English final vocab

 claim

a statement that asserts a belief or truth. In arguments, most claims require supporting evidence. The claim is a key component in Toulmin argument.


 advocate

a person who supports or argues for a cause, policy, or idea.


 reporter

a person who presents information objectively, often without trying to persuade the audience.


 critic

a person who analyzes, interprets, and evaluates ideas, texts, or arguments.


 stance

a person’s position or attitude on an issue.


 wiki

a collaborative website that can be edited by multiple users.


 blog

an informal online publication where individuals or groups share opinions, information, or commentary.


 scholarly journal

an academic publication written by experts and often peer reviewed.


 quantitative data

information expressed in numbers, statistics, or measurements.


 quantitative argument

an argument that relies primarily on numerical evidence, statistics, or measurable facts.


 qualitative data

information based on descriptions, observations, qualities, or experiences rather than numbers.


 qualitative argument

an argument that relies primarily on descriptions, observations, and experiences.


 precedent

an earlier event, decision, or action used as an example for future situations.


 primary source

an original firsthand source of information, such as a diary, speech, interview, experiment, or historical document.


 secondary source

a source that analyzes, explains, or interprets a primary source.



 tertiary source

a source that summarizes or compiles information from primary and secondary sources, such as an encyclopedia.


 bias

prejudice or favoritism that affects fairness or objectivity.


 post-truth

a situation in which emotions and personal beliefs have more influence than objective facts.


 relevance

the degree to which a source connects to or supports a topic or argument.


 confirmation bias

the tendency to accept, or agree with, or search for information from sources that confirm what you already believe or think.


 lateral reading

the strategy of checking other sources to verify credibility before trusting a source.


 effective triangulation

using multiple reliable sources to confirm the same information.


 parenthetical citation

citation information placed in parentheses within the text of an essay.


 in-text citation

a citation included within the body of writing to show where information came from; often a parenthetical citation in MLA.