Narrowing the  Topic

Answer a question or make a claim about a specific aspect of the topic that reflects your personal perspective, a perspective you have developed through thoughtful research. For example, you could take   a stand on whether affirmative action is appropriate in any or under certain circumstances, decide whether the objectification of masculine and feminine beauty in the contrived images shown in advertising has a negative effect on real life romantic relationships.  Just ensure your thesis expresses a controversial of arguable aspect of your topic wherein reasonable people have conflicting opinions.

Look  at  Both  Sides  and Explain Carefully

In researching your chosen issue, locate and study the arguments on both sides. Decide which arguments you find most persuasive and take a clear position.  You then present reasons, claims and evidence to support your position.  Explain why you believe the way you do.  Explain more than you think you need to.  Don’t expect quotes to do the work alone.  You must explain what you think your quotes mean or indicate and explain why your audience should see it the way you do.  A defining characteristic of an Argumentative/Persuasive Research Paper is that you must take a definite stand and must attempt to persuade your audience to agree with your view.

Consider  the  Opposing View

Another crucial element of such an essay is that you must include an OPPOSING VIEW.  This means you anticipate possible arguments or criticisms your audience might have with your reasoning, evidence, or explanations.  You mention what their view is, explain how it opposes yours, and then go on to explain why they are wrong.  By anticipating possible criticism you deflate its power to damage your argument.

Audience and Purpose

Assume you are writing this paper for college students.  The purpose of your paper is to convince those readers to agree with your position on the controversial issue you discuss.

General Elements of an Effective Argument Research Paper

An argumentative/persuasive essay attempts to convince your audience to agree with your insights by providing an explanation of why you have made the interpretation you have chosen. Your explanation must include presentation of evidence you have compiled or studied which led you to your conclusions.  You should not just present this evidence, but also explain how it supports your perspective.  Generally, fewer pieces of evidence explained extensively are more persuasive than a list of many pieces of elements left unexplained,or addressed superficially.  You must also provide the reader with answers to possible arguments they might have against your point-of-view: in other words, critique your own view.  Then, of course, you explain why you’ll stick with your original view.

The successful Argumentative/Persuasive Research Paper includes:

 An effective title that indicates both the subject of the paper and your perspective

An introduction that get the attention of readers and provides background information

 A clear, argumentative thesis that makes a claim about the topic

A body that provides thoroughly argued reasons and evidence that support the thesis

Claims about your interpretation, and detailed specific textual and/or  explanatory evidence supporting those claims

Discussion of opposing arguments. A look at least one possible opposing or opposite view, contradicting your position accompanied by an explanation of why, in light of opposing evidence you choose to stick with your views.

An effective conclusion which expands outward to leave the reader thinking (do not merely restate the introduction).

 Complete documentation of sources, both in the text and in a list of works cited, using MLA style

Academic tone and style (you can say “I,” and are encourage to use your experience as evidence, but do not address the reader as “you” and do not use “I” without clear purpose, as in “I believe I am right because…”  Just say what you think, you don’t need to announce that you believe it, or announce what are going to say. Do not refer to the fact that you are writing a paper.