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How To Write An Argumentative Essay: The Complete Tutorial


Argumentative essays (also called persuasive essays) are papers that require you to choose a topic, choose a viewpoint on that topic, and try to convince others that your viewpoint is correct with some well-chosen arguments. Writing an argumentative essay for the first time may seem a bit daunting, but it doesn’t have to be, because we’ve created a complete tutorial about exactly how to go about writing an excellent persuasive paper.

Choose the right topic and stance

The best way to start any paper, including an argumentative essay, is to choose the right topic. A good topic for a persuasive paper is one that is controversial, in order to provide lots of fuel for an interesting debate. The topic you choose should also interest you or have some personal meaning for you, as it’s much easier to write passionately about something that matters to you. Once you’ve chosen a suitable topic, you need to decide what your stance on the issue will be. Again, try to choose a stance that you actually agree with, as this will make your paper much easier to write, and a lot more convincing.

Research your topic properly

The next step to writing a great argumentative essay is to research your topic thoroughly. Spend some time on the Internet or at the library learning as much as possible about your chosen topic. This is an important step, because you can’t write a good paper about an issue you know nothing about.

Write a strong outline

After you’ve done your research, you need to write a strong outline for your paper. Every paper needs an introduction, some paragraphs that make up the body of the paper, and a conclusion, so start with that and tailor it to your own paper.

Start writing the body of your paper

Now that you’ve got a decent outline, you can flesh it out by writing the body of your argumentative essay. Don’t worry if you don’t stick to your outline completely, as it’s mainly there to guide you. You can change the layout of your paper to fit what you’ve actually written afterwards.

Edit and proofread your paper

After you’ve written the first draft of your argumentative essay, you need to edit it. Read through it and make sure all your ideas flow logically through your paper. Also make sure that you haven’t left out any vital information, or added too much irrelevant information. When you’ve edited your work to your satisfaction, you can proofread it to find and correct any spelling or grammatical errors.

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