cite an authority. The use of authority has figured prominently in the controversy over smoking. Since the U.S. surgeon general’s 1964 announcement that smoking is hazardous to health, many Americans have stopped smoking, largely persuaded by the authority of the scientists offering the evidence.

Ask the following questions to be sure you are using authorities effectively:

Is the authority timely? (The argument that the United States should pursue a policy that was supported by Thomas Jefferson will probably fail since Jefferson’s time was so radically different from ours.)
Is the authority qualified to judge the topic at hand? (To cite a movie star in an essay on linguistics may not help your argument.)
Is the authority likely to be known and respected by readers? (To cite an unfamiliar authority without identification will reduce the impact of the evidence.)
Are the authority’s credentials clearly stated and verifiable? (Especially with Web-based sources, it is crucial to know whose authority guarantees the reliability of the information.)

Testimony—the evidence that an authority presents in support of a claim—is a feature of much contemporary argument. If testimony is timely, accurate, representative, and provided by a respected authority, then it, like authority itself, can add powerful support.

In research writing (see Chapters 12–16), you should cite your sources for authority and for testimony not based on your own knowledge.