Argument/Research Paper Outline
Some areas of each Roman Numeral may or may not apply to your essay.
I. INTRODUCTION
*Attention Getter is IMPORTANT
*Next, explain the current situation. What is the world like “as is” in relation to your issue? Why is it important? What drew you to this topic?
*You can include comments and quotations from an informal survey you conducted with people you know, you can also explain how other people you know feel about the subject.
*Mention misconceptions related to your topic, if any.
II. NARRATION
*Next you need to provide background information.
*What are the details to your problem?
*What is the struggle? Why is it a unique and complicated issue?
*Include examples to illustrate the struggle or issue.
*You can provide official statistics on the problem, current laws related to the topic, or the position the social majority has. This information should be coming from your research.
III. PARTITION
*Now you need to create a section that CLEARLY establishes your claim. Say to yourself, clear thesis = clear direction, clear thesis = clear direction, clear thesis = clear direction
*Explain the WHY of your thesis in a simple way (i.e. it will solve ____ issue).
IV. ARGUMENTS/ YOUR SIDE OF THE ISSUE
*Introduce the first perspective you are willing to look at. Explain how your solution will help the situation.
*Explore one main side of the issue.
*Provide evidence for any mini claim you make.
*Unpack your evidence.
*Provide more evidence.
*Unpack your evidence some more.
Repeat Step IV as many times as necessary. Keep in mind the length requirements of the essay.
V. REFUTATION & CONCESSION
*Now you need to consider the other side of the issue or the opposing argument.
*As you introduce one refutation point, answer it.
* Provide evidence.
*Unpack your evidence.
Step IV & V can be reversed in order, depending on the flow of your paper. Also, your refutation & concession section might be more than one paragraph.
VI. CONCLUSION
*Here is where you review the main points.
*Restate your thesis.
*Call to action. If you haven’t introduced any sort of solution in your essay, perhaps encourage others to become more aware of your topic.
*What does the future look like in relation to your topic?
