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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write an a+ argumentative essay.

Miscellaneous

You'll no doubt have to write a number of argumentative essays in both high school and college, but what, exactly, is an argumentative essay and how do you write the best one possible? Let's take a look.

A great argumentative essay always combines the same basic elements: approaching an argument from a rational perspective, researching sources, supporting your claims using facts rather than opinion, and articulating your reasoning into the most cogent and reasoned points. Argumentative essays are great building blocks for all sorts of research and rhetoric, so your teachers will expect you to master the technique before long.

But if this sounds daunting, never fear! We'll show how an argumentative essay differs from other kinds of papers, how to research and write them, how to pick an argumentative essay topic, and where to find example essays. So let's get started.

What Is an Argumentative Essay? How Is it Different from Other Kinds of Essays?

There are two basic requirements for any and all essays: to state a claim (a thesis statement) and to support that claim with evidence.

Though every essay is founded on these two ideas, there are several different types of essays, differentiated by the style of the writing, how the writer presents the thesis, and the types of evidence used to support the thesis statement.

Essays can be roughly divided into four different types:

#1: Argumentative #2: Persuasive #3: Expository #4: Analytical

So let's look at each type and what the differences are between them before we focus the rest of our time to argumentative essays.

Argumentative Essay

Argumentative essays are what this article is all about, so let's talk about them first.

An argumentative essay attempts to convince a reader to agree with a particular argument (the writer's thesis statement). The writer takes a firm stand one way or another on a topic and then uses hard evidence to support that stance.

An argumentative essay seeks to prove to the reader that one argument —the writer's argument— is the factually and logically correct one. This means that an argumentative essay must use only evidence-based support to back up a claim , rather than emotional or philosophical reasoning (which is often allowed in other types of essays). Thus, an argumentative essay has a burden of substantiated proof and sources , whereas some other types of essays (namely persuasive essays) do not.

You can write an argumentative essay on any topic, so long as there's room for argument. Generally, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one, so long as you support the argumentative essay with hard evidence.

Example topics of an argumentative essay:

• "Should farmers be allowed to shoot wolves if those wolves injure or kill farm animals?"
• "Should the drinking age be lowered in the United States?"
• "Are alternatives to democracy effective and/or feasible to implement?"

The next three types of essays are not argumentative essays, but you may have written them in school. We're going to cover them so you know what not to do for your argumentative essay.

Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative essays, so it can be easy to get them confused. But knowing what makes an argumentative essay different than a persuasive essay can often mean the difference between an excellent grade and an average one.

Persuasive essays seek to persuade a reader to agree with the point of view of the writer, whether that point of view is based on factual evidence or not. The writer has much more flexibility in the evidence they can use, with the ability to use moral, cultural, or opinion-based reasoning as well as factual reasoning to persuade the reader to agree the writer's side of a given issue.

Instead of being forced to use "pure" reason as one would in an argumentative essay, the writer of a persuasive essay can manipulate or appeal to the reader's emotions. So long as the writer attempts to steer the readers into agreeing with the thesis statement, the writer doesn't necessarily need hard evidence in favor of the argument.

Often, you can use the same topics for both a persuasive essay or an argumentative one—the difference is all in the approach and the evidence you present.

Example topics of a persuasive essay:

• "Should children be responsible for their parents' debts?"
• "Should cheating on a test be automatic grounds for expulsion?"
• "How much should sports leagues be held accountable for player injuries and the long-term consequences of those injuries?"

Expository Essay

An expository essay is typically a short essay in which the writer explains an idea, issue, or theme , or discusses the history of a person, place, or idea.

This is typically a fact-forward essay with little argument or opinion one way or the other.

Example topics of an expository essay:

• "The History of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell"
• "The Reasons I Always Wanted to be a Doctor"
• "The Meaning Behind the Colloquialism ‘People in Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones'"

Analytical Essay

An analytical essay seeks to delve into the deeper meaning of a text or work of art, or unpack a complicated idea . These kinds of essays closely interpret a source and look into its meaning by analyzing it at both a macro and micro level.

This type of analysis can be augmented by historical context or other expert or widely-regarded opinions on the subject, but is mainly supported directly through the original source (the piece or art or text being analyzed) .

Example topics of an analytical essay:

• "Victory Gin in Place of Water: The Symbolism Behind Gin as the Only Potable Substance in George Orwell's 1984"
• "Amarna Period Art: The Meaning Behind the Shift from Rigid to Fluid Poses"
• "Adultery During WWII, as Told Through a Series of Letters to and from Soldiers"

There are many different types of essay and, over time, you'll be able to master them all.

A Typical Argumentative Essay Assignment

The average argumentative essay is between three to five pages, and will require at least three or four separate sources with which to back your claims . As for the essay topic , you'll most often be asked to write an argumentative essay in an English class on a "general" topic of your choice, ranging the gamut from science, to history, to literature.

But while the topics of an argumentative essay can span several different fields, the structure of an argumentative essay is always the same: you must support a claim—a claim that can reasonably have multiple sides—using multiple sources and using a standard essay format (which we'll talk about later on).

This is why many argumentative essay topics begin with the word "should," as in:

• "Should all students be required to learn chemistry in high school?"
• "Should children be required to learn a second language?"
• "Should schools or governments be allowed to ban books?"

These topics all have at least two sides of the argument: Yes or no. And you must support the side you choose with evidence as to why your side is the correct one.

But there are also plenty of other ways to frame an argumentative essay as well:

• "Does using social media do more to benefit or harm people?"
• "Does the legal status of artwork or its creators—graffiti and vandalism, pirated media, a creator who's in jail—have an impact on the art itself?"
• "Is or should anyone ever be ‘above the law?'"

Though these are worded differently than the first three, you're still essentially forced to pick between two sides of an issue: yes or no, for or against, benefit or detriment. Though your argument might not fall entirely into one side of the divide or another—for instance, you could claim that social media has positively impacted some aspects of modern life while being a detriment to others—your essay should still support one side of the argument above all. Your final stance would be that overall , social media is beneficial or overall , social media is harmful.

If your argument is one that is mostly text-based or backed by a single source (e.g., "How does Salinger show that Holden Caulfield is an unreliable narrator?" or "Does Gatsby personify the American Dream?"), then it's an analytical essay, rather than an argumentative essay. An argumentative essay will always be focused on more general topics so that you can use multiple sources to back up your claims.

Good Argumentative Essay Topics

So you know the basic idea behind an argumentative essay, but what topic should you write about?

Again, almost always, you'll be asked to write an argumentative essay on a free topic of your choice, or you'll be asked to select between a few given topics . If you're given complete free reign of topics, then it'll be up to you to find an essay topic that no only appeals to you, but that you can turn into an A+ argumentative essay.

What makes a "good" argumentative essay topic depends on both the subject matter and your personal interest —it can be hard to give your best effort on something that bores you to tears! But it can also be near impossible to write an argumentative essay on a topic that has no room for debate.

As we said earlier, a good argumentative essay topic will be one that has the potential to reasonably go in at least two directions—for or against, yes or no, and why . For example, it's pretty hard to write an argumentative essay on whether or not people should be allowed to murder one another—not a whole lot of debate there for most people!—but writing an essay for or against the death penalty has a lot more wiggle room for evidence and argument.

A good topic is also one that can be substantiated through hard evidence and relevant sources . So be sure to pick a topic that other people have studied (or at least studied elements of) so that you can use their data in your argument. For example, if you're arguing that it should be mandatory for all middle school children to play a sport, you might have to apply smaller scientific data points to the larger picture you're trying to justify. There are probably several studies you could cite on the benefits of physical activity and the positive effect structure and teamwork has on young minds, but there's probably no study you could use where a group of scientists put all middle-schoolers in one jurisdiction into a mandatory sports program (since that's probably never happened). So long as your evidence is relevant to your point and you can extrapolate from it to form a larger whole, you can use it as a part of your resource material.

And if you need ideas on where to get started, or just want to see sample argumentative essay topics, then check out these links for hundreds of potential argumentative essay topics.

101 Persuasive (or Argumentative) Essay and Speech Topics

301 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Top 50 Ideas for Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Writing

[Note: some of these say "persuasive essay topics," but just remember that the same topic can often be used for both a persuasive essay and an argumentative essay; the difference is in your writing style and the evidence you use to support your claims.]

KO! Find that one argumentative essay topic you can absolutely conquer.

Argumentative Essay Format

Argumentative Essays are composed of four main elements:

• A position (your argument)
• Your reasons
• Supporting evidence for those reasons (from reliable sources)
• Counterargument(s) (possible opposing arguments and reasons why those arguments are incorrect)

If you're familiar with essay writing in general, then you're also probably familiar with the five paragraph essay structure . This structure is a simple tool to show how one outlines an essay and breaks it down into its component parts, although it can be expanded into as many paragraphs as you want beyond the core five.

The standard argumentative essay is often 3-5 pages, which will usually mean a lot more than five paragraphs, but your overall structure will look the same as a much shorter essay.

An argumentative essay at its simplest structure will look like:

Paragraph 1: Intro

• Set up the story/problem/issue
• Thesis/claim

Paragraph 2: Support

• Reason #1 claim is correct
• Supporting evidence with sources

Paragraph 3: Support

• Reason #2 claim is correct

Paragraph 4: Counterargument

• Explanation of argument for the other side
• Refutation of opposing argument with supporting evidence

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

• Re-state claim
• Sum up reasons and support of claim from the essay to prove claim is correct

Now let's unpack each of these paragraph types to see how they work (with examples!), what goes into them, and why.

Paragraph 1—Set Up and Claim

Your first task is to introduce the reader to the topic at hand so they'll be prepared for your claim. Give a little background information, set the scene, and give the reader some stakes so that they care about the issue you're going to discuss.

Next, you absolutely must have a position on an argument and make that position clear to the readers. It's not an argumentative essay unless you're arguing for a specific claim, and this claim will be your thesis statement.

Your thesis CANNOT be a mere statement of fact (e.g., "Washington DC is the capital of the United States"). Your thesis must instead be an opinion which can be backed up with evidence and has the potential to be argued against (e.g., "New York should be the capital of the United States").

Paragraphs 2 and 3—Your Evidence

These are your body paragraphs in which you give the reasons why your argument is the best one and back up this reasoning with concrete evidence .

The argument supporting the thesis of an argumentative essay should be one that can be supported by facts and evidence, rather than personal opinion or cultural or religious mores.

For example, if you're arguing that New York should be the new capital of the US, you would have to back up that fact by discussing the factual contrasts between New York and DC in terms of location, population, revenue, and laws. You would then have to talk about the precedents for what makes for a good capital city and why New York fits the bill more than DC does.

Your argument can't simply be that a lot of people think New York is the best city ever and that you agree.

In addition to using concrete evidence, you always want to keep the tone of your essay passionate, but impersonal . Even though you're writing your argument from a single opinion, don't use first person language—"I think," "I feel," "I believe,"—to present your claims. Doing so is repetitive, since by writing the essay you're already telling the audience what you feel, and using first person language weakens your writing voice.

For example,

"I think that Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."

"Washington DC is no longer suited to be the capital city of the United States."

The second statement sounds far stronger and more analytical.

Paragraph 4—Argument for the Other Side and Refutation

Even without a counter argument, you can make a pretty persuasive claim, but a counterargument will round out your essay into one that is much more persuasive and substantial.

By anticipating an argument against your claim and taking the initiative to counter it, you're allowing yourself to get ahead of the game. This way, you show that you've given great thought to all sides of the issue before choosing your position, and you demonstrate in multiple ways how yours is the more reasoned and supported side.

Paragraph 5—Conclusion

This paragraph is where you re-state your argument and summarize why it's the best claim.

Briefly touch on your supporting evidence and voila! A finished argumentative essay.

Your essay should have just as awesome a skeleton as this plesiosaur does. (In other words: a ridiculously awesome skeleton)

Argumentative Essay Example: 5-Paragraph Style

It always helps to have an example to learn from. I've written a full 5-paragraph argumentative essay here. Look at how I state my thesis in paragraph 1, give supporting evidence in paragraphs 2 and 3, address a counterargument in paragraph 4, and conclude in paragraph 5.

Topic: Is it possible to maintain conflicting loyalties?

Paragraph 1

It is almost impossible to go through life without encountering a situation where your loyalties to different people or causes come into conflict with each other. Maybe you have a loving relationship with your sister, but she disagrees with your decision to join the army, or you find yourself torn between your cultural beliefs and your scientific ones. These conflicting loyalties can often be maintained for a time, but as examples from both history and psychological theory illustrate, sooner or later, people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever.

The first two sentences set the scene and give some hypothetical examples and stakes for the reader to care about.

The third sentence finishes off the intro with the thesis statement, making very clear how the author stands on the issue ("people have to make a choice between competing loyalties, as no one can maintain a conflicting loyalty or belief system forever." )

Paragraphs 2 and 3

Psychological theory states that human beings are not equipped to maintain conflicting loyalties indefinitely and that attempting to do so leads to a state called "cognitive dissonance." Cognitive dissonance theory is the psychological idea that people undergo tremendous mental stress or anxiety when holding contradictory beliefs, values, or loyalties (Festinger, 1957). Even if human beings initially hold a conflicting loyalty, they will do their best to find a mental equilibrium by making a choice between those loyalties—stay stalwart to a belief system or change their beliefs. One of the earliest formal examples of cognitive dissonance theory comes from Leon Festinger's When Prophesy Fails . Members of an apocalyptic cult are told that the end of the world will occur on a specific date and that they alone will be spared the Earth's destruction. When that day comes and goes with no apocalypse, the cult members face a cognitive dissonance between what they see and what they've been led to believe (Festinger, 1956). Some choose to believe that the cult's beliefs are still correct, but that the Earth was simply spared from destruction by mercy, while others choose to believe that they were lied to and that the cult was fraudulent all along. Both beliefs cannot be correct at the same time, and so the cult members are forced to make their choice.

But even when conflicting loyalties can lead to potentially physical, rather than just mental, consequences, people will always make a choice to fall on one side or other of a dividing line. Take, for instance, Nicolaus Copernicus, a man born and raised in Catholic Poland (and educated in Catholic Italy). Though the Catholic church dictated specific scientific teachings, Copernicus' loyalty to his own observations and scientific evidence won out over his loyalty to his country's government and belief system. When he published his heliocentric model of the solar system--in opposition to the geocentric model that had been widely accepted for hundreds of years (Hannam, 2011)-- Copernicus was making a choice between his loyalties. In an attempt t o maintain his fealty both to the established system and to what he believed, h e sat on his findings for a number of years (Fantoli, 1994). But, ultimately, Copernicus made the choice to side with his beliefs and observations above all and published his work for the world to see (even though, in doing so, he risked both his reputation and personal freedoms).

These two paragraphs provide the reasons why the author supports the main argument and uses substantiated sources to back those reasons.

The paragraph on cognitive dissonance theory gives both broad supporting evidence and more narrow, detailed supporting evidence to show why the thesis statement is correct not just anecdotally but also scientifically and psychologically. First, we see why people in general have a difficult time accepting conflicting loyalties and desires and then how this applies to individuals through the example of the cult members from the Dr. Festinger's research.

The next paragraph continues to use more detailed examples from history to provide further evidence of why the thesis that people cannot indefinitely maintain conflicting loyalties is true.

Paragraph 4

Some will claim that it is possible to maintain conflicting beliefs or loyalties permanently, but this is often more a matter of people deluding themselves and still making a choice for one side or the other, rather than truly maintaining loyalty to both sides equally. For example, Lancelot du Lac typifies a person who claims to maintain a balanced loyalty between to two parties, but his attempt to do so fails (as all attempts to permanently maintain conflicting loyalties must). Lancelot tells himself and others that he is equally devoted to both King Arthur and his court and to being Queen Guinevere's knight (Malory, 2008). But he can neither be in two places at once to protect both the king and queen, nor can he help but let his romantic feelings for the queen to interfere with his duties to the king and the kingdom. Ultimately, he and Queen Guinevere give into their feelings for one another and Lancelot—though he denies it—chooses his loyalty to her over his loyalty to Arthur. This decision plunges the kingdom into a civil war, ages Lancelot prematurely, and ultimately leads to Camelot's ruin (Raabe, 1987). Though Lancelot claimed to have been loyal to both the king and the queen, this loyalty was ultimately in conflict, and he could not maintain it.

Here we have the acknowledgement of a potential counter-argument and the evidence as to why it isn't true.

The argument is that some people (or literary characters) have asserted that they give equal weight to their conflicting loyalties. The refutation is that, though some may claim to be able to maintain conflicting loyalties, they're either lying to others or deceiving themselves. The paragraph shows why this is true by providing an example of this in action.

Paragraph 5

Whether it be through literature or history, time and time again, people demonstrate the challenges of trying to manage conflicting loyalties and the inevitable consequences of doing so. Though belief systems are malleable and will often change over time, it is not possible to maintain two mutually exclusive loyalties or beliefs at once. In the end, people always make a choice, and loyalty for one party or one side of an issue will always trump loyalty to the other.

The concluding paragraph summarizes the essay, touches on the evidence presented, and re-states the thesis statement.

How to Write an Argumentative Essay: 8 Steps

Writing the best argumentative essay is all about the preparation, so let's talk steps:

#1: Preliminary Research

If you have the option to pick your own argumentative essay topic (which you most likely will), then choose one or two topics you find the most intriguing or that you have a vested interest in and do some preliminary research on both sides of the debate.

Do an open internet search just to see what the general chatter is on the topic and what the research trends are.

Did your preliminary reading influence you to pick a side or change your side? Without diving into all the scholarly articles at length, do you believe there's enough evidence to support your claim? Have there been scientific studies? Experiments? Does a noted scholar in the field agree with you? If not, you may need to pick another topic or side of the argument to support.

#2: Pick Your Side and Form Your Thesis

Now's the time to pick the side of the argument you feel you can support the best and summarize your main point into your thesis statement.

Your thesis will be the basis of your entire essay, so make sure you know which side you're on, that you've stated it clearly, and that you stick by your argument throughout the entire essay .

#3: Heavy-Duty Research Time

You've taken a gander at what the internet at large has to say on your argument, but now's the time to actually read those sources and take notes.

Check scholarly journals online at Google Scholar , the Directory of Open Access Journals , or JStor . You can also search individual university or school libraries and websites to see what kinds of academic articles you can access for free. Keep track of your important quotes and page numbers and put them somewhere that's easy to find later.

And don't forget to check your school or local libraries as well!

#4: Outline

Follow the five-paragraph outline structure from the previous section.

Fill in your topic, your reasons, and your supporting evidence into each of the categories.

Before you begin to flesh out the essay, take a look at what you've got. Is your thesis statement in the first paragraph? Is it clear? Is your argument logical? Does your supporting evidence support your reasoning?

By outlining your essay, you streamline your process and take care of any logic gaps before you dive headfirst into the writing. This will save you a lot of grief later on if you need to change your sources or your structure, so don't get too trigger-happy and skip this step.

Now that you've laid out exactly what you'll need for your essay and where, it's time to fill in all the gaps by writing it out.

Take it one step at a time and expand your ideas into complete sentences and substantiated claims. It may feel daunting to turn an outline into a complete draft, but just remember that you've already laid out all the groundwork; now you're just filling in the gaps.

If you have the time before deadline, give yourself a day or two (or even just an hour!) away from your essay . Looking it over with fresh eyes will allow you to see errors, both minor and major, that you likely would have missed had you tried to edit when it was still raw.

Take a first pass over the entire essay and try your best to ignore any minor spelling or grammar mistakes—you're just looking at the big picture right now. Does it make sense as a whole? Did the essay succeed in making an argument and backing that argument up logically? (Do you feel persuaded?)

If not, go back and make notes so that you can fix it for your final draft.

Once you've made your revisions to the overall structure, mark all your small errors and grammar problems so you can fix them in the next draft.

#7: Final Draft

Use the notes you made on the rough draft and go in and hack and smooth away until you're satisfied with the final result.

