Essentials of Researching and Writing an Argumentative Essay
1. Logic - Visit The Owl at Purdue Website to read about the role of logic in argumentative writing.
2. Vocabulary -syllogism , fallacy (Definition#2)
3. Also helpful on the OWL site - Structure and guidelines for writing an argumentative paper
Locating Relevant and Credible Sources:
DISCUS - Choose either "Opposing Viewpoints in Context" or "Points of View Reference Center" form the "A-Z List of Resources" tab. These databases are tailored specifically to argumentative assignments. You will be able to choose/browse from a list of topics or enter your own search terms.
Opposing Viewpoints Tips - You may want to click on "Issues" in the black bar across the top to find an alphabetized list of topics. You can use the search box to search for topics that are not listed. Pay close attention to the tool boxes (they are there to help). **You must have the current username and password to be able to search from home. You should have this information in your agenda in the form of a label provided earlier in the year. Also, you can grab a blue sheet from the Library if you need one.
Works Cited Tips - Why not keep a working bibliography of your sources? By having all of your source information formatted you are able to expedite matters when it comes to providing in-text citations and finally creating the works cited in your paper.
Opposing Viewpoints and Credo Reference (both in DISCUS) work very well with NoodleTools. In Opposing Viewpoints you can click on the citation tools, click on NoodleTools to automatically add the citation to a project (you must be logged in).
The OWL at Purdue website is a great guide for both APA and MLA formatting - lots of useful information here!
The MLA Handbook, 8th edition, is available in the media center.
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