Examples of Research Using Toulmin's Theory

Scholars in the field of communication have frequently used Toulmin's theory as a means for critiquing and analyzing public argument. In most communication departments, this area of research is known as Rhetorical Criticism. What follows is a brief description of a few research studies using Toulmin's theory as a technique, or method, of analyzing public discourse.

• Sara Dunbar reported a study in 1986 that used Toulmin's theory as a way of understanding public argument surrounding the approval of a controversial drug called Laetrile, an alleged cancer causing drug. Dunbar analyzed newspaper articles and political speeches and court opinions for arguments and then used Toulmin's theory as a way of understanding components of the arguments. Based on this analysis, she was able to draw conclusions about various types of support used in public argument about controversial medication. Specifically, Dunbar concluded that support for argument differed depending on whether an argument was being made in the popular press, governmental, or legal settings.
• Other scholars have used Toulmin's theory as a way of understanding what constraints are placed on individuals when they make arguments in a particular discipline or field. For instance, David Zarefsky analyzed legal argumentation to understand constraints placed on lawyers in terms of defining the "reasonableness" standard. Similarly, Campbell analyzed argumentation in the field of History to understand various constraints placed on historians when the present an argument counter to the currently understanding of historical facts.

A theme that ties both of these research examples together is that Toulmin's theory is well suited for analyzing public argument in specific circumstances. In other words, one would not use Toulmin's theory to understand how everyone argues but, rather, one would use it to understand how a particular group of individuals argue. In short, much of the research using Toulmin's theory has explored naturally occurring argument in particular fields or areas of study. The importance of this research lies in differences that are discovered among fields.

As you explore Toulmin's theory in the remainder of this web site, keep in mind that the theory assumes that argumentation will differ depending on the audience. Although the form of arguments remain the same regardless of the audience, what is actually said to construct the argument may vary.

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E-Mail the designers of the Toulmin Web Page: Charles Soukup and Scott Titsworth, Department of Communication Studies. This page was created as part of a class project in Educational Psychology 942. All material is copyrighted by the University of Nebraska. No portion of this may be used without the expressed written permission of the creators.