Deductive Method

The traditional academic argument is deductive, placing the author's position in the introduction and devoting the rest of the argument to presenting the evidence. Unless you are in a field where inductive reasoning is the norm, you can hardly go wrong with this method.

In some cases, all the evidence may be directed at proving the main point; in others, each piece may lead to a sub-point that needs proving before a convincing argument for the main point can be made. Depending on how directly each piece of evidence relates to the position, a deductive argument can be organized in a variety of ways. Let's look at a few:

When All Evidence Relates Directly to Your Main Point
When Seemingly Unrelated Sub-Points Need to be Made
When Opposing Arguments or Points of View Must be Addressed

Writing Guides

Drafting an Argument

Deductive Method