Tips for Writing a Good Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is a kind of paper, in which you have to establish a certain position on some topic and then use evidence to convince the reader to accept your opinion. To complete a good argumentative paper, you should investigate a couple of sides of the argument, which provides an opportunity to make an educated point of view. Then, it is necessary to collect evidence, including facts and statistic data, and add experts’ opinions. Generally, the major objective of argumentative papers is to persuade people to accept a certain viewpoint.

If you belong to the category of students who consider writing an essay assignment the worst nightmare, maybe, you simply have the wrong attitude or false understanding of how to deal with this task. Before proceeding to actually complete a writing assignment, we want to pay your attention to the importance of knowing some details about what you are going to face with. In this case, some background information about the argument essay (persuasive essay), its main objectives, and tips, on how to build an essay outline will define your ability to create a worthy essay according to certain requirements and help you enjoy the process of creating a paper.

How To Write A Great  Argument Essay (Persuasive Essay)?

• Let’s start with formulating a definition of the argument essay (persuasive essay) and why it is necessary to learn to write it well. The argument essay is a type of paper, in which we demonstrate convincing evidence backed up by solid facts in order to win someone’s attention and persuade a reader to agree with our point of view. Students are forced to write persuasive essays as this activity develops logical thinking, communicative skills, makes a person feel more confident and educated.
• Next step to defeat the fear of writing an argument essay involves a tactic of creating an argumentative essay outline for college (persuasive essay outline). Your aim is to focus on the topic, determine your attitude towards it, research a bunch of sources to be competent in what you will write about and, of course, create a functional outline that would assist you in writing an argument essay.

What Does Argumentative Essay Outline for College Include?

Include into your outline such broad points as introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, each of which has its specific task while combining different parts of your essay into a consistent convincing text.

• In the introductory part of your outline make sure you paid attention to the audience your argument essay (persuasive essay) is addressed to, the hook sentence with the help of which you make the first good impression or intrigue a reader and thesis statement aimed at stating the topic of an essay and your personal viewpoint.
• Keep on thinking of the structure and possible arguments that will be included in the body paragraphs, the quantity of which depends on the seriousness of an issue that you’ve chosen. By now, you must have studied your topic perfectly and know all the pros and cons, strong and weak points that are worth being represented and discussed in your essay. Set priorities while choosing evidence that is the most persuasive and serves as great examples to refute the opposite arguments. Remember, each paragraph should better contain only one idea supported by reliable references.
• Your conclusive part is a finishing step, which, apart from shortly summarizing the main concepts, also calls for reader’s action to choose, to decide on which side he/she is after reading your essay, to be convinced by your proofs and have no hesitations in the ideas suggested previously in thesis statement and then backed up in body paragraphs.  However, don’t act too emotionally, use words and structures that would only make a hint, letting readers take a decision on their own.

As soon as you get familiar with the whole point of an argument essay (persuasive essay) and spend some time on creating an argumentative essay outline for college before actually writing it, the process of completing your writing assignment won’t seem as dull as it did at first. Improve your skills and enjoy writing.

When you are working on an argumentative paper, you can use multiple ways to format and reference it. You will have to follow the requirements of an argumentative paper format to earn the best grade.

Begin with an Introduction

Your introduction must be 1-2 paragraphs long. Do not forget to specify the purpose of the argumentative paper.

Some optional elements in your introduction include:

• Include some attention getter or interesting information to keep the reader.
• Include some information that the reader needs to understand your thesis.
• You should do it only if you are not planning to write a separate background section.

Some mandatory elements to include:

• When you are discussing a book – include its title and author.
• When you are discussing a theory – explain its thesis and meaning.
• When you are discussing a movie – include its title and director’s name.

If you include a background section, make sure that it is 1-2 paragraphs long. Its purpose is to inform the reader and create a context for your argument.

Paragraph 1 with Supporting Evidence

• The key component of any argumentative paper format
• Always begins with a topic sentence
• The second sentence always explains the topic sentence
• The third sentence always introduces evidence to support the topic sentence: e.g. “according to Mark and Hansen…”
• The next several sentences state and explain the meaning of evidence. How should the reader understand the significance of this evidence or its meaning? Does this evidence support the main argument? Is it valid, sufficient or important in this paper?
• Then the concluding or transitional sentence: each paragraph must end with a sentence that wraps up the argument made in this paragraph and provides a framework for the next paragraph.

