Controversial argumentative essay topics

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Argumentative essays are very popular projects in universities, especially inclasses such asEnglish composition, history, and political science, etc. Professors like to assign thembecause they want to see how well you can reason and support an argument. This article will not only show you how to choose argumentative essay topics, but it will also teach you how to write the project, as well!

List of Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics

What are the most controversial topics?

Controversial topics are often the result of such issues as conflicting ethical principles (e.g., euthanasia), going against traditional values (e.g., LGBT rights, gender roles), addressing societal taboos, focusing on delicate or painful issues/collective memories, or the existence of polarized groups in society having different beliefs/stances (e.g., religious groups, atheists, gun ownership supporters).
Here are some possible topics for hardworking students who want to achieve the best grades:

Argumentative Essay Topics for College

Argumentative essay writing is a crucial skill for every student. As a college student, you need to find a controversial or gray-area topic to argue against or for. Your argumentative essay should include deeply researched facts that will support your claims.

• What is the ideal age for obtaining the right to vote?
• Are mobile phones really making people anti-social?
• Why technology-aided learning should be a standard.
• Is socialism bad or have we never implemented it right?
• Equal opportunity or equity: Which one and why?
• Reasons why the modern political structure is ready for a change.
• Money wont give you happiness in life.
• We are living in the best era so far.
• The ruling elite should be held accountable in greater measure.

Argumentative Essay Topics for High School

• Are digital technologies a good thing for children?
• Is celebrity culture good or bad & why?
• Is there really a wage gap between men and women?
• Should countries get involved in military conflicts around the world?
• Is global warming really an issue & how?
• What are the effects of sexual education on students?
• Is migration good for the US and in what way?
• Should citizens have the right to own guns?
• Should sexual minorities have their own public bathrooms?
• Is traditional public education outdated and ready for an overhaul?

Argumentative Essay Topics about Family

The family is the fundamental unit of society, withdirect links to the individual. It influences/dictates many other higher level social processes/structures/hierarchies. Hence, its role for the individual and collective existence of humans is simply monumental. This makes it a topic worth researching and exploring from a sociological, cultural, and psychological perspective.

Moreover, given the current cultural transitions characterizing liberal societies, traditional values on the nature of the family unit have seen a dramatic shift due to a change in gender roles and the recognition of LGBT rights. Thus, families nowadays are facing existential questions; many of the aspects we grew accustomed to are being redefined (e.g., same-sex marriages and parents). Here is a short list of argumentative essay topics related to family:

• Should homosexual partners be allowed to adopt children?
• It is ok for a parent to physically discipline his child?
• Should mothers stay at home and look after children, or should they work like their husbands?
• Are children better off in two-parent households?
• Should someone who has been convicted of a sex crime be allowed to visit his own children?
• Should children be forcibly taken from their parents if the state feels that the parents are incompetent?
• What are the advantages and benefits of reading to children?
• Do you believe that same-sex couples make better or worse parents?
• What positive and negative long-term effects can corporal punishment have on children?
• Should families have a television in the house or not?

Society Essay Topics

We are all defined by the society we live in. Whether we are aware of this or not, our culture slowly carves our personalities as we grow up, mature, and age. This influence is exerted through the families who raise us, our friends or romantic partners, our teachers/professors and academic colleagues, our professional contacts, the churches we attend, and any other person we interact with on the street, on the phone, online, etc. One of the fundamental principles by which society functions states, My liberty ends where your liberty begins.

While this depicts the general spirit, every individual situation/social relationship is characterized by peculiar circumstances that all need to be considered in order to reach a mutually satisfying solution (or at least a compromise). Societies worldwide are undergoing serious changes nowadays, changes which also need to be addressed. Below is a selection of argumentative essay topics related to society:

• Should abortion be legal or illegal?
• Do you believe that a person who is terminally ill has a right to assisted suicide?
• Should private businesses be allowed to discriminate against their clients based on race, gender, or sexual orientation?
• What should countries do to address the problem of illegal immigration?
• Should the Church play a more active role in government and society?
• Is the death penalty an effective deterrent to criminals?
• Should countries have a social safety net that protects the needy and the disadvantaged?
• Do you think that those receiving welfare payments should be required to actively seek work?
• What positive and negative effects does globalization have on societies?
• Does diversity in the workplace increase or decrease tension?

