Authors need to include evidence when supporting their claims. An author must choose evidence that is easy for the reader to understand and clearly matches the ideas they want to convey. This can be a difficult task for an author since there is a wide variety of evidence available.
As you read, look for different kinds of evidence. Do you see facts and statistics? Do you notice interviews or anecdotal accounts? Did the author look back at historical documents or refer to literary pieces? Recognizing the different kinds of evidence will help you better comprehend and analyze a text. Review this lesson on the variety of evidence you may encounter in a text.
All academic writers use evidence to support their claims. However, different writing tasks in different fields require different types of evidence. Evidence is not simply "facts". Evidence is not simply "quotes".
Evidence is what a writer uses to support or defend his or her argument, and only valid and credible evidence is enough to make an argument strong. What is valid or credible changes, however, according to the academic discipline.
It is important to remember that evidence NEVER speaks for itself. Any evidence used to support a position must be explained – the author of the text must prove that the evidence supports his or her thesis.
Source: Robin Jeffrey, https://pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu/eng-102/chapter/most-common-evidence-used-by-authors/
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