Argument + Research Paper
(20% of final grade)
English 1302 / Zaza
Due Date:
Via Turnitin
No hard copy required except draft materials.
How Long?
1500-2000 words (5-7 pages).
Formatting
 11 or 12 point Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1” margins.
 Your name and section number (CRN) in header, page number in footer.
 MLA parenthetical citations in essay text.
 MLA Works Cited page.
What to Do
Write a well-developed, well-researched argument essay expanding on the topic you investigated
for your annotated bibliography (or on a new topic of your choosing—requires my approval of your
topic!). In this essay, you will take a side within the debate as a stakeholder, and you will support
your side through the use of evidence.
Your dual purpose is to educate and to persuade a neutral, well-informed reader (i.e., a professor)
to adopt your position. The essay should make good use of the three rhetorical appeals
(ethos/pathos/logos).
Choose to argue in one of these argument categories primarily:
 Action: “we should do X”
 Cause & Effect: “X causes/caused/is causing Y”
 Compare & Contrast: “X is better than Y because…”
 Definition: “Is X an/like an A a/like a B?”
Research Requirements – 5 sources minimum
 One must be a scholarly source from the JSTOR or Academic Search Complete databases
(note: all sources in JSTOR are scholarly – only some sources in ASC are scholarly, so be
careful and check with me if you are unsure at ALL).
 One can be either a scholarly source or a long-form journalism piece.
 Three of the sources (regardless of where they come from—internet, database, scholarly
source, etc.) may be the same as the ones from the annotated bib.
 Internet sources are fine as long as they are reliable sources.
What kinds of sources are okay to use?
Unacceptable internet sources include Wikipedia or any wiki; Ehow, About.com, Howstuffworks
or other linkbait/content farm sources; Britannica or encyclopedias, dictionaries, or basic
reference books; Enotes, Sparknotes, or any other “study guide” sites; any sites providing
sample essays or reference lists for common essay topics; and personal blogs or personal
websites (except those run by someone who is an acknowledged expert in his/her field).
Unacceptable internet sources will be counted as a missing source.
Acceptable internet sources include advocacy group websites (note they will take a side and
have a bias); government websites (.gov); large news organization websites such as CNN,
Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, ABC/NBC/CBS (not Fox or HuffPo); newspapers of record such
as Washington Post, New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal; major print magazines such as
Time, Newsweek, Wired, Discover, Harper’s, Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic, etc. (avoid
fashion, decorating, regional, and celebrity magazines, as their articles are usually too short);
and professional blogs with editors (Gawker.com sites, TheAwl.com sites, The Rumpus, etc.;
blogs run by newspapers or magazines; blogs written by experts in a field).
Unacceptable book sources include anything in a “for dummies” or “for idiots” series; Cliffs
Notes or any other study guide text; encyclopedias , dictionaries and other basic reference texts;
or any “What are the Issues?” and/or “Exploring the Issues” types of texts that collects a
number of (basic) sources on a controversial topic under one cover for the use of students.
Developed by E. Foster
How to Structure This Essay
Introductory paragraph (1)
------“big picture” statement that introduces general topic and establishes timeliness/importance of your essay
(1-2 sentences)
---------narrowing of topic, outlining of major points of controversy (2-4 sentences)
-------------thesis statement: the essay’s main idea or argument
History/Background paragraph (1, optional)
If the history of your debate needs summarizing, this is where you can do that. If your reader is going to need special background knowledge to
understand your topic, this is where you can do that, too.
Regular Body paragraphs (3 to infinity)
 Topic sentence
◦
Makes an argument (is not just summary)
◦
Supports the thesis statement
◦
Tells us the topic of the paragraph
 Support
◦
Often this = quotes from the text you're writing about
◦
Can also be paraphrasing or summary of statistics, facts, etc.
◦
Can also be further argumentation
 Analysis
◦
Explain how the support proves your topic sentence argument.
Rebutting or Conceding + Rebutting paragraph (1)
This is where you discuss certain arguments that your opponents are likely to have. You can either bring up their arguments and knock them
down (rebuttal), or you can bring them up, acknowledge certain parts of them are valid, and then explain why they aren’t a good enough reason to
say “no” to your position.
Conclusion paragraph (1)

Re-state without repeating the main points from your paper. (Don't cut and paste!)
(2-6 sentences)

End with a general statement that reminds reader of importance of your topic / connects your paper to the “big picture.” (Often a
future prediction.)