In academic writing, an “argument” (sometimes referred to as a “claim” or simply an “idea”) is a stance, position, or point of view an author takes when writing a text. An argument is usually the main idea of a paragraph. It can also be your thesis statement or the main idea of your entire paper.

The argument is sometimes referred to as a “claim” because you, as the writer, are required to defend the claim in academic writing. To defend your claim, you will reference sources that are peer-reviewed. By referencing sources, you are backing up your claim with evidence. When you use evidence to support your claim, this is considered creating a reasoned argument.

When you use high-quality sources, such as peer-reviewed sources, you are making a scholarly argument.

Using sources to back up your claims—in papers, Courseroom discussion posts, and other written reports—is crucial in both academic and professional writing because readers will not always assume your claims are true. Although personal and professional experiences are important, readers will not always consider them valid or universal. They need to see where and how you came up with these claims. Hence, when you have evidence to support your claims, you will strengthen your credibility.