A checklist for your final draft:

• Formatting is correct according to your teacher's standards
• No errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Essay is the right length and size for the assignment
• The argument is present, consistent, and concise
• Each reason is supported by relevant evidence
• The essay makes sense overall

#8: Celebrate!

Once you've brought that final draft to a perfect polish and turned in your assignment, you're done! Go you!

Be prepared and ♪ you'll never go hungry again ♪, *cough*, or struggle with your argumentative essay-writing again. (Walt Disney Studios)

Good Examples of Argumentative Essays Online

Theory is all well and good, but examples are key. Just to get you started on what a fully-fleshed out argumentative essay looks like, let's see some examples in action.

Check out these two argumentative essay examples on the use of landmines and freons (and note the excellent use of concrete sources to back up their arguments!).

The Use of Landmines

A Shattered Sky

The Take-Aways: Keys to Writing an Argumentative Essay

At first, writing an argumentative essay may seem like a monstrous hurdle to overcome, but with the proper preparation and understanding, you'll be able to knock yours out of the park.

Remember the differences between a persuasive essay and an argumentative one, make sure your thesis is clear, and double-check that your supporting evidence is both relevant to your point and well-sourced . Pick your topic, do your research, make your outline, and fill in the gaps. Before you know it, you'll have yourself an A+ argumentative essay there, my friend.

What's Next?

Now you know the ins and outs of an argumentative essay, but how comfortable are you writing in other styles? Learn more about the four writing styles and when it makes sense to use each .

Understand how to make an argument, but still having trouble organizing your thoughts? Check out our guide to three popular essay formats and choose which one is right for you.

Ready to make your case, but not sure what to write about? We've created a list of 50 potential argumentative essay topics to spark your imagination.

Courtney scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT in high school and went on to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology. She is passionate about bringing education and the tools to succeed to students from all backgrounds and walks of life, as she believes open education is one of the great societal equalizers. She has years of tutoring experience and writes creative works in her free time.

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Argumentative Essay: The Persuasive Argument

• The Persuasive Argument
• Problem Identification
• Steps and Tips

Types of argumentative texts

Argumentative writing.

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. Argumentative essays are also known as “persuasive essays,” “opinion essays,” or “position papers.” In an argumentative essay, the author adopts a position on a debatable issue and uses reason and evidence to convince the reader of his/her opinion.

One type of argumentative writing creates a logical argument to convince people that your idea or argument or position is more reasonable or sound than another one.To do this well it is important to state facts, evidence, and examples from research, case histories, testimony or quotes from experts, legal cases, and scientific experiments. In addition, argumentative writing techniques can be used to persuade people and get them to believe your idea and take action. Some of the ways you can do this is by appealing to reason or emotion, using vivid examples, and by getting testimony from people with first hand knowledge.

Some types of argument papers

One type of argumentative text is the position paper . the position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. Your job is to take one side of the argument and present it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand and shows them you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It is important to support your argument with evidence, as well as to speak to any counterclaims to show you are addressing all sides of the issue.

Similar to this, a proposal argument  is one of the most common and effective forms of argumentation. A proposal argument defines a problem, suggests a remedy, solution or course of action for a specified audience; and uses specific tactics to persuade others to take action. Likewise, a persuasive essay is one in which you attempt to get the reader to agree with your point of view. You are trying to present arguments, research, and ideas in order to sway the reader one way or the other. The chart below shows the differences to remember when writing a position paper to inform, or a persuasive to influence others.

Argumentative writing cheat sheet

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• Last Updated: Sep 12, 2023 2:05 PM
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What is an Argumentative Essay? How to Write It (With Examples)

We define an argumentative essay as a type of essay that presents arguments about both sides of an issue. The purpose is to convince the reader to accept a particular viewpoint or action. In an argumentative essay, the writer takes a stance on a controversial or debatable topic and supports their position with evidence, reasoning, and examples. The essay should also address counterarguments, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the topic.

Table of Contents

• What is an argumentative essay?  
• Argumentative essay structure 
• Argumentative essay outline 
• Types of argument claims 

How to write an argumentative essay?

• Argumentative essay writing tips 
• Good argumentative essay example 

How to write a good thesis

• How to Write an Argumentative Essay with Paperpal? 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an argumentative essay.

An argumentative essay is a type of writing that presents a coherent and logical analysis of a specific topic. 1 The goal is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or opinion on a particular issue. Here are the key elements of an argumentative essay: 

• Thesis Statement : The central claim or argument that the essay aims to prove. 
• Introduction : Provides background information and introduces the thesis statement. 
• Body Paragraphs : Each paragraph addresses a specific aspect of the argument, presents evidence, and may include counter arguments. 

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• Evidence : Supports the main argument with relevant facts, examples, statistics, or expert opinions. 
• Counterarguments : Anticipates and addresses opposing viewpoints to strengthen the overall argument. 
• Conclusion : Summarizes the main points, reinforces the thesis, and may suggest implications or actions. 

Argumentative essay structure

Aristotelian, Rogerian, and Toulmin are three distinct approaches to argumentative essay structures, each with its principles and methods. 2 The choice depends on the purpose and nature of the topic. Here’s an overview of each type of argumentative essay format.

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Argumentative essay outline

An argumentative essay presents a specific claim or argument and supports it with evidence and reasoning. Here’s an outline for an argumentative essay, along with examples for each section: 3  

1.  Introduction : 

• Hook : Start with a compelling statement, question, or anecdote to grab the reader’s attention. 

Example: “Did you know that plastic pollution is threatening marine life at an alarming rate?” 

• Background information : Provide brief context about the issue. 

Example: “Plastic pollution has become a global environmental concern, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering our oceans yearly.” 

• Thesis statement : Clearly state your main argument or position. 

Example: “We must take immediate action to reduce plastic usage and implement more sustainable alternatives to protect our marine ecosystem.” 

2.  Body Paragraphs : 

• Topic sentence : Introduce the main idea of each paragraph. 

Example: “The first step towards addressing the plastic pollution crisis is reducing single-use plastic consumption.” 

• Evidence/Support : Provide evidence, facts, statistics, or examples that support your argument. 

Example: “Research shows that plastic straws alone contribute to millions of tons of plastic waste annually, and many marine animals suffer from ingestion or entanglement.” 

• Counterargument/Refutation : Acknowledge and refute opposing viewpoints. 

Example: “Some argue that banning plastic straws is inconvenient for consumers, but the long-term environmental benefits far outweigh the temporary inconvenience.” 

• Transition : Connect each paragraph to the next. 

Example: “Having addressed the issue of single-use plastics, the focus must now shift to promoting sustainable alternatives.” 

3.  Counterargument Paragraph : 

• Acknowledgement of opposing views : Recognize alternative perspectives on the issue. 

Example: “While some may argue that individual actions cannot significantly impact global plastic pollution, the cumulative effect of collective efforts must be considered.” 

• Counterargument and rebuttal : Present and refute the main counterargument. 

Example: “However, individual actions, when multiplied across millions of people, can substantially reduce plastic waste. Small changes in behavior, such as using reusable bags and containers, can have a significant positive impact.” 

4.  Conclusion : 

• Restatement of thesis : Summarize your main argument. 

Example: “In conclusion, adopting sustainable practices and reducing single-use plastic is crucial for preserving our oceans and marine life.” 

• Call to action : Encourage the reader to take specific steps or consider the argument’s implications. 

Example: “It is our responsibility to make environmentally conscious choices and advocate for policies that prioritize the health of our planet. By collectively embracing sustainable alternatives, we can contribute to a cleaner and healthier future.” 

Types of argument claims

A claim is a statement or proposition a writer puts forward with evidence to persuade the reader. 4 Here are some common types of argument claims, along with examples: 

• Fact Claims : These claims assert that something is true or false and can often be verified through evidence.  Example: “Water boils at 100°C at sea level.”
• Value Claims : Value claims express judgments about the worth or morality of something, often based on personal beliefs or societal values. Example: “Organic farming is more ethical than conventional farming.” 
• Policy Claims : Policy claims propose a course of action or argue for a specific policy, law, or regulation change.  Example: “Schools should adopt a year-round education system to improve student learning outcomes.” 
• Cause and Effect Claims : These claims argue that one event or condition leads to another, establishing a cause-and-effect relationship.  Example: “Excessive use of social media is a leading cause of increased feelings of loneliness among young adults.” 
• Definition Claims : Definition claims assert the meaning or classification of a concept or term.  Example: “Artificial intelligence can be defined as machines exhibiting human-like cognitive functions.” 
• Comparative Claims : Comparative claims assert that one thing is better or worse than another in certain respects.  Example: “Online education is more cost-effective than traditional classroom learning.” 
• Evaluation Claims : Evaluation claims assess the quality, significance, or effectiveness of something based on specific criteria.  Example: “The new healthcare policy is more effective in providing affordable healthcare to all citizens.” 

Understanding these argument claims can help writers construct more persuasive and well-supported arguments tailored to the specific nature of the claim.  

If you’re wondering how to start an argumentative essay, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you with the argumentative essay format and writing process.

• Choose a Topic: Select a topic that you are passionate about or interested in. Ensure that the topic is debatable and has two or more sides.
• Define Your Position: Clearly state your stance on the issue. Consider opposing viewpoints and be ready to counter them.
• Conduct Research: Gather relevant information from credible sources, such as books, articles, and academic journals. Take notes on key points and supporting evidence.
• Create a Thesis Statement: Develop a concise and clear thesis statement that outlines your main argument. Convey your position on the issue and provide a roadmap for the essay.
• Outline Your Argumentative Essay: Organize your ideas logically by creating an outline. Include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each body paragraph should focus on a single point that supports your thesis.
• Write the Introduction: Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention (a quote, a question, a surprising fact). Provide background information on the topic. Present your thesis statement at the end of the introduction.
• Develop Body Paragraphs: Begin each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that relates to the thesis. Support your points with evidence and examples. Address counterarguments and refute them to strengthen your position. Ensure smooth transitions between paragraphs.
• Address Counterarguments: Acknowledge and respond to opposing viewpoints. Anticipate objections and provide evidence to counter them.
• Write the Conclusion: Summarize the main points of your argumentative essay. Reinforce the significance of your argument. End with a call to action, a prediction, or a thought-provoking statement.
• Revise, Edit, and Share: Review your essay for clarity, coherence, and consistency. Check for grammatical and spelling errors. Share your essay with peers, friends, or instructors for constructive feedback.
• Finalize Your Argumentative Essay: Make final edits based on feedback received. Ensure that your essay follows the required formatting and citation style.

Struggling to start your argumentative essay? Paperpal can help – try now!   

Argumentative essay writing tips

Here are eight strategies to craft a compelling argumentative essay: 

• Choose a Clear and Controversial Topic : Select a topic that sparks debate and has opposing viewpoints. A clear and controversial issue provides a solid foundation for a strong argument. 
• Conduct Thorough Research : Gather relevant information from reputable sources to support your argument. Use a variety of sources, such as academic journals, books, reputable websites, and expert opinions, to strengthen your position. 
• Create a Strong Thesis Statement : Clearly articulate your main argument in a concise thesis statement. Your thesis should convey your stance on the issue and provide a roadmap for the reader to follow your argument. 
• Develop a Logical Structure : Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph should focus on a specific point of evidence that contributes to your overall argument. Ensure a logical flow from one point to the next. 
• Provide Strong Evidence : Support your claims with solid evidence. Use facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions to support your arguments. Be sure to cite your sources appropriately to maintain credibility. 
• Address Counterarguments : Acknowledge opposing viewpoints and counterarguments. Addressing and refuting alternative perspectives strengthens your essay and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the issue. Be mindful of maintaining a respectful tone even when discussing opposing views. 
• Use Persuasive Language : Employ persuasive language to make your points effectively. Avoid emotional appeals without supporting evidence and strive for a respectful and professional tone. 
• Craft a Compelling Conclusion : Summarize your main points, restate your thesis, and leave a lasting impression in your conclusion. Encourage readers to consider the implications of your argument and potentially take action. 

Good argumentative essay example

Let’s consider a sample of argumentative essay on how social media enhances connectivity:

In the digital age, social media has emerged as a powerful tool that transcends geographical boundaries, connecting individuals from diverse backgrounds and providing a platform for an array of voices to be heard. While critics argue that social media fosters division and amplifies negativity, it is essential to recognize the positive aspects of this digital revolution and how it enhances connectivity by providing a platform for diverse voices to flourish. One of the primary benefits of social media is its ability to facilitate instant communication and connection across the globe. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram break down geographical barriers, enabling people to establish and maintain relationships regardless of physical location and fostering a sense of global community. Furthermore, social media has transformed how people stay connected with friends and family. Whether separated by miles or time zones, social media ensures that relationships remain dynamic and relevant, contributing to a more interconnected world. Moreover, social media has played a pivotal role in giving voice to social justice movements and marginalized communities. Movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #ClimateStrike have gained momentum through social media, allowing individuals to share their stories and advocate for change on a global scale. This digital activism can shape public opinion and hold institutions accountable. Social media platforms provide a dynamic space for open dialogue and discourse. Users can engage in discussions, share information, and challenge each other’s perspectives, fostering a culture of critical thinking. This open exchange of ideas contributes to a more informed and enlightened society where individuals can broaden their horizons and develop a nuanced understanding of complex issues. While criticisms of social media abound, it is crucial to recognize its positive impact on connectivity and the amplification of diverse voices. Social media transcends physical and cultural barriers, connecting people across the globe and providing a platform for marginalized voices to be heard. By fostering open dialogue and facilitating the exchange of ideas, social media contributes to a more interconnected and empowered society. Embracing the positive aspects of social media allows us to harness its potential for positive change and collective growth.

• Clearly Define Your Thesis Statement:   Your thesis statement is the core of your argumentative essay. Clearly articulate your main argument or position on the issue. Avoid vague or general statements.  
• Provide Strong Supporting Evidence:   Back up your thesis with solid evidence from reliable sources and examples. This can include facts, statistics, expert opinions, anecdotes, or real-life examples. Make sure your evidence is relevant to your argument, as it impacts the overall persuasiveness of your thesis.  
• Anticipate Counterarguments and Address Them:   Acknowledge and address opposing viewpoints to strengthen credibility. This also shows that you engage critically with the topic rather than presenting a one-sided argument. 

How to Write an Argumentative Essay with Paperpal?

Writing a winning argumentative essay not only showcases your ability to critically analyze a topic but also demonstrates your skill in persuasively presenting your stance backed by evidence. Achieving this level of writing excellence can be time-consuming. This is where Paperpal, your AI academic writing assistant, steps in to revolutionize the way you approach argumentative essays. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Paperpal to write your essay: 

• Sign Up or Log In: Begin by creating an account or logging into paperpal.com .  
• Navigate to Paperpal Copilot: Once logged in, proceed to the Templates section from the side navigation bar.  
• Generate an essay outline: Under Templates, click on the ‘Outline’ tab and choose ‘Essay’ from the options and provide your topic to generate an outline.  
• Develop your essay: Use this structured outline as a guide to flesh out your essay. If you encounter any roadblocks, click on Brainstorm and get subject-specific assistance, ensuring you stay on track. 
• Refine your writing: To elevate the academic tone of your essay, select a paragraph and use the ‘Make Academic’ feature under the ‘Rewrite’ tab, ensuring your argumentative essay resonates with an academic audience. 
• Final Touches: Make your argumentative essay submission ready with Paperpal’s language, grammar, consistency and plagiarism checks, and improve your chances of acceptance.  

Paperpal not only simplifies the essay writing process but also ensures your argumentative essay is persuasive, well-structured, and academically rigorous. Sign up today and transform how you write argumentative essays. 

The length of an argumentative essay can vary, but it typically falls within the range of 1,000 to 2,500 words. However, the specific requirements may depend on the guidelines provided.

You might write an argumentative essay when:  1. You want to convince others of the validity of your position.  2. There is a controversial or debatable issue that requires discussion.  3. You need to present evidence and logical reasoning to support your claims.  4. You want to explore and critically analyze different perspectives on a topic. 

Argumentative Essay:  Purpose : An argumentative essay aims to persuade the reader to accept or agree with a specific point of view or argument.  Structure : It follows a clear structure with an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs presenting arguments and evidence, counterarguments and refutations, and a conclusion.  Tone : The tone is formal and relies on logical reasoning, evidence, and critical analysis.    Narrative/Descriptive Essay:  Purpose : These aim to tell a story or describe an experience, while a descriptive essay focuses on creating a vivid picture of a person, place, or thing.  Structure : They may have a more flexible structure. They often include an engaging introduction, a well-developed body that builds the story or description, and a conclusion.  Tone : The tone is more personal and expressive to evoke emotions or provide sensory details. 

• Gladd, J. (2020). Tips for Writing Academic Persuasive Essays.  Write What Matters . 
• Nimehchisalem, V. (2018). Pyramid of argumentation: Towards an integrated model for teaching and assessing ESL writing.  Language & Communication ,  5 (2), 185-200. 
• Press, B. (2022).  Argumentative Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide . Broadview Press. 
• Rieke, R. D., Sillars, M. O., & Peterson, T. R. (2005).  Argumentation and critical decision making . Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. 

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Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

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• Empirical Research: A Comprehensive Guide for Academics 
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• What is a Literature Review? How to Write It (with Examples)
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Make Your Research Paper Error-Free with Paperpal’s Online Spell Checker 

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Writing a Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays convince readers to accept a certain perspective. Writing a persuasive essay therefore entails making an argument that will appeal to readers, so they believe what you say has merit. This act of appealing to readers is the art of persuasion, also known as rhetoric. In classical rhetoric, persuasion involves appealing to readers using ethos, pathos, and logos.

In this tutorial, we refer to the sample persuasive draft and final paper written by fictional student Maggie Durham.

THE ART OF PERSUASION

Ethos refers to establishing yourself as a credible source of information. To convince an audience of anything, they must first trust you are being earnest and ethical. One strategy to do this is to write a balanced discussion with relevant and reliable research that supports your claims. Reliable research would include quoting or paraphrasing experts, first-hand witnesses, or authorities. Properly citing your sources, so your readers can also retrieve them, is another factor in establishing a reliable ethos. When writing for academic purposes, expressing your argument using unbiased language and a neutral tone will also indicate you are arguing fairly and with consideration of others having differing views.

When you appeal to your readers’ emotions, you are using pathos. This appeal is common in advertising that convinces consumers they lack something and buying a certain product or service will fulfill that lack. Emotional appeals are subtler in academic writing; they serve to engage a reader in the argument and inspire a change of heart or motivate readers toward a course of action. The examples you use, how you define terms, any comparisons you draw, as well as the language choices you use can draw readers in and impact their willingness to go along with your ideas.

Consider that one purpose of persuasion is to appeal to those who do not already agree with you, so it will be important to show that you understand other points of view. You will also want to avoid derogatory or insulting descriptions or remarks about the opposition. You wouldn’t want to offend the very readers you want to persuade.

Establishing an appeal of logos is to write a sound argument, one that readers can follow and understand. To do this, the facts and evidence you use should be relevant, representative, and reliable, and the writing as a whole should be well organized, developed, and edited.

STEPS FOR WRITING PERSUASIVELY

Step one: determine the topic.

The first step in writing a persuasive essay is to establish the topic. The best topic is one that interests you. You can generate ideas for a topic by prewriting, such as by brainstorming whatever comes to mind, recording in grocery-list fashion your thoughts, or freewriting in complete sentences what you know or think about topics of interest.

Whatever topic you choose, it needs to be:

• Interesting : The topic should appeal both to you and to your intended readers.
• Researchable : A body of knowledge should already exist on the topic.
• Nonfiction : The information about the topic should be factual, not based on personal opinions or conspiracy theories.
• Important : Your reader should think the topic is relevant to them or worthy of being explored and discussed.

