Visual Arguments

Reading through pages and pages of nothing but text can often be a struggle for some audiences. It can also be quite boring and dull. A great way to break out of this text bound routine is through the incorporation of charts, graphs, breakout boxes and images in your research papers. Using visual arguments can be an extremely useful way to address ideas that may be too extensive to explain in text or just simply to add variety to your paper. There are many things to keep in mind when determining the effectiveness of a visual argument in your paper including the type of visual argument, whether it be a graph, chart, or image, as well as the use of space, color, and text. Most importantly, it is imperative to know how your visual argument will play to your audience and have a powerful effect.

In my specific research paper, my topic delves into the analysis of whether or not standardized testing is an effective measure of student ability and intelligence. If I were to integrate a chart or graphic into my paper, I might include something like this:

  This chart illustrates the importance that that teachers hold to standardized testing compared to other aspects of classroom assessment, such as ongoing assessments, and class participation. This graph is useful to me because it quickly and visually lays out vital information that would have otherwise been pretty complicated to type out in text format.

For more examples on how to include graphs, charts, and images into your research argument, USA Today is a great website to investigate. In an article titled, John Calipari as a Player, the author effectively uses groups of images epitomizing Calipari’s basketball career to break up her lengthy article and accentuate the idea of him as a successful player. Knowing how and when to use visual arguments to best express your ideas is a vital knowledge when writing successful pieces of research.