Writing an Research-based Argument Essay:

Guidelines and Helpful Hints from the Purdue OWL

Part One: Drafting a Thesis Statement

Types of Claims

Use one of the following types of claims to focus your thesis on one particular aspect of your broader
topic.

Claims of fact or definition: These claims argue about what the definition of something is or whether
something is a settled fact. Example: What some people refer to as global warming is actually nothing more
than normal, long-term cycles of climate change.

Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event
to occur. Example: The popularity of SUV's in America has caused pollution to increase.

Claims about value: These are claims made of what something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we
would rate or categorize something. Example: Global warming is the most pressing challenge facing the world
today.

Which type of claim is right for your argument? Which type of thesis or claim you use for your argument
will depend on your position and knowledge of the topic, your audience, and the context of your paper.
Regardless of the type of claim you choose to utilize it is key to identify the controversy or debate you are
addressing and to define your position early on in the paper.

Developing Strong Thesis Statements

The thesis statement or main claim must be debatable. An argumentative piece of writing must begin
with a debatable thesis or claim. In other words, the thesis must be something that people could
reasonably have differing opinions on.

Example of a non-debatable thesis statement: Pollution is bad for the environment.

This thesis statement is not debatable. First, the word pollution means that something is bad or negative
in some way. Further, all studies agree that pollution is a problem; they simply disagree on the impact it
will have or the scope of the problem. No one could reasonably argue that pollution is good.

Example of a debatable thesis statement: At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on
limiting pollution.

This is an example of a debatable thesis because reasonable people could disagree with it. Some people
might think that this is how we should spend the nation's money. Others might feel that we should be
spending more money on education, or they might argue about who should be spending the money.

Another example of a debatable thesis statement: America's anti-pollution efforts should focus on
privately owned cars.

In this example there is also room for disagreement between rational individuals. Some citizens might
think focusing on recycling programs rather than private automobiles is the most effective strategy.
Part Two: Note-Taking and Outlining without Plagiarism

When you take notes on your topic, you MUST include the citation information for the source. Take notes
ONLY after you have completed a Works Cited entry for the source. That entry should be in MLA format
at the top of your notes or outline. Your notes will be graded on your ability to use proper MLA citation
and how well you balance quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing other writers’ work.

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the
source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must
also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage,
taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s).
Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are
significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

Mark your notes and outline with a Q for quoting, P for paraphrase, and S for summary. All three (Q,P,S)
require in-text citation and complete citation on the Works Cited page at the end of your essay.

Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words

A paraphrase is...
 your own rendition of someone else’s ideas presented in a new form.
 one legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
 a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

 it is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
 it helps you control the temptation to quote too much.
 the mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the
original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this
material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your
paraphrase.
4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the
essential information in a new form.
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from
the source.
6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you
decide to incorporate the material into your paper.
Paraphrasing: Examples

The original passage:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in
the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly
quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials
while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:

In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable
level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material
recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of
quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the
final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted
material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

Paraphrasing Exercise

Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a paraphrase of each of the following passages. Read until
you understand, then write a paraphrase without looking back at the original passage. Include a
complete citation at the top of your paraphrase.

1. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of
those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk
of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head.
From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

2. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern
artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as
essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces
the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose
delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier
afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass
through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.
MLA Citation Examples: Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

Original passage from page 248 of Ashley Montagu’s book, The American Way of Life:

To be human is to weep. The human species is the only one in the whole world of animate nature that
sheds tears. The trained inability of any human being to weep is a lessening of his capacity to be human –
a defect that usually goes deeper than the mere inability to cry. And this, among other things, is what
American parents – with the best intentions in the world – have achieved for the American male. It is
very sad. If we feel like it, let us all have a good cry – and clear our minds of those cobwebs of confusion,
which have for so long prevented us from understanding the ineluctable necessity of crying.

Now look at the various ways you can use the opinion expressed in the passage.

Montagu claims that American men have a diminished capacity to be human because they have been
trained by their culture not to cry (248).

In his book The American Way of Life, Ashley Montagu writes, “The trained inability of any human being
to weep is a lessening of his capacity to be human – a defect which usually goes deeper than the mere
inability to cry” (248).

According to Montagu, “To be human is to weep” (248).

“If we feel like it,” writes Montagu, “let us have a good cry – and clear our minds of those cobwebs of
confusion which have for so long prevented us from understanding the intellectual necessity of crying”
(248).

One distinguished anthropologist calls the American male’s reluctance to cry “a lessening of his capacity
to be human” (Montagu 248).

Montagu finds it “very sad” that American men have a “trained inability” to shed tears (248).

When my grandfather died, all the members of my family – men and women alike – wept openly. We
have never been ashamed to cry. As Montagu writes, “to be human is to weep” (248). I am sure we are
more human, and in better mental and physical health, because we are able to express our feelings
without artificial restraints.

Montagu argues that it is both unnatural and harmful for American males not to cry:

To be human is to weep. The human species is the only one in the whole world of
animate nature that sheds tears. The trained inability of any human being to weep
is a lessening of his capacity to be human – a defect that usually goes deeper than
the mere inability to cry…. It is very sad. (248)
Part Three: Format

Review these guidelines before submitting your ROUGH DRAFT and FINAL.

General Guidelines

 Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
 Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font
you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are
recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
 Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by
your instructor).
 Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
 Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you
use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
 Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch
from the top and flush with the right margin.
 Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely
necessary, providing emphasis.

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

 Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
 In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course,
and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
 Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation
marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
 Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would
in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple
Picking"
 Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
 Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space
with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-
half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

See the attached samples of a first page and a Works Cited page.
Be sure your paper adheres to these models!