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Introduction

Let us clearly understand what an ‘Evidential Segment’ in an Argumentative Essay is with the help of an example. An essay titled “Impact of physical activity on a child’s cognitive growth” has stated that in a group of 100 physically active children, around 85 children resulted in a significant increase in cognitive ability. To support this claim, the Essay has also provided another statement that the children have been put on a balanced diet and are made to sleep for at least 7 hours per night. Now, this essay has not only stated a statement but also stated a piece of a claim for this statement by which they reached their statement. The statement is called an “Evidential Segment” and the essay can be called an “Argumentative Essay”.

Identifying the topic of the Evidential Segment and its importance in an Argumentative Essay

An evidential segment is a section of an argumentative essay that provides evidence or proof to support the claims made in the essay. It is important because it helps to establish credibility and strengthen the argument by providing concrete examples or data to back up the writer's assertions. Without evidence, an argument can appear weak and unconvincing. Therefore, including evidential segments in an argumentative essay is crucial in order to make a persuasive and convincing argument.

The purpose of the blog and what readers can expect to learn

In this blog, the Evidential Segment in an Argumentative Essay will be critically explained. The readers may be able to understand Evidential Segment and also incorporate it in the Argumentative Essay. The data collection and analysis will also be explained in this blog. Finally, in the conclusion section, the whole essay will be concluded along with the recommendations to improve using Evidential Segment in the Argumentative Essay.

Understanding Evidential Segment

Define Evidential Segment and its key principles

An evidential segment is a piece of information or evidence that is useful to support a claim or argument. The key principles of the Evidential Segment have been described below:

• Relevance: The evidence must be relevant to the claim or argument being made.

• Sufficiency: The evidence must be sufficient to support the claim or argument.

• Reliability: The evidence must be reliable, meaning it must be accurate and trustworthy.

• Credibility: The source of the evidence must be credible, meaning it has a reputation for honesty and expertise in the field.

• Objectivity: the evidence must be objective, meaning it is not influenced by personal bias or prejudice.

Main characteristics of Evidential Segment

• Evidence: An evidential segment provides evidence or proof to support the claims made in the essay. This can take the form of data, statistics, research studies, expert opinions, or examples.

• Relevance: The evidence presented in an evidential segment should be directly relevant to the claim it is being used to support.

• Credibility: The evidence presented in an evidential segment should be credible and come from a reputable source.

• Clarity: The evidence presented in an evidential segment should be presented clearly and in a way that is easy for the reader to understand.

• Explanation: An evidential segment should include an explanation of how the evidence supports the claim it is being used to support.

• Linking: An evidential segment should be linked to the rest of the essay, it should be clear how the evidence presented relates to the overall argument being made.

• Specificity: The evidence presented in an evidential segment should be specific and detailed, this will help the reader to understand the argument being made and the evidence used to support it.

• Summary: The evidential segment should summarize the evidence used and explain how it supports the argument being made.

• Integration: The evidence should be integrated into the essay, not just presented as a standalone segment, it should be clear how it is related to the whole argument.

• Objectivity: The evidential segment should be objective, which means it should present evidence in a neutral way, without bias, and avoid any personal opinion.

Examples of how Evidential Segment has been used in previous research studies

Here are a few examples of how evidential segments have been used in previous research studies:

• Data from clinical studies that demonstrated the drug was more effective than a placebo in lowering symptoms of depression were presented in an evidentiary phase of a study on the efficacy of a new medicine for treating depression.

• In a study on the impact of parental involvement on student academic achievement, data from surveys of parents and teachers were utilised to present evidence that suggested a positive relationship between parental involvement and student achievement.

• In a study on the effectiveness of different teaching methods for students with learning disabilities, an evidential segment was used to present data from classroom observations and student test scores that showed that a specific teaching method was more effective in improving student learning than traditional methods.

• An evidentiary segment was used to provide data from teen interviews and surveys that revealed a link between social media use and an increased risk of anxiety and depression in a research on the effect of social media on adolescent mental health.

• An evidential segment was used to present data from a randomised controlled trial that demonstrated that older adults who engaged in regular physical activity had better cognitive function than those who did not in a study on the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function in older adults.

In all of the above examples, the evidential segments are used to provide evidence to support the research claims, using data and statistics, clinical trials, and survey results.

Incorporating Evidential Segment in an Argumentative Essay

How Evidential Segment can be used to address research questions and objectives 

Evidential segmentation is a method of breaking down a piece of text, such as an argumentative essay, into smaller units of evidence, such as facts, statistics, or examples. This can be used to address research questions and objectives by allowing the reader to easily identify and evaluate the evidence used to support the author's claims. For instance, what if the research topic is "Does the death penalty deter crime effectively?" an evidential segmentation of an argumentative essay on the topic could break down the text into segments that present evidence for and against the death penalty as a deterrent, allowing the reader to easily evaluate the strength of the evidence and reach their own conclusions. Additionally, it can also be useful for identifying gaps in the evidence and suggesting areas for further research.

The benefits of using an Evidential Segment in an Argumentative Essay

There are several benefits to using evidential segmentation in an argumentative essay.

First, it allows the reader to easily identify and evaluate the evidence used to support the author's claims. This is important because it allows the reader to make their own judgments about the strength of the evidence and the credibility of the argument.

Second, it helps the writer to organize their thoughts and evidence in a clear and logical manner. By breaking the text into smaller units of evidence, the writer can ensure that their argument is well-structured and easy to follow.

Third, it allows the writer to identify gaps in their evidence and suggest areas for further research. This can help the writer to strengthen their argument by providing additional support for their claims.

Fourth, it can also be useful for detecting logical fallacies, contradictions and misleading statements and evidence.

Finally, it can help the writer to avoid plagiarism by clearly citing the sources of their evidence and quotes.

