Using Data and Information from Various Sources to Develop and Support an Argument Chapter Notes | AP Research – AP Students - Grade 11 PDF Download

Introduction

This chapter explains how to find and use evidence effectively in your AP Research paper. It covers where to locate reliable evidence, how to choose the best evidence for your argument, and ways to use it to support your claims. The chapter emphasizes the importance of aligning evidence with your research question, ensuring its quality, and using reasoning to connect it to your argument. These skills help create a strong, credible research paper that meets academic standards.

Looking for Evidence

To recap from Big Idea 2: Evidence is anything used to support a claim. This includes facts and data as well as observations, predictions, analogies, explanations, and opinions. Thus, we can find evidence from a wide range of sources, though some are more dependable than others.

Where Can We Find Evidence?

When you begin your search for evidence, consider looking in or with:

• Print sources:  Books, monographs, research papers, etc. This category can also include images.
• Nonprint sources: In some research projects, non-print sources like physical objects or videos may serve as evidence.
  • You can discover both print and non-print sources in libraries, museums, archives, and digital databases like EBSCO. In my research project conducted in 2020-21, I utilized digital databases almost exclusively for the evidence not derived from my research itself.
    
• Experts:  Experts in their respective fields can be invaluable resources for your research. If you have access to an expert who can mentor you, that's excellent! If not, you can gain expert insights from their published writings. - Don't hesitate to reach out to experts for assistance! This could include your teachers or college professors. As long as you approach them respectfully, the worst they can do is decline your request.
• Data gathered in the field:  This includes all the data you will collect during your research. Depending on your topic and methodology, this data will vary. Remember, this consists not only of the physical data you gather but also any observations you make during the research process. For instance, do you notice any challenges in your methodology or any unexpected patterns? Such observations are often the most significant!

Research Tip: Keeping a research diary can be beneficial. It’s a place to log all your observations and data as you conduct research, preventing you from forgetting your insights later.

Choosing Evidence

Evidence is always chosen strategically based on context, purpose, and audience. This means the evidence you select should be the most appropriate for the situation at hand. Remember, the primary purpose of evidence is to support your claims. Once you obtain evidence, you should use it accordingly!

However, there are some important considerations discussed below:

How do we determine what the best evidence is?

• First, ensure that your evidence supports your claim. If it does not, either select a different piece of evidence or reconsider your claim.
  
• Next, evaluate the quality of the evidence. The College Board defines compelling evidence as being sufficient, accurate, relevant, current, and credible to support your conclusion. We will explore evidence further in Big Idea 2: apply the evidence analysis skills you’ve learned by examining other people’s papers to inform your own.
  
• Finally, consider your audience. For example, if you’re presenting your argument to elementary school students (for whatever reason), you’ll use different types of evidence than if presenting to graduate students. The latter might rely more on statistics and factual research, whereas the former might incorporate more anecdotes or visual examples.
  

Of course, sometimes you may only have one piece of evidence and cannot choose, but generally, you will likely have more evidence than you can use. In such cases, select the best evidence available.

Caveat: Be mindful of the distinction between “strategically choosing evidence” and “cherry-picking evidence” to support a specific claim. If most of your evidence indicates one point and you use a piece to argue the opposite, that may not be the best approach. Ensure that all the evidence you employ is accurate and credible, and remember that it is your responsibility to use evidence ethically.

Using Evidence

Now that we have our evidence, how do we use it to support our claims?

Here are several methods outlined by the College Board:

• To align an argument with authority:  “I believe xyz is true. Professor Five argues that xyz is true in xyz book, providing support for my claim.”
• To define a concept, illustrate a process, or clarify a statement:  “According to the College Board, research is defined as...”
•  To set a mood: “It was a dark and scary night...”
  • Why is this important? Setting a mood can prepare your audience for your key points. For instance, if you want to make a call to action, establishing a somber mood can reinforce the urgency of your message.
• Why is this important? Setting a mood can prepare your audience for your key points. For instance, if you want to make a call to action, establishing a somber mood can reinforce the urgency of your message.
• To provide an example:  “Hawaiian Pizza sales are declining. According to survey data from 15 pizza shops in New York City...”
• To amplify or qualify a point:  “Not all states are experiencing a decline in Hawaiian Pizza sales, according to these reports…” - This can serve as an example of adding  qualifiers  to your arguments or narrowing their scope to enhance accuracy.

Oftentimes, it will be clear what purpose a piece of evidence serves. The more common issue arises when you have a claim without the appropriate supporting evidence.

However, some may fall into the trap of using evidence merely for the sake of including it. It’s wise to review your work and assess the purpose of each piece of evidence; if it does not contribute to your overall goal, consider removing it.

How can we effectively link a piece of evidence, like a statistic, to support an argument or define a concept? Sometimes you can allow evidence to “stand alone,” but most of the time, you’ll want to include reasoning to connect your evidence to your claims.

Reasoning: Your Paper’s Glue

In this context, reasoning refers to the commentary you attach to your evidence. It's what connects your claims and evidence, effectively binding them together within your paper. Therefore, your reasoning should always link your evidence to your claims. Additionally, it can highlight interesting connections or add qualifying statements to your claims. However, remember that the primary function of your reasoning is to connect to your claims first and foremost.

If you're unsure how to start your reasoning, here are some strategies:

• Making interpretations or inferences:  What insights does this evidence provide? What implications does it suggest, and why?
• Identifying patterns:  Does this evidence align with a broader pattern or suggest a new one? If yes, explain why.
• Describing trends:  Does this evidence indicate a change? If so, what is the cause?
• Explaining relationships:  How does this evidence interact with another piece of evidence or concept? Relationships may be comparative, causal, or correlational. (Remember, correlation—when two things move together, like both increasing—does not imply causation.)

Research Tip: A good starting point for your reasoning is to ask yourself why this piece of evidence is significant to your paper. Why is it necessary for your audience to see this evidence?