---
title: "Using Researched Evidence in Argument"
description: "Use relevant, sufficient research in your argument. Identify each source, distinguish its findings from your own reasoning, and explain how the evidence supports or limits your claim."
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-researched-evidence-in-argument-mt_heDDfyi4O6
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-researched-evidence-in-argument-mt_heDDfyi4O6.md
retrieved: 2026-11-12
---

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# Using Researched Evidence in Argument

Use relevant, sufficient research in your argument. Identify each source, distinguish its findings from your own reasoning, and explain how the evidence supports or limits your claim.

Subject: English · Area: Writing Composition · Ages 15 to 16
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-researched-evidence-in-argument-mt_heDDfyi4O6

## Ready when they can

- Introduce a source in the sentence so the reader knows where the claim comes from
- Select enough relevant evidence for the point, including findings that qualify or challenge the claim
- Follow evidence with the inference drawn from it instead of moving straight on

## Lesson: Folding research into your argument

You have planned claims and paragraph links. Place research where it helps readers assess those claims. A signal phrase identifies a source: 'The library's annual report records...' Choose a reporting verb that fits what the source does. Report its finding without expanding it. Keep source details so readers can find the original. Add any further citation details your assignment requires.

Select enough relevant, reliable evidence for the point. There is no fixed one-figure or one-quotation limit. Remove unrelated details, but include relevant findings that qualify or challenge your claim. Recorded seat use can support a claim about demand for seats; the building's paint colour cannot establish that demand. Check what each source actually measures.

*(drawing: Match evidence to the claim and check how far it reaches.)*

Explain the inference you draw from evidence and how it connects to your claim. Keep it within the evidence's scope. If one year group's survey favours longer opening hours, it shows those respondents' preferences, not every pupil's wishes. Your commentary explains the connection. It does not remove uncertainty or make a limited finding prove a wider claim.

**Example.** Put exact copied words in quotation marks when using a short direct quotation. Fit them into a complete sentence and identify the source. A fictional report recommends a 'quiet study space' for pupils. The quoted phrase fits the surrounding grammar. A paraphrase needs attribution and any required citation too, but no quotation marks unless it includes copied wording.

*(drawing: Readers should be able to distinguish source material from your reasoning.)*

Check the original wording and context when quoting or paraphrasing. Preserve limits such as 'may', 'some' and the group studied. Removing them can change the finding. A quotation can fit your grammar and still misrepresent its source. Keep the source's statement distinct from your own inference, and do not strengthen either beyond its support.

**Recap.** Identify sources, select enough relevant evidence, preserve its meaning, and explain both its support and its limits.

*Original lesson, practice questions and flashcards written for this learning dataset.*

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Digital Writing and Publishing](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/digital-writing-and-publishing-mt_dN7QLqqJ4j)
- [Structuring an Argument](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/structuring-an-argument-mt_HYPdD7Zqxu)
- [Research & Source Evaluation](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/research-and-source-evaluation-mt_Qcsl1Z1x0l)

## Opens up

- [Building a Source Base for a Long Essay](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/building-a-source-base-for-a-long-essay-mt_d1WQaNVDuN)
- [Arguing With Published Criticism](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/arguing-with-published-criticism-mt_RHkHphHUHO)
- [Reading a Source in the World That Made It](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/reading-a-source-in-the-world-that-made-it-mt_S5EPefrFAi)