Pose narrow, challenging questions worth researching about your topic. For instance, "What effects does the NEA's decision to deem video games an art form have on the state of education?"
Research your topic using credible references and resources. Search your local or school library for relevant encyclopedias, scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, critical studies and even online sources. Search online skeptically, referencing only sites with a domain name ending in .edu, .gov or .org. Use .com's and blogs online if authored by a credible source such as CNN or "The New Yorker." Document each source you plan to use by keeping track of the author's name, title of article, title of publication, issue number, edition, date of publication, publication location, name of publisher and date of online access.
Assess the arguments and counter-arguments of your sources and formulate a tentative thesis answering the research question you posed earlier. A three-paragraph essay thesis may look like this: "The NEA's decision to grant video games funding as an art form opens more opportunities for the younger generation to become creatively involved in something they love."
Outline the essay with brief points you plan to make to support your thesis. For example:
II. Main Point
A. Supporting Point
B. Supporting Point
Write a rough draft based on your tentative thesis and outline. Draft a 50- to 150-word introduction including your thesis; cover the main and supporting point of your thesis in the second paragraph and write a conclusion summarizing your point, restating your thesis and ending your argument.
Revise your tentative thesis to better reflect your three-paragraph essay's major points. "The NEA's decision to include video games as an art form inspires innovation in technical careers and creates new opportunities in 21st-century education."
Write the final draft based on your revised thesis. Edit for clarity, grammar, punctuation and mechanics. Ensure your argument is valid and based on sound logic.
Document your sources on a separate works cited page according to the style of documentation your topic requires. The Modern Language Association style usually applies to papers written in the humanities, while the American Psychological Association style applies to research in the social sciences.