Dissertation Research Guide – Types of Evidence

In research, evaluating the usefulness of a resource and recording the citations for it are followed by information gleaning – taking the relevant information from the source as evidence upon which to base your paper. How you use the information depends on the type of evidence the information represents. Below are just a few of the many categories evidence may fall into and which should be taken into consideration while preparing your dissertation.

Anecdotal Evidence

Anecdotal evidence is evidence of one incident or condition that seems to support a give hypothesis or thought, but is not absolute, allowing other evidence that may refute the anecdotal evidence as either an anomaly or a misinterpretation of the incident or condition. However, anecdotal evidence can be effective at refuting another claim by showing that the claim does not always apply.

Testimonial Evidence

Testimonial evidence is drawn from an expert in a given field or the observations of an eyewitness to an event. Testimonial evidence is strongest when it comes from an expert or an individual such as a police officer or other such official who is skilled in observing and reporting important facts and observations.

Statistical Evidence

Statistical evidence is based on an aggregate of collected data. Caution is advised in the use of statistical data, however. A trend indicated by a small sampling of available information may not reveal the true nature of the information or environment. The larger the sample collected for analysis, the lower this potential is present, though without polling all potential members of a given sample, this error potential is never zero.

Analogical Evidence

This is evidence, commonly presented in an argumentative or adversarial environment, that portends to prove a thought or idea by logical analysis comparing the evidence to a similar item or condition and claiming what is true for one, must be true for the other.

Experimental Evidence

Experimental evidence comes from scientific experimentation that yields a particular result which supports a give argument or theory. Experimental evidence must be reproducible to be considered valid. Even a single failure of reproduction may cause the value of the evidence to become suspect.

Physical Evidence

Physical evidence, when genuine and properly interpreted, can be some of the most supportive of all evidences. Physical evidence consists of any evidence that may be physically touched and/or tested by physical, chemical, or electromagnetic means. Evidence gathered at a crime scene would fit into the category of physical evidence.

Scientific Evidence

Scientific Evidence is evidence that supports or refutes a scientific hypothesis or theory. One type of scientific evidence is that which is derived from experimental evidence that has proven valid by repetition of the experiment that achieved the same results as the original experiment. Other types of scientific evidence may be mathematical in nature, using specific formulae to prove or disprove a scientific hypothesis or theory that is mathematical in nature.

Contradictory Evidence

This is evidence that contradicts the given hypothesis or theory. Contradictory evidence may be of any other evidence type that shows a hypothesis or theory invalid by showing there are exceptions to it. When preparing any academic document, omission of contradictory evidence is often considered dishonesty. Inclusion of such evidence in the discussion of the topic shows the student to be honest and gives the student a chance to argue why the contradiction exists or is irrelevant to his or her core argument, position or hypothesis.

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