00:00: Now that we know the meaning of a scientific argument, it will be important to examine what the components of a scientific argument are. Basically, there are three parts of a scientific argument. The first is the claim, which is the explanation. The second is the evidence, or the empirical data, observation. And then the last one is the reasoning, which is the thinking part, also known as the rationale.
00:33: And in the literature, it is referred to as CER, Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning. When you talk about claim, it comes with an explanation or an answer to a research question. So, you have an idea which are put up in form of some conjectures, speculations, or research questions, which are usually testable and verifiable.
00:59: And with these questions in place, you move to this next aspect, which is trying to provide evidence based on some observations. This can be achieved using fieldwork or laboratory experiments that will help you to either understand a trend over time or show a pattern or establish a relationship among some variables. And, based on this, you now want to come up with the reasoning to explain the evidence and why so evidence supports the claim. All these are interdependent processes.
01:32: You start from what you know. The question of what you know may vary from your prior observations, knowledge, experience, or literature review. In all, you are trying to proffer an answer to some existing views or ideas or questions that are going on in your mind. And then you go on to say, how do I know what I know? That view or that position you are taking, how do you know it? And that’s what makes you to go on to the field to collect data or to use existing knowledge to be able to provide evidence to support that claim.
02:09: So, that’s why it is important to delve into each component in more detail. And you’re talking about claim. Your claim is a statement that answers your original question or assumptions. And that is very, very key. And usually, this statement is written in one long sentence. And it should be as clear as possible.
02:31: It will be specific. It will be accurate. It will be completely able to answer the original question that you set out to achieve. And that’s why it is important that there is a scientific basis for such a claim. Otherwise, anybody can make any assertion or make any statement and run away with it. But in science, when you make a claim, for example, that the world is spherical, you must have evidence to support that claim. So the evidence comprises all the scientific data that support your claim.
03:01: And such evidence must be sufficient and relevant. So when you see your reviewers or panel of examiners, maybe it is your master thesis examination or PhD thesis examination or seminar session asking you a question. They want to see if you have sufficient data or evidence for the original question, or how relevant those data are to support your claim. It’s important to know that data is your evidence. If you don’t have sufficient or relevant data for your claim or writing, your thesis is unsubstantiated and it cannot stand.
03:34: It means you are merely making spurious or sweeping statements, which is not backed with evidence. Most evidence comes from scientific data based on your research. It doesn’t mean that you cannot use literature review, for example, to provide evidence. But most evidence comes from empirical research. It can also come from other sources. For example, you can use existing data to do some simulation.
04:01: You can also access information from websites, from databases, or personal experiences, and so on. But whatever the source of your information, your data or evidence, they must be sufficient, they must be relevant, they must be able to support the claim that you’re trying to make. And the more the evidence you have, the better you are able to prove your claim. You cannot use single evidence to prove or support your claim. By gathering evidence from multiple sources, it makes your argument strong.
04:31: And then the final part is the reasoning. Reasoning is the expression that connects your claim to the evidence. It is trying to justify why the data you have counts as evidence. So, this is where you draw your inference. You draw some kind of connections. You try to interpret the data that you have selected for your argument. So, as I conclude this part, let’s note that a scientific argument uses evidence and data rather than mere belief or opinion to support claim.
05:01: This is because evidence and data can be empirically re-examined and re-tested. That’s why science is different from mere speculations, opinions, or beliefs. And more often than not, the beauty of a scientific investigation is that it can be replicated. So your claim should be such that any other person can follow the same or similar procedure to re-examine it, or to re-examine it, or to re-test it. So, in a scientific argument, there must be a clear explanation of a claim. And that includes the level of certainty using data to predict or make forecasts.
05:35: Therefore, a scientific argument must be backed up by evidence, collected by field observation or laboratory experimentation. You should be able to convince and persuade your audience why the evidence you have chosen matters.