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Academic Writing Guide:

How to Write an Argumentative Paper

Argumentative Paper: What it is

An argumentative paper is a reasoned defense of a thesis. You must take a position and provide
reasons for the validity of your position. This may include evidence from research.

Argumentative Paper: What it is NOT

An argumentative essay is NOT a report of facts, what various scholars have said about a
particular topic, or a presentation of the latest findings of experiments. It is also NOT a
presentation of your personal feelings or opinions.

The Six Steps to Writing a Successful Argumentative Paper:

1. Break it down: Determine what the assignment is asking you to do.
2. Research your topic: Look for reliable sources to use in your paper.
3. Take a position and write a thesis statement: Decide what you will be arguing
for/against.
4. Organize your thoughts into an outline: Group similar ideas together and keep track of
your sources.
5. Begin writing: Get your thoughts down on paper.
6. Proofread your essay: Review your draft for grammar, spelling, and citation mistakes
before submitting it.

Step 1: Break it Down

• Read the assignment instructions carefully.
• Separate the different assignment requirements.
• Write down the questions from the instructions, leaving space in between each for you
to add your own notes.
• Ask your instructor for clarification if anything is unclear before starting the next step.
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Step 2: Research your Topic

• Make sure you fully understand the research requirements for your assignment. Not all
argumentative papers involve research.
o If you need to do research, make sure that you use reliable academic sources.
Wikipedia, for example, is neither a reliable nor an academic source.
o Sometimes, only peer-reviewed research is allowed. Read the assignment
carefully.
• Make sure you understand the ideas, concepts, arguments, and claims that each source
is presenting. If you don’t, it may not be the most suitable for your paper.
• The librarians at Alexander College can help you search for sources that you can
reference in your paper.

Step 3: Take a Position/Write a Thesis Statement

• Before you start writing, you should be able to state in one or two sentences exactly
what you want to argue in your essay.
o If you aren’t clear about your position, your audience won’t be convinced.
o For some assignments, it is okay to state your position using personal language
(e.g., “I argue that…”). However, most assignments require the use of objective
third-person language. If you aren’t sure which to use, ask your instructor.
• A thesis statement should be:
o Focused: It should tell the reader exactly what you are setting out to prove.
o Limited in scope: It should be specific enough to be explained within a single
paper.
o Arguable: Readers should be able to disagree with you.
o Supportable: There should be evidence to support your claims.
• Technically, there are no "right" or "wrong" answers. The important thing is that you
can give reasons and support for your argument.
• Remember that if your ideas change, you can revise your thesis later.

Step 4: Organize your Ideas and Research into an Outline

• Don’t skip the outlining step!
o Essay outlines help you organize your ideas into a logical sequence and keep
similar ideas together.
▪ Group related points into sections. Each major point will become a
paragraph for your essay supported by evidence and subpoints.
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o Remember to add your sources into your outline while you write. This helps you
avoid plagiarism.
▪ Make note of points that will need more evidence and research.

Give background
information to help
readers understand
Sample Essay Outline your topic

Section 1: Introduction
• Background information: Cellphones are banned in Ontario; B.C. tried to ban them but
failed (Benchetrit). Some B.C. schools have their own bans (Shen). Cite issues in
Use headings
academics, behavior, and mental health and have seen improvement (Shen).
to organize
your ideas • Thesis: To protect students and promote learning, cellphones must be banned from
classrooms in B.C.
Your thesis should
Section 2: Impacts on Learning be the end of your
• Distracting ex. notifications, texting, social media introduction

Group evidence o U.S. study, 72% teachers agree it’s a huge issue (Hatfield)
and subpoints o Having a phone on students’ desks alone has been found to impact their studies
together (Rowan qtd. in Katzel)
• Can use to cheat: easy to hide phone and look up answers during quizzes
• Access to misinformation
• Acknowledge counterargument: Some advantages ex. looking up definitions, using as a
Make a note of calculator (Note to self: find source for more details)
places where you o But there are more serious problems than there are benefits, like damage to
need to find
more information mental health

Section 3: Personal Impacts

• Classrooms should be a supportive space to promote students’ learning and wellbeing
• Direct impacts: cyberbullying (Abramson)
• Indirect impacts: damage of social media to self-image and self-esteem (Criddle; Wair)
• Breaks in use help lessen damaging cellphone and social media addictions (Katzenstein)

Section 4: Additional Counterarguments and Rebuttals

Remember
• Difficult to implement a ban (Benchetrit) to cite while
o Has been done successfully (Katzel; Shen) you write!