Our sample student Maggie Durham has selected the topic of educational technology. We will use Maggie’s sample persuasive draft and final paper as we discuss the steps for writing a persuasive essay.

Step Two: Pose a Research Question

Once you have a topic, the next step is to develop a research question along with related questions that delve further into the first question. If you do not know what to ask, start with one of the question words: What? Who? Where? When? Why? and How? The research question helps you focus or narrow the scope of your topic by identifying a problem, controversy, or aspect of the topic that is worth exploration and discussion. Some general questions about a topic would be the following:

• Who is affected by this problem and how?
• Have previous efforts or polices been made to address this problem? – What are they?
• Why hasn’t this problem been solved already?

For Maggie’s topic of educational technology, potential issues or controversies range from data privacy to digital literacy to the impact of technology on learning, which is what Maggie is interested in. Maggie’s local school district has low literacy rates, so Maggie wants to know the following:

• Are there advantages and/or disadvantages of technology within primary and secondary education?
• Which types of technology are considered the best in terms of quality and endurance?
• What types of technology and/or programs do students like using and why?
• Do teachers know how to use certain technologies with curriculum design, instruction, and/or assessment?

Step Three: Draft a Thesis

A thesis is a claim that asserts your main argument about the topic. As you conduct your research and draft your paper, you may discover information that changes your mind about your thesis, so at this point in writing, the thesis is tentative. Still, it is an important step in narrowing your focus for research and writing.

The thesis should

1. be a complete sentence,

2. identify the topic, and

3. make a specific claim about that topic.

In a persuasive paper, the thesis is a claim that someone should believe or do something. For example, a persuasive thesis might assert that something is effective or ineffective. It might state that a policy should be changed or a plan should be implemented. Or a persuasive thesis might be a plea for people to change their minds about a particular issue.

Once you have figured out your research question, your thesis is simply the answer. Maggie’s thesis is “Schools should supply technology aids to all students to increase student learning and literacy rates.” Her next step is to find evidence to support her claim.

Step Four: Research

Once you have a topic, research question, and thesis, you are ready to conduct research. To find sources that would be appropriate for an academic persuasive essay, begin your search in the library. The Purdue Global Library has a number of tutorials on conducting research, choosing search teams, types of sources, and how to evaluate information to determine its reliability and usefulness. Remember that the research you use will not only provide content to prove your claim and develop your essay, but it will also help to establish your credibility as a reliable source (ethos), create a logical framework for your argument (logos), and appeal to your readers emotionally (pathos).

Step Five: Plan Your Argument; Make an Outline

Once you have located quality source information—facts, examples, definitions, knowledge, and other information that answers your research question(s), you’ll want to create an outline to organize it. The example outline below illustrates a logical organizational plan for writing a persuasive essay. The example outline begins with an introduction that presents the topic, explains the issue, and asserts the position (the thesis). The body then provides the reasoning for the position and addresses the opposing viewpoints that some readers may hold. In your paper, you could modify this organization and address the opposing viewpoints first and then give the reasoning for your viewpoints, or you can alternate and give one opposing viewpoint then counter that with your viewpoint and then give another opposing viewpoint and counter that with your viewpoint.

The outline below also considers the alternatives to the position—certainly, there are other ways to think about or address the issue or situation. Considering the alternatives can be done in conjunction with looking at the opposing viewpoints. You do not always have to disagree with other opinions, either. You can acknowledge that another solution could work or another belief is valid. However, at the end of the body section, you will want to stand by your original position and prove that in light of all the opposing viewpoints and other perspectives, your position has the most merit.

Sample Outline of a Persuasive Argument

• 1. Introduction: Tell them what you will tell them.
• a. Present an interesting fact or description to make the topic clear and capture the reader’s attention.
• b. Define and narrow the topic using facts or descriptions to illustrate what the situation or issue is (and that is it important).
• c. Assert the claim (thesis) that something should be believed or done about the issue. (Some writers also briefly state the reasons behind this claim in the thesis as Maggie does in her paper when she claims that schools should supply tablets to students to increase learning , engagement, and literacy rates ).
• 2. Body: Tell them.
• a. Defend the claim with logical reasons and practical examples based on research.
• b. Anticipate objections to the claim and refute or accommodate them with research.
• c. Consider alternate positions or solutions using examples from research.
• d. Present a final point based on research that supports your claim in light of the objections and alternatives considered.
• 3. Conclusion: Tell them what you told them.
• a. Recap the main points to reinforce the importance of the issue.
• b. Restate the thesis in new wording to reinforce your position.
• c. Make a final remark to leave a lasting impression, so the reader will want to continue this conversation and ideally adopt the belief or take the action you are advocating.

In Maggie’s draft, she introduced the topic with facts about school ratings in Texas and then narrowed the topic using the example of her local school district’s literacy rates. She then claimed the district should provide each student a tablet in order to increase learning (and thus, literacy rates).

Maggie defends her claim with a series of examples from research that proved how access to tablets, technology-integrated curriculums, and “flipped classrooms” have improved literacy rates in other districts. She anticipates objections to her proposal due to the high cost of technology and counter argues this with expert opinions and examples that show partnerships with businesses, personalized curriculums that technology makes possible, and teacher training can balance the costs. Maggie included an alternative solution of having students check out tablets from the library, but her research showed that this still left students needing Wi-Fi at home while her proposal would include a plan for students to access Wi-Fi.

Maggie concluded her argument by pointing out the cost of not helping the students in this way and restated her thesis reaffirming the benefits, and then left the reader with a memorable quote.

Click here to see Maggie’s draft with feedback from her instructor and a peer. Sample Persuasive Draft

Feedback, Revision, and Editing

After you write a draft of your persuasive essay, the next step is to have a peer, instructor, or tutor read it and provide feedback. Without reader feedback, you cannot fully know how your readers will react to your argument. Reader feedback is meant to be constructive. Use it to better understand your readers and craft your argument to more appropriately appeal to them.

Maggie received valuable feedback on her draft from her instructor and classmate. They pointed to where her thesis needed to be even more specific, to paragraphs where a different organization would make her argument more convincing, to parts of the paper that lacked examples, sentences that needed revision and editing for greater clarity, and APA formatting that needed to be edited.

Maggie also took a critical look at her paper and looked back at her writing process. One technique she found helpful was to read her paper aloud because it let her know where her wording and organization were not clear. She did this several times as she revised and again as she edited and refined her paper for sentence level clarity and concision.

In the end, Maggie produced a convincing persuasive essay and effective argument that would appeal to readers who are also interested in the way technology can impact and improve student learning, an important topic in 2014 when this paper was written and still relevant today.

Click here to see Maggie’s final draft after revising and editing. Sample Persuasive Revised

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4.3: Writing to Convince Others

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• Bradley H. Dowden
• California State University Sacramento

Writing clearly in a straightforward style is the usual goal when composing a written product, but not always. Sometimes you may want to stand your language on its head to shock or amuse your readers. Or you may want to tell an interesting story; and then you’ll need effective narrative devices such as plot, character development, and setting. However, you will have a different focus when you write a business report, a newspaper editorial, or a position paper. Let's focus upon that kind of writing.

It is especially important that your writing be clear and well-structured. It doesn’t mean that it should be boring. Writing logically does require paying attention to the style as well as to the structure of the written piece. This chapter offers suggestions about how to improve this kind of writing, but these suggestions are rules of thumb, not rules to be obeyed to the letter.

OK, first things first, but not necessarily in that order. Here is the list of rules that all good writers invariably follow:

• Be more or less specific.
• Use not bad grammars.
• Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
• Don't use no double negatives.
• Avoid tumbling off the cliff of triteness into the dark abyss of overused metaphors.
• Take care that your verb and your subject is in agreement.
• No sentence fragments.
• Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
• Who needs rhetorical questions?
• Use the apostrophe in it's proper place.
• Avoid colloquial stuff, like totally.
• Avoid those run-on sentences you know the ones they stop and then start again they should be separated with semicolons.
• The passive voice should be used infrequently.
• And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
• Excessive use of exclamation points can be disastrous!!!!
• Exaggeration is a million times worse than understatement.
• Stamp out and eliminate redundancy because, if you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing, so reread your work and improve it by editing out the repetition you noticed during the rereading.
• Tis incumbent upon one to employ the vernacular and eschew archaisms.
• It's not O.K. to use ampersands & abbreviations.
• Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are usually (but not always) an obstacle for readers (and make it harder on readers even if you're being careful) who have the task of understanding your work (article, passage, document, and so forth).

This chapter emphasizes how to create a successful argumentative essay. An argumentative essay is a work of nonfiction prose stating and defending a position on some issue. It is a certain kind of persuasive writing. But persuasive writing is, well, not always persuasive to a critical thinker. As writers and as critical readers, we need to remind ourselves that it is unnatural for people to reach the truth by finding good reasons. What is natural is making up our mind using our gut instincts, then going out to find reasons with which we can bombard our opponents while covering up any reasons that appear to threaten our own beliefs.

• 4.3.1.1: The Introduction
• 4.3.1.2: The Middle
• 4.3.1.3: The Ending
• 4.3.1.4: Digressions
• 4.3.2: Improving Your Writing Style
• 4.3.3: Proving Your Conclusion
• 4.3.4: Creating Counterarguments
• 4.3.5: Review of Major Points
• 4.3.6: Glossary
• 4.3.7: Exercises

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How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Tips and Tricks

Allison Bressmer

Most composition classes you’ll take will teach the art of persuasive writing. That’s a good thing.

Knowing where you stand on issues and knowing how to argue for or against something is a skill that will serve you well both inside and outside of the classroom.

Persuasion is the art of using logic to prompt audiences to change their mind or take action , and is generally seen as accomplishing that goal by appealing to emotions and feelings.

A persuasive essay is one that attempts to get a reader to agree with your perspective.

Ready for some tips on how to produce a well-written, well-rounded, well-structured persuasive essay? Just say yes. I don’t want to have to write another essay to convince you!

How Do I Write a Persuasive Essay?

What are some good topics for a persuasive essay, how do i identify an audience for my persuasive essay, how do you create an effective persuasive essay, how should i edit my persuasive essay.

Your persuasive essay needs to have the three components required of any essay: the introduction , body , and conclusion .

That is essay structure. However, there is flexibility in that structure.

There is no rule (unless the assignment has specific rules) for how many paragraphs any of those sections need.

Although the components should be proportional; the body paragraphs will comprise most of your persuasive essay.

How Do I Start a Persuasive Essay?

As with any essay introduction, this paragraph is where you grab your audience’s attention, provide context for the topic of discussion, and present your thesis statement.

TIP 1: Some writers find it easier to write their introductions last. As long as you have your working thesis, this is a perfectly acceptable approach. From that thesis, you can plan your body paragraphs and then go back and write your introduction.

TIP 2: Avoid “announcing” your thesis. Don’t include statements like this:

• “In my essay I will show why extinct animals should (not) be regenerated.”
• “The purpose of my essay is to argue that extinct animals should (not) be regenerated.”

Announcements take away from the originality, authority, and sophistication of your writing.

Instead, write a convincing thesis statement that answers the question "so what?" Why is the topic important, what do you think about it, and why do you think that? Be specific.

How Many Paragraphs Should a Persuasive Essay Have?

This body of your persuasive essay is the section in which you develop the arguments that support your thesis. Consider these questions as you plan this section of your essay:

• What arguments support your thesis?
• What is the best order for your arguments?
• What evidence do you have?
• Will you address the opposing argument to your own?
• How can you conclude convincingly?

TIP: Brainstorm and do your research before you decide which arguments you’ll focus on in your discussion. Make a list of possibilities and go with the ones that are strongest, that you can discuss with the most confidence, and that help you balance your rhetorical triangle .

What Should I Put in the Conclusion of a Persuasive Essay?

The conclusion is your “mic-drop” moment. Think about how you can leave your audience with a strong final comment.

And while a conclusion often re-emphasizes the main points of a discussion, it shouldn’t simply repeat them.

TIP 1: Be careful not to introduce a new argument in the conclusion—there’s no time to develop it now that you’ve reached the end of your discussion!

TIP 2 : As with your thesis, avoid announcing your conclusion. Don’t start your conclusion with “in conclusion” or “to conclude” or “to end my essay” type statements. Your audience should be able to see that you are bringing the discussion to a close without those overused, less sophisticated signals.

If your instructor has assigned you a topic, then you’ve already got your issue; you’ll just have to determine where you stand on the issue. Where you stand on your topic is your position on that topic.

Your position will ultimately become the thesis of your persuasive essay: the statement the rest of the essay argues for and supports, intending to convince your audience to consider your point of view.

If you have to choose your own topic, use these guidelines to help you make your selection:

• Choose an issue you truly care about
• Choose an issue that is actually debatable

Simple “tastes” (likes and dislikes) can’t really be argued. No matter how many ways someone tries to convince me that milk chocolate rules, I just won’t agree.

It’s dark chocolate or nothing as far as my tastes are concerned.

Similarly, you can’t convince a person to “like” one film more than another in an essay.

You could argue that one movie has superior qualities than another: cinematography, acting, directing, etc. but you can’t convince a person that the film really appeals to them.

Once you’ve selected your issue, determine your position just as you would for an assigned topic. That position will ultimately become your thesis.

Until you’ve finalized your work, consider your thesis a “working thesis.”

This means that your statement represents your position, but you might change its phrasing or structure for that final version.

When you’re writing an essay for a class, it can seem strange to identify an audience—isn’t the audience the instructor?

Your instructor will read and evaluate your essay, and may be part of your greater audience, but you shouldn’t just write for your teacher.

Think about who your intended audience is.

For an argument essay, think of your audience as the people who disagree with you—the people who need convincing.

That population could be quite broad, for example, if you’re arguing a political issue, or narrow, if you’re trying to convince your parents to extend your curfew.

Once you’ve got a sense of your audience, it’s time to consult with Aristotle. Aristotle’s teaching on persuasion has shaped communication since about 330 BC. Apparently, it works.

Aristotle taught that in order to convince an audience of something, the communicator needs to balance the three elements of the rhetorical triangle to achieve the best results.

Those three elements are ethos , logos , and pathos .

Ethos relates to credibility and trustworthiness. How can you, as the writer, demonstrate your credibility as a source of information to your audience?

How will you show them you are worthy of their trust?

• You show you’ve done your research: you understand the issue, both sides
• You show respect for the opposing side: if you disrespect your audience, they won’t respect you or your ideas

Logos relates to logic. How will you convince your audience that your arguments and ideas are reasonable?

You provide facts or other supporting evidence to support your claims.

That evidence may take the form of studies or expert input or reasonable examples or a combination of all of those things, depending on the specific requirements of your assignment.

Remember: if you use someone else’s ideas or words in your essay, you need to give them credit.

ProWritingAid's Plagiarism Checker checks your work against over a billion web-pages, published works, and academic papers so you can be sure of its originality.

Find out more about ProWritingAid’s Plagiarism checks.

Pathos relates to emotion. Audiences are people and people are emotional beings. We respond to emotional prompts. How will you engage your audience with your arguments on an emotional level?

• You make strategic word choices : words have denotations (dictionary meanings) and also connotations, or emotional values. Use words whose connotations will help prompt the feelings you want your audience to experience.
• You use emotionally engaging examples to support your claims or make a point, prompting your audience to be moved by your discussion.

Be mindful as you lean into elements of the triangle. Too much pathos and your audience might end up feeling manipulated, roll their eyes and move on.

An “all logos” approach will leave your essay dry and without a sense of voice; it will probably bore your audience rather than make them care.

Once you’ve got your essay planned, start writing! Don’t worry about perfection, just get your ideas out of your head and off your list and into a rough essay format.

After you’ve written your draft, evaluate your work. What works and what doesn’t? For help with evaluating and revising your work, check out this ProWritingAid post on manuscript revision .

After you’ve evaluated your draft, revise it. Repeat that process as many times as you need to make your work the best it can be.

When you’re satisfied with the content and structure of the essay, take it through the editing process .

Grammatical or sentence-level errors can distract your audience or even detract from the ethos—the authority—of your work.

You don’t have to edit alone! ProWritingAid’s Realtime Report will find errors and make suggestions for improvements.

You can even use it on emails to your professors:

Try ProWritingAid with a free account.

How Can I Improve My Persuasion Skills?

You can develop your powers of persuasion every day just by observing what’s around you.

• How is that advertisement working to convince you to buy a product?
• How is a political candidate arguing for you to vote for them?
• How do you “argue” with friends about what to do over the weekend, or convince your boss to give you a raise?
• How are your parents working to convince you to follow a certain academic or career path?

As you observe these arguments in action, evaluate them. Why are they effective or why do they fail?

How could an argument be strengthened with more (or less) emphasis on ethos, logos, and pathos?

Every argument is an opportunity to learn! Observe them, evaluate them, and use them to perfect your own powers of persuasion.

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Allison Bressmer is a professor of freshman composition and critical reading at a community college and a freelance writer. If she isn’t writing or teaching, you’ll likely find her reading a book or listening to a podcast while happily sipping a semi-sweet iced tea or happy-houring with friends. She lives in New York with her family. Connect at linkedin.com/in/allisonbressmer.

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All About Persuasive Essay Writing

• Essay Tips&Tricks
• Essay Writing Guides

Writing a persuasive essay requires expressing your viewpoint and convincing readers of its rightfulness. Many struggle with completing this type of written assignment because of a lack of proper writing skills, the inability to express a point of view clearly, or follow the paper outline.

Many useful sources on the Internet can help students master their skills and get writing assistance. To create an effective persuasive essay that appeals to readers’ emotions, you must follow special writing tips. Read the article and find out persuasive techniques to compile an excellent essay.

Definition of a Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is a type of academic writing where an author uses logic and arguments to convince readers that their point of view is legitimate. Besides, a writer can appeal to feelings and emotions to persuade the audience to take their side.

The primary evidence is your personal opinion and thoughts. And then, you support your solid evidence with research, facts, examples, quotes, and statistics.

Persuasive essays are also called argumentative essays due to arguments and supporting facts. However, we should differentiate between these two types of essays. In persuasive essays, it’s required to represent opposite opinions and choose one side. Convince readers that you are right using supporting arguments.

On the contrary, when writing an argumentative essay, you should describe all arguments and counterarguments objectively, leaving the freedom of choice to the reader.

Three Components of a Persuasive Essay

A professional persuasive essay consists of three main elements: ethos, pathos, and logos. They were introduced by Aristotle and are known as modes of persuasion. These essential persuasion constituents will help you build an engaging and effective persuasive essay that influences readers’ opinions. Let’s take a closer look at these three persuasion elements:

• Ethos is used to persuade the reader of the author’s credibility and knowledge. This element of argument establishes the good moral character of the writer. It is a helpful tool for presenting your viewpoint since people are more likely to trust a knowledgeable and experienced author.
• Pathos is an act of appealing to an audience’s emotions and feelings to manipulate and persuade. You can connect with readers easily if you evoke specific emotions like anger, joy, or sympathy. It makes persuasive essay writing more compelling and memorable.
• Logos is an appeal to the audience’s logic. A writer tries to persuade readers of the rational validity of the arguments. And for this reason, they use supporting evidence like statistics, quotes, facts, and other logical data elements.

Guide on Writing the Persuasive Essay

Writing a good persuasive essay requires time and effort. Students may come across different guidelines for completing this assignment. Formulate a strong persuasive essay and fully convince your readers by following these simple steps:

Choose a Killer Topic

It would help if you persuaded people of something you believe. So choose a topic that is close to your views and can reflect your opinions the best way. It’d be great if you could find enough supporting materials on your essay subject.

Research Both Sides

Since every argument has a counterargument, you should explore all information about opposite sides. Knowing another view on the issue is crucial and being able to justify your perspective. Analyze many reliable sources to support your argument.

Know Your Audience

Learn the audience you will target with your persuasive writing. This insight can help the writer form proper arguments and tailor language. Try to find what may influence readers and what means are better to use to achieve that.