Paragraphs, 2, 3, and so on – with supporting evidence: Follow the sequence of steps outlined above.

Counterargument

• Counterargument is an indispensable component of argumentative paper format.
• Its purpose is to anticipate possible resistance or objections and provide evidence to counter disagreement.
• It should not be longer than 2 paragraphs.
• What are the main objections that the reader might have in response to your argument? Include possible reasons and share evidence why these objections are irrelevant or invalid.
• Include a concluding sentence.

Writing a Conclusion

• The purpose of the conclusion is to summarize and revisit the main points of the argument.
• A perfect conclusion restates the thesis statement and offers some food for thinking.
• A good conclusion evaluates the quality of evidence provided and offers recommendations for further analysis.

Writing a Conclusion – Continued

• The purpose of a longer conclusion is to provide evidence of your critical analysis and thinking.
• Never introduce any new information in the concluding sections of your argument essay.
• Do virtually the same that you did when writing an introduction: refer to the background information, restate the thesis, evaluate your claims and evidence, and include a concluding statement.
• In your conclusion, include some information as to why you believe this argument was important and what is the takeaway message that your readers should draw from the argument. Why should the reader be interested? What is the utility of the argument for the audience? How can it benefit the average reader? Answers to these questions must be included.
• A strong conclusion will include a call for action or provide a framework for the analysis of similar issues in the future. A good conclusion will motivate readers to use the information provided in the essay to improve their own lives or the lives of others.
• A good conclusion is that which incorporates relevant and easy to understand language. It means that the author understands the audience and its needs. It also means that the author knows the audience’s level of literacy and is ready to provide the information that is truly relevant and interesting for the reader.
• A conclusion is always the final opportunity for every writer to make a positive impression on the reader. If anything is missing in the body of the text, a conclusion can give the writer a chance to address these deficiencies. A conclusion can be used to explain possible controversies or inconsistencies in the body of the paper. It can also help the writer strengthen the overall impression about the argument and prove its importance in the eyes of the reader. Use language that is vivid and memorable. Do not leave questions unanswered.

Steps of Writing an Argumentative Essay

Now, if you have selected a topic for your argumentative essay, try to write down your thoughts on a chosen issue. Here are some pieces of advice on how to do it.

Tips on writing an outstanding paper:

• In the first paragraph, provide a short review of the topic, which you have chosen among other research argument topics, explain its importance and present a clear thesis statement.
• When the introductory paragraph is ready, start writing the body of the article. In the body paragraphs, it is necessary to develop your arguments and support them with facts, statistic data and other reliable evidence. Make sure your support is logical, anecdotal, statistical, or factual depending on the chosen topic. In the body of your essay, describe the opposing opinions and explain why you think your point of view is right.
• The last paragraph is the concluding one. It is often considered the most important one as it leaves the reader with the most immediate impression. You have to synthesize the information you have presented in the body of your paper and restate the importance of your topic, review major points and thesis statement. Make sure you do not present any new information in this paragraph.

Connection Words

One more useful piece of advice is to use connection words in your paper. These words are also called “transition words” or “transition phrases” and they hold the paper together by connecting thoughts and therefore, provide the flow of ideas.

Here are some connection words grouped by function:

• Addition: additionally; also; and; as well as; equally; furthermore; in addition; like; not only…but also; not to mention; similarly; together with; too
• Contrast: after all; although; as much as; besides; but; conversely; despite; even so/though; however; in contrast; in spite of; nevertheless; notwithstanding; of course…, but; on the contrary; on the other hand; or; otherwise; rather; regardless;
• Cause or Purpose: as; as long as; because of; due to; for the purpose of; in case; in order to; only/even if; since; so that; unless; when; whenever; while; with this in mind;
• Examples or Support: another key point; by all means; especially; for example; for instance; for this reason; in other words; surprisingly; truly;
• Consequence or Result: accordingly; as a result; consequently; due to; for; for this reason; hence; in effect; in that case; since; so that; therefore; with the result that
• Conclusion / Summary / Restatement: after all; all things considered; as a result; consequently; generally speaking; in conclusion; in fact; to summarize.