Argumentative Essay Topics on Immigration

Immigration is a controversial topic that has been discussed often over the past decade, which makes it perfect for an argumentative essay. It allows you to give strong reasons behind supporting, rejecting, or changing how immigration is handled.

• How opening all the borders in the world will cause chaos.
• Situations in which illegal immigration should be justified.
• How do countries benefit from immigration?
• Why stopping wars is the best way to prevent immigration.
• Reasons why people want to emigrate to another country.
• Will building walls stop illegal immigration?
• Should refugees running away from conflict be seen as illegals?
• Why are there so many people against immigration?
• What are the effects of immigration on the economy?
• Should governments increase screening of immigrants from the Middle East?

Law Topic Ideas

To manage the complexity of interactions that occur daily within society (involving individuals or groups of people, ranging from property owners to employers and employees to commercial entities to criminals to foreigners, etc.), a clear and transparent set of rules must be implemented. This is a fundamental prerequisite of every society, even from ancient times.

Writing legislation, however, is an ongoing process; and given the speed with which new technologies appear nowadays and the shifts in mentalitywe undergo on a regular basis, adopting laws to help manage any problem that may emerge is quite a challenge. In fact, adopting a law might solve one problem but create others, so oftentimes, it is a cycle of trial and error.

• Should federal bureaucracies be allowed to pass regulations that have the same weight as laws passed by legislative bodies?
• Would Great Britain be better off if the House of Lords had veto power over the House of Commons?
• Should judges make their rulings based on the wording of the law, or should they make rulings that benefit society?
• Do you believe that states should be able to nullify federal law and rulings made by the Supreme Court if they believe such laws and rulings violate their rights as sovereign republics in the Union?
• Does the Second Amendment allow for ordinary citizens to own firearms, or does it only relegate these rights to militias?
• Does the Supreme Court of the United States have too much power over the other branches of government?
• Should birthright citizenship be abolished by Congress?
• Is it a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment for states to deny the franchise to criminals?
• Is it a violation of the Fourth Amendment for the NSA to collect meta data?
• Should prosecuting a child as an adult be considered by the Supreme Court to be a violation of the Eighth Amendment?

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Ethics Argumentative Essay Topics

Ethics deals with the challenge of making the right decisions from the standpoint of moral values. Oftentimes, it is involved when discussing conflicting subjects those in which, at first sight, both conflicting positions seem to havevalid reasoning and appear to be driven by high moral principles.

By delving deeper into these problems, it is often possible to see additional layers, to learn about specific circumstances, and typical case scenarios and also to dissect problems and reflect both on their causes and potential solutions. Here are a few argumentative essay topics on some ethically controversial issues:

• Do you believe that a priest or psychologist ought to be required by law to share the contents of their conversations with parishioners and patients with the police?
• Is it ethical for a doctor to deny treatment to a patient who cannot afford an operation?
• Is it right for a college to have racial quotas that benefit minorities while denying entrance to academically gifted white and Asian students?
• Should someone be allowed to use a gun to defend his home from an intruder?
• Should the First Amendment protect speech that might be considered offensive by some?
• Is it ethical to require sex offenders to have their names listed on registries visible to the public?
• Is it morally acceptable to offer a white lie to someone when the truth might hurt their feelings?
• Should prostitution be a legal career?
• Do you think that drug use should be legalized?
• Should hunting be considered cruelty to animals?

History Argumentative Essay Topics

History can be viewed as the collective memory of humankind. It typically records significant or remarkable events affecting many people or signifying important societal, cultural, or economic changes or transitions. The chief practical motivation for learning history is to avoid repeating past human errors. History also has great intrinsic value since it describes our evolution from hunter-gatherers to individuals living in extremely sophisticated societies.

Some major events on this road include the creation of laws and the rise of capitalism, money, state institutions, constitutions, and the idea of separation of powers in a state. Many recent historical events help us understand current relationships and processes occurring between countries and within societies. Check out the following topics:

• Was colonialism beneficial to the Third World, or was it harmful?
• Was Adolf Hitler right to demand that territory formerly belonging to Germany be returned to it?
• Should President Abraham Lincoln have allowed the Southern states to leave the Union peacefully?
• Do you believe that the United States was justified in expelling the Native Americans from regions inhabited by white settlers?
• Was the Soviet Union justified in occupying Eastern Europe at the end of the Second World War?
• What were the causes of the US-Mexican War, and what effects does it have on the world today?
• What were the primary causes of the Indo-Pak Wars following the dissolution of British India?
• Was Reconstruction of the American South following the American Civil War a success or a failure?
• Why was Prussia successful in unifying Germany into a single nation?
• What effect did the invention of the cotton gin have on American agriculture?