List Your Reasons

Even though you do not need to present hard evidence in your persuasive essay, it’s crucial to support your personal opinion with logical reasoning. Your writing will be more convincing if you present as many reasons as possible to support your ideas. Knowing the audience, you can make reasons relatable to them.

Plan a Thesis Statement

Drafting a thesis statement helps you make your stance clear to the audience. You can not generate a strong argument without a good thesis in your persuasive writing. Here it would help if you defined what you will persuade readers of and how you can do that.

Appeal to Emotions

If you want people to agree with what you present in the essay, try to evoke certain emotions. This act of appealing to readers’ emotions and feelings is called pathos. You can make the audience angry, relieved, happy, worried, excited, etc. The neutral tone of the persuasive essay is a lost cause.

Include a Strong Call to Action

When you write a persuasive essay, decide what you expect the audience will do after reading it once they take your side and what actions they can take. It depends on the essay topic and can range from signing petitions and donations to supporting your idea in further works.

The Prewriting Stage of a Persuasive Essay Creation

Prewriting is the first stage of the writing process. It helps to plan your essay, organize your resources and ensure you have everything for a good persuasive essay with a coherent argument. During the prewriting stage, you must define your approach, consider your audience, review your research, and create an outline. So let’s learn about these phases more.

• It’s crucial to develop a clear approach to writing a persuasive essay. Think carefully about the issue and decide which side to take. Your working statement can be summarized in one or two sentences. You will focus on it, developing arguments for the essay.
• Before writing the essay, you should know who might read your work. Identifying age, gender, ethnicity, and views on politics and religion is essential to tailor your writing tone. These aspects may highly influence how the audience perceives your viewpoint. If it’s impossible to answer who these readers will be direct, try not to make critical assumptions that can offend some groups.
• A writer should suggest convincing evidence backed by reliable sources for persuasive essay writing. You must find as many relevant sources as possible to select the most compelling ones for your essay. Do not rely on a single source to support your evidence.
• Then it would help if you created an essay outline to make your work well-structured. It will help you generate logical and coherent arguments. Consider that the persuasive essay should have a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Structure of the Persuasive Essay

A clear five-paragraph essay structure will help you effectively present arguments and write a persuasive essay. You create an essay outline for connecting your arguments logically during the prewriting stage.

When you know how to start and finish your work, persuasive essay writing will go smoothly. Remember to support your ideas with strong evidence and refer to counterarguments.

Introduction

The introduction in your persuasive essay writing should be strong and engaging. It should include a hook, background information, definitions of terms, and a clear thesis statement. Make a concluding sentence in your introductory paragraph for smooth transitions to the next paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs

You should write at least three body paragraphs to present reasons for your opinions. Consider supporting your ideas with strong evidence. Each body paragraph in persuasive essays includes a topic sentence, evidence, and analysis. It would be best if you connected paragraphs in a persuasive essay so that they make a big picture.

Opposing View Paragraph

Counterarguments play a huge role in persuasive essays allowing the reader to ensure that the author’s view is right. When you write a persuasive essay, identify the opposing position in your work and respond to it. It’d be great to oppose the counter argument paragraph with evidence and examples. Finally, finish this paragraph by proving that your argument is stronger.

The concluding paragraph in persuasive writing connects all arguments. Here a writer can establish the significance of their persuasive essay writing. Do not introduce anything new but include a call to action and give readers food for thought.

Tips on Essay Editing and Proofreading

Once students write persuasive essays, they need to revise and edit their work carefully. At this stage, you should check everything, starting from spelling, grammar, vocabulary, structure, coherence, logic, and arguments.

When editing your essay, find if the paper answers the assignment question. All resources should be appropriately cited and support each argument of your persuasive essay.

There are plenty of free tools for checking errors in persuasive essays. They are good for detecting typos and grammar mistakes. Free programs provide basic editing features. If you want professional editing assistance, you can pay to check your work on logic and coherence.

But there’s nothing better than a human proofreader who understands all nuances of the language well. You can ask your friends, professor, or an expert editor to check your essay.

What are Effective Persuasive Techniques

You know that ethos, pathos, and logos are three crucial elements of effective persuasive essays. But other techniques can help you convince readers of your arguments’ correctness.

• Choose words carefully, using strong language that can impress the audience. Emotive language, literary devices, wordplay, jokes, quotes, and sayings are great tools for connecting with the reader.
• A clear thesis statement is a key to persuading readers. It must be strong enough and compelling to represent your opinion. Please include it in the essay introduction so that the audience sees what you convince them of.
• Another crucial technique when you write persuasive essays is speaking directly to readers. Address them with “you” and build a tight connection throughout your essay. In such a way, your paper will be more like a conversation, especially when you include questions for moving from one paragraph to another.

If you experience difficulties with persuasive writing, contact us and get high-quality writing assistance from our essay writing service .

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Writing A Persuasive Essay

TIP Sheet WRITING A PERSUASIVE ESSAY

A persuasive essay tries to convince the reader to agree with the writer's opinion on a subject. In your persuasive essay you do three things:

• Present your position on a discussable issue .
• Anticipate possible objections and overcome them with logic and evidence to support your claim.
• Convince readers that they have something to gain by adopting your viewpoint.

Choosing a discussable issue A discussable issue is one that can be debated. Choose a topic about which there can be more than one reasonable opinion. It may be possible to write a persuasive essay about the need to feed all the hungry children in the world, but it would not be a particularly interesting essay because no reasonable person would declare that all the hungry children deserve to starve. It might be more interesting to try to persuade readers that half of all American tax dollars should be earmarked to go first to all the hungry children of the world; you will probably uncover at least one or two dissenting viewpoints. Conversely, you might suggest that it is wrong to spend American tax dollars this way, and that the hungry children should be taken care of entirely by rich private donors; again, in this you will find a difference of opinion among reasonable people.

It is sometimes easier to persuade someone when you are passionate about a subject. If possible then, pick a subject about which you feel strongly. Make a list of your opinions and feelings about the subject. Is this an urgent issue? Are the implications far-reaching and serious? Does it impact you personally? Do you feel angry about it? Are you worried? Are you excited that taking a particular action on this issue could do a great deal of good to many people?

On the other hand, it isn't necessary to feel strongly about your topic. Sometimes you even may be asked in an assignment to take a stance opposite your beliefs. If you are asked to argue for a particular position, do some role-playing: imagine yourself as someone who feels strongly in favor of this stance, and make a list of your (imaginary) opinions and feelings. This may be challenging, but it is also rewarding. Learning to be persuasive on a subject you yourself do not support wholeheartedly is a valuable life skill-think of marketing, legal, education, and human resources professions, for example. When you practice looking at an issue from many sides, you may find that you have learned something.

Anticipating and overcoming objections Discussing your topic with others before you start to write may eliminate certain directions your writing could take as well as suggest others. Ask other people how they feel about the issue; test your opinions and reasons on them. Listen closely to their opinions, especially to those with whom you disagree. This will give you a preview of responses you can expect from your audience. Ask people why they feel the way they do. The initiative is yours–you must acknowledge and genuinely understand opposing views and overcome them with the force of your persuasion, for hostile or indifferent readers are not likely to go out of their way to understand you. Take opposing viewpoints seriously and do not oversimplify them. It is not effective or convincing to base your argument on easily refutable points.

Gather facts and evidence that support your position and refute opposing positions. Look online, in newspapers, and in magazines for current articles on the subject. Take careful notes on what you read and use these notes to build a strong argument. Discuss your list of arguments and evidence with someone else to make sure you have covered all the important related points. Draw up a thesis statement–sometimes called a proposition , a statement of what you propose to prove in your writing–and list your reasons underneath it. Beneath each reason, list the facts, figures, examples, or quotations that help support it.

Always state the proposition in positive terms: "Teachers should be prohibited from secretly searching student lockers," rather than, "Teachers should not be allowed to secretly search student lockers." State your thesis as a fact that you intend to prove beyond a doubt, rather than as an opinion: "Teachers should be prohibited..." is much more persuasive than, " I think teachers should be prohibited...." In a persuasive essay, conviction and strong direct word use is everything.

Convincing readers Give your reader–even an unsympathetic reader–the respect due him. Be diplomatic. It is not persuasive to suggest that your opponents are morons who simply do not understand the matter, or that they are vicious sociopaths with a destructive hidden agenda. Rely on logic rather than emotion, using words that will elicit a positive reaction from your audience. Give credit to your opponents; then clearly point out the weakness in their position.

As you write, define any key terms that you feel your audience will not understand, and use examples to illustrate your main points. Statistics can be good attention grabbers, particularly in the introduction, but use them sparingly and round off numbers. Use visual images such as metaphors and analogies to compare one thing to another as much as possible. Use your strongest arguments first and last–people are more likely to remember those points placed at the beginning and end of your paper.

The conclusion, while summarizing (not simply re-stating) your position, should say something beyond those points. Appeal to the needs of your audience. Prove to your readers why this issue is important and show what they can gain by changing their viewpoint. Asking rhetorical questions can also be effective in leaving your audience with something to think about. Write with conviction!

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A persuasive essay is a type of academic writing where the author presents an argument and tries to convince the reader to adopt their point of view or take a specific action. The goal of a persuasive essay is to persuade or sway the reader's opinion through logical reasoning, evidence, and compelling arguments.

The question of how to write a persuasive essay is often asked by high school or college students. But it is not a secret that the skill of creating a solid persuasive argument is vital not only for students. The ability to form your strong opinion is a very useful instrument to have in life. A person who masters the art of persuading people will be able to build a successful career in any field and build effective relationships. Our academic experts decided to assist you in understanding the importance of this type of academic writing by sharing effective tips on writing an effective persuasive essay, providing examples, general structure, and more. So keep reading and find out everything you should know about persuasive paper.

What Is a Persuasive Essay: Definition

"I think the power of persuasion will be the greatest superpower of all time.” Jenny Mollen  

It does not matter whether you know who Jenny Mollen is or not – she was right when saying it. It is time to provide a clear definition of what is a persuasive essay. It is an academic type of paper, which contains an explanation of a specific topic and tries to convince readers of an author’s truth presenting it as the most biased and competitive point of view. It contains a logical & valid perspective on the problem. Professional Tip:

“People often confuse persuasive writing with argumentative one. The main difference is that an author of an argumentative paper should take a certain position regarding chosen topic while an author of another type of paper should also persuade the target audience, his argument is the dogma. In both cases, authors should respect opposing views. No matter what selected topic/research problem is, a student should conduct extensive research outside of class to succeed.” Prof. Jeremy Walsh, college teacher of Religious Studies & online writer at StudyCrumb

Unlike a position paper , the primary purpose of a persuasive essay is to make people take the same point of view regarding a specific topic. Without credible, relevant evidence, author’s points will not sound strong enough to ensure an audience. Keep on reading to understand structure and explore exciting persuasive essay college examples!

Elements of a Persuasive Essay

Before we get to guidelines and structure of an essay , it is important to mention what are the three main elements of a persuasive essay. First of all, these are foundation of every effective argument, invented by philosopher Aristotle. The goal of these traditional modes of persuasion is building logical arguments and making your audience more likely to trust them. Let’s look at them in more detail.

• Ethos It is an element that will help you “sell” your point of view. Through this element, a speaker or writer appeals to ethics. They use words and knowledge for building trustworthiness. They persuade their audience of their credibility, character or intelligence. In this way, the public is more likely to believe arguments made.
• Pathos This element helps you evoke feelings of your readers. Through this element, a speaker or writer appeals to emotions. To make your argument more convincing, you should trigger compassion, joy, sadness, anger, or any other kind of emotion.
• Logos Through this element, a speaker or writer appeals to logic. Logos will help your readers focus on rational and reasonable validity of your argument.

Persuasive Essay Structure

Do you want to understand how to structure a persuasive essay in detail? Then you should read the next information carefully. A successful writing of a persuasive essay requires a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of this type of paper. You should not only understand your topic and provide good arguments but also know how to structure your thoughts properly. We will help you with that. This guide will explain the fundamentals and major elements of this type of work. So follow the approach we presented below and your persuasive text will stand out from the crowd.

If it get's too challenging, submit your persuasive essay details and pay for professional essay writing at StudyCrumb. Our academic gurus will compose a wonderful essay based on your needs while you are spending time on more important things. 

How to Write a Persuasive Essay Introduction Paragraph

Wonder how to start a persuasive essay ? It is an example of an excellent introduction. An answer to question of how to be persuasive in writing starts with a good persuasive intro. An introduction to this type of academic writing has 2 primary purposes:

• Attract reader’s attention from opening lines.
• Present your topic and reveal goals of writing.

Stay subtle if you want to succeed in your persuasive writing. Identify the topic, purposes, main messages, sources, and target audience before developing an outline and start working on the introduction.

Writing a Persuasive Essay Thesis

Conclude an introduction paragraph with the powerful thesis for persuasive essay. It is a sentence or two that stresses the main idea of your whole paper, which is author’s primary argument to persuade the audience. Let’s look at the example:

With a good thesis statement your persuasive essay writing is more likely to impress your audience.

How to Create a Persuasive Essay Body Paragraph

Once you have stated your thesis, the final sentence of your introduction paragraph, do everything possible to defend your idea. Develop 3 strong persuasive arguments that will support your opinion. Every new body paragraph starts with primary idea. It is followed by in-text citations and evidence gathered from primary sources. Before writing each persuasive body paragraph, conduct in-depth research and select the most up-to-date, accurate, and credible facts from sources like books, magazines, newspapers, websites, documentaries, etc. Do not use Wikipedia or similar sources. Teachers do not grade them as anyone can edit those websites. Any website where answers provided to necessary questions are shared by some typical Internet users who are not field experts does not count. In general, structure of body paragraphs looks this way:  

• Main claim/argument.
• In-text citations & other evidence.
• Transition to the following paragraph.

How to Write Persuasive Essay Conclusion Paragraph

Many students underestimate the power of conclusion. An introduction should grab reader’s attention, but a conclusion should leave a positive impression on your reader and make your writing successful. Here we will explain persuasive conclusion paragraph structure. We also advise our users to look at different  essay conclusion examples . Begin with the short overview of the arguments and corresponding evidence. Reword the thesis statement, which closes the opening paragraph to stress the importance of everything written in your persuasive paper. Do not make a conclusion of more than 5 sentences. Avoid inserting new arguments or evidence in the last paragraph. The only new thing the author can add is his forecast for the future/the way the researched problem may be implemented in the real world. To persuade the reader or encourage him in ongoing research, call him sign a petition/join a support group if you write a debatable speech on politics, for example. Quote all the cited sources properly after the conclusion. The list is called Bibliography or References/Works Cited.  

How to Write a Persuasive Essay: 8 Simple Steps

Step 1:  Choose one of the persuasive essay topics that interests you the most. If you have a strong opinion about something, feel free to talk about it in your persuasive essay. This will not only be interesting to you but also make your readers believe in what you say. Browse our topics for a position paper , they can help you with some fresh ideas. Step 2: Research the question from both sides. Obviously, you should know everything about the issue you are for, but not less important to know the side you are against. To make the reader believe you and take your side you should know the arguments you're trying to convince them against. Step 3: Look for some credible sources. Then read the information carefully and make notes in order to use them later in your paper. Step 4: After you have analyzed all sources, create an outline for your essay. A persuasive essay outline will help you put your thoughts in order and organize your arguments. Create logical connections between your evidence and arguments to make the writing process easier. Step 5: Create the attention-grabbing hook for your persuasive essay to intrigue the reader. Include your hook to your strong introduction paragraph. Capture your audience's attention by including the essential background information in your introduction. Step 6: Write your body paragraphs. Try to keep a logical sequence of your arguments by presenting your evidence consecutively, from the weakest reason to the strongest. Step 7: Write a conclusion. Summarize all the main points you talked about in your essay and restate your thesis. Include a call to action. Step 8: Proofread and edit your text. Read it out loud and correct all the grammar mistakes and typos. You can also give your essay to your friend, they can see it from a different angle. Check if the sentence structure is correct. Delete unnecessary words and parts of sentences. Here’s how a template of a persuasive essay on gun control will look. Take a glimpse to get a better idea or simply use StudyCrumb's college essay writing service at once.  

>> Learn more: How to Write a Good Essay

Persuasive Essay Examples: Free Sample to Help on Your Way

To make you understand the topic even better, we have prepared one of the great persuasive essay examples that will give you an overall idea. Feel free to download the available materials or use a sample attached below as a source for inspiration. We hope that this reference will help you organize your thoughts and create an outstanding essay!

Persuasive Essay Format

Another thing you should keep in mind is persuasive paper format. It is important to check formatting once you are done. It includes both in-text citations (direct/indirect) & references. A student must check the way each type of source is cited and references before inserting a new entry in Bibliography . The format for persuasive essay will depend on teacher's guidelines. Review your assignment thoroughly. Pay attention to specifics like a word count, spacing, font and alignment. Anyway, if you don’t know proper formatting, here we provided the general guidelines for essay format:  

Word count:  around 500 words. Fonts: Times New Roman, 12-point. A 16-point font is suitable for the title for your essay, unless you specify otherwise. Arial as well as Georgia fonts are also appropriate in essay writing, too. Spacing: Double-spaced. 1.5 works as well. Alignment: justified.  

Persuasive Writing Tips: Main Points

The points listed below stress an important role of a proper persuasive essay writing.

• Begin with a clear thesis/controlling point. Establish the focus of writing (place it in the last sentence of an introduction).
• Introduce thesis after brief introduction with hook sentence coming first. Make sure you know how to write a hook in an essay .
• Develop body paragraphs based on in-depth research. Provide either narrative/descriptive or argumentative points.
• Do not forget to add persuasive transition words & phrases. Relate points and make the entire flow of your text smooth.
• Insert counterarguments and present and reject opposing opinions.
• A conclusion should enhance central idea. Do not make it repetitive!

Writing a Persuasive Essay: Bottom Line

We've created our concise guide that will help you with your persuasive essay writing. Hope with our tips, examples and a general structure you will know how to write a compelling persuasive essay and improve your skills of convincing your audience in written form. Buy a persuasive essay if you just need the result without any hassle. 

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How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Frequently Asked Questions

1. how long should a persuasive essay be.

Persuasive essays have no paragraph limits. However, a general word count will depend on whether you are middle school, high school or college student. Anyway, try not to exceed 500 word limit. Keep it shorter but emphasize your most relevant information.

2. How are a persuasive essay and an expository essay different?

The difference between persuasive and expository essays is in their purpose. Goal of expository writing is informing your reader or explaining something. It should shed light on some topic so readers understand what it is about. On the other hand, persuasive writing aims to persuade and convince others.

3. Which three strategies are elements of a persuasive essay?

A formal persuasive essay includes three strategies: issue, side, and argument.

• Issue is what your essay is about. Include an issue in your title.
• Side (Thesis) means which side of an issue (“for” or “against”) you believe in your essay.
• Argument is where you are proving your side and convince readers using your arguments and evidence.

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

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Writing a Persuasion Essay Using Evidence

LESSON A persuasion essay A writing that takes a position for or against something and tries to convince the reader to accept the same view. Also called an argument essay. , which is sometimes referred to as an argument essay A writing that takes a position for or against something and tries to convince the reader to accept the same view. Also called a persuasion essay. , is one of the most common writing assignments in college classes and is the type of writing most used in the working world. Writing effective persuasion essays is essential to your success in college, as well as in many aspects of your career since a resume A brief written history of a person's education, work, and volunteer experience, submitted for the purpose of obtaining a job. and cover letter A letter that is sent along with a resume that provides context and more information for the reader. are types of persuasion essays convincing someone to hire you. In this lesson, you will learn the twelve-step process for writing a persuasion essay.

Step 1: Understand the assignment.