• If laptops are allowed, these problems are not solved

o Phones are easier to hide than laptops, can be an extra layer of distraction
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o Notifications, social media, and texting are more prevalent on cellphones (Note
to self: find source)

Section 5: Conclusion
• Restate thesis: To foster a safe and supportive learning environment, B.C. needs to
follow Ontario’s example and ban cellphones from classrooms.
• Reiterate benefits and importance of ban but recognize difficulties Explain how
you’ve proved
your argument

Step 5: Write Your Essay

You have an outline of your essay and a thesis statement. Your next task is to convince your
readers that your thesis is valid by presenting evidence and explaining what it means and why it
matters.
• Look at your outline. Your thoughts should be organized into sections, not paragraphs.
o Each section, aside from your introduction and conclusion, will likely become
more than one paragraph.
• Each paragraph should group together similar ideas to prove one main point that
supports your thesis. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that states your point.
Then, prove your point with evidence and analysis.
o When you begin to discuss a new idea, move on to a new paragraph.
o Remember to “cite as you write” and keep track of your sources.
o Your evidence should support your analysis. It is not sufficient to only have a list
of evidence, as it does not demonstrate how it relates to your thesis statement.
• When you are finished writing, make sure that your topic sentences and conclusion all
support your thesis.
o If they don’t, go back and revise your thesis, conclusion, and points.

Step 6: Proofread Your Essay

• Carefully proofread your essay multiple times. Check for grammar, flow, proper
citations, etc.
o Run a grammar check (MS Word) or proofreader (Mac Pages). While they don’t
catch every issue, they are helpful. Avoid AI tools like Grammarly which rewrite
your work for you; they count as plagiarism.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid in Argumentative Papers

Mistake 1 – Not Enough Support
Don’t overestimate the strength of your position. You must convince readers.
• Assume the person reading your essay disagrees with you and is asking “Why should I
accept that?” Explain to them with evidence to support your stance.

Mistake 2: Fence Sitting

Do not present many different positions and say you don’t know which you agree with.
• While it is good to acknowledge counterarguments, you are expected to make a clear
argument in favour of one position.

Mistake 3: Accusations of Falsehood

You cannot say a counterargument is false just because you disagree with it.
• You need to prove to readers why it is false. Your argument should be based on logic
and facts, not opinions.

Mistake 4: Everything but the Kitchen Sink

The “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” approach is when you include every point you can to
support your argument.
• This can make it hard to keep track of your ideas.
• Including weak points gives the impression you are unable to tell what makes a strong
argument.
It is better to cover less points in depth rather than more points very briefly.

Mistake 5: Circular Reasoning

Circular reasoning involves saying something is true because of its premises.
Example
Drugs are illegal because they are against the law.
In other words: Why are drugs illegal? Because they’re against the law. Why are they against
the law? Because they’re illegal. Being illegal and being against the law mean the same thing, so
this does not make sense as a definition.
Example
Drugs are illegal because they are harmful.
This claim is much better because it has a specific argument that it will address.
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Mistake 6: Arguing by Citation

Inexperienced writers often rely too heavily on quotations and paraphrases. They argue by
citation, allowing their sources to speak for them.
• Remember that your sources are there to support your points and provide evidence, not
to make points for you. You must explain why and how this evidence supports your
stance.
• Keep quotations and paraphrases to a minimum. Focus on explaining your ideas.

For additional help, please make an appointment with a WLC Academic Writing Specialist at:

https://alexander.mywconline.com/