In case you are a college student, writing argumentative essays is your destiny. There is no way to avoid writing assignments while you are at college.

Before writing your essay, it is better to learn how to write an argumentative essay.

I completely understand that starting from a blank page is the worst thing. However, if you create an argumentative essay outline, it will be the best way to make a blank page an effective template. It is not as complicated as it may sound since you will have to simply fill in the empty space.

Keep on reading this article and you will find out helpful tips on how to create an outline for your argumentative essay. Remember that a good argumentative essay outline is the basis for an excellent essay.

Structure of the Argumentative Essay Outline

Every argumentative essay outline includes four main points. They are as follows:

  1. Introduction
  2. Developing Writer's Argument
  3. Refuting Arguments of the Opponents
  4. Conclusion

Now you can see that outline is not as difficult as it may seem.

Section One: Introduction

In the introduction part, you need to give information related to your main argument. Usually, introduction should include a hook for a reader, background, and clear thesis statement.

  1. Hook

    A "hook" should be provided in the very first sentence. Have no idea how to make a "hook" and what is it? Well, a hook in an essay is a statement, which can grab attention of the readers and makes them continue reading an essay.

    For instance, imagine that the topic of my argumentative essay is about why Americans have to eat insects.

    The hook would sound as follows: "For everyone who wants to lose some weight and start eating healthy say "Hi!" to eating caterpillars, worms, crickets, and cockroaches."

    In case you still have issues with creating an effective hook for your essay, try to find good online examples of argumentative essay hooks.

  2. Background

    Here your task is to offer a detailed background for the selected topic.

    Answer the questions provided below:

    • What is the main problem?
    • Who tries to solve it?
    • Why have you decided to talk about this problem? Is it significant?

    For instance, insects are considered to be nutritious and sustainable. Nowadays, American people refuse to include insects in their meal and prefer choosing environmentally destructive options like pork or beef. However, citizens have been advised to feel the benefits of consuming the insects.

  3. Thesis statement

    Usually, a thesis statement appears in the last sentence of every introductory paragraph. Here you need to state your position on the selected topic and provide readers with the reasons for the selected stance.

    For instance, "A diet that includes insects consumption helps to get rid of starvation, fixes obesity, and positively impacts on environment. That is why Americans should start consuming insects and refuse from beef, chicken, and pork. There are alternative sources of nutrition and protein."

    You have probably noticed that I have used "should" in the thesis statement. This is the way I show my stance on the argument.

    In addition, the thesis statement includes three main claims that will be expanded later on. They are as follows: an insects diet helps to get rid of starvation, fix obesity, and improve environment. You can look for more examples of thesis statements online.

    Now we need to talk about including those three claims to our outline.

Section Two: Developing the Argument

As soon as you have included all general points related to the chosen topic and provided your main stance, it is high time to start developing your argument.

You have seen three main claims in this outline sample. Each of them should be supported by evidence. When a write offers his/her claims, it may sound as a suggestion only. In addition, you may notice that you can make only two or four claims.

Remember the number of claims you decide to choose does not matter (unless you have special instructions provided by your teacher). What really plays a crucial role is developing your argument thoroughly.

  1. What claim means?

    In order to back your argument you need to make a claim.

    For instance, "Insects are considered to be nutritious. When you choose consuming them, the problem of malnutrition and starvation can be solved."

    Now you can see that making a claim is not a big deal at all. However, will readers believe you? That is why after making a claim, you need to provide real evidence.

  2. What does it mean to provide evidence?

    Writers have to provide evidence for every claim they make. Evidence means citing facts from credible sources of information. Evidence cannot be an anecdote or some sort of personal information or knowledge.

    For instance, "British researchers from Agricultural Organization confirm that insects are rich in fatty acids, protein, and many other micronutrients. Dried insects contain up to 38% of protein."

    The above-mentioned outline shows that three evidence pieces are required to back up every claim. However, you may notice that every claim does not have three sorts of evidence to support it.

    Remember that the number does not always matter (unless you were given specific instructions). On the contrary, you need to provide enough evidence in order to make your readers believe you.

    As soon as you have collected all the necessary evidence to back up your claims, it is high time to include another significant aspect in your argumentative essay: you have to refute the arguments of your opponents.

    So, let's start.

Section Three: Refuting Arguments of the Opponents

Here you have to provide the views of your opponents. Then a rebuttal should be offered.

For instance, "Insect eating opponents from the Beef Council claim that it is too complicated and of course time consuming to find and collect any sort of insects. That is why it is difficult to collect the necessary amount of food."

Oh dear! We are aware of the fact that the Beef Council is interested in us consuming hamburgers and avoid eating healthy meal. (For your information, I have made this claim up. Make sure that your argumentative essay provides real facts from reliable sources.)

Right now you need to set your opponents with the rebuttal full of factual evidence.

For instance, "According to Santana and Cerritos, agricultural researchers, it is better to catch insects, namely crickets, in an hour before the sunrise. At this time they have low activity level. In addition, it is quite easy to create the infrastructure of farm insects in a more sustainable way than farming cattle."

And this is how you refute the opponents' arguments.

As soon as you manage to refute the arguments of your opponents, you can approach the final part of your paper. Start writing your conclusion.

Section Four: Conclusion

Here you need to complete two significant tasks.

  1. You have to restate the significance of the discussed problem. It may be similar to the task you did while writing the introduction. Just restate the importance of the chosen topic.

    For instance, "Through consuming insects, the American citizens receive an opportunity to fix the nutrition and sustainability of their daily diet."

  2. Create a picture of the whole wide world in case your main argument is implemented. In your conclusion, make your potential readers contemplate the ramification of the chosen argument. What changes will occur if Americans start consuming insects on a daily basis?

    For instance, "The whole world would become a better place to live in. Hunger would have never been an issue again. People would get all the necessary vitamins and prevent illnesses. Everybody would start living a healthy life."

    When you finish your essay with a perfect picture of the world, the readers will automatically start to believe you. They become convinced that the argument provided in the essay is absolutely valid.

So, if you have read our tips, you should know how to start an argumentative essay by now. We hope that our recommendations will help you write your perfect argumentative essay that will earn you a high grade and recognition. Remember making outline prior to writing an essay will help you stay focused on your main arguments and organize your essay in a logical and cohesive manner. Use academic but simple language so that your readers could understand your essay. We wish you good luck and hope that our article will be helpful for you. Do not be lazy and start writing your essay today.