The first step in developing any essay A short piece of writing that focuses on at least one main idea. Some essays are also focused on the author's unique point of view, making them personal or autobiographical, while others are focused on a particular literary, scientific, or political subject. is making sure you understand the focus and scope The extent or aims of a project. of your assignment. Remember that a persuasion essay should incorporate research The use of outside sources as well as investigations and observations in order to form ideas and support claims. Also, the information obtained from such efforts. to support your personal opinion Point of view that shows a personal belief or bias and cannot be proven to be completely true. on an issue. While the research is essential to provide evidentiary support Evidence that supports the claims or viewpoints expressed in an essay and helps convince readers that an argument has merit. Evidentiary support may take the form of facts and statistics, expert opinions, or anecdotal evidence. for your claim A statement that something is true, such as the thesis of an essay. A successful writer must present evidence to prove his/her claim. , the essay is not a summary A brief restatement of an author’s main idea and major supporting details. Summaries are factual and should be written in the third-person with an objective point of view. of others' work. Additionally, be sure to read your assignment carefully before you begin and refer to it often throughout your writing process to make sure you stay on track.

Step 2: Write your thesis.

While it may be acceptable to start some essays without knowing what your thesis An overall argument, idea, or belief that a writer uses as the basis for a work. will be, this is not a recommended strategy with a persuasion essay. Not only does the thesis statement A brief statement that identifies a writer's thoughts, opinions, or conclusions about a topic. Thesis statements bring unity to a piece of writing, giving it a focus and a purpose. You can use three questions to help form a thesis statement: What is my topic? What am I trying to say about that topic? Why is this important to me or my reader? help you to identify where to begin your research, it narrows your topic The subject of a reading. so that you do not waste time and energy researching things that you will ultimately not use.

The thesis statement of a persuasion essay requires you to strongly convey a debatable position, which is why it is often referred to as an argument. It should be the type of statement that you know others will disagree with, not because the statement is wildly unconventional, but because it takes a position on a topic that is surprising or unusual to the reader.

Step 3: Research your topic.

Once you have developed your thesis statement, you are ready to begin researching your topic. You need to gather evidence to both provide the context The larger setting in which something happens; the "big picture." for your argument and to support the claims that you make in your argument. Whether you conduct your research using hard copies of newspapers, journals, magazines, books, or online sources such as blogs A website that hosts a series of articles, photos, and other postings, sometimes by a single writer (blogger) or by a community of contributors. and databases, it is essential that the sources be credible Describes a person who is trusted and able to be believed; reliable. . Evidentiary support may take the form of facts A piece of information that can be proven. Something that is true and indisputable. and statistics A numerical value that provides information about something. , expert Someone who is very knowledgeable about a topic. opinions Point of view that shows a personal belief or bias and cannot be proven to be completely true. , or anecdotal evidence A brief, interesting story that supports a claim in a critical analysis or persuasion essay. .

Step 4: Prewrite.

After gathering enough evidentiary support to begin shaping your main ideas and analysis To analyze is to make a thoughtful and detailed study of something. An analysis is the end result of analyzing. , some prewriting exercises may be useful in further refining how you wish to go about persuasively arguing your claim. For example, a graphic organizer Pictorial tools used to brainstorm and arrange ideas before writing, such as webbing diagrams, flow charts, story maps, and Venn diagrams. or diagram may help you to group your thoughts and evidentiary support into appropriate subsections. A brainstorming A prewriting technique where the author lists multiple ideas as he or she thinks of them, not considering one more than another until all ideas are captured. The objective is to create one great idea, or many ideas, on which to base a writing. list is another prewriting tool you may use to organize the content The text in a writing that includes facts, thoughts, and ideas. The information that forms the body of the work. of your essay. Simply begin by writing your thesis statement at the top of a piece of paper. Then spend some time freethinking A technique used in prewriting in which any and all ideas that come to mind are written down for later review. ideas that branch off from that thesis statement. Outlining A preliminary plan for a piece of a writing, often in the form of a list. It should include a topic, audience, purpose, thesis statement, and main and supporting points. is another good prewriting tactic. At this point, you may find you need to return to the research stage to find evidence to support new or more nuanced Subtle differences in meaning and style of expression. arguments, or you may be prepared to begin writing your essay.

Step 5: Write the body of your essay.

Begin writing your essay with a rough draft The first version of a writing that will undergo rewriting, additions, and editing before it becomes the final draft. of the body of your essay, which is made up of well-developed body paragraphs The part of an essay that comes after the introduction and before the conclusion. Body paragraphs lay out the main ideas of an argument and provide the support for the thesis. All body paragraphs should include these elements: a topic sentence, major and minor details, and a concluding statement. Each body paragraph should stand on its own but also fit into the context of the entire essay, as well as support the thesis and work with the other supporting paragraphs. for each of your supporting claims. These should include evidence from legitimate sources and explanation as to how the evidence supports the claim. Counterarguments Ideas, data, or discussion in opposition to a viewpoint. , which are opposing viewpoints that argue against your thesis, should also be addressed in at least one paragraph. You can address them in three ways: as they come up in your claims, prior to delving into your own arguments in a one-paragraph overview of those opposing viewpoints, or after you present your claims, in a summary paragraph.

Step 6: Identify gaps in your argument.

Once you've completed the first draft of your essay, outlining your rough draft can be a useful way to expand your ideas, remove unneeded and/or confusing material (in other words, that which does little to add to your essay and may actually detract from its persuasive power), and identify gaps in your argument. Additionally, consider the flow of your essay. You may need to add or revise transitions Tying two events, passages, or pieces of information together in a smooth way. In writing, transitions are sometimes called links. and/or links To connect ideas together within a paragraph or to create a transition from one paragraph to the next, as well as back to the thesis. between paragraphs in order to make your essay one continuous and cohesive piece.

Step 7: Do more research.

At this point, you may need to do more research to fill in the gaps you discovered in the prior step. Fill in these holes and answer any questions that your outline reveals. If you are unable to see any gaps in your reasoning, it may help to ask a friend or colleague to review your draft. If you have adequate and relevant evidence that you tied into the claim you make, the reader will likely not have very many questions. However, if the reader is confused about any of your points, you may not have adequately defended your position. Have your reader note any arguments that you cannot defend or any points that you make that are not currently in your essay. Focus on these questions as you further research and write the final draft of your essay.

Step 8: Write a conclusion.

It may seem strange to write your conclusion The end portion of a writing that contains a summary or synthesis of the idea in the work. This includes a recap of key points and reminders of the author's purpose and thesis statement. before your introduction, but sometimes doing this can help you focus your ideas. It is somewhat like giving directions. You need to know where you want your reader to end up before you can lead him or her there. Remember that a strong conclusion summarizes and synthesizes To combine ideas, as in the writing at the end of an essay that ties all the discussion and evidence together into a unified concept. the most important details of your persuasion essay. It reminds the reader of your thesis—without simply restating it with a few minor changes—and reinforces your main points The most important idea in a paragraph. Main points support the main idea of a reading. . In the case of a persuasion essay, it is also the last opportunity to convince the reader of your position on the issue.

Step 9: Write an introduction.

Now that you know where you want your reader to end up, go back to the introduction The first paragraph of an essay. It must engage the reader, set the tone, provide background information, and present the thesis. and prepare the way. An effective introduction contains four elements:

• Hook In writing, a device used to grab a readers' attention, often in the form of interesting, surprising, or provocative information.
• Tone The feeling or attitude that a writer expresses toward a topic. The words the writer chooses express this tone. Examples of tones can include: objective, biased, humorous, optimistic, and cynical, among many others.
• Background Information that describes the history or circumstances of a topic.

A good introductory paragraph to a persuasion essay hooks the reader with a compelling idea, sets the tone for the remainder of the essay, provides any necessary background or context for the reader, and presents your debatable thesis statement.

Step 10: Cite your sources.

While a persuasion essay is going to rely heavily upon your own interpretation of other sources, it is still critical to cite To give credit to the source of ideas or information. your sources A person, book, article, or other thing that supplies information. by incorporating attributive phrases A short introduction to source material that identifies the author and often the title of a work that will be quoted or discussed in an essay or research paper. and in-text citations Information about a source, such as the author, date, and page number, in an essay or research paper that helps readers find the source in the works cited or references page. There are different rules for how to use in-text citations depending on the context of the citation and the style of formatting you are using. .

Attributive phrases are useful when you are summarizing, paraphrasing The use of different words to express the meaning of an original text or speech. , or quoting To use the exact words of someone else in a writing. Quotes are indicted in a writing using quotation marks and attributive phrases. a source. Not only do they indicate to your reader that you are incorporating a source, they provide the context for that source.

In-text citations are used in addition to attributive phrases when you incorporate a source into your essay. In-text citations give the readers the necessary information to be able to find the original sources listed in the works cited page An alphabetized list of publication information about the sources used in an MLA-formatted essay or research paper. or reference list An alphabetized list of publication information about the sources used in an APA-formatted essay or research paper. .

An MLA A grammar and reference guide used mainly by students and scholars writing about the humanities (languages and literature). in-text citation should include the author's last name and the page number (if a specific numbered page is referenced). If the author's name is mentioned in the attributive phrase, only the page number should be included in parentheses. An APA A set of guidelines for citing sources used in literary and academic writing. APA style is most commonly used in the social sciences. in-text citation should include the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number (if a specific numbered page is referenced). If the author's name is mentioned in the attributive phrase, the year of publication in parentheses should follow it. Depending on the location of the attributive phase, the page number should either be included after the year, or be placed within its own parentheses at the end of the sentence.

Step 11: Create a works cited page or reference list.

The in-text citations do not include all the information to find the original source, so writers include a list at the end of the paper with all the information needed to locate a source. MLA refers to this list as a works cited page while APA refers to it as a reference list. Both types of citations pages come at the end of the work and include information needed to locate a source, including article A non-fiction, often informative writing that forms a part of a publication, such as a magazine or newspaper. title, journal/book title, year published, authors, and publisher. These details vary by the type of source used, and since there are many types of sources, you should refer to a style guide to confirm the correct citation model to use. All sources on a works cited page or reference list should be listed in alphabetical order by author's last name.

Step 12: Revise The process of making changes to a work by editing and proofreading it to improve, correct, and increase clarity. your essay.

When you have a suitable draft of your essay, ask yourself these questions:

• Have I followed the assignment?
• Is this a persuasion essay? Is my thesis statement debatable? Is my claim narrow enough?
• Do my body paragraphs provide counterarguments and ideas to support my thesis?
• Have I asked someone to read my essay to assess the strength of my evidentiary support? Does a read-through of my essay leave others with unanswered questions?
• Is all of my evidentiary support relevant?
• Do I need more or less evidentiary support? Would it be helpful to highlight the main ideas, evidentiary support, and analysis sentences in each paragraph to further identify gaps or needed revisions?
• Do I provide adequate analysis of the materials?
• Do I need to move or remove any of my analysis?
• Have I included the transitions necessary to guide the reader from introduction to body paragraphs to conclusion paragraph?
• Does my conclusion synthesize the critical details?
• Does my introduction hook the reader, provide adequate background/introduction to my topic and clearly articulate my thesis statement?

Review and revise your entire essay with these questions in mind. Remember, you may need to add information, remove information, or reorganize your writing. Being a careful reviewer of your own work is essential to a quality essay. When you have completed this step, be sure to go back one more time to verify that your grammar A set of rules about how words are used in a particular language. , spelling, and punctuation Marks such as such as a comma (,), period (.), question mark (?), and exclamation mark (!), among others, that help break a writing into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Different types of punctuation marks give the reader different impressions of the writer’s purpose in that sentence. are correct.

A persuasion essay is a written argument in which you state a claim regarding a certain issue. You may find that you need to argue your case in school as well as in your personal and/or professional life. Your professors may ask you to prepare not only written persuasion pieces but also oral Spoken aloud, as in oral arguments made in a court of law. arguments. It is a skill that will serve you well when you want to persuade To convince someone of a claim or idea. your professor you are the strongest candidate for that assistant position in the new biology laboratory, or when you want to win the new marketing account at the office. The ability to assert and back up your position with evidentiary support is also useful in personal relationships, in a sales situation, or in any circumstance in which you feel strongly and passionately about an issue.

Read the following example that demonstrates how to write a multi-page persuasion essay following the twelve-step writing process above. The essay follows MLA citation rules. A final version of the same essay in APA style follows.

The assignment is to write a persuasion essay. The first step is to choose a controversial topic about which I have a strong opinion.

I choose to write about the practice of cities banning pit bulls because some people believe they are too dangerous to be around people.

Thesis statement: Municipalities should not pass laws banning pit bulls because breed-specific legislation generally causes more harm than good to both people and dogs.

• Search the Internet for discussion on legislation banning pit bulls. Find both pro and con sites.
• Learn more about the history and characteristics of pit bulls. What do people like and fear about them?
• Look up dog attack statistics. How dangerous are pit bulls and how do they compare to other dogs?
• Document the results of pit bull bans that have already been passed. How do owners respond? Are they enforceable? Effective? Do dog bites decrease?

There are many different prewriting methods. Creating an outline is a good way to organize ideas.

• Hook: Thousands of years ago, man and dog came out of the wilderness together. Now, some cities want to cast one of our best friends back into the darkness because dogs bite, and sometimes they kill.
• Tone: Purposeful and fair, but with conviction.
• Background: In the last few decades, most of the outrage over dog bites has been directed at pit bulls. In an effort to reduce human fatalities due to dog bites, many cities have enacted laws banning pit bulls.
• Thesis: Municipalities should not pass laws banning pit bulls because breed-specific legislation generally causes more harm than good to both people and dogs.
• Opposing viewpoint 1: Pit bulls are inherently aggressive, unpredictable, and dangerous because they are bred to fight.
• Opposing viewpoint 2: Statistics show that pit bulls attack and kill more people than any other dogs.
• Opposing viewpoint 3: Pit bulls are used in illegal, unwanted activities such as dog fighting and drug dealing.
• Opposing viewpoint 4: People are justifiably frightened of pit bulls, and the public should not be afraid to walk the sidewalks or parks.
• Transition to support for thesis: Most of these arguments can be shown to be wrong or irrelevant. The public does deserve to walk outside without fear of dog attacks, but banning pit bulls will not make that happen.
• Evidence: There is no such breed as a "pit bull."
• Analysis: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says a dozen or more different breeds are often lumped under the label, even though each has its own disposition and characteristics.
• Evidence: Historically, the kinds of dogs now called pit bulls were praised as smart, brave, reliable family pets.
• Analysis: Although pit bulls have a reputation for viciousness today, not long ago they were praised as loyal and brave. They were popular in advertising, as mascots, as family pets, and on TV. Despite their current unsavory reputation, the animals are regularly used as seeing eye, therapy, search and rescue, military, and police dogs. Clearly these animals are not all wild killers.
• Evidence: Aggressiveness is more a matter of socialization and training than genetics.
• Evidence: The statistics on attacks by "pit bull type" dogs are flawed and unreliable.
• Analysis: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) records show pit bulls are responsible for more than thirty percent of fatal attacks on humans. But the same study says these statistics are unreliable because people tend to call any large dog with a big head and short coat a pit bull, especially given their reputation.
• Link: Because there isn't a true pit bull breed, the statistics that ban advocates use cannot be trusted.
• Evidence: Enforcement is very difficult.
• Analysis: Since there really is no "pit bull" breed, there's no way to consistently enforce a ban.
• Evidence: If pit bulls are banned, people who want aggressive or scary looking dogs will just switch to another large breed. Banning a breed can also make them even more popular among criminals.
• Evidence: Bans drive pit bull owners underground. Dogs remain in the community, but are much less likely to be vaccinated, trained, licensed, or receive proper veterinary care.
• Analysis: Dogs that are socialized, trained, and well-cared for are much more likely to behave appropriately.
• Analysis: Veterinarians can help owners identify potentially dangerous traits and direct them to proper training. Vaccinated dogs that do bite will at least not spread disease. Licensed dogs are easier for animal control to identify and keep track of.
• Analysis: Past attempts at breed-specific legislation show that problems and fears do simply shift to another breed. For example, from German Shepherds in the seventies to Dobermans in the eighties to Pit Bulls now.
• Evidence: All types of dogs can and do bite. Eliminating pit bulls will not prevent dog attacks.
• Analysis: CDC statistics do show that all dog breeds have been known to bite, and that severe and fatal attacks on humans have been caused by many non-pit bull type dogs.
• Link: A number of states have found pit bull bans so problematic that they now forbid breed-specific laws (Campbell).
• Evidence: It's a waste of time and limited resources to find and remove dogs that are not causing problems.
• Evidence: By paying more attention to complaints about uncontrolled or aggressive dogs and sanctioning owners who do not correct problems, bad behavior may be corrected before it escalates. Many attacks could be prevented simply by vigorous enforcement of leash laws.
• Analysis: Every community is different in terms of the kinds of dogs present and the types of human/dog interactions. Approaches to reduce biting that work in urban areas may not be useful in rural settings.
• Analysis: Many dog bites are caused by unleashed or free-roaming dogs. Stricter enforcement of leash laws would make a huge difference.
• Analysis: Animal control departments are generally underfunded and understaffed. Complaints about aggressive or loose dogs are hard to follow up on. Better funding would make it easier for cities to investigate and correct problem dogs and their owners.
• Link: Dog bites are a serious public health problem, one that won't be solved by knee-jerk, one-size-fits-all legislation.
• Synthesis: Banning pit bulls is an idea that goes against research, experience, and common sense.
• Final impression: The most effective way to reduce bites is not to condemn an entire breed but to use community-based approaches that concentrate on correcting or containing bad behavior in individual dogs and irresponsible owners.

Many people say it makes sense to ban pit bulls from cities because they are simply too dangerous to be around. They point to statistics showing that these animals attack and kill more humans than any other dog breed. Citizens have a right to walk down the street or visit a park without fear, but that isn't possible when pit bulls are around. Pit bulls are bred to attack and to fight to the death, and this has made the breed unpredictable and aggressive. Proponents of bans also claim that besides injuring and killing people and pets, pit bulls are tied to other illegal activities. They are the most common breed used in dog fighting, and they seem to be the guard dog of choice for drug dealers and other criminals. Banning pit bulls could go a long way in discouraging those kinds of unsavory behaviors, according to the pro-ban crowd. These arguments may sound persuasive, but a closer look shows that they range from irrelevant to downright wrong.

A closer look at pit bulls and the hype surrounding them shows that they are not more dangerous than other dogs. For one thing, it turns out that there is no such breed as a pit bull. The ASPCA says a dozen or more different breeds are often lumped under the label, and each has its own disposition and characteristics. This fact negates the claims that pit bulls are both genetically and actually more aggressive than other canines. Although pit bull type dogs have a reputation for viciousness today, for most of the 1900s they were praised as loyal and brave, popular in advertising, as mascots, as family pets, and on TV. Animal behaviorists and veterinarians also point out that aggressiveness in dogs is related far more to socialization and training than to breeding. Dogs aren't born bad; they're made that way by irresponsible owners.

Because there isn't a true pit bull breed, the statistics that ban advocates use cannot be trusted. While government records do list pit bulls as the biggest single cause of fatal dog attacks, the same study calls its own figures unreliable because people tend to call any large dog with a big head and short coat a pit bull.

Another major flaw with pit bull bans is that they will not reduce dog attacks or increase public safety. Because there's really no such thing as a pit bull, there's no easy or consistent way to enforce such a ban. However, fear for their dogs would drive pit bull owners underground, meaning the dogs would remain in the community, but be less likely to be vaccinated, trained, licensed, or receive proper veterinary care. This is bad all around, because dogs that are socialized, trained, and well-cared for are much more likely to behave appropriately. In addition, if pit bulls are banned, people who want aggressive or scary looking dogs will just switch to another large breed. Banning a breed might even make them more popular among criminals. The same statistics referenced above show that all dog breeds have been known to bite, and that severe and fatal attacks on humans have been caused by many non-pit bull type dogs.