Conflict Essay Topics

The majority of conflict essay topics are dealing with challenging subjects like armed conflicts, crises, workplace issues, student debts, bullying, and more. The purpose is to identify a conflict, turn to an existing case study, and provide sources that will support an argument. Here are some conflict essay ideas that you should consider:

• The religious constituent of conflict between Israel and Palestine.
• The role of mediation in multicultural conflicts.
• Parents and teens conflict: psychology vs physiology.
• How do NGOs impact the human rights of females in India?
• Covid-19 and Alitalia workplace conflict.
• Konrad Lorenz and his theory of violence and conflict.
• Peaceful conflict resolution: Gandhi vs Tolstoy.
• Johan Galtung and Norwegian approach to world conflicts.
• Social media conflicts: where do we cross the line?
• An ethical side of religious conflicts and politics.

Argumentative Essay Topics on Health

Health topics can be very broad in their scope, ranging from a discussion of various medical conditions to arguing in favor of new treatment approaches; revealing new evidence regarding the causes of certain diseases (e.g., allergies); problems faced by the healthcare system and ways to best address them; various medical practices; the influence of modern lifestyle on our health; myths about a healthy lifestyle (and their debunking); and problems with untrustworthy medically related information on the web and how to address said problem.

• Do you believe that healthcare should be free for all?
• Should prisoners in the United States have the same access to healthcare as do free persons?
• Is it ethical to perform medical experiments on animals?
• Should medical knowledge gained from experiments performed on people in Nazi concentration camps be used today?
• Is it better to have a private or public healthcare system?
• How should the United States cope with an increasingly aging population?
• Should people with sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDs, be forcibly quarantined?
• Is drug and alcohol addiction a disease?
• Should military service members be allowed to sue military doctors for medical malpractice?
• How are 21st century social conditions affecting peoples health?
• Reasons why child vaccination is mandatory in some countries.
• Objective facts that show how cosmetic surgery is dangerous.
• Medical drugs should be cheaper and available to everyone.
• How to recognize unfactual medical advice that can be encountered online?

Psychology Argumentative Topics Ideas

As a psychology student, you need to find interesting topics that are relevant to the field of psychology. Students need to use theirknowledge, research, and analyticskills to write essays with reliable information that supports their claims.

• Why is love often the topic of music lyrics?
• How marketing subconsciously affects our minds.
• Main reasons why kids learn to play instruments faster.
• How emotions affect our actions and behaviour.
• How is cyberbullying harmful to personal development?
• How music rewires our brains and affects our development.
• Why modern people need to prepare themselves for parenthood.
• Why is a sense of humour different depending on the culture?
• How bad experiences can lead to nightmares.
• How social media creates bad values with children.

Argumentative Essay Topics on Education

Education is vital in the shaping of our future. The current generation of students will one day be in positions of power and manage the future of our society. Accordingly, we should attend to the needs of the current generation and ensure their harmonious and qualitative intellectual, moral, and physical development. We should also help them not only to adapt to the requirements of these times but also to have the skills, wisdom, and determination necessary to progress in the right direction (addressing current global problems).

Here is a list of topics:

• Should children with special needs be taught separately from normal children?
• Should standardized test scores be used to determine whether or not a student graduates?
• Do you believe that Common Core will benefit the American education system?
• Should the curriculum in public schools be determined by local communities or by the state?
• Which system is better: teacher-centered or student-centered education?
• Should schools include athletics as part of school life, or should school be solely for academic purposes?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of a classical education?
• Compare and contrast learning methodologies of the 19th and 20th centuries.
• How can parents facilitate learning in the classroom?
• Should teachers be friends with their students?
• Should middle-school students choose their subjects?
• How to balance free speech and regulations on campus.
• How the COVID-19 pandemic made distance learning mainstream.
• Why are younger generations ready to switch to online learning?

Topics on Foreign Policy

The topics below address international diplomacy, discussing such issues as armed conflicts, frozen conflicts, commercial treaties and commercial wars, military alliances or cooperation, weapons commerce, peace-keeping operations, and traditional and emerging ties between countries.

