Most everyone is an expert on something! And how often do we bolster our viewpoint by pointing out that so-and-so agrees with us? Expert opinion is a more formal variation on that common practice. An expert is someone who has published research on a topic or whose job or experience gives him or her specialized knowledge. Sometimes, you might cite the viewpoint of an individual who is an “expert” in a local matter but who is not widely recognized. If, for instance, you are writing about school policy, you might cite the opinion of a teacher or student government officer. The important point is to make certain that your expert is seen as credible by your audience so that his or her opinion will add weight to your argument.
Following is an excerpt from “What’s Wrong with Cinderella?,” by Peggy Orenstein, in which she critiques what she calls “the princess culture” that Disney promotes. In this paragraph, she is commenting on the phenomenon of “Supergirl.” Note the use of an expert—and how that expert is identified—as evidence.
The princess as superhero is not irrelevant. Some scholars I spoke with say that given its post-9/11 timing, princess mania is a response to a newly dangerous world. “Historically, princess worship has emerged during periods of uncertainty and profound social change,” observes Miriam Forman-Brunell, a historian at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Francis Hodgson Burnett’s original Little Princess was published at a time of rapid urbanization, immigration and poverty; Shirley Temple’s film version was a hit during the Great Depression. “The original folk tales themselves,” Forman-Brunell says, “spring from medieval and early modern European culture that faced all kinds of economic and demographic and social upheaval—famine, war, disease, terror of wolves. Girls play savior during times of economic crisis and instability.” That’s a heavy burden for little shoulders. Perhaps that’s why the magic wand has become an essential part of the princess get-up. In the original stories—even the Disney versions of them—it’s not the girl herself who’s magic: it’s the fairy godmother. Now if Forman-Brunell is right, we adults have become the cursed creatures whom girls have the thaumaturgic [miraculous] power to transform.
(2006)
Orenstein is careful to present credentials (in this case, through quoting a university professor) and to quote and paraphrase the relevant information as evidence. She quotes Forman-Brunell and then comments on this expert’s viewpoint. Orenstein may have held the same opinion about fairy godmothers and their impact on girls’ views of themselves, but the findings of a researcher add credibility to the argument.
Appeal to false authority occurs when someone who has no expertise to speak on an issue is cited as an authority. A TV star, for instance, is not a medical expert, even though pharmaceutical advertisements often use celebrity endorsements. When choosing whom to cite as an expert, be sure to verify the person’s background and qualifications.