Understanding how to structure and write an argumentative essay is a useful skill. Strong argumentative essays present relevant evidence that supports an argument and convinces the reader of a particular position. This type of essay provides the reader with a thorough summary of a topic, covering all facets, but also attempts to persuade the reader to agree with the author's point of view.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Understand the format
Step 1. Understand the purpose of an argumentative essay
The purpose of this type of essay is to fully investigate a topic or topic. This involves extensive research covering all aspects of the topic and gathering information on all the points of view involved.
Argumentative essays also provide the reader with a complete summary of the issue at hand, but clearly indicate your own point of view and why this is the best option above the rest
Step 2. Understand the methodology of an argumentative essay
To prepare to write an argumentative essay, it is crucial that you fully immerse yourself in the topic.
The effectiveness of this type of essay depends on the author's ability to analyze the various facets of the topic and lead the reader to an obvious and logical conclusion. To do this, you must familiarize yourself with all the opinions on the subject so that you can also summarize the points of view contrary to yours (counterarguments)
Step 3. Understand the desired result of an argumentative essay
In the end, the main reason someone chooses to write an argumentative essay (besides the fact that their teacher assigned it to them!) Is to try to persuade another person or group of people of their opinion on a topic.
Make sure you keep your desired outcome in mind as you go through the writing process
Part 2 of 5: Choosing a topic
Step 1. Pick something that fits the format
Remember that this type of essay will argue for a particular point of view on a debatable issue. As such, it is important that you do not choose a topic that is not debatable.
For example, writing an argumentative essay about the fact that exercise is good for health would not be desirable because it would be difficult to find points of view that contradict the points of view on the subject; everyone agrees that exercise is good for people
Step 2. Pick a topic that is interesting to you
You will spend a lot of time researching and writing this essay, so it is important to choose a topic that you find interesting from the beginning.
Avoid choosing a topic that has been overdone or, on the other hand, too dark (as supporting evidence might be harder to find)
Step 3. Prove your argument
Find a colleague (preferably someone who has the opposite point of view) to discuss your argument with him. This process will help you refine your thinking and develop new ideas to support your opinion.
Try a debate-style conversation in which everyone brings up aspects of the controversy and tries to explain your point of view on the topic
Step 4. Keep your readers in mind
An important aspect of writing an argumentative essay is understanding your readers.
- Are you writing the essay for a class, in which case the readers will be your teacher and your classmates? Or maybe you are writing it for a presentation to a larger group of people? In either case, you have to think about what the readers perspective is in order to lead them to your desired result.
- People's backgrounds and experiences often influence how they will react to points of view that are different from yours, so it helps if you are informed about these factors.
- Also use different language when addressing different groups of people. For example, you would speak to your church pastor in a different way than you would in a casual setting with your best friend. It is important to be aware of these distinctions when considering readers.
Step 5. Understand the rhetorical situation
It is essential that you understand all the factors in the situation surrounding your issue. All rhetorical situations contain five basic elements: the text (in your case, the essay), the author (in this case, you), the readers, the purpose or purposes of the communication, and the setting.
Rhetorical situations generally involve using language designed to persuade someone of a particular point of view or belief. That is why rhetoric is important in an argumentative essay. These types of essays aim to convince the reader that the author's point of view on the subject is the most correct
Part 3 of 5: Structure Your Argument
Step 1. Create a catchy title
Developing a creative and original title is a fantastic opportunity to hook the reader into wanting to read more of your essay before they even get to the introduction.
A good title will act as a "preview" for what your essay will be about. Many academic essay titles come in two parts, separated by a colon. The first part is often a catchy hook that involves a pun or shocking quote on your topic, and the second part is usually a sentence that summarizes or provides details about your argument
Step 2. Make a thesis statement
Your thesis statement will be a concise idea that summarizes your point of view on the matter. The thesis usually appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. Keeping this idea in mind early in the reading process will help guide the reader through the rest of the essay.
- A good thesis statement is concise and clear. It tells the reader what the point of the essay is and why it is important. The thesis must make a claim of some kind. This can be a value claim (describing the value of how we perceive a certain thing), a defining claim (arguing that the way we define a term or idea has to be altered in some way), a cause and effect claim (claiming that one event or thing caused another event or thing), or a statement about political solutions (arguing that the way we do things has to be changed for some reason).
- This is an example of a strong thesis statement: "Excessive meat consumption in the country is the leading cause of pollution today and therefore is a significant influence on global warming." This statement makes a claim (specifically, a cause and effect claim) about a debatable topic with a narrow enough focus to create an interesting and manageable argumentative essay.
- This is an example of a weak thesis statement: "Pollution is a problem in the world today." This is not a debatable issue; few people would argue that pollution is not a problem. The subject is also too broad; you can't write an essay on every aspect of pollution.
Step 3. Avoid the standard three-part theses often taught to beginning writers
This format is narrow and limits the form your ideas can take to contain them in three basic paragraphs in the body of the essay. Without the three-part thesis statement, your ideas can expand more freely, and you can incorporate ideas that might not exactly fit into all three parts.
