The following reading strategies can help you identify the argument of a source:
- Identify the author’s thesis (central claim or purpose) or research question. Both the introduction and conclusion can help you with this task
- *Look for repetition of key terms or ideas, especially those occurring in the thesis. Follow them through the text and examine what the author does with them.
- Notice whether and how a theory is used to interpret evidence. Identify the method used to investigate the problem(s) addressed in the text.
- Notice how the text is laid out and organized. What are the main sections? What is emphasized? Why? Accounting for “why” will help you move beyond listing contents and toward accounting for the argument. Look also for paragraphs that summarize the argument.
