Decide where you stand on the issue you're writing about, then take some time to think through why you hold the opinions you do. For example, if the assignment is to present a favorable or opposing view on a law, decide whether or not you think the law benefits society and why or why not. Write a list of all the arguments you have that favor your opinion. Be sure that all of these arguments are based on provable facts, not just inclinations or the opinions of others.
Examine the opposing side of your opinion on the topic. Find out what others who disagree with you are saying and where they find their factual evidence and support. Make a list of all these arguments and use this list to find ways to disprove or counter the arguments presented by those who disagree with your viewpoint. Use the facts and research you found to support your opinion to help the reader of your paper realize that your opinion is the most favorable.
Write an introduction that presents the issue and clearly states your opinion on it. Give an overview of the reasons why you support your opinion. Briefly explore the effects of the issue you are presenting and how these issues, based in facts, point back to your opinion as the most logical, favorable one.
Write the body of the opinion paper. Present the facts and arguments you mentioned in your introduction one by one and in more detail. Acknowledge your opponents’ arguments, but use facts and research to show your reader that even though they may have a good point in one or two areas, they either haven’t thought of everything or have based their opinions on sources not as credible as your sources. Use the lists you created in Steps 1 and 2 to guide you through this section of your paper.
Conclude the paper by discussing actionable solutions surrounding your topic. Explain how to take action to change a societal problem you examined in your paper. Make references back to facts you stated in your paper to stress the importance of your conclusion.