Preparing The Argumentative Sentence Outline

Academic Writing II
Preparing the
Argumentative
Sentence Outline
Preparing the Sentence Outline
Lesson Overview
This lesson takes you through the steps in preparing a
sentence outline for your argumentative essay. In
this session, you will explore the distinction between
two types of outline, and the structure and the
format of the argumentative sentence outline..
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Page 2
Lesson Objectives
At the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Distinguish between the topic outline and the sentence
outline
• Compose the argumentative thesis statement with two clear
claims
• Develop main and supporting ideas for each claim
• Develop a counterclaim and refutation
• Cite sources used within the sentence outline
• Produce a reference list using the most current version of
the APA
Page 3
Writing as a process
In Academic Writing I and other writing courses to which you would have
been exposed, you would have been introduced to writing as a process. The
process approach to writing proposes that a good piece of writing is not
produced in one go, but instead, the writer has to go through a series of
steps to produce such a piece.
There are a number of steps (at least 5) that you go through when engaging in
process writing:
1. Pre-writing
2. Drafting
3. Rewriting/Revising
4. Editing
5. Publishing
Outlining falls within the pre-writing phase of the process.
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Steps in the writing process
1. Pre-writing – preliminary steps taken before engaging in writing, for

example, topic selection, brainstorming, free writing, etc., topic narrowing,
audience selection, thesis creation among other things.
2. Drafting – transforming pre-writing ideas into complete thoughts/a first

version of your work. It involves the creation of sentences and paragraphs, and
organization of information into a coherent piece.
3. Rewriting/Revising – a process in which you check your work for errors in

content. This requires you to very carefully, and in detail, go through what you
have drafted and check to ensure that the information that you have included is
accurate; that sentences are properly structured and clearly express what they
are trying to say; that words are carefully and wisely chosen to achieve
particular effects; that the information is effectively organized for maximum
effect; that your voice as an author is heard in the paper.
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Steps in the writing process
4. Editing – a recursive process in which you proofread your work, that is, check
for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors. This step in the process usually
comes after the revisions have been completed, and is a crucial step in
producing a good piece of writing.
5. Publishing – This final step in the writing process is where you produce a
polished version of your work for the audience. It is the point at which you
have decided that your work is now ready for the eyes of the intended
audience, and might involve you submitting the piece, or making it available via
some other medium.
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What is an outline?
What is an outline?
An outline is considered to be a summarized version of your paper in point

format.
It is considered by some to be the blueprint of your essay. So, in the same way
that an architect creates a blueprint to guide the construction of a building, you
as a writer create an outline to guide the construction of your essay or
research paper.
The blueprint is simply a guide for what is to be produced. The purpose of the
outline is to help you to organize the ideas of your paper into a logical sequence,
before you write it. However, you should not feel constrained by the outline.
If, for example, you have created an outline, and while writing your paper you
realize that shifting around certain points in the paper would make it flow
better, by all means shift them around!
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Types of Outlines
An author has the option of selecting from two types of outline:
The general format of each outline is evident in its name. If you are using the
topic outline, this means that the main ideas on your outline are presented via
single words or short phrases (topics). If what you are using is the sentence
outline, it means that each main idea on your outline is a complete sentence.
What you would have used for Academic Writing I was a sentence outline, and
the same is required for this course.
NOTE: Each idea on the sentence outline is presented in ONE sentence only.
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Sections of the Outline
The content of an outline has two main sections:

1. The header
2. The body
The header allows you to present necessary preliminary information on your

topic. Information in the header includes your topic, narrowed topic, target
audience(s), purpose, and thesis statement.
The header of the outline should not be confused with the running head, which
is a heading that is printed at the top of each page of your
outline/essay/research paper. The running head is a requirement of the APA
style of referencing.
The format of the header is presented on the next page.
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The Header
Topic: The topic that is given to you on your Module Outline goes here.
Narrowed Topic: Since the argumentative topic provided is already narrowed, the
only narrowing that is generally required is specifying whether
the argument is restricted to Jamaica/the Caribbean, whether
there is a particular area of focus, and the stance you have
taken.
Audience: The people/groups of people to whom you are directing your argument
go here
Purpose: The purpose of the argument is different from that of exposition. Your
reason for writing an argument is therefore not to inform/educate, but
to convince/persuade.
Thesis: The argumentative thesis goes here. It has two main parts – stance and
reasons for taking stance.
Page 10
Writing the Argumentative Purpose
As we mentioned on the previous page, your purpose in an argument is to
persuade or convince. But in writing the purpose you should not simply say to
persuade/ convince, as your tutor will likely ask you “to convince whom of what?”
The structure of the purpose is presented below:
Purpose: To convince the target audience (ensure you state who the target
audience is) that the stance you have taken on the issue.
Example: To convince the Jamaican government and the general public that
the National Water Commission should be privatized.
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Writing the Argumentative Thesis
The argumentative thesis, and particularly the thesis for Academic Writing 2,
MUST do two main things:
1. Clearly establish your stance/position on the issue raised by the chosen