I suggest that the best way to reduce injuries and deaths is to focus on removing individual problem dogs rather than banning entire breeds. Many attacks could be prevented simply by vigorous enforcement of leash laws. Every community is different in terms of the kinds of dogs that are present and the ways in which humans and dogs interact. Approaches to reduce biting that work in urban areas may not be useful in rural settings. Dog bites are a serious public health problem, one that won't be solved by knee-jerk, one-size fits all legislation.

• Counterarguments
• Include statistics and/or citation on pit bull attacks.
• Add a better transition from counterargument to arguments.
• Pit bulls are not more dangerous than other dogs.
• Provide examples of good behavior in pit bulls to contrast with bad reputation.
• Pit bull bans will not reduce dog attacks or increase public safety.
• Any data on the results of breed-specific bans? How have they worked in the past?
• It is more effective to focus on removing individual problem dogs than banning entire breeds.
• Include more alternative ways to reduce dog attacks.
• Find out if other types of dogs have been banned in the past. What was the result over the long term?
• Check anti-ban debates for specifics on other ways to reduce attacks.
• Check for more recent statistics on pit bulls and other dogs.

Banning pit bulls is an idea that goes against research, experience, and common sense. Dog attacks are tragic, and every reasonable step should be taken to make them even rarer than they already are. But taking beloved pets and useful service dogs away from those who treasure them is not the answer. Those who know the most about the situation – health officials who study dog bites and fatalities, and professional organizations of animal trainers and caregivers – agree that pit bull type dogs have been falsely accused. The statistics that claim to show their aggressiveness are flawed and have been exaggerated by media hype. Dogs, like people, should be considered innocent until proven guilty. The most effective way to reduce bites is not to condemn an entire breed but to use community-based approaches that concentrate on correcting or containing bad behavior in individual dogs and irresponsible owners.

Thousands of years ago, man and dog came out of the wilderness together. Now, some cities want to cast one of our best friends back into the darkness because dogs bite, and sometimes they kill. Although deaths are rare, they are horrifying and tend to raise a public outcry. In the last few decades, most of the outrage has been directed at pit bulls. In an effort to reduce human fatalities due to dog bites, many cities have enacted laws banning pit bulls. Unfortunately, these efforts to protect the public from danger have not and will not work. Municipalities should not pass laws banning pit bulls because breed-specific legislation generally causes more harm than good to both people and dogs.

• Paragraph 2, paraphrase: statistics on pit bull attacks from Sacks, Sinclair, and Gilchrist, pages 836-837
• Paragraph 3, paraphrase: ASPCA pit bull breed information from ASPCA.org, no page
• Paragraph 3, paraphrase: aggressiveness linked to socialization and breeding from Sacks, Sinclair, and Gilchrist, page 839
• Paragraph 4, paraphrase: study information from Sacks, Sinclair, and Gilchrist, page 838
• Paragraph 5, direct quote: Sacks et al. caution that "any dog of any breed has the potential to bite" from Sacks, Sinclair, and Gilchrist, page 838
• Paragraph 6, paraphrase: Community-based approach to dog attacks from American Veterinary Medical Association, page 1733

Step 11: Create a works cited or references page.

Works Cited

Step 12: Revise your essay.

Note: The following essay has been properly cited, but it is not formatted according to all MLA guidelines for final essays .

MLA citation style

Ban the Biters, Not the Pit Bulls

            Thousands of years ago, man and dog came out of the wilderness together. Now some cities want to cast one of our best friends back into the darkness because dogs bite, and sometimes they kill. Although deaths are rare, they are horrifying and tend to raise a public outcry. In the last few decades, most of the outrage has been directed at pit bulls. In an effort to reduce human fatalities due to dog bites, many cities have enacted laws banning pit bulls. Unfortunately, these efforts to protect the public from danger have not and will not work. Municipalities should not pass laws banning pit bulls because breed-specific legislation generally causes more harm than good to both people and dogs.

            Many people say it makes sense to ban pit bulls from cities because they are simply too dangerous to be around. They point to statistics showing that these animals attack and kill more humans than any other dog breed (Sacks et al. 836-37). They say that citizens have a right to walk down the street or visit a park without fear, but that isn't possible when pit bulls are around. Some people think that pit bulls have been bred to attack and to fight to the death, and this has made the breed unpredictable and aggressive. Proponents of bans also claim that besides injuring and killing people and pets, pit bulls are tied to other illegal activities. They are supposedly the most common breed used in dog fighting, and the guard dog of choice for drug dealers and other criminals. Banning pit bulls could go a long way in discouraging those kinds of unsavory behaviors, according to the pro-ban crowd. These arguments may sound persuasive, but careful examination shows that they range from irrelevant to downright wrong. The public does indeed deserve to walk outside without fear of a dog attack, but banning pit bulls will not make that happen.

            A closer look at pit bulls and the hype surrounding them shows that they are not more dangerous than other dogs. For one thing, there is no such breed as a pit bull. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says a dozen or more different breeds are often lumped under the label, and each has its own disposition and characteristics. This fact negates the claims that pit bulls are both genetically and actually more aggressive than other canines. Although pit bull type dogs have a reputation for viciousness today, for most of the nineteen hundreds they were praised as loyal and brave, popular in advertising, as mascots, as family pets, and on television (ASPCA). Even with their current bad reputation, the animals are regularly used as seeing eye, therapy, and search and rescue dogs. Clearly, they are not all uncontrollable killers. Animal behaviorists and veterinarians also point out that aggressiveness in dogs is related far more to socialization and training than to breeding (Sacks et al. 839). Dogs aren't born bad, they're made that way by irresponsible owners.

            Because there isn't a true pit bull breed, the statistics that ban advocates use cannot be trusted. While the study by Sacks and others does list pit bulls as the biggest single cause of fatal dog attacks, the study calls its own figures unreliable because people tend to call any large dog with a big head and short coat a pit bull (838).

            Another major flaw with pit bull bans is that they will not reduce dog attacks or increase public safety. Because there's really no such thing as a pit bull, there's no easy or consistent way to enforce such a ban. However, fear for their dogs would drive pit bull owners underground, meaning the dogs would remain in the community, but be less likely to be vaccinated, trained, licensed, or receive proper veterinary care (Sacks et al. 840). This would be a very negative consequence, because according to the ASPCA, dogs that are socialized, trained, and well-cared for are much more likely to behave appropriately. In addition, the study by Sacks and others cautions that "any dog of any breed has the potential to bite" and that severe and fatal attacks on humans have been caused by many non-pit bull type dogs (838). Basically, if pit bulls are banned, people who want aggressive or scary-looking dogs will likely switch to another large breed. Banning a breed might even make them more popular among criminals. This is why a number of states have found pit bull bans so problematic that they now forbid breed-specific laws (Campbell 38). Attempts at breed-specific legislation show that problems and fears simply shift to another breed. For example, over the past several decades the public's image of dangerous dogs has changed from German Shepherds to Dobermans to pit bulls.

            The best way to reduce injuries and deaths from dog bites is to focus on removing individual problem dogs rather than banning entire breeds. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends a community-based approach to the issue (1733). It says that many attacks could be prevented simply by vigorous enforcement of leash laws. It is a waste of time and resources to find and remove dogs that are not causing problems, especially since animal control departments are generally underfunded and understaffed (American Veterinary Medical Association 1736). By paying more attention to complaints about specific uncontrolled or aggressive dogs and sanctioning owners who do not correct problems, bad behavior may be corrected before it escalates. Additionally, every community is different in terms of the kinds of dogs that are present and the ways in which humans and dogs interact. Approaches to reduce biting that work in urban areas may not be useful in rural settings. Dog bites are a serious public health problem, one that won't be solved by knee-jerk, one-size-fits-all legislation.

            Banning pit bulls is an idea that goes against research, experience, and common sense. Dog attacks are tragic, and every reasonable step should be taken to make them even rarer than they already are. But taking beloved pets and useful service dogs away from those who treasure them is not the answer. Those who know the most about the situation – health officials who study dog bites and fatalities, and professional organizations of animal trainers and caregivers – agree that pit bull type dogs have been falsely accused. The statistics that claim to show their aggressiveness are flawed and have been exaggerated by media hype. Dogs, like people, should be considered innocent until proven guilty. The most effective way to reduce bites is not to condemn an entire breed but to use community-based approaches that concentrate on correcting or containing bad behavior in individual dogs and irresponsible owners.

Note: The following essay has been properly cited, but it is not formatted according to all APA guidelines for final essays .

APA citation style

            Many people say it makes sense to ban pit bulls from cities because they are simply too dangerous to be around. They point to statistics showing that these animals attack and kill more humans than any other dog breed (Sacks et al, 2000, pp. 836-837). They say that citizens have a right to walk down the street or visit a park without fear, but that isn't possible when pit bulls are around. Some people think that pit bulls have been bred to attack and to fight to the death, and this has made the breed unpredictable and aggressive. Proponents of bans also claim that besides injuring and killing people and pets, pit bulls are tied to other illegal activities. They are supposedly the most common breed used in dog fighting, and the guard dog of choice for drug dealers and other criminals. Banning pit bulls could go a long way in discouraging those kinds of unsavory behaviors, according to the pro-ban crowd. These arguments may sound persuasive, but careful examination shows that they range from irrelevant to downright wrong. The public does indeed deserve to walk outside without fear of a dog attack, but banning pit bulls will not make that happen.

            A closer look at pit bulls and the hype surrounding them shows that they are not more dangerous than other dogs. For one thing, there is no such breed as a pit bull. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, 2014) says a dozen or more different breeds are often lumped under the label, and each has its own disposition and characteristics. This fact negates the claims that pit bulls are both genetically and actually more aggressive than other canines. Although pit bull type dogs have a reputation for viciousness today, for most of the nineteen hundreds they were praised as loyal and brave, popular in advertising, as mascots, as family pets, and on television (ASPCA, 2014). Even with their current bad reputation, the animals are regularly used as seeing eye, therapy, and search and rescue dogs. Clearly, they are not all uncontrollable killers. Animal behaviorists and veterinarians also point out that aggressiveness in dogs is related far more to socialization and training than to breeding (Sacks et al., 2000, p. 839). Dogs aren't born bad, they're made that way by irresponsible owners.

            Because there isn't a true pit bull breed, the statistics that ban advocates use cannot be trusted. While the study by Sacks et al. (2000) does list pit bulls as the biggest single cause of fatal dog attacks, the study calls its own figures unreliable because people tend to call any large dog with a big head and short coat a pit bull (p. 838).

            Another major flaw with pit bull bans is that they will not reduce dog attacks or increase public safety. Because there's really no such thing as a pit bull, there's no easy or consistent way to enforce such a ban. However, fear for their dogs would drive pit bull owners underground, meaning the dogs would remain in the community, but be less likely to be vaccinated, trained, licensed, or receive proper veterinary care (Sacks et al., 2000, p. 840). This would be a very negative consequence, because according to the ASPCA, dogs that are socialized, trained, and well-cared for are much more likely to behave appropriately. In addition, the study by Sacks et al. (2000) cautions that "any dog of any breed has the potential to bite," and that severe and fatal attacks on humans have been caused by many non-pit bull type dogs (p. 838). Basically, if pit bulls are banned, people who want aggressive or scary-looking dogs will likely switch to another large breed. Banning a breed might even make them more popular among criminals. This is why a number of states have found pit bull bans so problematic that they now forbid breed-specific laws (Campbell, 2009). Attempts at breed-specific legislation show that problems and fears simply shift to another breed. For example, over the past several decades the public's image of dangerous dogs has changed from German Shepherds to Dobermans to pit bulls.

            The best way to reduce injuries and deaths from dog bites is to focus on removing individual problem dogs rather than banning entire breeds. The American Veterinary Medical Association (2001) recommends a community-based approach to the issue (p. 1733). It says that many attacks could be prevented simply by vigorous enforcement of leash laws. It is a waste of time and resources to find and remove dogs that are not causing problems, especially since animal control departments are generally underfunded and understaffed (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2001, p. 1736). By paying more attention to complaints about specific uncontrolled or aggressive dogs and sanctioning owners who do not correct problems, bad behavior may be corrected before it escalates. Additionally, every community is different in terms of the kinds of dogs that are present and the ways in which humans and dogs interact. Approaches to reduce biting that work in urban areas may not be useful in rural settings. Dog bites are a serious public health problem, one that won't be solved by knee-jerk, one-size-fits-all legislation.

Now it's your turn to write a multi-page (600 - 900 words) persuasion essay following the twelve-step writing process. For your topic, take a position on a debatable subject.

Topic ideas:

• Whether cigarette smoking should be allowed or banned in all outdoor public spaces.
• Whether or not motorcyclists should be required to wear helmets.
• Whether or not public transportation (such as city buses) should be funded by taxes and free to all people.

Be sure to incorporate research to support your personal opinion. You may use either MLA or APA format for your citations, depending on your instructor's preference. (The sample student work follows MLA style; an alternate version of the final paper using APA style is also provided.)

Sample Answer

The assignment is to write a multi-page persuasion essay on a debatable topic. The first step is to choose my topic and position: my choice is to argue that cigarette smoking should be banned in outdoor public areas.

Thesis statement: Cigarette smoking should be banned in all outdoor public spaces.

• Search the internet for discussion on banning outdoor smoking. Find both pro and con sites.
• Look up statistics on health and financial costs of smoking.
• Check for studies on the potency of secondhand smoke outside.
• Find out how cigarette litter affects the environment.

I choose to outline my essay to help organize my ideas.

• Hook: Story of cigarette smoke being clouds that are all around.
• Background: Take a deep breath, and it's not flowers you smell. Run barefoot through the park, but it isn't just grass you're stepping on. It's cigarettes, and butts, and it's time to put a stop to it.
• Thesis: Cigarette smoking should be banned in all outdoor public spaces.
• Opposing viewpoint 1: People have the right to do what they want, even if it's dangerous.
• Opposing viewpoint 2: Outdoor smoking doesn't harm anyone but the smoker. It may be annoying to some, but other annoying activities are still legal in public.
• Opposing viewpoint 3: Banning smoking outside starts us down a slippery slope of government interference in what we do with our bodies. What's next, laws against eating hot dogs and ice cream cones, or requiring everyone to wear sunscreen?
• Opposing viewpoint 4: Lots of activities create litter, but no one is calling for a ban on picnics or gum chewing.
• Transition to support for thesis: The U.S. has many laws regulating public behavior, and a ban on cigarettes would just be one more.
• Transition to support for thesis: Smoking does cause health problems for non-smokers, as well as damage to natural resources.
• Evidence: Every day, 1,300 Americans die from smoking-related diseases. Every year, the country spends 133 billion dollars on medical care for smokers, and these costs are passed along to everyone who pays taxes or insurance premiums. (U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services)
• Analysis: Smoking causes a host of deadly and fatal diseases, while having no redeeming value.
• Analysis: Smoking drives up medical costs for everyone, even non-smokers, and is a burden on taxpayers.
• Evidence: Studies reported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) show that nearly seventy percent of smokers want to quit. Public smoking bans make smoking less social and more of a hassle, which may help discourage the practice.
• Analysis: Despite all the well-publicized health risks, large numbers of people keep smoking, while others start smoking.
• Analysis: There is no natural or legal right to engage in activities that cause harm to other people or to public resources.
• Link: It's true that we need to protect our rights with fierceness, but there is no natural or legal right to engage in activities that cause harm to other people or to public resources. And smoking is harmful.
• Evidence: Studies have shown that smoking outside produces high, concentrated levels of air pollution, sufficient to endanger the health of people nearby, especially those with existing medical issues. (Stanford study, 2007)
• Analysis: Secondhand smoke, even in outdoor spaces, exposes non-smokers to dangerous chemicals.
• Evidence: Many municipalities and private businesses have already restricted or banned smoking in crowded outdoor areas because customers, employees, or the public were troubled by large amounts of cigarette smoke.
• Analysis: Although smoke can dissipate quickly outside, smokers often congregate in small areas, such as in outdoor workplaces, near doorways, and at bus stops, beaches, parks, and concerts. This can produce a lot of smoke in a small area.
• Evidence: Outdoor smokers often throw their butts on the ground, where they can cause dangerous fires.
• Evidence: The U.S. Forest Service (2013) reports that discarded smoking materials cause an average of two hundred wildfires each year.
• Analysis: In crowded conditions, such as on busy sidewalks, non-smokers are at risk of cigarette burns or getting ash in their eyes or on their clothing.
• Link: Besides the dangers of inhaling smoke, non-smokers are at risk of cigarette burns or getting ash in their eyes or on their clothing in crowded conditions, such as on busy sidewalks.
• Evidence: The city of San Francisco alone reports that it spends over six million dollars a year cleaning up after outdoor smokers.
• Evidence: In 2014, as in every previous year, the Ocean Conservancy identified cigarette butts as the number one most littered item; in just one day, volunteers picked up more than two million butts on beaches worldwide.
• Analysis: Outdoor spaces frequented by smokers quickly become littered with cigarette butts, which look and smell bad, leave stains, and are hard to clean up.
• Analysis: Taxpayers have to foot large bills to clean up cigarette butts and other tobacco-related litter.
• Evidence: Cigarette butts are a long-lasting source of toxic materials that leach out into soils and waterways.
• Analysis: Cigarette butts cause soil and water pollution.
• Evidence: Animals frequently swallow cigarette butts, and are sickened or killed by indigestible fibers and dangerous levels of nicotine and other chemicals.
• Link: The National Institutes of Health (2011) reports that cigarettes contain four thousand chemicals, including heavy metals, carcinogens, pesticides, and herbicides, and can act as long-lasting point sources of pollution.
• Synthesis: When it comes to smoking in outdoor public spaces, it isn't just noses at risk. Smoking is a health risk for bystanders, a major source of toxic debris, and a drain on public resources.
• Final impression: Despite great initial resistance, indoor smoking bans are now widespread and popular. It's time to take them outside, and ban smoking there, too.

To some, banning cigarette smoking in outdoor spaces feels like an assault on both common sense and the American way. Most of us believe that people have the right to do what they want, even if it's foolish or dangerous, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Since smoke floats away so quickly in the open air, it's merely an annoyance in the great outdoors. We don't have laws against being annoying in public—if we did, no one would be able to wear socks with sandals in my town. It's true that smokers sometimes throw their butts out irresponsibly, but many other legal activities create litter too. Many people feel that outdoor smoking bans send us further down that slippery slope of unwarranted government interference in what we do with our bodies. What will be next? Laws against eating ice cream cones in public, or requiring everyone to wear sunscreen?

Anti-smoking laws are in place for good reason: the government has a compelling interest in reducing smoking. The habit drives up health care costs and is a financial and emotional burden on society. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1,300 Americans die from smoking-related diseases every day. Every year, the country spends $133 billion dollars on medical care for smokers, and these costs are passed along to everyone who pays taxes or buys health insurance. If outdoor bans make smoking less socially acceptable and more of a hassle, they may help discourage the unhealthy practice. It's true that we need to protect our rights with fierceness, but there is no natural or legal right to engage in activities that cause harm to other people or to public resources. And smoking is harmful.

Evidence is mounting that outdoor smoking poses health risks to non-smokers, through exposure to secondhand smoke and contact with hot ash and burning cigarettes. Secondhand smoke, even in outdoor spaces, exposes non-smokers to dangerous chemicals. Studies are beginning to show that even outdoors, smoke plumes have enough concentrated particulate matter to endanger the health of people nearby, especially those with existing medical issues. Although smoke can dissipate quickly outside, smokers often congregate in small areas, such as in outdoor workplaces, near doorways, and at bus stops, beaches, parks, and concerts. This can produce a lot of smoke in a small area. Outdoor smoke is so irritating that many thousands of cities and private businesses have already restricted or banned smoking in crowded outdoor areas. Besides the dangers of inhaling smoke, non-smokers are at risk of cigarette burns or getting ash in their eyes or on their clothing in crowded conditions, such as on busy sidewalks.