The foreign policy of a country is often determined by politics, national interests, economic circumstances, social issues (e.g., low tolerance against immigrants), values, and traditions as well as any history of diplomatic ties. Feel free to check the options below for inspiration:

• Should the United States engage in rapprochement with Russia?
• Do you believe that the European Union is beneficial to Europe?
• Is it a good policy for the EU and NATO to expand in Eastern Europe?
• Should the United States guarantee the security of South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan against China, Russia, and North Korea?
• Is Great Britain justified in leaving the European Union?
• What should Ukraines foreign policy be as a result of American and Russian interference in her domestic affairs?
• Should South and North Korea unify, or should they remain separate countries?
• What foreign policy objectives should the Biden administration pursue?
• How can Russia and the United States achieve a lasting peace in Syria that is beneficial to both nations and Syria?
• How has terrorism affected the foreign policies of the United States and Russia?

Economics Argumentative Essay Topics

A strong economy is essential for the well-being of a nation since it serves as the engine for individual prosperity, infrastructure projects benefiting millions, well-financed medicine, education, and the militarywhich, in turn, is the guarantor of national safety.

Argumentative essay topics related to the economy may deal with policies regarding economic development (tax cuts versus increased taxation for big corporations/small and medium enterprises; protectionism versus joining free-trade treaties), socio-economic doctrine (socialism/communism/capitalism), the investigation of reasons behind economic crises, indices of a strong economy, and how to solve economic problems in developing countries.

• Should developed nations adopt socialism?
• Which economic system is better for society: capitalism or socialism?
• What are some of the reasons why communism failed in the Soviet Union?
• Is buying shares speculation or is it investing?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of an economy oriented towards exporting commodities?
• What were the causes of the recession of 2008, and how might such an economic downturn be avoided in the future?
• Did President Roosevelts New Deal policies help to end the Great Depression, or did they protract Americas economic woes?
• What economic policies should Third World countries adopt to improve their global status?
• Should countries adopt protectionist or free-trade policies?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages to being in a customs union?

Military Science Topic Ideas

According to a popular saying, if you dont want to feed your own army, be prepared to feed the enemys army this summarizes the role played by the military for any given nation. While, according to the statistics of the last decades, we seem to be moving away from wars, these still occur and given the weaponry of today, they can be very destructive.

Nowadays, military science is not only concentrated on the use of strategies and tactical maneuvers but also on the mastery of a number of advanced technologies (nuclear weapons, drones, AI-powered devices, lasers, satellites).

• Can wars be won solely by strategic bombing, or are ground forces necessary to achieve victory?
• Can mechanized units be used to take urban areas, or is light infantry, supported by artillery and aircraft, better suited for this role?
• When waging a counterinsurgency in another country, should reprisals be taken against civilians in order to deter them from aiding the opposition force?
• Is it morally acceptable to use chemical and biological munitions as area denial weapons?
• What role did sea power play in the emergence of Great Britain as the premier superpower of the 19th century?
• Why, despite arguably having the best army in the world, did Germany still lose the Second World War?
• In a total war, where the objective is to replace the enemys government and completely occupy his country, do the means justify the ends?
• Are aircraft carriers still useful on the modern battlefield, or have they been rendered obsolete by recent developments in air and submarine warfare?
• Should the United States military seek to weaponize space?
• Can artificial intelligence and machines replace soldiers on the battlefield?

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Sports Argumentative Essay Topics

Are you a sports fan? Even if you are not, you can still pick relevant and interesting subjects to discuss and explore in your upcoming assignment. First, you will have to choose your position and make sure you have a clear idea of your thesis statement. Then, you will have to come up with relevant evidence to support both sides of the argument. Check this list of controversial essay topics in relation to sports:

• Stereotyping for college athletes: Is playing sports going to affect your academic level?
• Cheerleading is a real sport: Are cheerleaders shamed for what they like to do the most?
• Colleges spend too much money on sports programs.
• Animal sports should be banned and criminalized.
• The types of ads broadcast during sports events watched by children and teenagers should be controlled.
• Betting on all kinds of sports contradicts with the main purpose of practicing them.
• Male and female athletes should be given the same salaries and chances.
• Chess is a real sport that trains the most important organ in the body: the brain.
• Is American football too dangerous for players?
• Do elite athletes really deserve their enormous income?

