Element 1:
Introduce your topic and state as clearly as you can your
argument regarding that topic.
• Identify the important aspects of the problem
• Define the key terms in the issue (for example, “homelessness” or “freedom”
are terms that must be specifically defined within the context of your paper).
Put most simply, your task in this part of the researched argument answer as fully as you can the following essential question about your issue: What is the problem or issue?
Element 2:
Describe the origins and causes of the controversy you have chosen to write about:
• What are the historical dimensions of this controversy? That is, where does
the issue come from? What started the controversy?
• What are the causes of this problem?
Put most simply, your task in this paper is to answer as fully as you can the following essential questions about your issue: How did it begin and what causes it?
Element 3:
Get into the substance of your argument by evaluating what is at the heart of your controversy. It is in this part of your paper that you put forth your opinion regarding the issue in an attempt to persuade your reader about its nature. Listed below are some questions for you to consider. Answering those questions will help you clarify what it is you’re actually arguing about.
• What makes it a good or bad thing?
• Should it be sought or avoided?
• Is it right or wrong?
• Is it better or worse than something else?
• Is it more or less desirable than any alternative?
Element 4:
Address what should be done regarding the issue you are addressing. It is in this part of your draft that you put forth your opinion and/or proposals regarding the issue in an attempt to persuade your readers to pursue a course of behavior or action. Here are some key questions to consider:
• Should some action be taken?
• What actions or policies are possible or desirable?
• How will the proposed actions or policies change the current state of affairs?
• How will the proposed changes make things different? In what ways? For whom?
• In what ways are your proposals different/similar/better than others that have
been proposed?
This section should include relevant rebuttals to your argument. How might people challenge your argument? What relevant concerns do they have about your proposals? How do you respond to those claims?