A final and indisputable reason to ban smoking in public spaces is that discarded cigarette butts ruin outdoor experiences and pollute the environment. It only takes a single walk outside to see that areas frequented by smokers quickly become littered with cigarette butts, which look and smell bad, leave stains, and are an expensive mess to clean up. Taxpayers have to foot large bills to clean up cigarette butts and other tobacco-related litter: the city of San Francisco alone reports that it spends over six million dollars a year cleaning up after outdoor smokers. The cost to the environment is even higher: cigarettes cause soil and water pollution and threaten wildlife. Animals frequently swallow butts, and are sickened or killed by indigestible fibers and dangerous levels of nicotine and other chemicals. Discarded cigarettes are a long-lasting source of toxic materials that leach out into soils and waterways. The National Institutes of Health reports that cigarettes contain four thousand chemicals, including heavy metals, carcinogens, pesticides, and herbicides, and can act as long-lasting point sources of pollution.

• Need response to the slippery slope argument.
• Reducing smoking is a compelling governmental interest.
• Are bans successful?
• Outdoor smoking poses health risks to non-smokers.
• Some sources suggest secondhand smoke dangers may be overblown. Double check information.
• Discarded cigarette butts ruin outdoor experiences, pollute the environment, and cost a lot of money to clean up.
• Are there other environmental costs?
• Find out if there have been legal challenges to outdoor smoking bans. Have any bans been reversed?
• Try to quantify environmental impact of cigarette butts.

We Americans pride ourselves on having a tolerant and free society. But we've also long acknowledged that there are limits to freedom, as in the old saying, "Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." When it comes to smoking in outdoor public spaces, it isn't just noses at risk. Smoking is a health risk for bystanders, a major source of toxic debris, and a drain on public resources. Less than twenty percent of Americans smoke, but their bad habit interferes with the rights of everyone else to be safe and happy outdoors. Despite great initial resistance, indoor smoking bans are now widespread and popular. It's time to take them outside, and ban smoking there, too.

Summer is here at last, and people are happily stepping out to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. But there's a cloud on the horizon. And another one in front of that doorway. And over there, hovering around that outdoor café. Clouds everywhere – clouds of cigarette smoke. Take a deep breath, and it's not flowers you smell. Run barefoot through the park, but it isn't just grass you're stepping on. It's cigarettes, and butts, and it's time to put a stop to it. It's time to ban smoking in all outdoor public spaces.

• Paragraph 3, paraphrase: statistics on deaths and medical care for smokers from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, page 679
• Paragraph 4, paraphrase: dangers of secondhand smoke from Klepeis, Ott, and Switzer, no page
• Paragraph 4, paraphrase: cities and private businesses that restricted or banned smoking in crowded outdoor areas from CBSNews.org, no page
• Paragraph 5, paraphrase: over $6 million to clean up after smokers from City and County of San Francisco, page 2
• Paragraph 5, paraphrase: statistics on environmental impact from Ocean Conservancy, page 14
• Paragraph 5, paraphrase: over 4000 types of chemicals/pollutants from Novotny et al., no page

Note: The following essay has been properly cited, but it is not formatted according to all MLA guidelines for final essays.

Where There's Smoke, There's Ire

            Summer is here at last, and people are happily stepping out to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. But there's a cloud on the horizon. And another one in front of that doorway. And over there, hovering around that outdoor café. Clouds everywhere – clouds of cigarette smoke. Take a deep breath, and it's not flowers you smell. Run barefoot through the park, but it isn't just grass you're stepping on. It's cigarettes, and butts, and it's time to put a stop to it. It's time to ban cigarette smoking in all outdoor public spaces.

            To some, banning cigarette smoking in outdoor spaces feels like an assault on both common sense and the American way. Most of us believe that people have the right to do what they want, even if it's foolish or dangerous, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Since smoke floats away so quickly in the open air, it's merely an annoyance in the great outdoors. We don't have laws against being annoying in public (if we did, no one would be able to wear socks with sandals in my town). Another worry is that outdoor smoking bans send us down that slippery slope of unwarranted government interference in what we do with our bodies. What will be next, laws against eating ice cream cones in public, or requiring everyone to wear sunscreen? At first glance, these arguments against smoking bans may seem to have merit. But recent studies show that smoking does cause health problems for non-smokers. Plus, as far as the famous slippery slope goes, the U.S. already has many laws regulating public behavior, and a ban on cigarettes would just be one more.

            Anti-smoking laws are in place for good reason: the government has a compelling interest in reducing smoking. The habit drives up health care costs and is a financial and emotional burden on society. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1,300 Americans die from smoking related diseases every day, and, every year, the country spends $133 billion on medical care for smokers—costs that are passed along to everyone who pays taxes or buys health insurance (679). If outdoor bans make smoking less socially acceptable and more of a hassle, they may help discourage the unhealthy practice. It's true that we need to protect our rights with fierceness, but there is no natural or legal right to engage in activities that cause harm to other people or to public resources. And smoking is definitely harmful.

            Evidence is mounting that outdoor smoking poses health risks to non-smokers, through exposure to secondhand smoke and contact with hot ash and burning cigarettes. Secondhand smoke, even in outdoor spaces, exposes non-smokers to dangerous chemicals. Studies show that even outdoors, smoke plumes have enough concentrated particulate matter to endanger the health of people nearby, especially those with existing medical issues (Klepeis et al.). Although smoke can dissipate quickly outside, smokers often congregate in small areas, such as in outdoor workplaces, near doorways, and at bus stops, beaches, parks, and concerts. This can produce a lot of smoke in a small area. Outdoor smoke is so irritating that many thousands of cities and private businesses have already restricted or banned smoking in crowded outdoor areas ("Outdoor Smoking Bans"). Besides the dangers of inhaling smoke, nearby non-smokers are at risk of cigarette burns or getting ash in their eyes or on their clothing in crowded conditions, such as on busy sidewalks.

            A final and indisputable reason to ban smoking in public spaces is that discarded cigarette butts ruin outdoor experiences and pollute the environment. It only takes a brief walk outside to see that areas frequented by smokers quickly become littered with cigarette butts, which look and smell bad, leave stains, and are an expensive mess to clean up. Taxpayers have to foot large bills to clean up cigarette butts and other tobacco-related litter. The city of San Francisco alone reports that it spends over six million dollars a year cleaning up after outdoor smokers (Board of Supervisors 2). The cost to the environment is even higher. In 2014, as in every previous year studied, the Ocean Conservancy identified cigarette butts as the number one most littered item; in just one day, volunteers picked up more than two million butts on beaches worldwide ( Turning the Tide 14). Less obvious but even more troubling, cigarettes cause soil and water pollution and threaten wildlife. Animals frequently swallow butts, and are sickened or killed by indigestible fibers and dangerous levels of nicotine and other chemicals. Discarded cigarettes are a long-lasting source of toxic materials that leach out into soils and waterways. A 2011 study published in the journal Tobacco Control reports that cigarettes contain four thousand chemicals, including heavy metals, carcinogens, pesticides, and herbicides, and can act as long-lasting point sources of pollution (Novotny et al. i17)

            We Americans pride ourselves on having a tolerant and free society. But we've also long acknowledged that there are limits to freedom, as in the old saying, "Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." When it comes to smoking in outdoor public spaces, it isn't just noses at risk. Smoking is a health risk for bystanders, a major source of toxic debris, and a drain on public resources. Less than twenty percent of Americans smoke, but the bad habit of those few that do interferes with the rights of everyone else to be safe and happy outdoors. Despite great initial resistance, indoor smoking bans are now widespread and popular. It's time to take them outside, and ban smoking there, too.

Note: The following essay has been properly cited, but it is not formatted according to all APA guidelines for final essays.

Summer is here at last, and people are happily stepping out to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. But there's a cloud on the horizon. And another one in front of that doorway. And over there, hovering around that outdoor café. Clouds everywhere – clouds of cigarette smoke. Take a deep breath, and it's not flowers you smell. Run barefoot through the park, but it isn't just grass you're stepping on. It's cigarettes, and butts, and it's time to put a stop to it. It's time to ban cigarette smoking in all outdoor public spaces.

            Anti-smoking laws are in place for good reason: the government has a compelling interest in reducing smoking. The habit drives up health care costs and is a financial and emotional burden on society. According to the Surgeon General (2014), 1,300 Americans die from smoking related diseases every day, and, every year, the country spends $133 billion on medical care for smokers—costs that are passed along to everyone who pays taxes or buys health insurance (p. 679). If outdoor bans make smoking less socially acceptable and more of a hassle, they may help discourage the unhealthy practice. It's true that we need to protect our rights with fierceness, but there is no natural or legal right to engage in activities that cause harm to other people or to public resources. And smoking is definitely harmful.

            Evidence is mounting that outdoor smoking poses health risks to non-smokers, through exposure to secondhand smoke and contact with hot ash and burning cigarettes. Secondhand smoke, even in outdoor spaces, exposes non-smokers to dangerous chemicals. Studies show that even outdoors, smoke plumes have enough concentrated particulate matter to endanger the health of people nearby, especially those with existing medical issues (Klepeis et al., 2007). Although smoke can dissipate quickly outside, smokers often congregate in small areas, such as in outdoor workplaces, near doorways, and at bus stops, beaches, parks, and concerts. This can produce a lot of smoke in a small area. Outdoor smoke is so irritating that many thousands of cities and private businesses have already restricted or banned smoking in crowded outdoor areas ("Outdoor Smoking Bans," 2013). Besides the dangers of inhaling smoke, nearby non-smokers are at risk of cigarette burns or getting ash in their eyes or on their clothing in crowded conditions, such as on busy sidewalks.

            A final and indisputable reason to ban smoking in public spaces is that discarded cigarette butts ruin outdoor experiences and pollute the environment. It only takes a brief walk outside to see that areas frequented by smokers quickly become littered with cigarette butts, which look and smell bad, leave stains, and are an expensive mess to clean up. Taxpayers have to foot large bills to clean up cigarette butts and other tobacco-related litter. The city of San Francisco alone reports that it spends over six million dollars a year cleaning up after outdoor smokers (Board of Supervisors, 2009, p. 2). The cost to the environment is even higher. In 2014, as in every previous year studied, the Ocean Conservancy identified cigarette butts as the number one most littered item; in just one day, volunteers picked up more than two million butts on beaches worldwide ( Turning the Tide , 2014, p. 14). Less obvious but even more troubling, cigarettes cause soil and water pollution and threaten wildlife. Animals frequently swallow butts, and are sickened or killed by indigestible fibers and dangerous levels of nicotine and other chemicals. Discarded cigarettes are a long-lasting source of toxic materials that leach out into soils and waterways. A 2011 study published in the journal Tobacco Control reports that cigarettes contain four thousand chemicals, including heavy metals, carcinogens, pesticides, and herbicides, and can act as long-lasting point sources of pollution (Novotny et al., p. i17).

There are many college courses where I might need to write a persuasion essay from history and literature to psychology. This is also a useful skill in writing a cover letter for a job or a scholarship essay.

This lesson follows the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual , published in 2019, and the 9th Edition of the MLA Handbook , published in 2021. Check the APA Publication Manual and the MLA Handbook for updates to the standards.

Copyright ©2022 The NROC Project

Types of Persuasion: Six Techniques for Winning Arguments

Six major types of persuasion are: ethos, pathos, logos, statistics, deliberation, and refutation.

The ability to use and apply each form of persuasion at the right time can help you to convince others to your side and embrace your perspective. Furthermore, in school debating, knowledge of each type can help you to steelman your perspective in order to convince an objective panel of judges to give you the win.

Note that many of these persuasion techniques might not be useful (or could even be counterproductive) in many situations. Pay close attention to the context of the examples to gather insights into when they might be useful, and when they may not.

Types of Persuasion

1. ethos (ethical appeal).

Ethos, also known as ethical appeal, is a persuasive technique that relies on the credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker or writer to influence their audience.

The concept of ethos is based on the belief that people are more likely to believe and accept ideas from someone they perceive as being reliable, honest, knowledgeable, and competent (Wrobel, 2015).

This means that if you want to persuade someone to take your side or adopt your position on an issue, it’s crucial that you establish yourself as a person with good character (Varpio, 2018).

There are several ways in which you can build and enhance your ethos.

One way is by presenting yourself as an expert in the relevant field or industry. For example, if you’re trying to persuade people to invest in a particular company, highlighting your expertise in finance or business can help bolster your credibility (although, beware, that doing this is engaging in the appeal to authority bias , which is why I prefer the next method).

My preferred method is by demonstrating your integrity and trustworthiness through what you say and the stories you tell. By showing your interlocutor that you’re a reliable source of information who has their best interests at heart, you increase the chances of them being persuaded by your arguments and suggestions.

Example of Ethos

Imagine I’m trying to convince my boss to promote me to a higher position within our company. To do so successfully, I would need to establish my ethos by showcasing that I am worthy, perhaps by demonstrating my work ethic and evidence of my successes. I could provide examples of successful projects I’ve completed in the past and highlight any awards or recognitions I’ve received for my work performance. Additionally, I could ask colleagues for testimonials about my abilities and professionalism . By doing so, I am able to present myself as someone deserving of the promotion based on merit rather than solely through favoritism.

2. Pathos (Emotional Appeal)

Pathos, also known as emotional appeal , is a persuasive technique that evokes strong emotions in the audience to encourage them to take a particular action or adopt a specific point of view (Meyer, 2017).

Pathos aims to sway people’s emotions by appealing to their fears, hopes, values, or desires. A critical reader would be able to tell already that pathos is widely used in advertising and marketing!

This type of persuasion typically uses vivid language and storytelling techniques to create an emotional connection between the speaker and their audience (Ihlen & Heath, 2018).

To be effective, the use of pathos should be appropriate for the context and audience.

For instance, it’s inappropriate to use tragic events or personal losses for mere political gain, as it may harm those affected by such events. Instead of exploiting people’s pain and sadness, pathos should be used responsibly and respectfully.

Example of Pathos

Consider a charity advertisement aimed at persuading viewers to donate money towards fighting poverty in developing countries. The advertisement may show images of impoverished children struggling with hunger and disease while sad music plays in the background. This appeals to the viewer’s emotions by invoking feelings of compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than themselves. The ultimate goal is for viewers to feel more inclined to take action after seeing how they can make a positive impact on someone else’s life through donating.

3. Logos (Logical Appeal)

Logos, also known as logical appeal, is a persuasive technique that relies on the use of reason and logic to influence an audience.

Logos is based on the idea that people are more likely to accept and adopt a particular position or argument if it coheres to rules of logic and doesn’t fall into heuristics or logical fallacies (Dillard & Shen, 2013). In other words, to be effective with logos, it is important to ensure that all claims made are supported by a rational thought-process and/or clear evidence.

This means that the information presented should be accurate and verifiable from credible sources. Additionally, the arguments presented must be logical and coherent with clear connections between each point presented (Baumlin & Meyer, 2018).

Example of Logos

Consider an ad campaign by a toothpaste company claiming that their product prevents cavities better than any other brand. In this case, the company might use data from clinical studies demonstrating how their product significantly reduced the incidence of cavities compared to competitors’ products. This provides objective evidence to support their claim and makes it more believable for consumers who care about having strong teeth without cavities.

4. Statistics (Appeal to Facts)

Statistics, also called statistical evidence or quantitative data , is a persuasive technique that relies on numerical information to support a claim. This method can be used alongside logos to support one another.

Statistics are often used as evidence in order to give credibility and support an argument with hard numbers (Dillard & Shen, 2013).

To use statistics effectively for persuasion, it is important to ensure that the statistics presented are accurate and relevant to the argument being made (Ihlen & Heath, 2018).

Any infographics or visual aids should be easy for the audience to comprehend and include enough context so that there can be no misconceptions about how they were derived.

Example of Statistics

Let’s say you want to persuade your school’s administration team to increase funding for arts programs by showing how popular these programs are with students. You could gather data from surveys showing the percentage of students participating in extracurricular music classes or art clubs at school as well as academic studies highlighting how music education improves cognitive development among teenagers. By presenting this data persuasively, you can help convince your school administrators of the value of these programs not just socially but academically too.

5. Deliberation (Dialectical Reasoning)

Deliberation, also known as dialectical reasoning, involves personal reflection and weighing of options in a critical and logical way. (Meyer, 2017)

This type of persuasion seeks to prompt individuals to reason for themselves, rather than being told what to think or do.

Deliberation involves using the socratic method to present competing ideas or arguments and encourage people to consider different perspectives. You should try to ask questions that lead the audience towards coming up with their own conclusions (Wrobel, 2015).

To use deliberation effectively, one must provide a space for open dialogue and encourage individuals to voice their opinions.

The goal is not necessarily to convince the audience but rather to initiate thoughtful debate on the topic at hand leading everyone involved closer towards arriving at a consensus.

Example of Deliberation

Imagine your school plans on banning certain types of plastic products such as water bottles or straws due to environmental concerns. Instead of simply telling students that they should abide by this regulation without further justification, you choose to host discussion sessions where students and teachers can express their views. This open deliberation can help increase buy-in among motivated parties who formerly may have opposed it otherwise. They will feel like they came to their own perspective, while you facilitated this by presenting new evidence for them. This approach can lead everyone involved closer towards arriving at a shared group consensus.

6. Refutation (Anticpating Counterarguments)

Refutation is a persuasive technique that involves anticipating and addressing counterarguments.

Refutation acknowledges that the audience may have objections or doubts about your argument and allows you to effectively neutralize those concerns before they become an issue. It is an excellent way to steel man your argument (Varpio, 2018).

This can be done by identifying potential objections ahead of time and figuring out how you will address each one, or examining your opponent’s best arguments and breaking them down (Baumlin & Meyer, 2018).

To use refutation effectively, it is crucial to make sure that you accurately understand the disagreement being presented so as not to distort it during rebuttal (what we’d call the strawman approach ).

Refutation helps to ensure the credibility of your response. Additionally, this technique should be used strategically and only when necessary rather than overusing it, which may create a confrontational atmosphere damaging receptiveness towards genuine non-hostile discussion.

Example of Refutation

Imagine you’re trying to persuade your employer to give every employee two weeks off for vacation, but there’s a concern that other employees will protest due to their workload. Instead of ignoring this objection, you might acknowledge the possible disruption while also highlighting potential benefits in improved employee happiness and retention rates resulting from more frequent performance breaks. Ultimately this would allow workers who recharge fully maintaining productivity over extended periods while reducing chances for burnout among stressed-out staff members.

See More: Examples of Counterarguments

Additional Forms of Persuasion

Persuasion can also be dissected into the peripheral route and the central route.

These routes represent a distinction between appeals to direct logical argumentation (central route) and appeals to secondary signals, such as credibility and emotional appeal (peripheral route).

Each are outlined below:

• The peripheral route to persuasion does not directly engage with the strength of the argument or its inherent logic. Instead, it appeals to heuristics that suggest the argument is sound, such as the speaker’s attractiveness, emotional appeals, and appeals to authority. Generally, it leverages a range of cognitive biases to convince disengaged, misinformed, or low-information interlocutors (Baumlin & Meyer, 2018).
• The central route to persuasion goes straight to the logic of an argument, presenting logical and rational perspectives as well as empirical evidence in order to convince a high-information or highly engaged audience. It encourages critical thinking as part of a deep, engaged, debate (Meyer, 2017).

You’ll note that we can place several of the different types of persuasion explored earlier into these two buckets: logos most obviously being placed in the central route bucket, while pathos might be more likely to be taking the peripheral route.

Strong knowledge of (and ability to execute) persuasion techniques can be extremely useful for getting your way, winning debates, and subtly convincing others of your point of view. However, it needs to be applied in contextually-approproate situations to minimize the chances of your methods backfiring.

Baumlin, J. S., & Meyer, C. A. (2018). Positioning ethos in/for the twenty-first century: An introduction to histories of ethos. Humanities , 7 (3), 78. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/h7030078

Dillard, J. P., & Shen, L. (Eds.). (2013). The Sage handbook of persuasion . London: Sage.