Overall, evidential segmentation can make an argumentative essay more clear, logical, and persuasive, as well as improve the credibility and trustworthiness of the argument and the writer.

The main steps involved in designing an Evidential Segment study

Designing an evidential segmentation study typically involves the following main steps:

• Define the research question or objective: The first step in designing an evidential segmentation study is to clearly define the research question or objective that the study aims to address. This will guide the selection of texts for analysis and the design of the segmentation scheme.

• Select texts for analysis: The next step is to select the texts that will be analyzed in the study. These texts should be relevant to the research question or objective and should be representative of the population of texts that the study aims to investigate.

• Develop a segmentation scheme: Once the texts have been selected, a segmentation scheme must be developed to identify the segments of text that will be analyzed. The scheme should be based on the research question or objective and should be consistent across all texts in the study.

• Annotate the texts: With the segmentation scheme in place, the texts are then annotated according to the scheme. This typically involves identifying the segments of text that correspond to each segment of the scheme and labelling them accordingly.

• Analyze the data: After the texts have been annotated, the data can be analyzed to answer the research question or objective. This typically involves examining the segments of text identified by the scheme and drawing conclusions about the evidence they contain.

• Report the findings: The final step is to report the findings of the study. This typically involves describing the segmentation scheme, the texts that were analyzed, the data that was collected, and the conclusions that were drawn.

Data Collection and Analysis

Data collection methods used in Evidential Segment and their advantages and disadvantages

There are several different data collection methods that can be used in evidential segmentation studies, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

• Manual annotation: In manual annotation, researchers manually identify and label the segments of text that correspond to the segmentation scheme. This method is highly accurate and allows for detailed analysis of the segments, but it can be time-consuming and costly, especially for large text corpora.

• Automatic annotation: Automatic annotation uses software to automatically identify and label the segments of text according to the segmentation scheme. This method is faster and more cost-effective than manual annotation, but it may be less accurate and may not capture all of the nuances of the text.

• Crowdsourcing: Crowdsourcing involves using a group of people to annotate the text. This method can be cost-effective and can provide a large amount of data quickly, but the quality of the data may be inconsistent and the data may need to be cleaned and validated.

• Hybrid methods: Hybrid methods combine manual and automatic annotation methods, they can provide a balance of accuracy and speed, but they can be more complex to implement and may require more resources.

• Combining multiple methods: Combining multiple methods can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the text and may provide more reliable results. It can also be useful for cross-validating the results obtained from different methods.

The process of analysing Evidential Segment

The process of analyzing evidential segments typically involves the following steps:

• Coding: Coding is the process of identifying key themes or patterns in the segments of text that correspond to the segmentation scheme. This can be done manually or with the use of the software.

• Summarising: Summarising is the process of condensing the segments of text into a more manageable form, such as a summary table or a set of key points. This step can help to identify key patterns in the data and to group related segments of text together.

• Interpreting: Interpreting is the process of understanding the meaning and implications of the segments of text. This can involve identifying key arguments, evidence, or logical fallacies in the text, as well as identifying gaps in the evidence or contradictions in the argument.

• Evaluating: Evaluating is the process of determining the quality and credibility of the evidence in the segments of text. This can include assessing the reliability of sources, the validity of data, and the logical coherence of the argument.

• Reporting: Reporting is the process of communicating the findings of the analysis to others. This typically involves describing the segmentation scheme, the texts that were analysed, the data that was collected, and the conclusions that were drawn.

Common challenges and limitations 

Some common challenges and limitations of using evidential segments in an argumentative essay include:

• Finding reliable and credible sources: It can be difficult to find sources that provide strong evidence to support a particular argument.

• Lack of expertise: If the writer is not familiar with the topic, it may be difficult for them to evaluate the credibility of sources and determine which evidence is most relevant to their argument.

• Limited availability of evidence: In some cases, there may be a lack of evidence available to support a particular argument.

• Biased or incomplete evidence: Sources may be biased or provide an incomplete picture of the issue being discussed.

• Incorporating evidence effectively: It can be challenging to integrate evidence seamlessly into the essay and ensure that it supports the argument effectively.

• Maintaining a balance between evidence and personal opinion: It can be difficult to strike a balance between providing evidence and expressing personal opinions in an argumentative essay.

• Incorporating counterarguments and refutations: It's important to anticipate counterarguments and refute them effectively, but it can be challenging to do so in a way that doesn't detract from the main argument.

• Keeping the evidence in context: Evidence must be understood in the context in which it was created, and it can be difficult to maintain the context of evidence when it is taken from different sources.

 

Recommendations for researchers in this area

Here are some recommendations for improving the evidential segments in an argumentative essay:

• Conduct thorough research: Gather a wide range of sources to ensure that you have a variety of evidence to support your argument.

• Evaluate sources carefully: Be critical of the sources you use, and only include those that are reliable and credible.

• Understand your topic: Acquiring a good understanding of the topic will help you evaluate the relevance and credibility of sources, and determine which evidence is most appropriate to include in your essay.

• Use a variety of evidence types: Include a mix of different types of evidence, such as statistics, expert opinions, and personal anecdotes, to strengthen your argument.

• Incorporate evidence smoothly: Use transition words and phrases to integrate evidence into your essay smoothly and make the connection between the evidence and your argument clear.

• Use counter arguments and refutations: Address potential counterarguments and refute them effectively, but be sure to do so in a way that doesn't detract from your main argument.

• Maintain context: Ensure that you understand the context in which the evidence was created and take that into account when interpreting and using it in your essay.

• Seek feedback: Get feedback from others on your essay, particularly on how well you have integrated evidence and how effectively you have supported your argument with it.

• Practice: Practice writing argumentative essays, so that you can improve your skills over time.

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