False Analogy - Compares two things that are not alike in significant respects or have critical points of difference. (We should not teach socialism in the university any more than we should teach arson).
 

Non Sequitur - A claim that is irrelevant to or unsupported by the evidence that is supposedly supporting it. (Plea bargaining affects many people. Last year there were 2,356 burglaries, 18 rapes, 65 robberies).
 

Begging the Question - Using the very thing in question as evidence. (The soul is immortal because it lives forever).
 

Hasty Generalization - Making general conclusions about something based on too few examples. (I had an Epson printer and it broke after a few weeks, Epson printers are not any good).
 

Post Hoc - Assuming that because two events are associated in time, one event caused the other.
 

Ad Hominem - A personal attack to avoid the issue. (Who would want a president that wears green suspenders).
 

Ad Populum - The "everyone is doing it" argument. (Everyone is wearing short shorts.)
 

The Straw Man Argument - Setting up a weak argument then saying that is the oppositions argument.
 

Undistributed Middle - Guilty by association. ( Frederick hangs out with those kids that smoke, so Frederick must smoke too).
 

Hazy Claim - Confuse the audience so they follow you to be on the safe side. (Yogurt may not make you live as long as Soviet Georgians. But it couldn't hurt).
 

The Magic Ingredient Claim - Calling attention to an ingredient or device that is suppose to make the product better then others. (Noxzema's Acne 12).
 

The Advantage Claim - A claim that seems to offer some advantage to a product. (Mother's noodles are made from 100% semolina wheat-but so are all the other brands).
 

Appeal to Tradition - Should continue to do something or use something because we always have.
 

Slippery Slope - Assuming without evidence that a given event is the first in a series of steps that will lead inevitably to some outcome. (If you do this, then this will happen which will lead to another thing).
 

Weasel Words - Word that let a source weasel their way out of a promise. ( Helps, Like, Virtually).

Reliability - Evidence should be drawn from sources that have been proven to be correct many times in the past.
 

Expertise - Evidence should be drawn from sources Having a background of knowledge in relevant information.
 

Objectivity - Evidence should be taken from sources who hold a fair and undistorted view on a question.
 

Consistency - Evidence should agree with other sources and should be consistent with itself.
 

Recency - Evidence should be based on the most current information available.
 

Relevance - The facts and evidence presented should be relevant to the claim that is made.
 

Access - Evidence should be drawn from sources who have observed first-hand the matter being disputed.
 

Accuracy - Citations should be complete and the sources of evidence fully identified.