6th-Grade Argumentative EssayTopicIdeas

For a middle-school student, picking the right topic for your upcoming essay can be a real challenge. Although you might think that you are better off when your teacher assigns the topic, it can be fun to make the choice on your own. Here are some topics that are appropriate for hardworking students who want to achieve the best grades.

• Should education be free for everyone?
• Why are children becoming more obese?
• Current academic grading system: Is it fair?
• What are the negative effects of following a nutritional diet?
• Getting enough sleep: Is it receiving enough attention?
• Should children and teens be playing dangerous sports?
• Should violent video games be prohibited by law?
• What is the effect of mobile phones on children and teens?
• Parents should have no control over the lives of their children once they turn 16.
• Are children and teens doing what they have to do to overcome globalization?

8th-Grade Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

• Smokers should avoid smoking when non-smokers are nearby.
• Why taking care of your diet is important.
• What makes pop culture so appealing to the younger population?
• How is reality tv actually different from reality?
• Why people in important positions make more money.
• Why teachers shouldnt add students on social media.
• Why everyone should have access to the internet.
• How the environment affects our growth as a person.
• Differences in social pressure girls and boys face.

Argumentative Essay Topics on Technology

Technology plays a crucial part in our lives, and this role keeps on growing every single day. Ourtechnological breakthrough is currently improving the quality of life for millions of people, but it is also changing life as we know it. Here are some controversial topics to write about:

• Is technology turning us into present-day zombies?
• Is technology making people feel lonely?
• Online dating: Is it replacing the real thing?
• Is technology limiting creativity in young people?
• Do you think that humanity will reach a point where there is no chance for any technological advancement?
• Spending money on exploring space: the cost and the benefits.
• The effect of technology on education.
• Is technology making people smarter or dumber?
• Can technology be used to treat human problems related to feelings?
• Should cloning be allowed or banned?

Social Media Argumentative Topics

The rise in popularity of different social media platforms has caused a lot of changes across the globe. For starters, memes and trends spread too fast that one single meme can be viewed and shared by millions of people in one hour. Privacy, safety, and social responsibility are becoming extremely important as more people are relying on social media to communicate, study, work, and affect the lives of others.

• What is the right age to allow children to have their own private social media accounts?
• Does spending too much time on social media ruin family and personal relationships?
• Social media pranks and challenges: Are they really dangerous?
• Social media platforms can change someones point of view and bias.
• Should social media platforms be monitored and controlled?
• Are funny memes ethical?
• Reporting offensive social media content: Is it really worth it?
• International trends and how they affect the way we behave.
• Are YouTubers responsible for comments their fans publish on their posts?
• Making money off social media.

Funny Argumentative Essay Topics

Who said that education shouldnt be fun? Picking the right funny topics will spice up the atmosphere in class and stir up a few laughs. Here are some ideas to think about before you decide on the topic of your next paper.

• Why do people like to watch funny cat videos?
• The reason why more people are interested in watching funny pranks.
• Our world would be different if dogs ruled it.
• Why are clowns frightening?
• Pretending that you are actually working: Is it good or bad?
• Teenagers have the worst pay for the worst jobs.
• Reasons to love and hate your last name.
• How to get rejected on a date.
• Annoying your parents: Is it worth it?
• Telling lies and getting away with them.

Rogerian Argument Essay Topics

When a college professor asks you to come up with a Rogerian argument essay, it means that you should provide an essay with argumentation where both sides win. It may seem quite complex as it takes a great share of analysis, persuasion, debates, and study of the counter-arguments that are often contradictory or go against the most common logic. The solution is to choose a Rogerian argument where your audience should see at least two examples of an issue or the same idea like it has been done below:

• Should Bitcoin be made a fully legal currency as a way to maintain the world's economy?
• Should more skilled people be provided with better job positions?
• Are current school examination systems fair to determine a child's success?
• Should college athletes be paid more because they represent an educational institution?
• Is Internet censorship an advantage since it provides control?
• Marketing on children's television: is it a correct or a totally wrong approach?
• Should school uniforms be permitted as a way to achieve equality?
• Does automation help us as we become fully dependent on technology?
• Is punishment of children a way to bring up well-behaved personalities?
• Should boarding schools still exist as a way to let students communicate and live in a restricted learning environment?

