Quick Help: Certainty in argument

Quick Help

How much certainty should you show when you’re making an arguable claim? You may know that it’s safer to say “most students believe” than “all students believe,” but think carefully about when you should qualify or downplay a claim and when you can show greater confidence.

  • Recognize that academic claims usually make room for alternative points of view. According to research by Laura Aull analyzing databases of academic writing, academic argument is more often qualified and cautious than absolutely certain.

  • Use “hedges” to show uncertainty. Expert academic writers in all disciplines tend to qualify their claims by using “hedges”—words such as seems, might, may, generally, relatively, some, or likely.

  • Use “boosters” sparingly. Academic writers who are experts tend not to use intensifiers or “boosters” that show a high level of certainty—words such as clearly, always, never, and must.

Student writers with less experience tend to use many more “boosters” than “hedges.” Guard against overconfidence and aggressive critique of others’ perspectives. Overstating the truth of your claim can make you seem unfair or less credible to readers.