What it looks like
An example from Economics.
Raising the minimum wage always costs jobs, because firms cannot afford to employ as many workers at a higher wage. This is clearly shown by the evidence.
Standard theory predicts that a minimum wage set above the market rate will cost jobs, because firms cannot afford to employ as many workers at a higher wage. The evidence is more mixed: Card and Krueger (1994) found no fall in fast-food employment in New Jersey after its minimum wage rose, compared with neighbouring Pennsylvania.
Why markers write it
Markers can only credit what you show them. A claim with nothing behind it reads as opinion, and in academic writing even true statements need a source unless they’re common knowledge in your field. Absolute words like “always”, “never” and “proves” draw the comment fastest, because very little evidence is that certain.
How to fix it in your next essay
- 1Find the claims that carry weightUnderline every sentence your argument depends on. Each needs a reference, an example or a clear line of reasoning.
- 2Cut the absolutesSwap “always”, “never” and “proves” for “often”, “rarely” and “suggests”, unless your evidence really is that strong.
- 3Never write “research shows” aloneIf research shows it, name the research. If you can’t find any, the claim may not be true.
Phrases that help
How much it costs
One unsupported claim rarely costs much on its own, but a pattern of them usually pulls down the marks for evidence and argument together.
Other ways markers say it
- “Evidence?”
- “Source?”
- “Reference needed”
- “Needs support”
- “Assertion”
Often written alongside
Common questions
- Do I need to reference common knowledge?
- No. Facts any reader in your field would accept, such as the date of a general election, don’t need a source. Interpretations and statistics do.
- Can my own reasoning count as support?
- Yes, if you show the steps. A logical argument is support — but a claim about what happened, or how often, needs evidence.