Analysing statements supported by evidence

In a nutshell

Statements supported by evidence are claims backed up by references from a secondary source. Providing such evidence helps strengthen a viewpoint, but can sometimes be used to create a biased point of view. In this summary, you will learn how to identify if a statement is supported by evidence and identify bias and misuse of evidence in certain types of writing.

Supporting evidence

Using evidence in your writing serves to convince readers that your point is justified as the truth. Evidence is what differentiates fact from opinion. In most cases, evidence is used to strengthen or validate an opinion.

Here are some things to consider when trying to identify if a statement is supported by any evidence:

Does the statement refer to any published authors?
Does the statement include any quotes?
Has the writer included any statistics?
Are there any references to speeches?
Has the writer used any survey results?

These considerations will alert you to any specific evidence that may have been used within a statement. From this information, you will be able to understand what types of evidence are being used and can then evaluate what the writer is aiming to achieve with the evidence.

Points of view

A writer's point of view within a statement presents their opinion. A writer's viewpoint determines the language and information they use to present their perspective. This way, writers control how readers are presented with the information and the evidence in relation to the topic.

Viewpoints are often influenced by:

Age
Class
Gender
Race
Sexuality

Identifying what the viewpoint is within a statement is crucial when trying to understand how the writer uses evidence. The following example will show you how the viewpoint of the writer influences the evidence used to justify their angle.

Example

Writing task: Write an article on the following statement: Pension age should be reduced and should better accommodate those who are unable to work due to ill health.

Viewpoint	Angle
Agrees with statement	The writer will likely use emotive language for the reader to be empathetic. The evidence used could be anecdotal where readers are informed on the direct experiences of the people impacted by the high pension age threshold. This is to maintain empathy throughout. The writer can bring in statistics of age groups still in the workforce and their relation to ill health. This will bring a more objective and factual tone to the article.
Disagrees with statement	This angle could feed into fearmongering to panic younger generations about the harsh consequences of a theoretical reduced pension age The writer could use statistics that present what could happen if an older age group are suddenly out of the workforce.

Identifying bias

Biases are another product of viewpoints. Biases are when someone has a likeness towards one perspective over another. When trying to identify whether a statement or source is biased, consider the following:

There are highly selective facts used that convince readers of a certain viewpoint
The writer presents opinions as though they are facts
Generalisations and stereotypes are used to present other perspectives
The use of language exaggerates one side while ignoring other perspectives
The writer frames or distorts evidence in a way that presents their perspective as favourable