Essay Assignment 2: Documented Argument in APA

Your argumentative essay will be on an environmental topic from the list of options below. Consider your audience for this paper to be your peers. The essay should be between 3 ½ and 4 pages (850 to 1,000 words) in length, not including the cover page, abstract, or reference page. It should be double spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font and must meet the following criteria:

• An introduction, a minimum of 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion
• A clearly articulated thesis in the introduction of the paper; the thesis must state the claim, position, or stance that your essay will prove
• 4 cited sources
• At least 4 quotes from your sources
• Topic sentences that focus the discussion in each body paragraph
• Examples, details, statistics, explanations, and other researched evidence in the body paragraphs that clearly support the claim of your thesis
• Counterarguments (at least one but preferably more than one) and refutations that show you understand the complexity of your argument and can accurately acknowledge the views of the opposition and refute them
• Clear connections between ideas from paragraph to paragraph and within paragraphs (transition words and phrases)

• Proper APA style format in the cover page, in the abstract, in the in-text citations, and in the Reference page (see the template and instructional video for creating the APA format)
• Reference page listing a minimum of 4 sources
• Standard usage, grammar, and mechanics