How Are Good Writing Skills Going to Help Me?

Writing argumentative papers helps develop argumentative thinking, which you will need to achieve success in future. As a rule, businesses and partnerships prosper due to the argument. Being able to present right arguments means you can prove your position and win in many situations.

Intellect rules the modern world. People who win concentrate on becoming better in their profession. That means we should not distract on things that are not important. That is right, if you want to achieve success, it is necessary to stay concentrated on what you would like to devote your life to. You have to conduct solid research to get better at your profession.

Tips on How to Write an Effective Argumentative Paper

• Make sure you provide a realistic topic and discuss realistic things. Do not focus on some potentially possible or probable situations/ inventions, etc.
• Choose a topic touching upon a contemporary issue.
• Start your essay with a hook to draw your readers’ attention to some issue/ problem.
• Avoid first-person pronoun usage. You can use “I” if you need to provide your own opinion.
• Make sure you read information not only relating to your standpoint but also to contrary opinions. You should be able to provide a contradictory view and its rebuttal.

When supporting your arguments and claims, be sure to provide the following:

• Objective judgments;
• Expert opinion as supporting evidence;
• Clear criteria on the importance of the topic;
• Feedback from competent experts.

How to Choose a Topic for an Argumentative Essay

If you are assigned to choose one of research argument topics, it is better to start with something you are acquainted with. Even if you are going to turn to the essay writing service for help, it will be much easier to speak about something you know. Besides, it will help you write a much more interesting paper. Besides, selecting an emotional topic for a college argumentative essay outline is also a good option. One of the most effective ways to change a person’s opinion is to invest emotions.

Here is a good list of argument paper topics you might like to choose:

Middle/High School-Level

• Should the number of passengers be limited in cars driven by minors?
• Should teenagers get their parents’ permission to buy contraceptives?

College-Level

• In what cases can military force be justified?
• Should parents be responsible for their children’s crimes?

Funny

• Should people believe in everything said in infomercial?
• Should funny animal videos be allowed on YouTube?

Better Avoided

• Why do athletes make so much money?
• Can our political process be called fair?

Ecological Issues

• What can people do to stop rainforests destruction?
• Should we drill for oil in protected areas to reduce gas prices?

Classic

• Effective way to eliminate teenage procrastination
• The negative effect of computer games on teenagers

Society and the Media

• Are violent video games directly connected to violence in schools?
• How do the social media affect the female perception of the body image?

IT Sphere

• Violation of copyright rules by download sites
• Do some Google services raise privacy and security concerns?

Bioethics

• Should cloning be banned?
• Can you justify the use of animals for research purposes?

Social Concerns

• How do cross-cultural marriages affect racial tolerance?
• Does single-parent children’s behavior differ from that of children with both parents?

Topics for Legal Discussions

• Can the death penalty be justified?
• Can gun control reduce crime?

Argument paper topics should be thoroughly chosen to ensure that you can provide a proper discussion of the given topic. On the whole, argumentative research papers are assigned to students in order to test their debating and critical thinking abilities. Second, when assigning argumentative papers, professors want to find out how well students can argue on different topics and defend their standpoints. As such, argumentative research papers can well reflect how well a student has acquired knowledge in a specific subject.

Argumentative paper writing is also decisive for a student’s quality of future performance in oral speaking or presentations. Actually, a well-written argumentative paper demonstrates a student’s comprehension in such areas as writing, reading, and analytics. If at least one point of the aforementioned three is weak or you feel that you have insufficient skills in it, you will definitely have to seek help in research paper writing. You should also keep in mind that you will have to consult external sources if you are assigned an argumentative paper. Why? – Because your arguments and claims need to be supported by expert opinion. Therefore, you have to look only for credible and peer-reviewed sources to sound plausible.

One of the most challenging aspects about writing an argumentative paper is to choose the best topic of the available argument research paper topics. This option is a challenging one only if you are given a chance to choose the topic on your own. In most cases, the topics are assigned by professors. However, in the modern era of political and economic debated, ethical controversies, technological progress, and other movements, it is not hard to come up with controversial research paper topics.

