The Architecture of an Argument
By Verbatim Editorial
The Architecture of an Argument
Most thesis failures aren’t about bad writing. They’re about bad structure. A well-constructed argument can survive mediocre prose. A beautifully written argument built on sand cannot survive a defense panel.
The Foundation: Your Research Question
Every argument begins with a question that is simultaneously specific enough to answer and significant enough to matter. If your research question can be answered with a Google search, it’s not a research question. If it requires an entire career to answer, it’s not a thesis question.
The sweet spot exists in the tension between these two extremes. Whether you’re writing at KNUST, Legon, UCC, or Ashesi — this principle doesn’t change.
The Load-Bearing Walls: Your Methodology
Your methodology isn’t a chapter you write to satisfy your supervisor’s requirement. It’s the structural logic that holds everything else up. Remove it, and the entire edifice collapses.
Ask yourself:
- Does my methodology actually answer my research question?
- Can my chosen approach generate the type of evidence I need?
- Have I justified why this method over alternatives?
The Rooms: Your Chapters
Each chapter should do one thing exceptionally well. It should advance a single, clear argument that contributes to the thesis as a whole. If you can’t articulate the purpose of a chapter in one sentence, the chapter doesn’t have a purpose yet.
The Roof: Your Conclusion
Your conclusion isn’t a summary. It’s a synthesis. It should demonstrate how the individual arguments combine to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Your examiners will check for this.
This is the standard we hold at Verbatim. Structure first. Always.