- An example of a three-part thesis statement might look something like this: "Global warming is caused by industrial pollution, exhaust fumes from cars, and waste disposal in the oceans." In this case, you'd expect to find three paragraphs in the body of the essay: one on industrial pollution, one on exhaust fumes from cars, and one on trash in the ocean. Any other cause of contamination would not fit anywhere in this essay, which restricts the meaning and message of the essay.
- Changing the thesis to avoid this format will result in a much more functional essay that is written at a more advanced level. A more effective thesis would go something like this: "Due to rising global temperatures and rising sea levels, global warming has become an issue that a wider public has to acknowledge in order to begin to reverse its effects."
Step 4. Write an introduction
This section should briefly explain the topic of the essay and include relevant background to familiarize the reader with the topic. As mentioned above, your thesis statement should appear at the end of the introduction.
Step 5. Write the body of the essay
Carefully present information that supports both your argument and the counterpart, but use powerful evidence to substantiate your claim.
- There are many different ways to organize your argument, but the most important thing is that you cover all aspects of the matter. Omitting information simply because it contradicts the idea of your thesis is unethical, as it does not provide an accurate representation of the matter.
- Be sure to include counterarguments (ideas that disagree with your own point of view), but explain to readers why your point of view is more logical and precise (perhaps because the opposite point of view is based on outdated information, etc.). Avoid implying that opposing views are "wrong", as this could alienate readers.
Step 6. Write a conclusion
The goal of this section is to reinforce your argument and persuade readers to support your claim. Try to connect the topic of the essay with the interests and values of the readers.
- Be sure to review your main points and restate your thesis statement, but be sure not to introduce any new information in the conclusion so that you can "close" what you have already said.
- It is often helpful to end with a look at further research that could be done on the topic based on what you have said in your essay.
Part 4 of 5: Include Research and Sources
Step 1. Do your research
Go to the library and find books on the subject. Or look for information from reliable sources on the Internet. It is important to find sources that cover all points of view on the topic, as the point of this type of essay is to provide a complete summary of all aspects of the topic. Collecting evidence and information that supports both your argument and the opposing point of view will strengthen your essay.
Ask a reference librarian for help finding reputable and useful sources for your argument. He is probably happy to help you
Step 2. Choose sources that are reputable and provide accurate and up-to-date information
The best research recognizes groundwork on a given topic, but it also interrogates innovations in the field and divergences from the status quo. To do this, consider sources that are both old (they provide the basis for the topic) and new (they provide current trends in thinking on the topic).
Step 3. Choose quotes that support your arguments
In order to make your work more credible, it is important to incorporate quotes from sources that are considered academic.
- Academic sources should be written by experts in the field (i.e. use a quote from someone with a PhD in Environmental Sciences if you are writing an argumentative essay on the dangers of global warming) or published in academic media evaluated by others in the same discipline. This means that the sources are corroborated by a panel of experts before being approved for publication.
- It is important to remember that anyone can write things on the Internet without any kind of publishing standards for the accuracy of the information, so using blogs and many websites is not a good idea in an academic essay.
Step 4. Cite your sources
When you use quotes in an essay, you must do it correctly. If you don't cite your sources, this is a form of plagiarism, because you are not giving credit to the people whose ideas you are using in your essay.
- Citing sources involves writing quotation marks (") around verbatim citations and then ending with a parenthetical reference within the text to a source listed on the bibliography or works cited page at the end of your essay.
- There are several different methods of citation formatting that are used in different fields. For example, in Language departments, the MLA format is used, and in History departments, they generally implement the Chicago-style format.
Part 5 of 5: Edit and apply the finishing touches
Step 1. Get a little distance
Often times, you can get so caught up in your own writing that it's easy to miss obvious mistakes. Take a break from writing for at least a few hours. Sometimes quitting your job for a couple of days can also be incredibly beneficial. Looking at your work with fresh eyes will allow you to see mistakes that you previously ignored because you were so involved in writing that you could only see what you wanted to say rather than what you actually said.
Step 2. Look for grammar problems
Problems with grammar can make your essay look sloppy and unprofessional. These are some of the most common grammar mistakes:
- Fragments. Fragments are incomplete sentences that cannot stand on their own as a sentence because they are missing either a verb, a noun, or a complete thought.
- Parallelism. Errors in parallelism occur when words or groups of words within a sentence do not appear in the same format or structure.
- Agreement between subject and verb. Subject and verb agreement errors occur when an incorrect verb form is used with a particular subject. For example, "he knows" instead of "he knows".
Step 3. Check for problems with the formatting or incorporation of citations
Correct formatting of citations allows the reader to easily find the information you are referring to. It also contributes to your credibility as an author.
Advice
- Include only relevant information. Stay on topic.
- Try to make each paragraph about a different aspect.
- Use basic writing techniques to write your essay. Sentences must flow logically and have a specific purpose.
- Depending on the topic, your essay should be between 4 and 10 paragraphs.