Types of Claims and How They are Expressed

The type of claim (its stasis) will affect how the claim is expressed and what kind of support might be offered:

Stasis (Type of Question)	What It Asks	Sample Claim
Existence	– What evidence shows the issue, phenomenon, or event actually exists? – Do relevant stakeholders agree on these core facts?	“Data from three independent labs confirm that micro‑plastics are present in 80% of municipal tap‑water samples.”
Procedure/Jurisdiction	– Which body or individual has authority to decide this matter? – Have all deadlines and procedural prerequisites been met? – Is there an alternative venue or process that would be more appropriate?	“This lawsuit should be dismissed because the contract requires binding arbitration, not litigation in state court.”
Definition	– How should we define or name this phenomenon? – What criteria must something meet to fit this definition? – Which competing definitions exist and which definitions are most accurate? – How might a different label change our analysis or response?	“Social‑media ‘likes’ should be classified as a form of personal data under privacy law.”
Cause/Effect	– What caused this? – What will its effects be?	“Raising the minimum wage to $17/hour will reduce employee turnover in the service sector by at least 20% within a year.”
Value	– By what standards should we judge this phenomenon? – Is it good, bad, mixed, etc.? – How does it align with what we value ethically, artistically, socially, or culturally?	“Banning books that discuss gender identity in high‑school libraries undermines students’ intellectual freedom.”
Comparison	– Compared similar phenomena or alternatives, is this better or worse? – What criteria are we using to compare them?	“Community‑based restorative‑justice programs are more effective than traditional incarceration at reducing recidivism.”
Policy	– What specific action should be taken? – How will this action address the problem? – Is the solution feasible within existing resources and constraints? – How will we know whether we have succeeded or failed?	“Congress should pass a federal shield law to protect journalists from revealing confidential sources in court.”

The Type of Claim Shifts the Language Used to Make It

• Fact claims might lean on observable evidence (“confirm,” “data”) and typically avoid prescriptive verbs.

• Procedure/Jurisdiction claims typically invoke authority, venue, or procedural rules and hinge on whether the correct forum, timeline, or steps have been observed.

• Definition claims might use classification verbs (“should be classified”) and hinge on criteria.

• Causal claims often feature causal connectors (“will reduce,” “leads to”), often with time frames or measurable effects.

• Value claims probably embed an evaluative term (“undermines,” “beneficial”) and appeal to agreed‑upon standards.

• Comparison claims juxtapose alternatives and rely on comparative adjectives (“more effective”).

• Policy claims often contain a clear action verb (“should pass”) and may invoke authority or venue (“Congress,” “the Supreme Court,” “faculty senate”).