Researching and Writing a Persuasive Paper on an Issue
As you spend the next few weeks researching, taking notes, paraphrasing and writing,
you will be required to complete each step of this packet. Please read the directions
carefully. DO NOT LOOSE THIS PACKET IT IS PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT’S
GRADE.
Researching and Citing Sources
1. As you search online for sources that will support your position on the issue of
your topic, you will be required to write notes on the following pages.
2. After you have located TWO promising articles that support your position, do the
following:
• Evaluate them based on the criteria on the Evaluating Online Resource Sheet.
3. Create a bibliography notes for each different source you consult for information
on your Research Note Sheets. Number each source for easy reference. You
may take notes on these separate pages, numbering each note with the same
number as the source card number.
• Highlight the strongest pieces of evidence from each article.
• Write a summary in sentence form of the main arguments of the article and its
relevance to your topic, and a quote.
4. Three ways to record important information from sources and avoid plagiarism
are paraphrasing, summarizing, and verbatim quoting. Read the following
passage and use these three types of note taking.
“Words belong to the person who wrote them. There are few simpler ethical notions than
this one, particularly as society directs more and more energy and resources towards the
creation of intellectual property. In the past thirty years copyright laws have been
strengthened. Courts have become more willing to grant intellectual-property protections.
Fighting piracy has become an obsession with Hollywood and the recording industry, and
in the worlds of academia and publishing, plagiarism has gone from being bad literary
manners to something much closer to a crime. (Gladwell, Malcolm. “Something
borrowed,” What the Dog Saw. Little Brown and Co., New York, 2009, p. 225.)
Paraphrase: Today plagiarism is more often considered a crime than a simple
act of thoughtlessness.
Summary: Plagiarism today is most often thought of as an act of criminal intent.
Verbatim quotation: “… plagiarism has gone from being bad literary manners to
something much closer to a crime.”
Verbatim quotation incorporated into one’s own sentence: In his essay
about a playwright who took whole passages from another author without any
acknowledgment of the author’s work, Malcolm Gladwell, in his book What the
Dog Saw, asserts that “plagiarism has gone from being bad literary manners to
something much closer to a crime.”
5. Complete the Concept Chart Sheet in your packet. Brainstorm strong active
verbs for your paper along with notes for phrases for each of the three appeal
categories: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos.
6. You will use the Persuasive Writing Organizer for the following steps. Write a
thesis statement that clearly states your position and offers a reason for your
position (avoid using “I”). For example: “____should be ____because . . . .”
7. Use the Persuasive Writing Organizer to map out your ideas and appeals for
your essay.
8. Write a paragraph that includes one quotation from each of the articles to support
your own opinions about the issue.
9. After you have written your paragraph, create an annotated bibliography for the
sources you used. This may be written on note paper of note cards. Be sure to
include:
• Proper citation
• A summary in sentence form of the main arguments of the article and its
relevance to your topic
• An evaluation of the source in sentence form; write about the validity of the
information you found, how effective the coverage was, and your view on the
authority of the writer or organization (this often requires more research to learn
about the “ethos” of the writer or organization, and so on)
10. Now that you have researched, and organized your ideas, write your persuasive
paper. Use the persuasive essay outline to help ensure you have all the
components you need.
11. Revise and edit.
12. Create a bibliography or reference page for your sources.
13. Turn in the complete packet, your annotated bibliography, your final draft, and
your bibliography for full credit.
Evaluating Online Resources
Answer the following for each source.
Criteria
Questions
Accuracy
Is the site free from grammatical
and typographical errors?
Do the links and graphics operate
properly?
Was the information verified by a
third party?
Validity or Objectivity
Does the information appear to be
well researched?
Is there a bibliography or list of
sources?
Is there a statement about the
purpose of the site?
Is there a place to note and
communicate errors located on the
site?
Does the site appear to be free
from bias or a single position?
Authority
Are the author’s name and
qualifications clearly identified?
Does the URL address match the
site’s name?
Is the site listed as a .gov or .edu or
.org, rather than .com?
Does the author appear to be well
qualified to write on the subject?
Is this site part of a university or
similarly respected institution?
Currency and
Uniqueness
Does the date the site was last
updated appear?
Has the site been updated
recently?
Are any parts of the site “under
construction”?
Are the majority of the articles on
the site a part of that site (as
opposed to links to other sites)?
Does the site seem to cover the
topic fully?
Are there other, related topics
discussed on the site?
Is there a resources section with
links to other sites?
Coverage
SOURCE #
Source1
Source 2
Author’s Name
“Title of Article”
Title of Website
Website Address (exact)
Copyright/Updated Site Date
Date you visited the site
Information Learned/Notes from Site
What did you learn about the issue from this source?
Copy an exact and related quote or two from this source.
Be sure to use quotation marks.
Concept Chart
After researching your topic, fill in the following concept chart with words or phrases you
found in the articles.
Topic
Medical/Scientific
Words
Strong Verbs
Transitions
Record words / phrases from your articles into the three categories of appeals: Logos,
Pathos, Ethos.
Logos
Pathos
Ethos
PERSUASIVE WRITING ORGANIZER
Hook/Grabber:
Introduction
Background Information:
Thesis Statement:
Reason 1:
Reason 2:
Reason 3:
Paragraph 2 Appeal:
Paragraph 3 Appeal:
Topic Sentence (Reason 1)
Topic Sentence (Reason 2)
Topic Sentence(Reason 3)
Major points/details
Major points /details
Major points /details
Closing Sentence
Closing Sentence
Closing Sentence
Paragraph 5 Rebuttal
Topic Sentence
Major point from the other
side
Paragraph 4 Appeal:
Conclusion
Restate Position
Sum up major points
However…
Second Point opposing
On the other hand…
Clincher
Closing Sentence
P1 Introduction
A. Hook: Make an interesting statement to do with your topic, tell a story.
B. Include background information for your topic.
C. Thesis: Statement of your position (for/against, good/bad), include all three
reasons in this sentence.
P2 LOGOS Logical Appeal
A. Topic sentence
B. Statistics (numbers)-Major
1. example of statistic-Minor
C. Believable facts-Major
1. example of fact- Minor
D. Expert opinion - Major
1. example of expert opinion - Minor
E. Summary sentence (should look similar to topic sentence)
P3 PATHOS Emotional Appeal
A. Topic Sentence
B. Detail - Major
1. Example of detail (Make them feel for you: sad, fearful, etc.)
C. Story to tell
1. Detail that really pulls at the reader’s heart
D. Summary sentence
P4 ETHOS Ethical appeal
A. Topic Sentence
B. Reasons why agreeing with you is the right thing to do- Major
1. Example of the right thing - Minor
C. By agreeing, you are acting ‘in fairness’ - Major
1. Example of fairness - Minor
D. Summary sentence (should look similar to topic sentence)
P5 Rebuttal (opposing argument, refute the argument/prove false
A. Detail ‘from the other side’
B. But…or however…
C. Fact from the other side
D. But… or however
E. Summary Sentence
P6 Conclusion
A Restate the main idea from the ETHICAL paragraph
B Restate the main idea from the EMOTIONAL paragraph
C. Restate the main idea from the LOGICAL paragraph
D. Your call to action