This study explored how research-based physics tutorials help students use argumentation in a small group-work activity. The participants were four first-year non-major physics students taking algebra-based introductory physics course in an urban university in the southeastern region of United States (US). The content analysis was conducted to select tutorials with specific features on Kinematics and Dynamics subjects from "Tutorials in Physics Sense-making" (Elby et al., 2007). Data included video-recordings of students' group discussions. Transcriptions of student talk were analyzed using modified Toulmin's argumentation layout (McNeill et al., 2006). The results indicated that students could engage in argumentation while working on the selected tutorials. However, they mostly provided simple arguments including "Evidence-Claim (EC)" pairs; their use of complex arguments was rare. In addition, students' arguments across three tutorials were categorized into three groups: interpretation of graphs, interpretation of motion, and interpretation of equation. Students mainly made evidence-based explanations referring to the equation if the question included a problem with concrete numerical values. If the activity required students to predict the motion of an object and make connection to the physics concepts, students' arguments were mainly about the interpretation of motion and its graphical representation. This study provides instructional implications and suggestions for further research to promote teaching and learning through argumentation in physics classrooms.