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The Detailed Step-by-Step Guide to Writing an A+ Argumentative Essay

17 Aug 2018

There is no such a student who isn't familiar with argumentative essay writing. This is one of the most popular kinds of college and university assignments. If to evaluate the benefits you will get if gaining the necessary argumentative writing skills, then this type of essay can be rightly called the most important task among other academic assignments. When writing an argumentative essay, you learn how to consider the topic from different angles, and how to express your opinion on each of them.

 

Step 1: Have a Clear Picture of the Essay Format

Before you get started, the very first thing you should do is to make sure that you understand what a purpose of argumentative writing is and how it differs from other kinds of essays. Even if you are going to write this kind of work for the first time, you may easily guess that “argumentative” means that the writer is expected to provide his/her arguments on a certain topic.

Your task is to consider the topic, conduct in-depth analysis and research, after which you should look for the opinions of famous people on the same topic. This is necessary to add credibility to your piece of writing. Keep in mind that compared to other types of academic assignments, where your aim may be to inform, or to describe something, here, your task is more complicated. You need to analyze your target audience and brainstorm ideas on how to persuade that your standpoint is the right one.

To succeed in this, you won't do without careful research, which will take you some time but finally, your efforts will bear fruit! Remember that you need to learn which methods you'd better use to attract the reader's attention to the main point of your work. In order to craft an impressive paper, you need to know how the final version should look like. Only having an understanding of what you are writing this kind of work for and how you should do this can guarantee the high score.

 

Step 2: Choose a Good Argumentative Essay Topic

Having an understanding of the purpose of argumentative essay writing, proceed to the next step. It is obvious that this is a selection of the topic. First, you may think that it is a piece of cake, but it is not! There are a lot of factors that should be taken into account when brainstorming topic ideas for your essay.

Make a list of ideas: You are recommended to take a sheet of paper and write down all ideas that cross your mind. When you are ready with at least 10 topic ideas, you should have a look at them once again and analyze which one will suit your academic assignment best.

Divide them into familiar and unfamiliar topics: Among your topic ideas, you may have those you are familiar with, those, which you would like to research, and those that you consider being popular and interesting due to the fact that many professional writers offer to study samples on the same topics.

Choose the best idea keeping in mind certain factors: What do you think, which one to give preference to? Any topic you choose has its benefits. When writing on a familiar topic, you spend not as much time as during the process of writing on some unknown topic. If you pick the topic that sounds unfamiliar but, at the same time, very attractive and interesting for you, don't hesitate to give preference to it.

Pick the topic taking into account preferences of your target audience. The main thing you should remember is that the chosen topic should be interesting not only for you but for your reader as well. Identify your target audience before you choose the right topic. It is very important to take into account your reader's likes and dislikes, otherwise, you risk failing.

Remember that your topic must be arguable. When looking for the good topic, check the reliable sources on the Internet, which offer to choose from a number of controversial topics. You need to find a controversial topic, which may be considered from different angles.

 

Step 3: Structure Your Essay the Right Way

A good structure is the backbone of your paper. Only a combination of a good topic and a well-organized structure will bring you the desired A-grade. If you have never crafted essays of this kind, check this complete step-by-step guide on how to structure your argumentative essay the right way. Let's get started!

Think of an eye-catching introduction: Your introduction should be so attractive that your reader wants to continue reading your work. There are various methods on how to hook the reader effectively. First of all, you may start with the question. It must be arguable. This is how you will raise interest in your reader. Think of a question that your target audience wants to answer. Create an interconnection between your reader and you.

The next way to catch the reader's attention is to provide some interesting facts that not everyone knows. Look for controversial data, impressive statistics, which relate to your topic. The reader will be impressed and hold on reading.

Write a powerful thesis statement: At the end of your introduction, there must be a strong thesis statement. What is a thesis statement? This is one more way to attract the reader. At the same time, this is a must-part of your essay structure. You are expected to write a sentence, which should be informative but clear and concise. The task is to make it original and powerful. Writing a killer thesis is of the utmost importance. It should contain the main idea and explain to the reader what you are going to talk about in your work.

Craft an essay body: Are you ready with the beginning of your paper? Then, it is high time to craft the body. Usually, the main body contains from two to four paragraphs depending on your topic and the number of arguments you have found. You need to structure the main part the right way. Each argument should be supported by some evidence.

