Gun-related violence is the leading cause of death in the USA

Gun-related violence is the leading cause of death in the USA

For the Argument-Persuasion Research paper you will choose a controversial issue and pick a side. You will try to persuade your reader that viewpoint is logical and valid. You will do this through solid evidence from outside sources and recognizing and refuting an opposing viewpoint (disprove view of the other side).

For this paper you will need to:

• Pick a controversial issue (one that has two sides)
• Take a stand on the issue (for or against)
• Include a strong introduction with an attention-getter
• Create a Thesis Statement
  1. Clearly states the controversial issue
  2. Clearly states your position on the issue (for or against)
  3. Includes your main points of support for the topic
• Include background information on the topic if necessary
  1. This will typically be a paragraph or shorter and is only to be used to help your reader understand your topic if necessary
  2. This is will typically go at the beginning of your essay to familiarize your reader with the topic
• Research at least 3 sources from the Library Databases or online sources to use in your paper
  1. Library Databases
     1. Academic Search Complete
     2. Opposing Viewpoints
  2. Online
     1. Credible sites like newspapers, magazines, etc.-no Wikipedia
  3. Successfully and effectively incorporate them into your paper (internal citations)
     1. This is the author’s last name and page number in parenthesis

• Recognize an opposing viewpoint and refute
  1. Only have to recognize one opposing viewpoint
  2. Acknowledge view and refute it to strengthen your argument
• Offer a course of action or a solution/proposal in your conclusion
• Turn in a Works Cited sheet in correct MLA format with your paper that includes all sources used.

Paper Requirements:

MLA format

Double spaced

1 inch margins

12 point Times New Roman font

Proper Heading (Name, Class, Date) and Header (Last name, pg #)

4-6 pages

3^rd person Point of View-avoid I, Me, We, You

No Contractions

Works Cited Page in MLA for all sources (min of 3)

Evidence in your paper is the way you show support for your main idea-thesis. This support can be shown in a variety of ways:

         Reasons

         Examples

         Facts

         Details

         Statistics

         Personal Observations or Experience

         Anecdotes

         Expert Opinions

         Quotations

*A useful Website to register with (this is free) in order to double check your citation is…

http://www.easybib.com

Potential Controversial topics:

Animal Rights (testing on animals, slaughterhouses, etc)

Censorship (schools, news, etc)

Healthcare Reform

Stem-cell research

Euthanasia

Gun control

Legalizing Drugs for medicinal purposes

Drinking age (raised or lowered)

Immigration Reform

Sample Outline

1. Introduction
   1. Attention-getter
   2. Background info
   3. Thesis (with topic, stand, and main points)
2. Body paragraphs
   1. Point 1
      1. Topic sentence
      2. Evidence to support point

• Explanation

1. Evidence to support point
2. Explanation
3. Transition to next idea

1. Point 2
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Evidence to support point

• Explanation

1. Evidence to support point
2. Explanation
3. Transition to next idea

1. Point 3
   1. Topic sentence
   2. Evidence to support point

• Explanation

1. Evidence to support point
2. Explanation
3. Transition to conclusion

• Conclusion
  1. Restate thesis
  2. Tie up loose ends
  3. Give solution. proposal/call to action