Mike Palmquist guides the writer to take steps that support their argument in Chapter 12 of The Bedford Researcher, titled "Developing Your Argument." Such steps for the writer to follow include choosing reasons that support their thesis statement, selecting evidence to support these reasons, and deciding how to appeal to their readers. For choosing reasons, Palmquist states, "in longer documents... writers usually present several reasons to support their thesis statement... In an argumentative essay, writers usually offer a series of claims that will lead readers to accept the argument they are advancing" (211). In order for the writer to find evidence that supports their thesis statement and reasons, they need to locate "details, facts, personal observations, and expert opinions..." (211) that expand and support their ideas. In order to appeal to their readers, the writer should use appeals to logic; appeals to emotion; appeals to values, principles, beliefs, and character, and appeals to authority in their essay.
Chapter 12 also addresses the idea that the writer should be certain that their argument has integrity. In order to have no holes in their argument, the writer can check for distracting sentences in the middle of a source that detract from the main point. The writer can also look for false assumptions in their sources, misrepresentation, and careless reasoning. These are all fallacies to be on the lookout for. All in all, Chapter 12 is a guiding tool that will allow the writer to be confident in their argument, thesis statement, and evidences.
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