Judging the

Soundness of Author’s
Reasoning
 As a reader, you may be under
the impression when reading
informational or argumentative
texts that all ideas and
information presented are valid
and sound. This could not be true
at all.
 Authors present their ideas and
support them with specific reasons
and evidence to convince the reader.
However, readers also question the
author’s reasoning. Thus, readers,
like you, should not assume that
everything you read is true and
just.
 It is said that a good argument is
not only valid, but also sound.
Soundness is defined in terms of
validity. In philosophy, a sound
argument is a valid argument that has
all true premises. That means that
the conclusion of a sound argument
will always be true.
 In an argument, a sound reason
is one that supports the claim.
It is a reasoning that make
sense, and follows some sort of
logic. Sound reasoning means
logical reasoning.
 Take this example below.
CLAIM: All students in the Philippines should learn a
foreign language.
Reason 1: Students in other countries learn foreign language.
Evidence: In a study of 20 countries, 17 countries required
all students to learn at least one
foreign language.
Reason 2: Studying a language helps students excel in other
subjects.
Evidence: One study found that students who took foreign language
had higher point averages than those who
didn’t.
Reason 3: Knowing other languages is important in the business
world.
Evidence: Companies are often international; employees must be
able to communicate with customers and
How to Judge an Author’s Reasoning
Step 1: Identify the Author’s Assumptions
An author’s assumptions consist of things the
author takes for granted without presenting any proof.
In other words, what the author believes or accepts as
true and bases the argument on. Ask yourself, “What
does the author take for granted?” If the author’s
assumptions are illogical or incorrect, the entire
argument will be flawed. Readers may be misled unless
they identify the author’s assumptions.
 Step 2: Identify the Types of Support
Types of support refers to the kind of
evidence the author uses to back up the
argument. Ask yourself, “What kind of support
does the author present to back the argument?”
Support can include research findings, case
studies, personal experience or observation,
examples, facts, comparisons, expert testimony
and opinions.
Step 3: Determine the Relevance of the Support
Relevance means the support is directly
related to the argument. Ask yourself, “Is
the support directly related to the
argument?” Unless the author is an expert,
his or her opinion or personal experience
may not be particularly relevant.
Step 4: Determine the Author’s Objectivity
The author’s argument has
objectivity when the support
consists of facts and other clear
evidence. Ask yourself, “Does the
author present facts and clear
evidence as support?”
Step 5: Determine the Argument’s
Completeness
An argument is complete if the author
presents adequate support and overcomes
opposing points. Sometimes authors do not
give enough support. Sometimes they leave
out information that would weaken their
argument. Their argument would be
stronger if they presented it and
countered it.
Step 6: Determine if the Argument Is Valid
An argument is valid if it is
logical. Ask yourself, “Is the
argument logical (well
reasoned)?”
Step 7: Decide if the Argument Is Credible
An argument has credibility if it
is believable (convincing). Ask
yourself, “Is the author’s argument
believable?” Validity and credibility
are closely related since an argument
that is not valid will not be
credible.