These lists provide amazing ideas that you can use in your upcoming assignment. Browse them and make sure you choose a relevant topic to discuss in your writing.

What are good topics for college essays?

Good college essays may explore problems or challenges faced by students or youth, career choices, educational opportunities, and inspiring people; they may also address global or local challenges faced by the current generation of students, the dangers and potential they will be exposed to, and the change they need to bring to this world.

These topics can also serve as very good argumentative speech topics, too!

The Principles of Formatting Academic Papers

Academic papers are normally required to abide by a specific formatting style that is characteristic to the field (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.). This preference for a given formatting style is primarily dictated by the nature of the content and the type of in-text citations, bibliography, and formatting of the page header and/or footer that works best with such content.

MLA uses the author-page number format for in-text citations and lists the first names of the authors in the bibliography section. This isbetter suited for precisely referencing information in humanitarian subjects, characterized by long works written by one or fewauthors.

In contrast, APA uses an author-year format and is thus better suited for sciences. Mentioning the year as part of in-text citations makes it easy to visualize the chronology of the research cited in the paper. At the same time, APA collapses first names in the bibliography section to initials, which is very handy when the number of authors involved is large, a frequent scenario in scientific publications. Finally, providing page numbers, in this case, makes less sense given that scientific publications are typically short and often published in online documents without explicit numbering.

To take a shortcut and save lots of time, you could download and use templates for the appropriate formatting styles. The most basic elements required by a given format would be accounted for in these templates: margins, font size, page headers, indentation, first level and second level headings, the format of bibliography sources, page numbering, footnotes and endnotes, title pages, etc.

How to Prepare Your Essay

There are multiple steps you should take in order to write an essay of excellent quality:

• Research your argumentative essay ideas

Whatever topic you choose, you are going to have to do some reading up on itbecause chances are that you dont know as much about the subject as you think you do.

The best research strategy is to find five reputable sources that support your argumentative essay ideas and read each of them while taking down notes on the sections you find relevant. For each source you use, write down the title of the book, the name of the author, and the publishing information as well as the page numbers where you took the information. This will come in handy when youputtogether your bibliography.

• Brainstorming

To organize your thoughts, you should engage in a brainstorming exercise called pre-writing. Get out a piece of paper and a pen and start scribbling down every thought related to your project. Go through this list youve created and eliminate any idea that you believe wont help you while keeping those you can use. Eventually, you will have a list of words and sentences that you can use to formulate the text of your essay.

• Outlining

Outlining is the process where you organize your text before you begin writing. On a blank piece of paper, write your thesis statement down; underneath it, write short sentences that summarize what you want to say for each paragraph in your main body. For your conclusion, write a short sentence in plain language that restates your argument, demands a call-to-action, or leaves a warning.When you have a completed argumentative essay outline, you will have a step-by-step guide that you can follow.

• Writing

Once you begin writing your argumentative research paper topic or social issues essay topic, follow the structure you wrote down as best as youcanbutat the same time, dont be a slave to it. You are the master of your work, and if you believe that you should try something different in your paper than what you have written in your outline, by all means, do it.

Do not do all of your writing on the same day. Work on your project a little bit at a time so you dont have to cram to get everything done at the last minute. If you have to write your entire essay in one day, do your best to give yourself breaks so you dont burn out.

• Proofreading

When you are done with your essay, check it not only for grammatical errors but also for logical fallacies as well. Useful note: aside frombuying college essays,you can also contact an editing service. Alternatively, consider showing the final version of the essay to a family member or friend.

To sum up, when writing your argumentative essay, you should follow these guidelines: identify reliable sources addressing the topic and write down all relevant bibliographic details to identify the sources later; research your question, search for evidence supporting your arguments and refuting or supporting your counterarguments; take notes throughout the process; brainstorm ideas to be included in the paper; outline the structure of the essay; do the writing, and proofread the final product.

Structure

Every professor pays attention to the structure of the submitted essay, especially the argumentative one. Thisis why you should master it and be confident while writing. Here is a basic argumentative essay structure for you to follow:

• Introduction

The introduction is where you introduce your topic to the reader. Here you should write your thesis statement, a one- to two-sentence statement that summarizes the position you will take in your essay. Be logical. Narrow down your thoughts and be straightforward. Your thesis statement is the most important part of your essay as it shows your position regarding the topic. Demonstrate your attitude towards the topic and support it with arguments in the body paragraphs.

