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As a Matter of Fact

Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Although the discrimination between fact and opinion is a vital part of business writing, little real guidance has ever been given concerning the complex factors involved. This article partly remedies the deficiency by explaining how a statement is accepted as a fact or an opinion. The effect of, and relationship between, the verifiability of a statement and its pre cision are also discussed, and dangers of dogmatic credibility by insistence are noted. Assumptions and facts by stipulative definition are also discussed to complete the types of primary data writers use as the basis for reasoned argument, judgments, and decisions. The author's judgment as to how this material can best be taught is presented in conclusion.

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