topic;
2. Posit 2 clearly articulated, valid reasons for taking that stance/position.
Thesis: Stance on issue because reason 1 and reason 2.
Example: The National Water Commission should be privatized as this would

ensure a more efficient service and result in more citizens having
access to running water.
Page 12
In addition to the two main elements of the argumentative thesis identified on
the previous pages, the thesis can include a third element – the counterclaim.
The counterclaim is a statement that presents an opposing view on the issue you
are arguing. Therefore, whatever position you have taken on the issue, the
counterclaim will come from someone who takes a different position/stance.
The modified structure is presented below.
The counterclaim can be presented at the beginning of the thesis or towards the
end as the last element in the thesis.
See examples on the next page.
Page 13
Structure 1: Counterclaim at the beginning of thesis
Thesis: Counterclaim; stance on issue because reason 1 and reason 2.
Example: Some may argue that privatization would increase the cost of
water; however the National Water Commission should be
privatized as this would ensure a more efficient service and result
in more citizens having access to running water.
Structure 2: Counterclaim at the end of thesis

Thesis: Stance on issue because reason 1 and reason 2; counterclaim.
Example: The National Water Commission should be privatized as this would

access to running water; even though some may argue that
privatization would increase the cost of water.
Suggestion: Be guided by your tutor when deciding which format of the

thesis to construct.
Page 14
Sample Header
Topic: The National Water Commission should be privatized: Agree/Disagree
Narrowed Topic: The National Water Commission should be privatized.
Audience: The Jamaican government and the general public
Purpose: To convince the Jamaican government and the general public that the
National Water Commission should be privatized
Thesis: The National Water Commission should be privatized as this would
access to running water.
Page 15
The Body
The body of the argumentative outline you will write, will have four sections:
• Claim 1 with its corresponding evidence/support.

• Claim 2 with its corresponding evidence/support.
• Counterclaim with its corresponding evidence/support.
• Refutation with its corresponding evidence/support.
Claim one corresponds to the first reason from the thesis, while claim 2
corresponds to the second reason. Try not to express both claims the same
way.
Each claim requires three pieces of evidence.
Page 16
The Claims
Based on the thesis you would have constructed, you are claiming two things. The
two reasons given in your thesis ultimately become your claims in the body of
your outline and essay.
In constructing your claims in the body of your work, ensure that the claims:
1. Reinforce the stance/position you have taken;

2. Correspond to the ideas in the thesis;
3. Present the ideas in the same order they are presented in the thesis;
4. Are not linked to sources;
5. Are expressed in complete sentences.
The claims tend to be conditional in nature, with the structure “if this then
that”; for example, using the thesis from the header on page 15, the first claim
on your outline would look something like this:
If the National Water Commission is privatized, it would ensure a more

efficient system.
Page 17
The Evidence
Without evidence, you do not an argument; all you would have, are your opinions.
Evidence is therefore crucial to your argument and has to be included on your
outline.
What makes good evidence?
When writing your argument, you have a variety of types of evidence from which
to choose, some of which are repeated below:
• Statistics
• Examples/illustrations of factual cases
• Anecdotes
• Testimonials, including expert testimonies
• Documents, for example, legal documents
• Analogies
Hard evidence such as statistics and examples are stronger and more likely to be
accepted as adequate proof, over soft evidence such as anecdotes. Expert
testimony, though soft evidence, is also highly valued.
The aim is to have a combination of different types of evidence.

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The Body
Claim I
I. This should be a complete sentence capturing 1st argumentative point from the
thesis.
A.
B. Evidence in support of claim
C.
Claim II
II. This should be a complete sentence capturing 2nd argumentative point from
the thesis.
A.
B. Evidence in support of claim
C.
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The Body
Counterclaim
III. This should be a complete sentence capturing the main idea of your
opponent, which begins with a disclaimer such as “Others have argued
that...” and ends with a reason in support of the opposing position.
A.
Evidence in support of counterclaim
B.
Refutation
IV. This should be a complete sentence countering the main idea of your
opponent (In many cases, it is important to concede with your opponents
before refuting their claim, since they are likely to have made a good point).
A.
Evidence in support of refuting point.
B.
The counterclaim and refutation are integrally linked. The refutation is a direct
rebuttal of what is in the counterclaim, so you need to decide on the
counterclaim before you can know what your refutation will be.
Page 20
Levels on the Outline
The formal sentence outline makes use of a level structure to distinguish the
different types of ideas. You will be using a two-level structure; however, the
outline can get much more complex than what is required for this course.
Level one represents the main ideas, which are represented by capital Roman
numerals. Level two represents the supporting ideas, represented by capital
letters. Level one is the superordinate level, while all other levels are
subordinate. Subordination on the outline is marked by indentation. Take a
close look at all the ideas in I below:
I A, B and C are major supporting ideas of

