Researched Argument Essay Assignment Sheet
Unit 3 concluded with a detailed proposal that allowed you to consider how one would present
evidence to a specific audience. This unit concludes with a researched argument essay. For this essay,
you will utilize everything you have learned about research, audience, quote integration,
argumentation, stakeholders, and counterargument. You will also utilize some of your work from unit
three.
Ultimately this essay is asking you to:
prove that the problem you specified in unit three is significant and in need of attention.
argue for potential solutions that are feasible, logical, and economical.
incorporate scholarly research to support major and minor claims.
apply your knowledge of workplace communication.
tailor your prose to audience expectations and the professional workplace.
The focus of this essay is the same topic as unit three, but unlike last unit’s proposal assignment, this
assignment is an actual essay that requires all of the components embedded within an academic
argument. Academic arguments rely on persuasion and research support, so you will have to access the
databases and the Internet for additional research. In this essay you are discussing the problem you
identified in Unit 3, and then arguing for potential solutions. See the specifics below.
Structural Requirements:
Section 1: The Introduction (1.5 to 3 pages): The content of the introduction section may be new to
you. The introduction is a sort of “administrative information” section. It explains to the reader what
you are trying to do and how you plan to do it. Begin by explaining the issue, your approach to the
issue, the narrowed topic, the question you are trying to answer, and your plan of work. Answer these
questions, in paragraph form, in the introduction.
*You may discuss additional information if it will help your audience/funder understand your position*
A) Topic: What is your research topic? Why does it warrant readers’ attention? Discuss the
context surrounding the issue and how you arrived at your specific research focus.
B) Audience: Who is your audience/funder/organization? Who will most likely agree with your
position, and who will most likely disagree? What will your audience already know about this
topic? What will they need to know? As you defined your audience, did your research focus
and tone shift?
C) Purpose: What is this essay’s purpose? What did you seek to learn during your research?
What did you need to learn? Why did you want to analyze this problem? Why are solutions
needed?
D) Research Method: Describe the general range and type of research sources you retrieved for
this issue and its possible solutions. For example, how many databases did you use? Which
was most useful? How many internet sources did you use? Were all of your sources scholarly?
Did the online newspapers available on the ProQuest database help you?
Search Terms: How did you find the most applicable and useful pieces of research? Which
search terms did you use? Did your sources change as you varied your terms and phrases? Did
you have trouble locating sources? Were there too many pieces of research? Not enough?
Evaluation of Evidence: Discuss your method of assessing the validity of your research
sources and organizing the evidence collected from the sources.
E) Organization: How is your essay organized? (Examples: narrative, cause/effect, comparison,
problem-method-solutions, claim-support-explanation, illustration, a genre mix, etc.).
Why is this organizational method suited for your purpose? Did your audience focus influence
your organization strategy?
Section 2: The Argument (7-8 pages). This section begins the academic essay and is separate
from Section 1. The essay outline below will help you organize the essay.
Engaging Introduction (1-2 pars): Grab your audience’s attention. Here, you can be creative,
but the means in which you engage readers’ attention should be appropriate for your purpose.
What will encourage readers and the organization to continue reading your essay? How can you
grab their attention? Begin your essay in a compelling manner.
Proving the Problem (2-3 pages, multiple paragraphs): As we have discussed, you must prove
to your audience that the problem is serious and warrants attention. Use research support to
illustrate the gravity of the problem. Unit three’s proposal will help you immensely here.
Solutions (4-6 pages, multiple paragraphs): Propose your solutions. For every solution that you
propose you must do the following: prove that the solution is plausible, logical, and
economical; use research support; discuss the solution’s implementation; and discuss the
solution’s intended effects (as you can see, one solution will require multiple paragraphs; you
have multiple solutions. This section will be multiple pages and needs research support).
Counterarguments: Counterarguments can be placed anywhere in the essay but will most likely
be found in the “Solutions” and “Proving the Problem” sections of your essay. Writers will
frequently dedicate an entire paragraph (or more) to one counterargument, for writers must not
only acknowledge a counterargument respectfully, but they also must refute it intelligibly.
Conclusion (1-2 pars.): This section concludes the essay, but its focus is no longer proving new
claims. Rather the focus is sharply on the essay’s argument structure, claim, reasons, and
evidence, boiled down to a concise persuasive summary. This is your “closing argument,” your
most powerful statement and your most persuasive appeal.
Graphic: One graphic should be used to illustrate an important aspect of your argument. It
should not exceed two pages. It should be labeled clearly, and it should be separated from the
text of the essay (white space should surround it or you may place it at the end of the essay).
The most important aspect of the graphic is your discussion of it. Explain why it is important
and what it is showing. The graphic could be one of the following: photograph, a work
schedule timeline, a cost estimate chart for one or more of the solutions, drawing, line graph,
bar graph, pie chart, or table. You should choose a point/claim in your essay that you feel could
benefit from a graphic (or) you can choose to illustrate multiple aspects of the essay through
this graphic.
Requirements:
Length: Eight to ten full pages (not including the works cited page).
Sections: The work should have clear sections and headings (see the sample essays)
MLA: Cite all sources in the body of the text and on the works cited page. See the MLA folder
on our course homepage.
Research: A minimum of eight sources must be used in your essay. MC Library Database
articles are preferred. Many sources regarding your topics can be found on the Business Source
Complete database. The largest general databases are Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, and
Academic OneFile. You may use sources from the Proposal Essay.
Web Research: You cannot use .com Web sites (with exception to online newspapers). You
may use three .org sites. The remaining sites should be from .edu and .gov domains.
Newspapers and Books: You may use both print and online versions of these sources.
**If you have questions about a potential source, please contact your instructor**
Writing Suggestions:
Use the Three T’s (see the Writing Resources folder).
Thesis: Your thesis statement should not only articulate the specific solutions but it should also
articulate why these solutions will work. The thesis is what you are proving in the body of the
essay and is your response to the research question. The thesis could be placed in the “Proving
the Problem” or “Solutions” section. Its placement relies on your writing approach and style.
Body paragraphs:
-Should utilize clear topic sentences
-Should remain focused on specific issues/insights
-Should provide evidence, examples, and research support. Transitions should signal the
logical links between the analysis and evidence.
-Should not exceed ¾ of a page (if you are exceeding ¾ of a page, narrow the topic
sentence or find a place to begin a new paragraph)
Whenever you make an assertion or a claim, you should support it with academic research. Do
not tell a reader something is true—prove it with evidence.
Always introduce and explain your research (see our course handouts regarding quote
integration).
Contact an MC librarian if you are having trouble with your research.
Review the research database tutorials from Unit 3 as well as all other research materials.
Review all course handouts and applicable chapters during the writing process.
Allow yourself plenty of time to write, to proofread/edit, and to conduct research. Successful
students begin their work immediately.
Contact your professor if you need help with this assignment.
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