Student's guide to writing college papers, Fourth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2010

Use warrants if readers question the relevance of your reasons
Planning your argument
Writing your paper

Sometimes readers question an argument not because they object to its evidence or see an alternative interpretation of events, but because they cannot see its logic. Consider this argument, made by the ex-basketball star and TV commentator Charles Barkley:

I should not be held to a higher standard in my behavior,_claim because I never put myself forward as a role model for kids._reason

He was immediately criticized. His critics agreed that his reason was true: In fact, Barkley never claimed to be a role model. But, they said, that reason was irrelevant: He was a role model to be held to a higher standard, whether he asked for it or not.

Barkley and his critics did not disagree about evidence or reasons: all agreed that Barkley had never asked to be a role model. What they disagreed about was the underlying principle of reasoning that should apply to that fact. For Barkley, the principle was something like this:

Whenever someone does not ask to be a role model, he is not responsible to meet the standard of behavior applied to role models.

But the critics applied a different principle:

Whenever someone willingly engages in an activity that makes him famous and admired, he is a role model whether he asked for it or not.

If we think Barkley's principle is the right one, then we must accept his claim; if we think the critics have the right principle, then we must reject his and accept theirs.

A warrant is a general principle that if one thing is true, then something else must also be true. It answers those who believe that your reasons are true but still don't see why they should accept your claim: they think your reasons are irrelevant to believing your claim because they do not know (or accept) the principle of reasoning that connects them.

As we said, warrants are less common than the other parts of argument. They are used most often when an argument is about politics and morality (where people hold many contradictory principles) or when an expert makes an argument for lay readers (because experts know lots of principles that lay readers may not).

CAUTION

Don't Let Warrants Intimidate You

If warrants still seem confusing, don't be dismayed. Warrants are most important when you write for readers who think in ways very different from you. They are least important when your readers are a lot like you. Since you're likely to have target readers who do think more or less as you do, you may not need warrants at all. So if one comes to mind as you draft, include it. But don't try to force yourself to include warrants. As you become more experienced and tackle more advanced research projects, you can revisit the issue of warrants and their uses.