Banning Public Smoking
writing an argumentative essay on a topic of your choice. The topic you choose must be debatable and you must take a clear stand on one side of the issue. Your topic
must also be on a small enough scale that it is appropriately narrow for a 3-5 page essay. Your essay must include a title, an introductory paragraph, which contains
your argumentative thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs, which provide support for your argument and a conclusion paragraph. Research from at least two
outside sources is required to provide evidence and support for your argument. Research must be cited using APA style. You must include a reference page, which lists
the specific sources you used and properly cite the sources within your essay. An example essay is provided below for reference. Please read this before writing your
essay. Choosing a Topic You may choose any topic you wish as long as the topic has two clear sides. The websites listed below can be used to help you generate a topic
idea. Your topic should be current and should have a narrow focus appropriate for a 3-5 page essay. •http://www.debate.org/ •http://www.procon.org/ Essay Guidelines
Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until your essay meets all guidelines. We also suggest reading the complete
sample essay before you begin writing. Argumentative Thesis Statement and Focus •Does the topic of the argument have two clear sides? •Do you take a clear position on
the argument in your thesis statement? •Is the topic appropriately narrow for a 3-5 page essay? Development and Support •Are all details relevant to the argumentative
thesis statement? •Is your position supported through use of rhetorical appeals? •Is your position supported through evidence? Essay Structure and Organization •Does
your essay have an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement? •Does your essay have at least three body paragraphs, which support your thesis statement? •Does
your essay have a conclusion paragraph that wraps up the essay? •Are the essay paragraphs logically sequenced? •Have you used transitions to connect ideas between
sentences and paragraphs? •Is it easy to follow the argument? Style •Have you checked your essay for redundancies and imprecise language? •Does your essay employ a
formal style and objective tone? Sources and Citations •Have you referenced at least two outside sources as evidence for your argument? •Are your sources current and
credible? •Have you properly cited the sources using APA style within your essay and included a reference page? Conventions •Have you checked your essay for
grammatical errors? •Have you used Spell-Check or another method to check spelling? •Have you used punctuation correctly? •Have you checked your essay for sentence
run-ons and sentence fragments? Reflection •Have you answered all of the reflection questions thoughtfully and thoroughly? •Are your answers to the reflection
questions included on a separate page below your essay? •Have you met or exceeded the required length for each reflection response? Before You Submit •Have you given
your essay a title? •Have you included your name, date, and course at the top left of the page? •Is your essay between 3-5 pages (1,000-1,500 words)? Reflection
Questions 1.How did your purpose and audience shape the way in which you wrote your argument? (1-2 sentences) 2.What was the most difficult part of writing your
argumentative essay? (2-3 sentences) 3.Which appeals did you use and how do you think they strengthened your argument? (3-4 sentences) 4.How has your understanding of
argumentative writing changed after completing this unit? (2-3 sentences) Scoring Your composition and reflection will be scored according to the Touchstone 2 Rubric,
which considers your essay structure, essay organization, argumentative claim and focus, development and support for your argument, style and conventions. Sources and
Citations You are required to use at least two outside sources as evidence for your argument. The sources an author uses can either build or degrade his/her
credibility. In addition, improper citation of sources is a form of plagiarism and is not acceptable in academic writing. Be sure the sources you choose are credible
and unbiased. As a general rule of thumb- online sources that end in “.edu”, “.gov” or “.org” are usually more reliable than websites that end in “.com.” However,
online news sources or online encyclopedias are credible sources as well. See the tutorials on credible research and research citation linked in the “helpful
tutorials” section below for a reminder on how to properly cite sources in APA style and how to find online sources that are credible. Should you choose to use a
source that is not an online source and you need additional assistance on how to cite such a source, please visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab via this link:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
