Have you ever thought of a great topic for an essay, but then wondered, “How do you gather evidence to support your argumentative essay?”

Let’s review the steps for writing an essay Let’s review the steps for writing an essay. Now that we’ve chosen a topic, it’s important that we start gathering evidence that will support a strong argument. We have to have that evidence before planning, drafting, and editing. CUE FILL IN OF SECOND STEP?

Then, says it again and again Point made. Then, says it again and again A common mistake that writers make is that they make a claim and the do not have adequate evidence to back it up. This often results in repetition of the same facts so that the writer can fill up more pages. So, the writer makes a point and then says it again and again. This will do nothing but bore the reader. If the writer loses the audience, then the argument is considered to be very weak.

Before we begin, let’s look at the steps FOR HOW TO COLLECT STRONG SUPPORTING EVIDENCE. (Cue and Read)

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Before I can start my research, I have to come up with an idea of what I’ll be looking for. I want to start by looking again at my thesis statement (Read). Now I have to ask myself, (CUE) “What evidence will I need to make a convincing argument?” Hmmmm. . . I know FOR OTHER ESSAYS, I’ve interviewed classmates. (CUE) I mention that this issue affects many people around the world, so I should probably find out something about that, like how many people and where they live. So, I am going to add (CUE and Read) Also, in my thesis, I mention health problems. Maybe I can find out some information about the medical issues that are caused by dirty water. (CUE and Read) I brought up the fact that people are always having to search for water, so I should look into this. (CUE and Read) Finally, I know that I will need to offer a solution to this problem, so It would help if I can find (CUE and Read) Before I move on, I want to prioritize the types of evidence I’m seeking. I am a little concerned that “interviews with classmates” might not work in this case . . . Though it could if someone has ever lived, visited, or heard stories. I think I may save that one for last or maybe someone will talk to me about it if they hear about my topic. The other three seem like I’ll be able to find in news articles or on the internet.

Search Phrase: “Unclean water facts” Now that I know what type of information I’m looking for, I’m ready to start looking. (CUE) “Maybe I can start with an internet search to find out about the people affected by unclean water?” (CUE) Let me start with a simple search phrase, “Unclean water facts”. (CUE and Read) This is good evidence that I may be able to use to support different parts of my argument. It’s always better to have more evidence to pick from, so I will not stop my research here. On another note, please remember that it’s very important to write down where you get your evidence so you can go back and cite it later.

WaterAid.org = (WaterAid) Water Facts Quiz = (Water Facts) Water.org = (Water.org) WaterAid.org = (WaterAid) Water Facts Quiz = (Water Facts) HydratingHumanity.org = (Hydrating Humanity) Now that I have some sources, I need to ask (CUE) “How do I use MLA format to cite the sources I selected for use in-text WHEN I AM WRITING?” (CUE) You see the abbreviated list. Each of the parenthesis are what I will use when citing evidence throughout my essay. For example, if I use a fact from water.org, I will put those parenthesis with water.org after the sentence. You may notice that I used the name of the site in each case, but that’s only because the sites do not have an author or year listed. Always check an MLA resource guide before proceeding.

"Water Facts: Water. " water. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Aug 2012 "Water Facts: Water." water.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http:// water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/>. "Statistics ." WaterAid:UK Site. WaterAid, n.d. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http:// www.wateraid.org/uk/what_we_do/statistics/default.asp>.   "Water Facts Quiz.”. Speakers Bureau, The World Bank, n.d. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http://criticalstages.com/samples/web_support_files/water/ index.htm>. "Facts About Water - Drinking Water Facts." Hydrating Humanity , 2012. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http://www.hydratinghumanity.org/water-facts.php>. "Facts About Water - Drinking Water Facts." Hydrating Humanity , 2012. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http://www.hydratinghumanity.org/water-facts.php>. "Statistics ." WaterAid:UK Site. WaterAid, n.d. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http:// www.wateraid.org/uk/what_we_do/statistics/default.asp>. "Water Facts Quiz.”. Speakers Bureau, The World Bank, n.d. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http://criticalstages.com/samples/web_support_files/water/ index.htm>. "Water Facts: Water." water.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Aug 2012. <http:// water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/>.   In-text is not the only place where I will have to cite my sources. The works cited or bibliography page at the end of an assignment that shows which resources were used. This helps avoid plagiarism from taking place. I need to ask (CUE) How do I write citations for use in the works cited?” (CUE) This is what they would look like, but the process requires consulting an MLA resource guide. Oh, I forgot, (CUE) I should put them in alphabetical order, since that’s the way they’ll appear in the works cited. Remember, this is done to avoid plagiarism and really to make the essay more believable since the audience knows you aren’t just making things up. IN CASE A READER WANTS TO CHECK THE EVIDENCE OR DO FURTHER RESEARCH.

Let’s recap the steps FOR HOW TO COLLECT STRONG SUPPORTING EVIDENCE Let’s recap the steps FOR HOW TO COLLECT STRONG SUPPORTING EVIDENCE. (Cue and Read)

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