DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLAIMS TO SUPPORTS ARGUMENTS

Explicit and Implicit Information

When you want to develop your critical reading skills you should be able to distinguish the information that is clearly stated
(explicit) in the text from ideas that are suggested (implicit). This will help you to infer what you read.
Explicit information is clearly written and explained in the text so the reader will not be confused. Implicit information is
something that is implied, but not stated outright in the text. Because the idea is not written in the text, you need to use clues in the text
to make an inference on what you have read. An inference is a conclusion that you make based on explicit information and your reasoning
and background knowledge.

Defining Claims
Learning how to identify explicit and implicit information's will help you in one of the mostly important skills needed in critical
reading; evaluating the claims made by an author. This involves going back to the text to recognize the writer’s arguments and evidence
so you can begin judging the writer's work.
Whenever you read something, you find yourself looking for the writer’s point or position regarding the chosen topic. That
point is also known as the claim, or the central argument or thesis statement of the text. This claim is what the writer tries to prove in
the text by providing details, explanations, and other types of evidence. As such it is usually found in the introduction or in the first few
paragraphs of the text.
The claim is the most important part of the text. The quality and complexity of the reading depend on the claim, because claims
defines the paper’s direction and scope.
The claim is a sentence that summarizes the most important thing that the writer wants to say as a result of his/her thinking,
reading, or writing.
The following are the characteristic of good claims:
1. A claim should be argumentative and debatable.
2. A claim should be specific and focused.
3. A claim should be interesting and engaging.
4. A claim should logical.

Different Types of Claims to Supports Arguments

Assuming that a reader poses some questions about the arguments stated in an article, the answer to the said questions may be
tested by using the multidisciplinary approach to argumentation. Analyze the claims of fact, policy, and value stated by the author
regarding the article.
In any type of argumentation, it is always important to know these different types of claims.

A. The claim of fact asserts the existence of something based on facts and data that is quantifiable and measurable. It also attempts to
define, classify, and make inferences. Factual claims are generally “objective” and proofs used require reliable authority, accurate and
recent data, and clearly defined terms. Claims of fact usually answer a “what question”.
The questions that follow are useful in determining whether something is a claim of fact.
 Is this issue related to a possible cause or effect?
 Is this statement true or false? How can its truthfulness be verified?
 Is this claim controversial or debatable?
Example of claim of fact –
“. . . According to the Internet World statistics, there are approximately 2, 267, 233, 742 Internet users worldwide in 2012. . .”
Here is another example.
“.. Today, many people use the Internet as their main source of entertainment and socialization..”
Remember that claims of fact do not necessarily express true sentences all the time. They may be true from the author’s point of view,
but you may think otherwise.

Read this example.

“. . . You can even bet that many of those Internet users only go online to check their Facebook accounts. . .”

B. The claim of value, on the other hand, attempts to prove that there are things that are more or less valuable and desirable. It asserts
something qualified. It involves judgments, evaluation and appraisals. In this type of claims, standards of evaluation must be well-
established, and abstract values must be clarifies through examples. The practical and moral advantages of the author’s standards must
also be explained.
Claims of value attempt to explain how problems, situations, or issues ought to be valued. To discover these explanations',
you may ask the following question:
 Which claims endorse what is good or right?
 What qualities should be considered good? Why?
 Which of these values contend with others? Which ones are more important and why? Whose standards are used?
 What are some concrete examples of such values?
Example
“This (the Facebook) has also been a very effective way to advertise business pursuits, look for job opportunities, validate the
credibility of a certain individual or organization, be informed about important world phenomenon, search for great leisure places,
find a great educational opportunity, and many more.”
C. The claim of policy asserts that certain policies be instituted as solutions to particular problems. It tells specific actions should be
chosen to a particular problem. It usually entails sub claims of fact and value. Here, the proposed actions must be clear and well-justified.
The plan must also be workable and the benefits of the propositions must be explained. Opposition and counter arguments must also be
considered. The following questions will be useful in evaluating a claim of policy:
 Does the claim suggest a specific remedy to solve the problem?
 Is the policy clearly defined?
 Is the need for the policy established?
 Is the policy the best one available? For whom? According to whose standards?
 How does the policy solve the problem?
Examples
“. . . In the end, it is still up to us whether to use social media to our advantage or allow it to destroys us . . “
“. . . Pornography, cyberbullying, and other online scams will not affect us if we do not allow it to enter into our online lives. ..”