Glossary
Persuasion: the act or skill of causing someone to someone to do or believe something (to make an audience believe the claim to an argument)
Argument: an academic structure used to present opposing ideas where each side supports a claim with evidence, facts, and reasoning
Debate: a structured discussion presenting the opposing sides of an argument
Claim: the main idea or point of an argument
Counterclaim: the opposite or opposing point of an argument
Evidence: facts and information that can be proven true to support a claim
Reasoning: using logic to analyze the validity (truth) of evidence and draw conclusions based on evidence
Cite: give credit to the original author of a publication or source of information
Primary Source: information that provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, published articles by a researcher, biographies, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects.
Secondary Source: information created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions of a primary source. Secondary sources include textbooks, encyclopedias, summaries, comparisons, autobiographies, and articles not written by the researcher.
Opinion: a personal perspective that can be debated; usually written in first person point of view
Fact: a statement that can be proven
Plagiarism: taking and using someone else’s ideas or writing as your own original work without giving credit to the source/author
Ethos: a rhetorical appeal that focuses on the character or qualifications of the speaker
Pathos: a rhetorical appeal to the reader’s or listener’s sense of emotion using connotative language and imagery
Logos: a rhetorical appeal to reason or logic through statistics, facts, and reasonable examples
Argument: an academic structure used to present opposing ideas where each side supports a claim with evidence, facts, and reasoning
Debate: a structured discussion presenting the opposing sides of an argument
Claim: the main idea or point of an argument
Counterclaim: the opposite or opposing point of an argument
Evidence: facts and information that can be proven true to support a claim
Reasoning: using logic to analyze the validity (truth) of evidence and draw conclusions based on evidence
Cite: give credit to the original author of a publication or source of information
Primary Source: information that provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, published articles by a researcher, biographies, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects.
Secondary Source: information created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions of a primary source. Secondary sources include textbooks, encyclopedias, summaries, comparisons, autobiographies, and articles not written by the researcher.
Opinion: a personal perspective that can be debated; usually written in first person point of view
Fact: a statement that can be proven
Plagiarism: taking and using someone else’s ideas or writing as your own original work without giving credit to the source/author
Ethos: a rhetorical appeal that focuses on the character or qualifications of the speaker
Pathos: a rhetorical appeal to the reader’s or listener’s sense of emotion using connotative language and imagery
Logos: a rhetorical appeal to reason or logic through statistics, facts, and reasonable examples