Create a highly detailed outline for the argument. While experienced writers may create a brief outline, less experienced writers should include several ideas and subpoints. A college student should write at least a one- to two-page outline for a 10-page essay. When you have finished writing your argument, use the outline as a checklist to ensure that you have touched on all of your points.
Write a clearly stated, precise thesis statement. The thesis is the position in your argument that you will try to prove in your paper or speech. This statement must be one with which another person can disagree. There is no value in a thesis statement that cannot be contradicted. Write four introductory sentences, then introduce your thesis. In must longer works, the introduction could last pages. The thesis must be clearly stated and contrary to another position. A political science essay written by a libertarian theorist could state, "The New Deal programs and Great Society programs resulted in economic poverty and social dislocation in large part because they destroyed individual initiative." Someone can disagree with this statement. A social welfare advocate might respond, "The New Deal programs and Great Society programs, far from condemning the underclass, gave the most impoverished basic sustenance and paved the way for their entry into the middle class."
Write clear transitional sentences to link your ideas. While you will have one central idea that is stated in your thesis, a lengthy argument will contain many different subpoints. The libertarian essay on social welfare programs will include ideas on the effect on economics, family and crime. A transitional sentence could read, "While the Great Society programs resulted in long-term economic impoverishment, the effect that it had on the family was just as significant and destructive." The first part of this sentence connects the most recent idea in the paper with the newest idea.
Write a clearly stated idea for each section of your argument. Then support this idea with specific evidence. For a political science paper, for example, use employment figures and the percentage of people living at the Federal Poverty Index.
Address the opposing view in each section of your argument. After stating your idea and support, write a clear statement of the contrary view. It is best to quote another writer on the topic. Demonstrate why the contrary view is wrong. Pitch battle with this view using the best evidence that you have. It may surprise you how many prominent theorists have created arguments with unproven assumptions and have used evidence in a way that is disingenuous or incorrect. Effectively attacking a prominent theorist gives your argument credibility. You may also capitulate to the idea of your opponent in your thesis or subpoints. Abraham Lincoln did this in his speech at Cooper Union, when he agreed with Stephen Douglas that our founding fathers had a greater comprehension of the slavery issue than the current generation.
Write a conclusion that summarizes your thesis and main ideas. While logic matters here, style is also crucial. You want the words at the end of your argument to resonate in the minds of your audience. In the Cooper Union address, Lincoln invoked the values of George Washington and argued that Americans should honor those values by opposing the westward expansion of slavery and by preserving the Union.