The Basics of a Good Argument
Now that you understand the basic elements of an essay, it is time to start developing your argument. These are essential steps to building a strong argument:
1. Determine your thesis:
2. Decide on your main points:
3. Strongly support each point with evidence:
4. Concede opposing views:
5. End with a strong conclusion:
1. Determine your thesis:
- Make sure it is appropriate for the type of paper you have been assigned. Make sure you stay on topic (e.g. stick to the time frame given in the assignment) and keep it sufficiently formal.
- Make sure you can argue it properly within the assigned length. Trying to cover too much material in a short paper leads to weak, shallow arguments. Keep your thesis refined and focussed.
2. Decide on your main points:
- All main points should support your thesis.
- Brainstorm as many supporting points as you can come up with. Eliminate any that don't clearly support your thesis or that you couldn't write about in detail. Combine related points. Edit your list until you are left with only your best points. Make sure you are planning to write about a sufficient number of points (neither too many nor too few for the length of paper you have been assigned).
- Figure out how you will organize your points for greatest impact. For most papers it is best to discuss your weakest point first and build up to your strongest point. An outline can really help with this part of the essay writing process.
3. Strongly support each point with evidence:
- Good evidence is accurate (no mistakes, everything you said is truthful), verifiable (someone could look it up and double check its accuracy), reliable (from a trustworthy source typically written by an expert in the field), recent (the most up-to-date information on the topic), relevant (appropriate for your topic) and sufficient (there is enough of it to prove that your point is correct).
- Find your evidence by conducting thorough research. See the Research Skills section of the Skills Workshop for tips on conducting quality research.
4. Concede opposing views:
- Make yourself aware of other viewpoints on the same topic.
- It is okay to acknowledge other opinions within your essay, but be sure to refute them or you will weaken your argument. This process is called concession and refutation.
5. End with a strong conclusion:
- Before you even begin to write, it is a good idea to know where you want to go. At the end of your essay, you will have given your readers a lot of new information. Figure out what you expect them to do with that information before you write your first draft.