Terrorism: Determine what your position is with dealing with terrorists. Consider whether the United States should negotiate with groups that are religious or apocalyptic in their objectives, such as "Islamic State," as opposed to groups that are political. Take a position: Negotiating with terrorists is appropriate in all cases, is never appropriate, or appropriate in some cases.

This is a persuasive argument paper. I've already chosen the title, done the cover page and abstract with the thesis. Now I need the meat and potatoes. Perfect grammer, spelling, APA in text citations and 5 references within the past 5 years.

Writing to Persuade

1 Is your paper formatted correctly based on the Formatting and Typing Guidelines provided?

2 Organization: Introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.

3 Language: Use formal language and avoid the use of first and second person -- avoid references to yourself (NO "I believe, in my opinion" etc.), no personal anecdotes, and do not address the reader (avoid "you" altogether.

4 Documentation: five correctly documented quotes or paraphrases from five adequate sources.

5 Style: APA style is usually used for the type of research you will be doing. Continue in that style unless otherwise stated by your professor.

6 Cross-referncing: You must use in-text citations (also known as in-text references) or signal phrases each time you use the words or ideas of your sources in the essay. Cross-reference your work as explained in your handbook. The handbook is especially necessary for this essay.

7 Support: You'll need a minimum of five sources. Support your ideas with expert opinion, facts, statistics, and other information you find in your research. It is a mistake to create a Frankenstein research paper by copying and pasting.

8 Use the topic you chose in Discussion D2.2 Choose a Topic/Thesis Statement If you are not comfortable with the topic you chose, see "If you wish to change topics" below.

9 Take a position: This is not merely a pro/con paper where you list both sides of an argument. In this paper, you will take a side. Know your position.

10 State the opposition's viewpoint: Because this is an argument, you must bring up the opposition's position and do your best to establish counter arguments to refute it.

11 Do more research: A minimum of five references is required for this paper. They must all be from different sources.

12 Write in formal English: This is a research paper, so keep to the formal third person (avoid "I" and "You") and avoid personal anecdotes.

13 Proofread carefully! If you are not sure of your writing skills, you may go to one of the MDC campuses to the Writing Lab where tutors are available. You may also use free online tutoring through Smartthinking.com. Go to the link under Tools and Resources (side menu) to find out about this resource.

14 Revise, edit, and proofread. I can't stress this enough.

15 Format correctly according the the documentation style your professor assigns. To assure that your Microsoft Word program does not force those extra spaces on you, remember to go to Paragraph > and click on the bos on the left-had corner that reads "do not add extra spaces between like paragraphs."

In addition to proofreading for spelling, grammar, and usage and making sure you use clear and simple language, ask yourself the following:

16 Did you use formal language (avoiding contractions, the use of first or second person and personal anecdotes)?

17 Is your thesis statement clearly stated, preferably at the end of the introduction, and did it reflect a clear position on your topic?

18 Are generalizations and opinions supported by specific details?

19 Did you bring up the opposition's viewpoints and refuted them with counter arguments of your own?

20 When you used source material, did you introduce the quotations you used in a signal phrase?

21 Did you add an in-text citation each time you used a source?

22 Did you cross-reference your sources correctly? All citations should have an entry in the References page.

23 Did you include excessive quotations; is too much of your paper quoted material, or are you including irrelevant information? (Don't do this! The amount of quotations should not exceed 25% or so of your total essay).

24 Have you looked at the sample paper in your handbook? Are all the details, including dating in your bibliographic entries, spacing, indentation etc. correct?

25 Did you assemble your References page correctly? Remember that organizations, such as World Health Organization and Pew Research Center are listed as authors. Did you alphabetize the entries?

For the milestone research paper due for this module, you will need a minimum of five (5) references (articles, books, government documents, etc.) from five different sources (journals, organizations, anthologies etc). As you collect the articles and other references you plan to use, remember to keep the information you will need necessary to prepare a correct References page.

A. choosing and limiting a debatable subject
B. formulating a thesis reflecting the debatable subject, a position in that debate, and the purpose of the essay
C. using sources in the text to substantiate the thesis
D. supporting your position with sufficient evidence, and offering counter-arguments for opposing positions
E. using appropriate rhetorical appeals, to persuade your audience (logos, pathos, ethos) demonstrating logical reasoning
F. clearly acknowledging all sources and avoiding plagiarism by using a standard form of documentation
G. using library and electronic resources to fulfill research objectives
H. paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting sources

Argumentation: While there's no infallible formula for winning an argument, you should learn how and when to use three fundamental argumentative appeals. According to Aristotle, in order to persuade others, the writer may appeal to the audience's reason (logos), emotions (pathos), and/or the credibility of the speaker or writer, such as trustworthiness and expertise (ethos).

Aristotle's Methods of Appeal

Logos: From the Greek root for logic, logos is also known as rational appeal. When evidence, facts, and knowledge, and logic are used to make a claim, it is expects that the reader's sense of reasoning and ability to see things in a logical fashion will prevail.

Pathos: Claims that invoke a reader's beliefs and feelings, such as fear, compassion, anger etc. are also known as emotional appeals.

Ethos: Claims that appeal to the writer's or speakers own credibility are also known as ethical appeals. When the writer or speaker gives the audience a sense of being a fair, trustworthy, honest, sometimes-expert authority on their subject, will help in persuading the audience.