Ihlen, O., & Heath, R. L. (Eds.). (2018). The handbook of organizational rhetoric and communication . New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Meyer, M. (2017). What is rhetoric? Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Varpio, L. (2018). Using rhetorical appeals to credibility, logic, and emotions to increase your persuasiveness. Perspectives on medical education, 7 , 207-210. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-018-0420-2

Wróbel, S. (2015). Logos, ethos, pathos. Classical rhetoric revisited . Polish Sociological Review, 191 (3), 401-421.

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6.4: Persuasive Essays

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• Kathryn Crowther et al.
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Writing a Persuasive Essay

Choose a topic that you feel passionate about. If your instructor requires you to write about a specific topic, approach the subject from an angle that interests you. Begin your essay with an engaging introduction. Your thesis should typically appear somewhere in your introduction. Be sure to have a clear thesis that states your position and previews the main points your essay will address.

Start by acknowledging and explaining points of view that may conflict with your own to build credibility and trust with your audience. Also state the limits of your argument. This too helps you sound more reasonable and honest to those who may naturally be inclined to disagree with your view. By respectfully acknowledging opposing arguments and conceding limitations to your own view, you set a measured and responsible tone for the essay.

Make your appeals in support of your thesis by using sound, credible evidence. Use a balance of facts and opinions from a wide range of sources, such as scientific studies, expert testimony, statistics, and personal anecdotes. Each piece of evidence should be fully explained and clearly stated. Make sure that your style and tone are appropriate for your subject and audience. Tailor your language and word choice to these two factors, while still being true to your own voice.

Finally, write a conclusion that effectively summarizes the main argument and reinforces your thesis. See the sample persuasive essay at the end of this section, “The Value of Technical High Schools in Georgia’s Business Marketplace,” by student Elizabeth Lamoureux. Please note that this essay uses the MLA style of documentation, for which you can find guidelines at Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu .

Sample Persuasive Essay

In this student paper, the student makes a persuasive case for the value of technical high schools in Georgia. As you read, pay attention to the different persuasive devices the writer uses to convince us of her position. Also note how the outline gives a structure to the paper that helps lead the reader step-by-step through the components of the argument.

Student Outline

Elizabeth Lamoureux

English 1101 Honors

April 25, 2013

Thesis : Technical high schools should be established in every county in Georgia because they can provide the technical training that companies need, can get young people into the workforce earlier, and can reduce the number of drop outs.

• Education can focus on these specific technical fields.
• Education can work with business to fill these positions.
• Apprenticeship programs can be a vital part of a student’s education.
• Apprenticeship programs are integral to Germany’s educational program, providing a realistic model for technical high schools in Georgia.
• Students train during their high school years for their chosen profession.
• Students begin to work in a profession or trade where there is a need.
• Students will become independent and self-supporting at the age of eighteen when many of their peers are still dependent upon their parents.
• Students can make more money over the course of their lifetimes.
• Students are more motivated to take courses in which they have an interest.
• Students will find both core and specialized classes more interesting and valuable when they can see the practical application of the subjects.
• Students would be able to earn a living wage while still taking classes that would eventually lead to full-time employment.
• Students would learn financial skills through experience with money management.

Student Essay

The Value of Technical High Schools in Georgia’s Business Marketplace

Businesses need specialized workers; young people need jobs. It seems like this would be an easy problem to solve. However, business and education are not communicating with each other. To add to this dilemma, emphasis is still put on a college education for everyone. Samuel Halperin, study director of the Commission on Work, Family, and Citizenship for the W. T. Grant Foundation, co-authored two reports: “The Forgotten Half: Non-College Youth in America” and “The Forgotten Half: Pathways to Success for America’s Youth and Young Families.” Halperin states: “While the attention of the nation was focused on kids going to college . . . the truth is that 70 percent of our adults never earn a college degree” (qtd. in Rogers). According to an article in Issues in Science and Technology, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be more need for skills obtained through “community colleges, occupational training, and work experience” (Lerman). As Anne C. Lewis points out, although the poor job situation is recognized as detrimental to American youth, President Bush tried to get rid of career and technical education (CTE) and “promote strictly academic programs.” Luckily, Congress did not support it (Lewis 5). The figure for U.S. teen joblessness in October 2009 was 27.6 percent, the highest since World War II (Karaim). According to Thomas E. Persing, Americans are “disregarding the 50 percent who enter college and fail to graduate. . . .” Since everyone does not want or need to go to college, young people need an alternative choice, namely, technical high schools. Technical high schools should be established in every county in Georgia because they can provide the technical training that companies need, can get young people into the work force earlier, and can reduce the number of drop outs.

Technical high schools provide students with the technical training that companies need. By getting input from businesses on exactly what their specialized needs are, school systems could adapt their curricula to accommodate the needs of businesses. According to an article in Issues in Science and Technology, “employers report difficulty in recruiting workers with adequate skills.” The article goes on to say that “the shortage of available skills is affecting their ability to serve customers, and 84% of the firms say that the K-12 school system is not doing a good job preparing students for the workplace” (Lerman). Education can work with businesses to provide them with the workforce they need, and students can learn the skills they need through apprenticeship programs.

Business can be further involved by providing these apprenticeship programs, which can be a vital part of a student’s education. Currently, Robert Reich, economist and former Secretary of Labor, and Richard Riley, Secretary of Education, have spoken up for apprenticeship programs (Persing). In these programs, not only do students learn job-specific skills, but they also learn other skills for success in the work place, such as “communication, responsibility, teamwork, allocating resources, problem-solving, and finding information” (Lerman). Businesses complain that the current educational system is failing in this regard and that students enter the workforce without these skills.

The United States could learn from other countries. Apprenticeship programs are integral to Germany’s educational program, for example. Because such large numbers of students in a wide array of fields take advantage of these programs, the stigma of not attending college is reduced. Timothy Taylor, the Conversable Economist, explains that most German students complete this program and still have the option to pursue a postsecondary degree. Many occupations are represented in this program, including engineering, nursing, and teaching. Apprenticeship programs can last from one to six years and provide students with a wage for learning. This allows both business and student to compete in the market place. According to Julie Rawe, “under Germany’s earn-while-you-learn system, companies are paying 1.6 million young adults to train for about 350 types of jobs. . . .”

A second important reason technical high schools should be promoted in Georgia is that they prepare students to enter the work force earlier. Students not interested in college enter the work force upon high school graduation or sooner if they have participated in an apprenticeship or other cooperative program with a business. Students train during their high school years for their chosen profession and often work for the company where they trained. This ensures that students begin to work in a profession or trade where there is a need.

Another positive factor is that jobs allow students to earn a living upon graduation or before. Even though students are considered adults at eighteen, many cannot support themselves. The jobs available to young people are primarily minimum wage jobs which do not provide them with enough resources to live independently. One recent study indicates that the income gap is widening for young people, and “In March 1997, more than one-fourth of out-ofschool young adults who were working full-time were earning less than the poverty line income standard of just over $16,000 annually for a family of four” (“The Forgotten Half Revisited”). Conversely, by entering the work force earlier with the skills businesses need, young people make more money over their lifetimes. Robert I. Lerman considers the advantages:

Studies generally find that education programs with close links to the world of work improve earnings. The earnings gains are especially solid for students unlikely to attend or complete college. Cooperative education, school enterprises, and internship or apprenticeship increased employment and lowered the share of young men who are idle after high school.

Young people can obviously profit from entering the work force earlier.

One of the major benefits of promoting technical high schools in Georgia is that they reduce the number of dropouts. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the figure for dropouts for the Atlanta metro area is about thirty-four percent (McCaffrey and Badertscher A16). The statistic for Germany’s dropout rate is less than nine percent (Rawe). As Rawe maintains, students stay in school because they cannot get the job if they do not have the diploma. Beyond the strong incentive of a job, students are more motivated to take courses in which they have an interest. In addition to the specialized career classes, students are still required to take core classes required by traditional high schools. However, practical application of these subjects makes them more interesting and more valuable to the students.

Another reason students drop out is to support their families. By participating in a program in which they are paid a wage and then entering that job full time, they no longer need to drop out for this reason. It is necessary for many students to contribute financially to the family: by getting a job earlier, they can do this. Joining the work force early also provides students with financial skills gained through experience with money management.

The belief of most Americans that everyone needs to have a college education is outdated. The United States needs skilled employees at all levels, from the highly technical to the practical day to day services society needs to sustain its current standard of living. Germany is doing this through its apprenticeship programs which have proven to be economically successful for both businesses and workers. If the State of Georgia put technical high schools in every county, businesses would get employees with the skills they need; young people would get into good paying jobs earlier, and schools would have fewer dropouts.

Works Cited

“The Forgotten Half Revisited: American Youth and Young Families, 1988-2008.” American Youth Policy Forum . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.

Karaim, Reed. “Youth Unemployment.” CQ Global Researcher 6 Mar. 2012: 105-28. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.

Lerman, Robert I. “Building a Wider Skills Net for Workers: A Range of Skills Beyond Conventional Schooling Are Critical to Success in the Job Market, and New Educational Approaches Should Reflect These Noncognitive Skills and Occupational Qualifications.” Issues in Science and Technology 24.4 (2008): 65+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context . Web. 21 Apr. 2012.

Lewis, Anne C. “Support for CTE.” Tech Directions 65.3 (2005): 5-6. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

McCaffrey, Shannon, and Nancy Badertscher. “Painful Truth in Grad Rates.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution 15 Apr. 2012: A1+. Print.

Persing, Thomas E. “The Role of Apprenticeship Programs.” On Common Ground . Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, Fall 1994. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

Rawe, Julie. “How Germany Keeps Kids From Dropping Out.” Time Magazine U.S. Time Magazine, 11 Apr. 2006. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

Rogers, Betsy. “Remembering the ‘Forgotten Half.’” Washington University in St. Louis Magazine Spring 2005. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.

Taylor, Timothy. “Apprenticeships for the U.S. Economy.” Conversableeconomist.blogspot.com. Conversable Economist , 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

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Chapter 13 - argument: convincing others.

In writing, argument stands as a paper; grounded on logical, structured evidence, that attempts to convince the reader to accept an opinion, take some action, or do both. It is also a process during which you explore an issue fully, considering different perspectives, assumptions, reasons, and evidence to reach your own informed position.

Arguments don’t always involve conflicts. Some simply support a previously established decision or course of action. Others try to establish some common ground.

When you write an argument, you don’t simply sit down and dash off your views as though they came prefabricated. Instead, argument represents an opportunity to think things through, to gradually, and often tentatively, come to some conclusions, and then, in stages, begin to draft your position with the support you have discovered.

You rarely start from scratch. Instead, you join a conversation where ideas and evidence have already been exchanged.

The most successful arguments rest on a firm foundation of solid, logical support. In addition, many arguments include emotion because it can play an important part in swaying reader opinion.

7.1 The Rational Appeal: Logos

Reasons are the key points or general ideas you’ll use to defend your conclusions. To convince readers, your reasons must be substantiated by evidence.

When you appeal to reason in argument, then, you present your reasons and evidence in such a way that if your readers are also reasonable they will likely agree with you, or at least see your position as plausible. That assumes, of course that you and your readers start from some common ground about the principles you share and what you count as evidence.

Evidence falls into several categories: established truths, opinions of authorities, primary source information, statistical findings, and personal experience. The strongest arguments usually combine several kinds of evidence.

7.1.1 Established truths

These are facts that no one can seriously dispute, such as historical, scientific, geo/demographics, etc. These aren’t arguable themselves but do provide strong backup for argumentative propositions.

A. Opinions of authorities

An authority is a recognized expert in some field. Authoritative opinions —the only kind to use— play a powerful role in winning readers over to your side. Whatever your argument, don’t settle for less that heavyweight authorities, and, when possible, indicate their credentials to your reader. This information makes their statements more persuasive. You should, of course, also cite the source of your information.

Beware of biased opinions. Unless the opinion can stand especially close scrutiny, don’t put it in your paper; it will waken your case with perceptive readers.

B. Primary source information

You’ll need to support certain types of argument with primary source information –documents or other materials produced by individuals directly involved with the issue or conclusions you researched by carrying out an investigation yourself. This type of information can help you reach sound conclusions and build strong support for your position. Remember to always document your sources accordingly.

C. Statistical findings

Statistics –data showing how much, how many, or how often –can also buttress your argument. Most come in a printed fashion, but you can use data from our own investigations as well. Because statistics are often misused, many people distrust them, so any you offer must be reliable.

Take care not to push statistical claims too far. There’s simply no carryover. Keep alert for biased statistics; they can cause as serious a credibility gap as biased opinions. Always document your sources.

D. Personal experience

Sometimes personal experience can deliver an argumentative message more forcefully than any other kind of evidence. Often the experiences and observations of others, gathered from books, magazines, or interviews, can support our position.

Despite its use fullness, personal experiences generally reinforce but do not replace other kinds of evidence. Unless it has other support, readers may reject it as atypical or trivial.

7.2 Reasoning Strategies

An argument consists of a conclusion you want to support, your reasons for that conclusion, and the evidence that supports your reasons. Rational appeals include three reasoning strategies: Induction, Deduction, and Analogy.

7.2.1 Induction

An argument from induction occurs when a general claim is supported by specific evidence, whether direct observations, statistical data, or scientific studies.

Induction makes our conclusions probable but rarely proves them. To prove something by induction, we must check every bit of evidence and often that’s just not practical or possible. All inductive evidence only makes supported conclusions likely.

You might begin by posing some direct or indirect question in order to snare our reader’s interest, or you might simply state the position you will argue. The body of the paper provides the supporting evidence. In the conclusion you could reaffirm your position or suggest the consequences of that position.

In addition to presenting the available evidence, there are two other important things you should do.

• Demonstrate the credibility of your evidence
• Show how the evidence fits the conclusion you want to reach.

7.2.2 Deduction

Deduction is a process of argumentation that demonstrates how a specific conclusion follows logically from some initial premises about which people might agree.

You might begin with the position you intend to prove, with a question that will be answered by the argument, or with a synopsis of the argument. The body of the paper works out the implications of your assumption. In the conclusion you could directly state (or restate, in different words) your position, suggest the consequences of adopting or not adopting that position, or pose a question that is easily answered after reading the argument.

A. Reduction ad Absurdum

A common and powerful form of deduction translated to: “to reduce to absurdity”, and used to question a position by showing that its consequences are problematic if carried to their logical end.

B. Syllogism

Sometimes a deductive argument is built around a categorical syllogism, a set of three statements that follow a fixed pattern to ensure sound reasoning. The first statement, called the major premise, names a category of things and says that all or none of them shares a certain characteristic. Make sure it is in fact true. The minor premise notes that a thing or group of things belongs to that category. The conclusion states that the thing or group shares the characteristics f the category. Both major and minor premises are true and the conclusion follows logically.

7.2.3 Analogy in argument

An analogy compares two unlike situations or things. Arguers often use analogies to contend that because two items share one or more likenesses, they are also alike in other ways.

Analogy is the weakest form of rational appeal. Analogies never prove anything. But they often help explain and show probability and therefore are quite persuasive. They must feature significant similarities that bear directly on the issue. In addition, they must account for any significant differences between the two items.

7.3 The Emotional Appeal: Pathos

Although effective argument relies mainly on reason, an emotional appeal can lend powerful reinforcement. Indeed, emotion can win the hearts and help of people who would otherwise passively accept a logical argument but take no action.

In evaluating or writing an argument, ask yourself whether the facts warrant the emotion.

7.4 The Ethical Appeal: Ethos

Before logic can do its work, the audience must be willing to consider the argument. The image that the writer projects is called the ethical appeal. If you write with a genuine concern for your topic, a commitment to the truth, and a sincere respect for others, you will probably come across reasonably well.

7.5 Ferreting Out Fallacies

Fallacies are lapses in logic that reflect upon your ability to think clearly, and therefore they weaken your argument.

Hasty Generalization Hasty generalization results when someone bases a conclusion on too little evidence.

Non Sequitur From the Latin “it does not follow,” the non sequitur fallacy drawa unwarranted conclusions from seemingly ample evidence.

Stereotyping A person who commits this fallacy attaches one or more supposed characteristics to a group or one of its members.

Card Stacking In card stacking, the writer presents only part of the available evidence on a topic, deliberately omitting essential information that would alter the picture considerably.

Either/Or Fallacy The either/or fallacy asserts that only two choices exist when, in fact, several options are possible. Not all either/or statements are fallacies.

Begging the Question A person who begs the question asserts the truth of some unproved statement. No evidence is offered. People lacking principles often use this fallacy to hit opponents below the belt.

Circular Argument Circular argument, a first cousin to begging the question, supports a position merely by restating it.

Arguing off the Point The writer who argues off the point, sometimes called “ignoring the question” or “red herring,” sidetracks an issue by introducing irrelevant information.

The Argument ad Hominem The Latin term “to the man” designates an argument that attacks an individual rather than that individual’s opinions or qualifications. This attack completely skirts the real issue.

Appeal to the Crowd An appeal of this sort arouses an emotional response by playing on the irrational fears and prejudices of the audience (communists, fascists, law and order). Terms are tossed about freely to sway the audience for or against something. Tapping the emotions of the crowd can sway large groups and win acceptance for positions that rational thinking would reject.

Guilt by Association This fallacy points out some similarity or connection between one person or group and another. It tag the first with the sins, real or imagined, of the second.

Post Hoc, ergo Propter Hoc The Latin meaning, “after this, therefore because of this,” refers to the fallacy of assuming that because one event follows another, the first caused the second.

Faulty Analogy This is the error of assuming that two circumstances or things are similar in all important respects, when in fact they are not.

7.6 Writing an Argument

7.6.1 Planning and Drafting the Argument

Examine whether you should support or oppose Before you enter an argument, it helps to be informed.

7.7 Arguments for Different Purposes

Consider the purpose of your argument and how that might affect the strategies you choose to employ. Some arguments try to establish that something is a fact. Other arguments defend or oppose some policy or support or oppose some action or project. Still other arguments assert the greater value of someone or something.

7.8 Directing Arguments to Readers

Imagine that your audience is a group of readers who are neutral or opposed to your position; there’s no point in preaching to the converted. It is best to adopt the attitude that most readers are willing to be convinced if your approach is appealing and your evidence is sound.

7.9 Rogerian Argument

If you’re arguing an emotionally charged issue you may want to use Rogerian argument. This type of argument attempts to reduce the antagonism that people with opposing views might feet toward your position. To succeed, you must show that you understand and respect the opposing position as ell as acknowledge its good points. You try to establish some common point of agreement. Then show how the conclusion you want really follows from the reader’s own values and assumptions without compromising our own.

7.10 Drafting the Argument

The introduction arouses the reader’s interest and may also present the proposition—a special thesis statement that manes the issue and indicates which position the writer will take. It can declare that something is a fact, support a policy, call for a certain action, or assert that something has greater value than something else.

The body is where you present evidence to defend your position. If one of your points is likely to arouse resistance, hold it back and begin by making points your reader can more easily accept. You might open with a brief description. Next, you could offer a brief definition so that the writer and the reader are on common ground, and, to show the dimensions of the problem, classify it. Then, after detailing the negative effects, you might end by comparing it with something similar. Make sure that substantiating evidence is embedded in them. Strategies by themselves won’t convince.

Besides presenting evidence, use this part of your paper to refute, that is, to point out weaknesses or errors in the opposing position. You can place refutations throughout the body of the paper or group then together just ahead of the conclusion. Don’t adopt a gloating or sarcastic tone that will alienate a fair-minded reader. Resist the urge to engage in straw man tactics—calling attention to imaginary or trivial weaknesses of the opposing side so that you can demolish them.

Finally, don’t be afraid to concede secondary or insignificant points to the opposition. Arguments have two or more sides; you can’t have all the ammunition on your side.

Conclude in a manner that will sway the reader to your side. You might restate your position, summarize your main points, predict the consequences if your position dies or doesn’t prevail, or make an emotional appeal for support or action.

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