Format for your Classical Argument Essay
Basic guidelines
 Essay must be in MLA 8 format (header, last name/page #, title, Times New Roman 12, double-spaced).
 It should be at least three pages long plus a Works Cited page.
 It should incorporate and correctly cite three different scholarly sources.
 The writing should be in Standard American English, well-structured, easy to follow, free from personal references and unnecessary wordiness.
Your introduction should
o Include an attention grabber
o Set the context and give any necessary background information on your topic
o State the claim (thesis)
o Forecast the argument
Your audience
o Intelligent Texas taxpayers
Your purpose
o Persuade your readers that your claim is valid by using strong reasons and clear evidence. For help with this, see the STAR criteria for evaluating evidence: Sufficiency, Typicality, Accuracy, Relevance
Your body paragraphs should
o Explain how the research and data support your claim
o Respectfully acknowledge opposing evidence/data and respond to it
Each reference to a source should
• Introduce the source using an attributive tag
• Quote or summarize the important information from that source
• Explain the significance of the information from the source
• Include a correct MLA in-text citation which is also referenced in the final Works Cited page
Your conclusion should
Wrap up your paper and drive home your claim—do not simply repeat your introduction. Note any issues which need further exploration.
A final note
This paper is not about you. It is about the issue. Therefore, the following words and phrases do not belong in your essay: I me, myself, we, us, in my opinion, I think, I believe. Your paper is also not about your reader, and you do not know your reader personally; therefore, the following words do not belong in your essay either: you, your, you’re, yourself.
Figure 14.3 (13.1 in the old book), which illustrates the framework for a classical argument, is on page 273 (331 in the old book) of your text.