Many students need help with completing argumentative essays on History, Politics, or Philosophy studying at university or college. And most of them feel confused when it comes to creating an argumentative essay outline as they don’t fully understand what this writing piece means. Let’s shed light on this question.
What Is an Argumentative Essay?
An argumentative essay is a short text presenting empirical data and logical evidence to convince the audience of a particular viewpoint. The first stage of producing compelling paper is writing a solid essay outline, which includes organizing the whole work, investigating the topic, planning the structure, and creating a conclusion. And these should be done before getting started with the first draft! Our guide will tell you how to write an argumentative essay outline, deliver examples, and lead you step-by-step through producing a great piece.
What are the essential methods for organizing an argumentative essay outline?
The best way to write an argumentative essay outline is to explain your viewpoint at the beginning, provide the evidence and supporting arguments, and present the other points of view. Still, the outline structure depends upon the topic: the more complicated your research is, the more elements should be added to your paper.
Argumentative Essay Structure: Main Points
Let’s start with the argumentative structure of an essay, which serves as a base for the paper and its outline. It will show you what info to include. When you get ready to put pen to paper, you first construct a plan. An outline is a plan that people use to write papers.
Depending on the topic and opposing points of view, there are three formats used to create an outline for an argumentative essay: Aristotelian (Classical), Rogerian, and Toulmin. Whatever format you choose, a strong outline makes it easier to organize your ideas and shows your opinion most effectively. So, take your time to think about what you want to say in your outline before you start working on your paper.
What exactly is an argumentative essay? It is exactly the sort of assignment usually expected of a student in the academic world. It uses cases you develop to prove your thesis. It is structured as a five-paragraph composition and contains the following:
- An intro
- Main body paragraphs with arguments
- A rebuttal of opponent’s arguments
- A conclusion
In the next section, we want to discuss outline parts in greater detail so that you can write an outline for an argumentative essay for college on your own.
Read also: Full Guide How to Compose Gun Control Argumentative Essay with Ease
Outline Sections in Detail
Now, let’s move on to considering elements of an argumentative essay outline and what should be included. By looking at examples, you can get a clear picture of what to expect, and be able to succeed in writing a good college essay outline. As you write an outline, you should put all thesis statement ideas and positions on paper in point form, briefly. It will make your work simple.
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The Introduction as an Anchor of Your Point
Next, look at the introduction as the start of your composition. Craft your writing in a form with bullets to make clear what you will be discussing. Pay attention to this part, where you state your thesis and grab the reader's attention. Ensure you put there::
- Your thesis or main statement;
- The anchor sentence with which you plan to start;
- Additional background info if needed.
Start with the anchor or hook to catch attention. Make them read your first sentence so that they will want to keep reading. Then, add some background information and state points that could be the basis of your main paper’s idea declaration.
For example:
- Thesis: Cholesterol is essential for human health, and low cholesterol may lead to premature death.
- Hook or anchor: Do you think that cholesterol is harmful? Scientists have debunked this myth. Read on to see how insufficient or non-existent cholesterol can lead to death.
Thoughts and Proofs
Now, move on to the main part of your argumentative essay outline ─ the body and what to include in each paragraph. Your body should be divided into claims and ideas and the examination of the opponent's thoughts with rejections.
First, we should look at the case you’ll develop as a philosophy, science, or social science student. In your plan, pour out all points, ideas, and facts you have researched. Any evidence you consider relevant, any information that proves your thesis. Use:
- Claims
- Facts
- Figures
- Statistics
- Quotations
Make sure to cite sources if you use someone’s words or ideas. Do not commit academic plagiarism. It is a grave offense dangerous to your integrity.
Battling With Opponents: Strengthen Proofs
It is high time to strengthen your statement ─ approach the best opponents and their positions. In this part of your argumentative essay outline, explain all you think about claims of actual and possible adversaries, be a great verbal boxer, and bring them all down! It should be your victory. Just pour down in bullet form or short sentences:
- All adversaries' claims.
- All objections to them.
Speaking about this outline form, it is best to do this in a table to ensure objections align with adversaries' claims. Follow this::
- Subject, Objection, Why dialectics are correct
It can help you put forth statements directly and show how well you know the issue and how well you have researched it. For example, you have found that cholesterol is not harmful, and adversaries from official medical journals insist that its levels be lowered. Defeat them by including all sources of information and statistics indicating that low cholesterol could actually lead to lethal consequences..
Try to understand opponents and their reasons and motivations, but present all facts you have researched to show that your claims are better and that adversaries need to be more informed.
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Conclusion: Wrap It All Up
You have finished writing an argumentative essay outline. The concluding paragraph, as the summation of your outline for an argumentative essay, should be easy to construct. Just restate your thesis and key claims in other words. For instance:
As we have seen, cholesterol is necessary. Instead of lowering it, we have to examine other reasons for obesity and high blood pressure, and not lower cholesterol levels to avoid premature death due to a dangerous medical myth.
Do not simply paraphrase the thesis you’ve stated in your introduction. Make it follow assertions, and summarize all major points you have used in your body. What’s most important, make it look strong and valuable, warn readers of what may happen if your advice is not followed, and show wrong claims are not rejected. It’s this way:
- Rewrite your thesis in new words.
- Briefly restate proofs.
- Stress the most important point.
Your conclusion should be the same length as the introduction, just about a paragraph, no more. Refrain from introducing anything new here, leaving any new facts for another composition. Your argumentative essay and outline must be compact, logical, unified, and concise. It is your roadmap for creating the perfect paper.
Now you have all necessary tips that you need for writing an outstanding outline that will then serve as your best guide for writing the actual paper. You can see examples of the argumentative essay outline on our site or look up on the web. If you still have trouble with it, you can order an outline online. Good luck with studies!
