Ever wondered what a persuasive research paper is? Or do you want to learn how to write one? If yes, read on because we’re about to begin.
Imagine yourself in a nice-trimmed suit with a client by your side, and you’re about to win a case in court. Your first point of duty would be to state your case before the jury and persuade them that your client is innocent.
That is exactly what writing a persuasive paper entails but in a less dramatic fashion. Your aim is to build the best argument possible to win over your readers.
This article won’t take you to law school, but it offers excellent prompts on how to write a persuasive paper. Let’s begin!
What is a persuasive paper?
A persuasive paper is alternatively called an argument essay or a position paper. It is a comprehensive piece of academic writing that utilizes evidence to garner the audience’s support for a particular narrative.
In a persuasive paper, it’s your job to convince your readers to accept a specific opinion or consider a particular action. Therefore, these academic papers need good research and a concrete understanding of a discussion’s supporting and countering sides.
The best persuasive papers’ ideas outline the clarity and sensibility of the writer’s opinions while discounting the opposing views with evidence. This form of writing is quite common in modern life via newspaper editorials, political campaigns, and blogs. However, you would require a working outline to write your paper.
Outline for persuasive research paper
Before writing a persuasive research paper, it is essential to go through some prewriting steps for the paper. The pre-writing steps usually involve research, stating the audience, and identifying supporting evidence and opposing ones.
However, the most critical aspect of preparation is developing a persuasive research paper outline. The outline helps you structure your main arguments and present them in the best possible way.
A persuasive paper outline also helps you structure your paragraphs and begin then with the main points of each argument. If your instructor gives you a paper structure, simply integrate it into the outline.
Generally, a persuasive paper format is made up of the following:
Introduction
- An introductory paragraph
- An attention-grabbing “hook”
- An argument overview
- Then a thesis statement reveals the idea to be argued
Body
- Each body paragraph should contain a piece of evidence
- The evidence should include sufficient supporting detail
- A paragraph with the opposing view
- Another paragraph that refutes the main ideas of the opposite view
Conclusion
- A concluding paragraph that reinforces the thesis and supporting evidence
How to write a persuasive research paper
When writing a persuasive essay, the following prompts will guide you:
- Choose your topic
This is the very first step in any research paper writing process. It would be best to choose various persuasive paper topics to conduct research and pre-writing preparations. However, your topic must be engaging and argumentative enough to interest the reader.
- Pick a position you’re passionate to support
As a student, clearly think about the persuasive research paper topics available for you. Then pick one that’ll help you choose a side you wish to advocate for. This is usually the most straightforward idea to agree with or, in some cases, the more antagonistic one.
When the paper topic is one you strongly feel about, it makes the entire process of writing, arguing, and researching an idea more emotional and thrilling. You would hardly have any difficulties when trying to convince the readers to support your side.
- Understand the audience
To write a great persuasive essay, you need to understand the reader’s perspective. This will help you determine how easy it would be for the reader to favor one side or another.
- Thoroughly research both arguments
The best way to successfully convince your readers is to research both sides of the argument comprehensively. Think of it as trying to have a debate with yourself. You must be knowledgeable enough to convince yourself that you have sufficiently researched both options to settle for an answer.
- Carefully craft your thesis statement
Your thesis element is a significant portion of your persuasive essay, so it must be addressed carefully. It should tell readers the main arguments and which of them you support. Think of thesis creation as the “what,” “why,” and “how” of your argument.
- Develop a working outline
As we discussed earlier, outlining your paper will give you a concise view of your argument and how to develop it. Take some time to create an outline for your persuasive essay.
- Write with empathy
The most successful persuasive papers contain a lot of empathy and passionate reasoning. You need to make sure your arguments are not misleading and ensure they are based on fact. A combination of these creates some of the best persuasive arguments.
Conclusion
Writing a persuasive research paper can be pretty fun if it’s on something you are passionate about. Learn always to develop a working outline and do ample research on the topic and its arguments. With these guidelines, you can produce a well-written persuasive research paper.
