12-Step Comprehensive Guide to Argumentative Essays
Argumentative essays are one of the most frequent essays that you, as a student, are asked to write. These essays train you to develop critical and analytical thinking. Writing an argumentative essay requires you to have a strong grasp of rhetoric. In each essay, the essay writer aims to persuade the reader over a point of view.
‘Help write an essay for me,’ you might find yourself asking your peers and writers, after coming upon an argumentative essay. You should remember no matter how daunting the essay prompt might seem to you, with the right approach you can write your own argumentative essay.
- Understand the essay prompt
The subject matter of the essay should be identified along with the task word. This will tell you what the prompt wants you to discuss about the subject. You should dissect it with questions: ‘What the essay wants you to accomplish?’ and ‘How to take on the issue?’
- Brainstorm for ideas
Without diving into the research phase you should note down everything you know about the subject and everything that you can think of in order to answer the prompt. The methods of Mind mapping and Listing can be used to note down your thoughts as a web of ideas, that also reveals various relationships.
- Research the subject matter
You should research with the prompt in the mind. Make sure that you use good note-making techniques, and keep a consistent record of the references. Online databases and catalogs should be searched for relevant academic material such as books, articles, and journal entries.
- Fill in the gaps
The gaps of information that must have arisen in the brainstorming session should be filled with the new information through your research. Each set of information should be linked to other information.
- Prepare a plan
Using the outcomes of both researching and brainstorming, you should be able to create a plan for your essay. Here you will access which your main arguments will be and what evidence you will present. You will also plan your argument outline and the sequencing of information.
- Know the body structure
Importance should be given in writing the body paragraphs. For this, you should know about the structure of the body paragraphs. Parts included in the main body are topic sentences, explanation, evidence, and examples, counter to the argument, analysis, etc.
- Separate evidence and quotes from other information
Without a strong and distinct show of evidence to support your arguments, your essay will fail to do its job. It is this important to keep aside the evidence collected whether it’s in the form of statistics, observations, experiments, surveys, statements, or opinions.
- Finish your first draft
Waste no time in perfecting your writing in the first attempt. Get done with your first draft as soon as possible. It should have the structure intact and all the important parts such as thesis statements, topic sentences, and evidence should be present. Research the missing gaps
- Research the missing gaps
You just simply cannot write an essay with missing parts in logic as well as the information regarding the subject. Instead, you should head back to researching the specific parts of the subject to strengthen your essay.
- Check for signposts and transitioning
The flow of the essay should be smooth and should not be jittery in its logic and reasoning. To guide the reader make sure to include signposts and transitioning words within the paragraphs and in between them.
- Perfect your referencing
Reference the information in your essay once you are approaching your final draft. The citations and the referencing should be according to a format. Make sure you use the right one.
- Edit and revise
Even a small spelling mistake can leave a bad impression upon the reader. So make sure to remove all of your writing discrepancies from your style and structure to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Lastly, you should let your essay be reviewed by an outside person who might point out a few things that you might have missed.
