Many academic and non-academic assignments/projects ask writers to argue. At a basic level, they all ask that you consider your purpose, audience, and context as you develop a claim.

• If you're writing an empirical research paper, business proposal, lesson plan, or policy brief, you're arguing.
• If you're synthesizing, analyzing, or reviewing, you're arguing.
• Other common writing tasks—personal statements, résumés, and cover letters—also ask you to develop an argument.

For help assessing others' arguments, check out our Rhetorical Analysis page; for help crafting your own argument, we recommend the resources below:

Writing Arguments: this useful Colorado State University suite of resources works through key elements in writing arguments. Remember where you started, though, and click back to move forward, as the CSU Writing Studio site can quickly sidetrack you into other useful topics.

What Is an Argumentative Essay?: if your assignment features any version of "In your argumentative essay, address/answer/engage...," you might start with this Purdue OWL page. It introduces the basics of what many professors mean when they refer to an argumentative essay.

Argument Techniques from Classical Rhetoric: this smart Cleveland State University resource introduces key ideas and organizational strategies from classical rhetoric. The page never mentions the terms logos, ethos, or pathos; instead, it engages the concerns behind these terms as it offers useful ideas and more specific lists of questions.

Toulmin Method: need help understanding qualifiers, warrants, and backings? This Colorado State University page talks through the concerns without labeling the warrants and backings. For a site that does, try this "Toulmin Argument Model" from the University of Mary Washington's Speaking Intensive Program.