If you have an opportunity to choose a topic on your own, it is highly recommended to select controversial topics for research papers. First of all, they attract the audience and make your listeners and readers more interested in reading your paper. Second, they make the audience more active in the discussion since the topics usually provoke heated debates. Still, you should be careful about the types of topics you select since some of them may even lead to strong and lengthy arguments between your listeners. When presenting an argumentative research, your aim is not to cause a heated discussion but just to arouse the interest of your audience.

When choosing one from the list of argument research paper topics, it is essential that the paper you write contains objective critique of the given problem or issue. Therefore, keep in mind that each claim you put forward is supported with sufficient evidence and expert opinion on the topic. Without ample evidence, you will not be able to convince your audience in your standpoint.

A List of the Controversial Topics for Argument Essay

There are numerous materials and guidelines for students who do not know how to write a successful argumentative research paper. You can find manuals that assist students of different academic levels: from high school to university. Actually, the academic level will be decisive for the overall writing style and complexity of writing. Besides, it is important to take into account the level when choosing the discipline you would like to present your argumentative paper in. If you have been assigned an argumentative research paper but you are left with a challenge of choosing the best topic from the list of topics for argument research papers, read on and find some of the most relevant and creative research essay topics.

Topics on Education

Have a look at great research topics on education and decide on the best one.

• Should children with special needs be taught in an ordinary class?
• Are standardized scores effective and reliable for determining whether a student should graduate from the high school?
• How can the American educational system be improved?
• Who should determine the school curriculum in public schools: the state or the communities?
• What schooling system do you personally prefer: student-oriented or teacher-oriented?

Topics on Sports

Sometimes it may be difficult to make up one’s mind on the best research reports topics on sports. But with our help, it will not be a challenge for you.

• What are the main stereotypes surrounding sports activities in school? Does involvement in sports severely affect a student’s grades?
• Can cheerleading be regarded as a real sport?
• Do you agree that colleges spend too much money on organizing sporting events?
• Your standpoint on animal sports: should they be prohibited?
• Should the state control the number and the nature of ads streamed on TV during sports events?
• Do you agree that female and male athletes should be equal in wages for their sports accomplishments?
• Do you agree that one can categorize chess as a sporting activity? Why (not)?
• Provide a discussion of the most dangerous sports.
• How can one measure the highest achievements in sports?
• Do you agree that violent video games pose a threat on the mental health of students?
• Is involvement in sports advantageous for students?
• Do you agree that famous sportsmen deserve the huge salary they are paid?
• Do steroids have more positive or negative influence on sportsmen’s health?
• The role of PE lessons in schools and colleges.
• Is competition the only one way to demonstrate and prove your knowledge and expertise?
• Are children who are involved in sports less prone to demonstrate deviant behavior?
• Is it possible to strictly control cases of cheating in sports?
• What types of sports are favorable for training the biggest group of muscles?
• Is cheerleading suitable for all types of sports?
• Do you believe that there are specific types of sports that are meant only for the well-off?

Technology: A list of Topics

Below find a list of good topics for a research paper on technology. We hope that it will help you to make the best choice on the topic and as a result, create a great project.

• Can technological advancements and modern gadgets turn people into techno-zombies?
• Is technology making people more social or, on the contrary, lonely and isolated from the community?
• Do you agree that online dating will one day replace the real-life acquaintance and communication?
• Is technological progress boosts people’s creativity or, on the contrary, leads to its deterioration?
• Do you agree that there will be a period in life when technological advancement will no longer be possible?
• Is it worth to spend funding on investigating the space while there are so many spheres on our planet that need financing?
• How has education benefited from the technological advancement?
• Has technology made people more stupid or more intelligent? What opportunities has it opened?
• Can technological progress be used for helping with people’s mental and emotional problems?
• Cloning as a technological advancement: its pros and cons.
• Do you agree that modern-day technology limits people’s creativity?
• Do you agree that modern-day people will not be able to live without technology?
• Which friends are better: those you interact with in real life or those you communicate with online? Why?
• Is it necessary to put the information posted online to censorship?
• Is it safe to date someone online? What consequences might online dating have?

It is normal when you may need expert help with your argumentative papers. Still, whenever possible, try to practice your writing style and consult manuals and guidelines that will help you organize your paper.