Research and Citation - Stock Issues in Argument

Stock Issues in Argument
When preparing a case to present before a court or to discuss in a debate, speakers and writers often prepare a "brief" that addresses specific issues that must be considered. Because several of these issues are common to nearly any discussion, they are sometimes called "stock" issues. These issues are especially applicable to argument--a discussion in which a specific policy of position must be stated and defended.
The following table summarizes some of the issues which are usually included in an argumentative brief. Beneath the table is a link to a worksheet for using these issues as a tool for exploring your subject.

Need

What exactly is the problem?
What terms require definition and/or clarification?
Why is it a problem? (What about it requires that it be viewed as problematic?)
How did the problem come to exist? (What background information does the audience need to know?)

Significance

What harm is done, and is the harm great? Does the harm outweigh any benefits? (What impact of the problem requires our attention?)
What is the scope of the problem? (How far-reaching is it? How many people or how much area is affected by it?)
What is excluded from your discussion or definition of the problem? Is this exclusion justifiable and legitimate?

Inherency

What about the status quo makes the problem inevitable?
Can the problem be solved under current policies and systems?
Could the problem be alleviated without change?
Have there been any previous attempts to solve them problem? Have these succeeded or failed? Why have they succeeded or failed?

Plan

What specific action do you recommend to solve the problem?
How will this action be implemented? (Who is responsible? How much will it cost, and who will pay for it? How will the change be administered, monitored, etc.)
What specific impact will the proposed change have on the problem?

Advantages

In what specific ways will the results of the proposed change be superior to the status quo?
Are there any disadvantages to the proposed change?
Who will benefit from the change, and how will that benefit be realized?

Use this worksheet in MS Word or rich text format as a guide to using the stock issues to ask questions about your topic.

Aristotle's Topics | Toulmin Analysis | Burke's Dramatistic Pentad | The Tagmemic Matrix

How to Begin | Finding Sources | Taking Research Notes | Citing and Documenting Sources

Need	What exactly is the problem? What terms require definition and/or clarification? Why is it a problem? (What about it requires that it be viewed as problematic?) How did the problem come to exist? (What background information does the audience need to know?)
Significance	What harm is done, and is the harm great? Does the harm outweigh any benefits? (What impact of the problem requires our attention?) What is the scope of the problem? (How far-reaching is it? How many people or how much area is affected by it?) What is excluded from your discussion or definition of the problem? Is this exclusion justifiable and legitimate?
Inherency	What about the status quo makes the problem inevitable? Can the problem be solved under current policies and systems? Could the problem be alleviated without change? Have there been any previous attempts to solve them problem? Have these succeeded or failed? Why have they succeeded or failed?
Plan	What specific action do you recommend to solve the problem? How will this action be implemented? (Who is responsible? How much will it cost, and who will pay for it? How will the change be administered, monitored, etc.) What specific impact will the proposed change have on the problem?
Advantages	In what specific ways will the results of the proposed change be superior to the status quo? Are there any disadvantages to the proposed change? Who will benefit from the change, and how will that benefit be realized?