Building an argument

In North American academic writing, arguments are often provided in body paragraphs. See the video below for more information and then click through the sections for more information on claims, evidence, analysis, and sample arguments.

This video will provide you with an introduction to writing an academic paragraph. While the video is playing, click "Slides" to navigate through the presentation or "Notes" to see the transcript. If you would like to return to specific sections of the video, please see below:

1. Introduction (0:37)
2. What's the Story You Want to Tell? (2:05)
3. Purpose and Characteristics of an Academic Paragraph (3:02)
4. Elements of an Academic Paragraph (0:49)
   1. Topic sentence (1:31)
   2. What is critical thinking and how is it demonstrated? (8:13)
   3. Evidence (2:21)
   4. Analysis (1:25)
   5. Conclusion (0:51)
   6. Transition (1:56)
5. Sample Paragraph (0:21)
6. Final Thoughts on Paragraphing and Contact the Writing Centre (2:19)

Click on Writing an Academic Paragraph (PowerPoint) if you would like the slides from the video; the transcript is available via the slide notes.