English 3 - Argumentative Essay Guidelines

* For this section: Step 2, you will need to do some research to look for and decide on the
principal reasons why the topic is being argued on each side – for & against.
* The contents of your outline should be reflected in your essay (in the intro. and body
paragraphs).

2. Prepare an outline of your Argumentative Essay including responses (in complete

sentences) to the following:
a) What is your topic of choice?

My topic is the “Use of robotics for medical/surgical procedures.”

b) What is your side? (For/In favor of or Against/Not in favor of…)

My position is in favor of using robotic for surgical procedures.

c) Why did you, personally, choose this topic/what makes it interesting to you?

I chose this topic because of how contentious it has become through the advancement of
technology in the healthcare field. This type of technology holds transformative potential. For
instance, robotics introduces unprecedented precision and accuracy to surgeries, enabling
procedures that might be challenging or risky with human hands alone. That, and more, is what
makes this topic interesting to me.

d) What are 2 things that you know about this topic/issue, and what are 2
things you hope to learn from your exploration of both sides of the issue?

 Lot of people are scared and against having any medical procedures using
robotics.
 Robotic arms don't tremble or shake, ensuring consistent movement during
operations.
 What methods are used to operate a surgery with robotics
 What safety protocols are used on robotic surgeries .

e) What are the 2 principal reasons/points that defend and support your side?
State each principal reason in a sentence which will become your ‘topic
sentence’. Topic sentence 1 will appear at the beginning of body paragraph
1, and topic sentence 2 will appear at the beginning of body paragraph 2.

 Principal Reason 1 (Topic Sentence 1):

robotics can provide a level of accuracy that might be challenging for a human, making delicate
and intricate procedures safer.
 Principal Reason 2 (Topic Sentence 2):
Minimally invasive procedures often result in a faster recovery process and shorter hospital
stays.
 f) What is the primary reason that defends/supports the counter side? This
will become the topic sentence for the counter-argument. This topic sentence
will appear at the beginning of body paragraph 3.

 Primary Reason for counter-side (Topic Sentence for counterargument

paragraph):
Like all machines, robotic systems can malfunction.

g) Form the thesis statement (to be further explored in class and there is also an
example below.) The thesis statement will end your introduction and include:
mention of the topic, position of the writer (not yet using “I think…), and the
2 main reasons stated in brief that will be used to defend your argument.
For example: Same sex couples should be legally granted the right to marry
because marriage is a basic human right, and gender pairing should not be the
deciding factor in the legality of this commitment made by 2 human beings.
 Thesis Statement:

The use of robotic for medical or surgical procedures should be more widely adopted in the
healthcare industry because they offer a precision in surgeries that can significantly reduce
patient recovery time and make it safer at the same time.

Be sure to take note of resources: Names of articles, authors, dates of publication, and
links. You will need this information to form your reference page and also when
integrating citations. Will see format to follow in class for citing your sources and creating
your reference page.

1. The intro. of your essay should begin with an attention getting statement, and then
proceed moving from general to specific: general in terms of giving background
information about your ‘theme’, followed by why you chose this topic (O.K. to use
“I”), counter-argument statement, recognition of the counter side (like we saw in
class), and ending the introduction with your specific argument/thesis statement. Your
thesis statement ought to include words such as should or shouldn’t, must or mustn’t,
have/has to, need/needs to, necessary - to articulate your actual argumentative
statement. This particular statement will be a reflection of your side; however, it will
not use the word “I”. (See sample above in Outline Item G.)

It would be wonderful to see an introduction that is similar in structure to the sample

introductions seen in class.

CONTINUED BELOW.

2. The body of your essay (after the intro. and before your conclusion) will contain 3
paragraphs:
 The first 2 body paragraphs will speak of 2 different reasons that support your
argument - specific details/proof/evidence from outside sources followed by why
YOU think the reasons are strong ones.
  The 3rd body paragraph will include the counter-argument’s reasoning followed
by your ‘refute’: why you think this is not a strong argument.
 Each body paragraph needs to begin with the topic sentences written in your
outlines: Items ‘E’ & ‘F’.
 Obviously, in order for the reader(s) to support your side, your argument
(reasoning, details selected to include) need to be ‘compelling’ with your personal
opinions to support or refute each reason.

Some expressions you may want to use when stating facts and/or opinions are:
- According to________________________
- It has been proven that ________________
- It can be seen that ____________________
- Evidence shows that __________________
- In my opinion _______________________
- It is my opinion that __________________

3. Your conclusion should move from specific (restating your argument/thesis statement in
a persuasive way) to general – bringing it all together in terms of expressing
summarizing your own personal opinions/perspective, something you learned, and also
sharing a ‘call to action’ (like food for thought) towards the future (one that reflects and
supports your argument).
Some expressions you could integrate in conclusion are:
- With the ideas and facts presented, we can see that _________________ (persuasive
expression)
- It is my belief that _______________
- In my opinion, _____________
- I think that ____________________
- Through this investigation, I learned that ________________
- We should consider ______________ (‘call to action’ expression)

4. In your essay, you should integrate vocabulary:

- signal words
- other class vocab. (given to you for homework)
* When writing your essay, please underline or bold any signal words, class
vocabulary, and do the same with your thesis statement and topic sentence for each body
paragraph.
* Also, be mindful of your use of basic grammar, capitalization, spelling, and
punctuation!
5. Use APA format for in-text citations and reference page. (Follow format on ‘Citation
& Reference Page’ document.) You should use at least 3 different sources.
6. When you submit your essay, you need to include: (continued below)
 Step 1: 2 topics of interest and answers to pre-preparation questions
 Step 2: Outline (material on outline needs to be reflected in your essay.)
 Essay with reference page
GOOD LUCK ON THIS PROJECT. STRIVE TO DO WORK YOU CAN BE PROUD
OF! 