Argumentative Essay

Writing & Research

Presented by: Megan Lowe

ULM Reference Librarian
Session Overview

 What Is It?
 Examples
 Getting Started
 Research
 Quotations & Citations
 Q & A Time
 What is an argumentative essay?

 Is like a persuasive essay

 Should present pros and cons of the issue
 Should contain an argument
 Should contain evidence or support for the
issue (facts, statistics, anecdotal evidence)
 Should concern a manageable topic
Derived from the Bogazici University Writing Lab
 Examples of Argumentative Topics

 Selling marijuana in public places should be illegal *

 Polygamy is a natural state, and should be legal *
 Assisted suicide should be legal ¤
 Animal testing should be illegal ¤
 Graphic video games make kids aggressive and/or
violent
 Vistas is a better operating system than XP
* From Bogazici University Writing Lab
¤ From Glendale Community College English Department
 Getting Started

 Picking a topic
 Something of interest to you
 Something interesting
 Something controversial
 Something argumentative
 Getting organized
 Outlining your paper
 Creating a keyword list
 Getting research
General Outline of a Paper
 Introduction | Thesis statement
 Argument-evidence paragraph #1
 Argument-evidence paragraph #2
 Argument-evidence paragraph #3
 Summary of Argument | Conclusion
 Example Outline

Thesis: Beans are a more healthy source of protein than beef.

1. Beans are fat-free.

(Or, you can point out that beef is not fat-free)
2. Beans are low-sodium.
(Or, you can point out that beef is not low-sodium)
3. Beans are cholesterol-free.
(Or, you can point out that beef is not cholesterol-free)

Conclusion: Based on the facts that they are fat-free, low-

sodium, and cholesterol free, beans are definitely a more
healthy source of protein than beef.
Research

 Evidence for argumentative essays

can be objective – like facts, statistics,
and case studies – or anecdotal – your
personal experiences
 Objective evidence will require
research – you can use sources like
books, articles, websites, and even
people!
 Research
 Articles in magazines,
newspapers, and
 Books can be found
journals can be found
using the Library’s
using the Library’s
online catalog.
databases.

 Good websites can be

found using engines
like Google and Ask
 Keywords

 Regardless of where you seek resources –

books, articles, or websites – the best way
to search for resources is keyword
searching
 Keywords represent the most important
parts of your thesis statement or argument
 Before you start searching, develop a list of
keywords from your argument
 Keywords: Example
 Thesis: Beans are a more healthy source
of protein than beef.
 Beans  legumes Remember: you aren’t
limited to the actual words
 Source from the thesis – use
related words or alternate
 Healthy – health ideas! Also, look to your
arguments for keywords,
 Protein too – those are key ideas!
 Beef = red meat

 Cholesterol

You will combine them together using AND!

The Library’s Resources: Books
Looking Up Books: Catalog

beans and health

Catalog
Look! Additional
keyword ideas!

The Stacks are the books

that CAN be checked out.
They are housed on the
2, 3, 4, and 5 floors of the
Library. The first letter will
help you figure out which
floor.
• A-F = 2nd floor
• G-P = 3rd floor
• Q = 4th floor
• R-Z = 5th floor

Delta Stacks are in our

Stacks, so no worries!
The Library’s Resources: Articles

Remember: to find
articles, you have to
check the databases!

Articles = Databases!
Databases by Name
Databases by Subject
Databases by Subject
Databases: Ebscohost
Databases: Ebscohost

Full-text articles in
Ebsco will either be
HTML, PDF, or both.
If you don’t see
HTML or PDF (or
both), then the article
is not available in full.
 Databases: Ebscohost

This will cite the

article for you!

Possible keywords!

Abstracts are
a summary of
the article.
Databases: Ebscohost
Quotations & Citations

 Quotations: when you use text from a

resource in your own writing
 Citations: how you acknowledge resources
you’ve used in your paper
Quotations
Indirect Quotation: Some researchers note that "children are totally
insensitive to their parent's shyness" (Zimbardo 62).

Direct Quotation: Zimbardo notes that "children are totally

insensitive to their parent's shyness" (62).

Paraphrase: While not all children are, research has shown that
some children are insensible to the introversion or timidity of their
parent or parents (Zimbardo 62).
Citations
 Book
Langland, William. Piers the Ploughman.
Baltimore: Penguin Books, Ltd., 1974.

 Journal article
Thibodeau, P.L., and S.J. Melamut.
"Ergonomics in the Electronic Library."
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
83.3 (July 1995): 322-329.
 Citations

 Journal article from a database

Becker, Karen. "The Characteristics of Bibliographic

Instruction in Relation to the Causes and Symptoms of
Burnout." RQ 32.3 (Spring 1993): 346-357. EBSCO ERIC.
ULM University Library, Monroe, LA. 19 May 2009.
<http://www.epnet.com>.
 Citations

 Website

Lowe, Megan. “Citations Guide: MLA Style.” Megan Lowe @ ULM. 8 June
2006. University of Louisiana at Monroe. 12 June 2007
<http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe/MLAcitationguide.html>.

 Remember: citations are important for two reasons

 They allow you to give credit where credit is due, which
keeps you from plagiarism and cheating charges
 Allows readers to retrace your research steps and look
at the actual resources you used
Question & Answer Time
 Argumentative Essay FYI
 Presentation
http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe/argumentativeessay.ppt
 Sites Consulted for Presentation
Bogacizi University Writing Center
Glendale Community College English Dept.
 Don’t forget: the OWL at Purdue!
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
 My Contact Info
Email: lowe@ulm.edu
Thanks for coming!

Remember, if you need help, just ask

at the Reference Desk; email us at
reference@ulm.edu; or call us at
(318) 342-1071!

You can also email me at:

lowe@ulm.edu