Testimony doesn’t just mean in the legal sense, like when someone takes the stand in a court case. Testimonial EvidenceĮxperts give testimony in a number of areas. The next form of evidence isn’t as powerful as statistics, but it’s often used to examine textual evidence. That’s why statistics is such a powerful tool in textual evidence. You can go to the source and examine the data yourself. The answer? Those are all factual statements. Nearly half of American households own dogs. About 327 million people live in the United States.ģ. On average, Americans with a college degree earn more money than Americans who have only earned a high school diploma.Ģ. Data are the strongest available pieces of evidence because statistics use analysis to reach strong, accurate conclusions. Look for data that also includes the source information.

Here are some clues to look for when analyzing textual evidence. You want to make sure the information is precise, descriptive, and factual. No, not the file format used in presentations. So, what should you look for when evaluating textual evidence? Think P-D-F. Textual evidence only uses facts to make its point. “Aliens are buried at Area 51 in Nevada” is a claim that can’t be verified. A claim is a statement that can be in dispute and requires further evidence. “Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States” is a fact. Here’s an important issue: “evidence” is not the same as a “claim.” Evidence is a single fact or set of facts. You can take any debate position you want, but without facts to back up your argument, you can’t prove your point. Debates take a position and then use facts as supporting evidence. Think of textual evidence as the driving force behind debates. Textual evidence uses information from an originating source or other texts to support an argument.

So, let’s start here: what is textual evidence? What is Textual Evidence? We’ll explain textual evidence and the best way to analyze it. That evidence can come in a number of different forms. Textual evidence comes into play when an author presents a position or thesis and uses evidence to support the claims. Welcome to this video about textual evidence! Textual evidence deals with facts in writing and the strategies used to figure out whether or not the information is factual.

Definition of textual evidence