Thinking Ahead…

Now that you have a two-storey thesis and an initial argument, you are ready to move onto the next stage: research and incorporating outside voices. Notice that you didn’t begin with research. This is key because the argumentative essay you are writing must be based on your argument. You do not want to begin with research and then simply replicate someone else’s argument—you want to make your own argument supported by others’ research and ideas!

As you move on to the next chapter, it is useful to begin asking some questions before you head to the library or the library’s website:

• What words or phrases in my thesis might need further scholarly definitions?
• What types of statistics might be useful to support my argument?
• Within what discipline am I writing? Who are the experts within that discipline?
• Are there other terms or words that might be useful search terms when looking for scholarly research about my argument?

When you go to the library with specific questions and goals in mind, you will find your research will go faster and be more relevant!