• Main body

Here you must present valid evidence to support whatever claim you made in your thesis statement. Place this information in the body of your composition in a manner that seems logical to you. Make sure you present your supporting facts in a way your audience can understand. Start every paragraph with a topic sentence that supports the thesis. Continue with the evidence you found in outside sources. You can provide a direct quotation or paraphrase. Remember to cite it properly in order to avoid any plagiarism accusations. Later on, interpret this piece of evidence; show how you understand it and how it relates to the topic. Finish the paragraph with a concluding sentence, providing a short summary of the paragraph along with a transition to the next passage of the essay.

• Refutation

After presenting the evidence for your argumentative essay topic and backing up your claims, you must then refute opposing arguments. Use evidence such as statistics and expert opinion that contradicts and disproves the position of your opponent. Do not be afraid that it will worsen your own position regarding the chosen topic. On the contrary, it will help you demonstrate your ability to contradict your opponents arguments and stick to your opinion.

• Conclusion

Once you have presented your evidence and have refuted the positions of your opponents, it is time to write your conclusion. You can do several things with your conclusion. You can restate your argument, which is a very common practice amongst essayists. You might also consider calling on your audience to engage in a specific action or behaviora call-to-action. Also, you can leave your audience with a warning, telling them that there might be dire consequences if they do not take your arguments seriously.

What are the fiveparts of an argumentative essay?

A standard argumentative essay consists of five paragraphs: one paragraph containing the thesis (the claim); two paragraphs with supporting arguments/evidence; a paragraph listing potential counterarguments along with their rebuttal; and a paragraph with a persuasive conclusion.

Tips for Choosing Good Argumentative Essay Topics

Which idea should you go for? Theoretically speaking, we could say that the sky's the limit; however, you should follow certain guidelines when deciding your next brilliant writing idea for your upcoming essay or paper.

• It should be interesting:

The idea of your next piece of writing should be subject to debate. In other words, you should be able to do the necessary research to find differing opinions regarding the idea you have chosen. It also should be interesting to you, your professor, and the audience who will most likely read or listen to your essay. It is difficult to write about a topic that you personally find boring or dull. Since you have the opportunity to choose your topic, choose wisely. The more interesting your idea is, the better you will be able to write about it. You should also make sure you have the knowledge needed to work on your writing. Being able to choose your own idea gives you an excellent chance to excel.

• Avoid using pure facts:

An interesting argumentative essay should be controversial. You shouldnt depend purely on facts because the purpose of your assignment is to express an opinion. Students might be tempted to rely on facts only; but to make a good argument, you should also be able to state what you think. Researching to find appropriate argumentative essay ideas will take some time, but it is totally worth it. You should also do some brainstorming to come up with relevant evidence to include in your paper.

• Your topic shouldnt be too wide:

When you look for controversial topics, you might be tempted to choose subjects that are way too broad to discuss. This can be a real problem when you are writing because you will get lost or overwhelmed. The more specific your essay or paper is, the better the quality of your writing will be. A very wide topic is going to be confusing for you as well as for your audience.

• You shouldnt be biased:

There are many issues that may interest you. But when you pick one, make sure you dont have extremely strong feelings about it. When you are working on the proposal of your writing, try to choose a subject that is not too sensitive and touches you on a personal level. The purpose of your writing is to provide your audience with a persuasive piece of writing. By picking the right subject and working on your thesis statement, your essay will have relevant evidence that makes it worth reading.

• Work on your evidence:

Just because you believe in something doesnt necessarily mean that it is good enough to be included in your writing. It is crucial to back yourself up with sufficient supportive pieces of evidence to validate your viewpoint. Spend time to do adequate research to provide enough evidence for your opinion and the opposing opinion at the same time. This proves that you have worked hard to support your argument by using reliable information.

• You can take the risk:

Topics for argumentative essays should be special and unique. This is your chance to stand out and pick something that others might have tried to avoid. Dont be scared to take the risk if it is properly calculated. Common themes are way too boring and will not deliver the message you mean to send to your audience. But if you are going to choose a unique and controversial topic, you should make sure you can provide enough information. Include enough data to argue for both sides of the argument.

Read also: 60 Narrative Essay Topics for Students

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