The number of paragraphs will depend on how many arguments you are going to discuss. However, even the topic is very arguable, and you have found 10 arguments, this doesn't mean that you must provide all of them. Choose the most interesting and important for your research, those opinions, which you can argue with.

Write a strong conclusion: The final part of your work is a conclusion. This is where you are supposed to provide a short summary of the paper, emphasize the main points once again, and conclude the discussed arguments, focusing on your standpoint.

 

Step 4: Conduct Thorough Research and Find the Reliable Sources of Information

You should keep in mind that only the well-researched paper is worth a high score. Your teacher expects to see that you have conducted the in-depth analysis of the information sources, and wrote a brilliant paper based on the processed information. Where to look for the reputable sources of information you can use for crafting your paper? It is not as easy as ABC because you need to differentiate between valuable sources and those that don't deserve your attention.

The traditional place where students go to find the necessary information for their college and university assignments is a library. This is where you will find only reputable sources of information. You can use books, articles, magazine publications, anything that corresponds to your research topic. Unfortunately, not all students have time to go to the library as they write their essays not only during the daytime but at nights as well. What to do if you work during the day and can write only at night? Libraries are closed, but internet e-libraries work round the clock.

Look for the educational websites with the good reputation and use the information sources that can add value to your argumentative essay paper. Pay special attention to the statistics, if you include it in your paper. The main criterion is that it must be up-to-date. You may disinform the reader if using the data, which has already lost its value. After you have found the necessary materials, proceed to the next step. You need to conduct research and choose those that should be used for the paper.

Process the information and write your essay paper in your own words. When writing an academic paper, you need to know how to include quotes. There are international citation rules you need to take into account when including a quote from a famous person. If you forget about the quotation marks, the teacher may think that you have stolen somebody's thoughts. Keep in mind that the plagiarized papers worth nothing. Every teacher expects to read what you personally think about the definite issue.

 

Step 5: Edit and Proofread the Written Paper

Does your paper look perfect or it seems that you need to edit some paragraphs? In any case, you are recommended to have a fresh look at your paper. Experts recommend waiting for a day or two in order to check the work with the fresh mind. If checking a paper immediately after you have finished writing, you risk not to notice some spelling or grammar mistakes.

However, you may not always have a couple of days, especially if the paper was written at the last moment. Here, you will find several smart tips on how to make sure that your argumentative essay is in the perfect condition. Follow them to assure that you have met all obligatory requirements.

Check whether the paper is 100% original: On the Internet, you will find free plagiarism checkers, which will help you to check whether your paper contains only your ideas, or you have plagiarized some source of information. Even if you know that you have written the paper on your own and didn't copy paragraphs from books, it is necessary to make sure that your paper is 100% original. Sometimes, students don't process information well and provide the thoughts of other writers unintentionally.

How to work with the plagiarism checker? This tool is very user-friendly. You need just to copy and paste your text in a special field. Wait for several minutes and get the result. If it is 100% original, then you have done a great job! If it has detected plagiarism, then you need to pay attention to sections that the checker has highlighted. The software has found the resources that have similar information on the same topic, which you should check to have a clear understanding of what exactly you have plagiarized.

Check the grammar: The next stage of your proofreading step is the check of grammar and spelling. There are different free grammar checkers on the Internet you can use. However, free versions won't provide you with the full information on your paper. That's why you may need to turn to a specialist if grammar isn't your strong point.

However, if your text contains misprints or misspelling, any free grammar checker will identify this mistake. Correct all mistakes even if it takes you much time because the paper that contains mistakes will make a negative impression on your teacher even if the content is brilliant.

Make sure that every part is connected with the next one in a logical way. It is a good idea to read your essay aloud so that somebody can listen to your thoughts. Sometimes, it is difficult for the writer to be objective because he/she knows what he/she has meant when writing about certain things. Your task is to assure that your reader understands all your ideas the right way, the way you want him/her to understand your point.

Check whether you incorporated quotes the right way: The final step you should take is to have a look at the quotes and citations. There is more than one writing style, among which, the APA, MLA, Chicago. Before formatting your paper, you should ask your teacher which style you'd better give preference to. Each of them has distinctive features and formatting rules you are expected to stick to. That's why you need to check whether you have formatted your argumentative essay in accordance with the international requirements of the certain styling guide.

Follow the above-mentioned tips, and you will definitely pass your argumentative essay with flying colors! Be original, creative, and don't forget to stick to the essay structure, and you will 100% impress your readers!

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