tailieunhanh - Write better essays in just 20 minutes a day part 10

The direction and purpose you get from organization helps your reader to believe what you are saying, and to willingly follow your lead. Practice the prewriting and organizational techniques detailed in this chapter. | ------------------------------ STRATEGIES FOR CONVINCING --------------------------------------- That doesn t mean you have to scrap the idea altogether though. If you can t find evidence for the claim that Americans in general work more and play less than ever before you might be able to find evidence that supports the assertion on a smaller scale. For many types of essays you don t need the kind of evidence that s only found though research. Personal examples supported with specific examples can work if your assignment isn t a formal research paper. You could rework your assertion by reducing its scope and stating the following These days everyone in my family is working more than ever both at home and at the office. By using specific personal examples facts and anecdotes this type of assertion can have a legitimate place in your essay. Establish Credibility Credibility is the quality of being trustworthy and believable. The more credible a person is the more likely you are to accept his or her opinions as valid well founded logical . As a writer you need to establish credibility on two levels your own credibility and the credibility of your sources. Credibility is built upon two factors expertise and freedom from bias. A bias is an opinion or feeling that strongly favors one side over others. Expertise is established by education experience job or position reputation and achievements. In general the greater the expertise and the lower the potential for bias the greater the credibility. The Credibility of Your Sources As mentioned in Lesson 10 when you use expert opinion or analysis to support your assertions it s important to let readers know who your sources are and what the nature of their expertise is. Of course you don t have room to include extensive biographies or resumes of each source but some basic information can establish their authority. If your source is a person include his or her title affiliation does he or she work for a recognized or renowned .