A. I; 1 and 2 are sub-ideas of A; a and b are
1. sub-ideas of 1; and, i and ii are sub-ideas
a. of a.
i.
ii Notice the use of different numbering
b. formats for the different levels and the
2. use of indentation.
B.
C.
Page 21
The Sources
To ensure that you have credible and reliable evidence, you have to conduct
research. The types of sources you rely on will help to determine the
credibility and reliability of your evidence, and ultimately you, so choose wisely.
Locate sources that are linked to experts in particular fields, and/or

established organizations, as well as studies/research that have been
conducted. The aim is to use information that is easily verifiable and
trustworthy.
For the Academic Writing 2 essay, you need at least five (5) sources, and at
least three (3) different types. So, ensure that you vary your sources,
selecting from journal articles, newspaper articles, books, internet articles,
among other. You also need to ensure that you have at least one (1)
local/regional source.
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Referencing
The American Psychological Association (APA) style of referencing is required

for Academic Writing and other courses throughout the university. The APA
format should be reflect throughout both your outline and essay. Ensure that
you pay key attention to the following:
• Cover page
• Running head
• In-text citations
• End-text citation (reference list)
• Spacing
NB. We are now using the APA 7th Edition. The following provide a summary of
the key changes in this edition:
1. APA Manual 7th edition: The most notable changes
2. About APA 7th ed.
Pages 24 – 28 provide you with a sample sentence outline, with notes.
Page 23
Sample Outline
Page 24
Sample Outline
Page 25
Sample Outline
Page 26
Sample Outline
Page 27
Sample Outline
Page 28
Lesson Recap
In this session, we examined in detail, the argumentative
sentence outline. We explored what it is and how it differs
from a topic outline. We also looked at its structure – the
different parts of the outline – the header and the body -
and the various elements in each part.
Key terms such as thesis statement, claims, counterclaim and

refutation were explored, as well as how to construct these
on the argumentative outline. The lesson ended with a sample
outline with marks-ups, to guide you through the process of
creating your own outline.
Remember to also take a look at the student sample on the

course page. Happy Outlining!
Page 29
Credits
Interactive Tutorial created by
Daidrah Telfer
Michelle Stewart-McKoy
Updated October 2020
Graphics from
FreePik - freepik.com
Graphics Factory – https://www.graphicsfactory.com
Graphic Mama - www.graphicmama.com
HTML 5 conversion with

iSpring Suite 7
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Academic Writing II

Use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

Outlining falls within the pre-writing phase of the process.

1. Pre-writing – preliminary steps taken before engaging in writing, for

2. Drafting – transforming pre-writing ideas into complete thoughts/a first

3. Rewriting/Revising – a process in which you check your work for errors in

An outline is considered to be a summarized version of your paper in point

The content of an outline has two main sections:

The header allows you to present necessary preliminary information on your

The format of the header is presented on the next page.

The structure of the purpose is presented below:

1. Clearly establish your stance/position on the issue raised by the chosen

Thesis: Stance on issue because reason 1 and reason 2.

Example: The National Water Commission should be privatized as this would

See examples on the next page.

Thesis: Counterclaim; stance on issue because reason 1 and reason 2.

Structure 2: Counterclaim at the end of thesis

Example: The National Water Commission should be privatized as this would

Suggestion: Be guided by your tutor when deciding which format of the

Topic: The National Water Commission should be privatized: Agree/Disagree

Narrowed Topic: The National Water Commission should be privatized.

Audience: The Jamaican government and the general public

National Water Commission should be privatized

Thesis: The National Water Commission should be privatized as this would

ensure a more efficient service and result in more citizens having

access to running water.

• Claim 1 with its corresponding evidence/support.

Each claim requires three pieces of evidence.

1. Reinforce the stance/position you have taken;

If the National Water Commission is privatized, it would ensure a more

What makes good evidence?

The aim is to have a combination of different types of evidence.

I A, B and C are major supporting ideas of

Locate sources that are linked to experts in particular fields, and/or

The American Psychological Association (APA) style of referencing is required

1. APA Manual 7th edition: The most notable changes

2. About APA 7th ed.

Pages 24 – 28 provide you with a sample sentence outline, with notes.

Key terms such as thesis statement, claims, counterclaim and

Remember to also take a look at the student sample on the

Updated October 2020

HTML 5 conversion with

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