Argument Essay

From elementary school to the upper echelons of a university education, nearly every student will be called upon to write an argument essay during the course of his or her academic career.  Without a doubt, the argument essay is one of the most challenging, but fun, essays to write.  Still, many learners find it difficult to write good, let alone great, argument essays.

An argument essay is not merely a compilation of facts.  Those facts must support the argument itself.  The writer must use facts and research, not opinions, to establish a connection between his or her statement(s) and the evidence presented in the argument article.  For this reason, argument essays have to be logical presentations, not emotional arguments.  Although the writer may indeed be passionate about the topic, the report has to remain logical.

Many students fall short when writing argument essays because they fail to fully make their point.  That is why it is important to use rational reasoning, to connect each point to the argument itself, and to use credible references and language throughout the course of the argument article.

Like any academic paper, an argument report should have an introduction which gives an overview of the topic and which contains a clear and rational thesis statement.  In an argument essay, this thesis statement is the argument itself.  The body of the document should contain the facts which support the argument, followed by a conclusion which restates the thesis and concludes the argument.

Each body paragraph of an argument report should contain at least one supporting point and a thorough reasoning as to why the point supports the thesis.  It is also a good idea to include a bit about how the supporting point refutes the opposition.  However, it is important to note that some instructors might want students to focus on only one side of an argument or the other rather than using their argument essay to present both sides or even include any refuting evidence in their document.

The conclusion of an argument report should never include new information.  It should only summarize what has already been presented within the body of the argument essay and connect the dots between the thesis statement and the evidence.  Since the thesis statement is often considered the most important sentence of any report or essay, it should be restated in the conclusion.  A conclusion can also include a call to action or emphasize the need for further investigation into the topic.

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