*Note, most other essays ask direct questions (usually 2) about a subject and you should answer each of those questions in separate paragraphs making sure you include an introduction and conclusion. They will likely be some form of the above essays.
** I have already provided a simple formula for agree/disagree essays here .
In this blog we will look at how to organize discussion essays or essays that present two opposing views and ask for your opinion. This sample outline isn’t the definitive or only way to put a discussion essay together, but I hope that by looking at the example, you will see the basic essentials of an essay format (introduction, body, conclusion, including support/examples) and understand, generally, what to do in order to get the score you need to succeed.
CAUTION: Before we begin, you should remember that when you are asked to discuss two opposing views, you must put yourself in the shoes of the people who hold each opinion - seeing the issue from both sides of the fence. If you don’t, you will limit your score.
Now, while you look at the response to the following task, see if you can identify what each sentence does before you look at the outline below.
Some people believe that the best way to control accidents on city streets is to lower the speed limit but others think there are more important issues that need attention before roads can be safe.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Paragraph One – Introduction
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Paragraph Two – Body
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Paragraph Three – Body
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Paragraph Four – Body
Paragraph Five – Conclusion
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In this example, the opinion of the writer is different than the two given opinions but it is also possible to agree with one or both of the opinions provided as well. In this case, you would use the same outline and give further or different support in the fourth paragraph.
Here is a template for the discussion essay that you can use to help you practice and learn how to organize your ideas for the exam.
More essay formulas to come! I hope you find them useful. Good luck and have fun with your preparations.
DISCUSSION ESSAY – 5 PARAGRAPH FORMULA TEMPLATE
Paragraph One - Introduction
Sentence 1: ___________________________________________________________________________ Introduce the main subject.
Sentence 2: ___________________________________________________________________________ State the two opposing views.
Sentence 3: ___________________________________________________________________________ State your opinion in the matter.
Sentence 4: ___________________________________________________________________________ Briefly outline what you are going to write about in the paragraphs that follow.
Paragraphs Two and Three and Four– the Body of Support
Sentence 1 (topic sentence): ___________________________________________________________________________ Tell the reader what this paragraph is about by stating the first view point.
Sentence 2: ___________________________________________________________________________ Assume that the reader doesn’t know anything about this topic and discuss why some people might have this view.
Sentence 3: ___________________________________________________________________________ Give a real life or made up example that supports this view.
Paragraph Three – Repeat the above for the other viewpoint
Sentence 1 (topic sentence): ___________________________________________________________________________ Tell the reader what this paragraph is about by stating the second view point.
Paragraph Four – Repeat above for your viewpoint
Sentence 1 (topic sentence): ___________________________________________________________________________ Tell the reader what this paragraph is about by stating your view point (whether you have a different opinion OR you agree with one more than the other OR how you might agree with both).
Sentence 2: ___________________________________________________________________________ Discuss why you have this view.
Sentence 3: ___________________________________________________________________________ Give a real life or made up example that supports your view.
Sentence 1: ___________________________________________________________________________ Rephrase or summarize the different opinions on the topic.
Sentence 2: ___________________________________________________________________________ State which opinion is better or more important in your view.
By Angela Rutherford
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What is Opposing Viewpoints?
Traditionally available as a series of books, Opposing Viewpoints in Context is now available as a database. This series presents both sides of arguments on controversial topics and provides a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.
(Information from GALILEO)
Direct Link to Opposing Viewpoints
Opposing Viewpoints Materials
Opposing Viewpoints Video Resources
Search Results
Topic Pages and Documents
Opposing Viewpoints Tutorial
Opposing Viewpoints Basics
Where to Start a Research Project?
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The secret to finding articles on opposite sides of an issue are to include focus words in your search. Focus words are just words will zoom in on specific viewpoints, or look for articles that discuss controversies.
The example shows searching the topic words climate change and the focus word controversy :
Use the lists below to find focus words that looks useful for your topic and try them. Be aware that controversial topics are often tied to political opinions or agendas.
Good databases to start with:.
Weekly articles focusing in-depth on a single "hot topic" issue.
Weekly articles focusing in-depth on a single "hot topic" issue. Topics are taken from the headlines and include social, political, environmental, health, education, science and technology issues. URL: https://cqpress-sagepub-com.clarkcollege.idm.oclc.org/cqresearcher/
Articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers for all academic disciplines.
Articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers for all academic disciplines. This collection includes the following full-text content, in addition to thousands of searchable cited resources: 3,618 active, full-text, non-open access journals and magazines 3,099 active, full-text, peer-reviewed, non-open access journals 1,298 active, full-text, peer-reviewed, non-open access journals with no embargo 2,444 active, full-text, non-open access journals indexed in Web of Science or Scopus This database is hosted on EBSCO platform and includes Academic Search Premier. URL: https://clarkcollege.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://research-ebsco-com.clarkcollege.idm.oclc.org/c/vqwdh7/search/advanced/filters?db=a9h
Articles from academic journals, popular magazines, and newspapers.
Articles from academic journals, popular magazines, and newspapers. By default this ProQuest link searches Research Library, Family Health Database, National Newspapers, and ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry; full text and graphics available. Explore ProQuest's Youtube Channel for a series of training videos. URL: https://clarkcollege.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/advanced
advocates | environmental scan naysayers opinions opposition opponents opposing views opposing viewpoints politics sceptics shifting politics supreme court theory |
conservative conservative opinions evangelical GOP political right republican right wing
democrat left wing liberal liberal opinions political left
The library has specific books that cover hot topics and pro/con arguments. Search for your topic and one of the series names:
facebook twitter blog youtube maps
Opposing viewpoints in context.
Opposing Viewpoints is an online library of current event topics. It is useful for all majors for finding information on contemporary social issues such as censorship, immigration, stem cell research, terrorism and many more. The sources in this database allow you to explore the various sides of an issue.
You can search by keywords in Opposing Viewpoints, but the easiest way to get started is to use the Browse Issues feature.
The contents include:
If you are using a campus computer or campus WiFi, you should be able to directly access the resource. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to log in using your Single Sign-On username and password. Contact the library if you have any problems accessing the resource.
Basic Search :
Click the “ Browse Issues ” button (placement will vary depending on how large your screen is, as shown in above examples) to browse the topic list of subjects, OR
You may do a specific search by entering a term(s) in the search box. A search assist function suggests topics as you type in a search term. Topic pages will appear in bold and italicized.
Advanced Search : This search allows you to search in multiple fields, like article title, subject, author, or company name. Add rows to your search to make it as specific as you want. You can also limit this type of search by document type, date, and source type.
Learn the basics about how to navigate Opposing Viewpoints by watching Gale's video:
When you conduct a search, in the top section of your results page, you'll find a breakdown of all of the types of content the search found and the number of each type of content. Click on a content type (e.g. Videos) to go directly to those resources.
Scroll through the center section of the page to view each of the titles your search returned, grouped by type. In addition to the title, the source (e.g. NPR Morning Edition) and date of each item are also listed. Dates can be very important if you're looking for the most recent information on your topic.
You also have the ability, on this page, to limit (reduce the number of) your results to Full Text Documents (you can read the entire document in the database) as well as apply other limiters (e.g. Date Published, Subjects) using the buttons on the right side of the page under the heading "Filter Your Results."
If you select a topic from the Browse Issues list, you will be taken to the topic page for the selected issue (see below).
When you select a topic from the Browse Issues list, you will be directed to the topic page. Topic pages include an overview article on the topic and links to relevant resources about the issue.
You can connect to many of these types of resources from a topic page:
Opposing Viewpoints is also a good place to start your research or to find a topic.
This video will help you narrow your topic and select sources.
**When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is typically not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source . Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Business Insights, Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are usually not included because the reader would need to login to access the source, but your professor may request that you include them.
The citation tool above results in this for an article:
Peters, R., & Quinn, M. (2018). Agrowtopia: Cultivating Community, Consciousness and Capital on Campus. Journal of Case Studies , 36 (3). Retrieved from https://bi.gale.com/global/article/GALE|A597895516/48398b0d65e763958fb4d0e51125f445?u=centpenn_itc1#
The correct citation will not include the database information because the article can be found in other databases or through an online search. If there were a DOI, the DOI url would be included. If there were page numbers, they would be included after the issue number. Since there isn't a DOI, or page numbers, and the URL would take the reader to a login page the URL is not included. The reference ends after the volume number.
Peters, R., & Quinn, M. (2018). Agrowtopia: Cultivating community, consciousness and capital on campus. Journal of Case Studies, 36 (3).
In Business Insights there is a good chance you will be retrieving items that are not articles, but reports and other data. These sources do not have the citation tool option. These reports might not be found elsewhere so the name of the database is included, along with the retrieval date if they update over time and are not archived.
Author. (Year, Month day of publication). Title of the report [Type of report]. Database name .
OR , if the content updates and you should include the retrieval date:
Author. (Year, Month day of publication). Title of the report [Type of report]. Retrieved date, from Database name.
For example:
GlobalData. (2019, March). Starbucks Corp - Financial and strategic analysis review. Business Insights.
New Constructs. (2022, February 19). Meta Platforms Inc. (FB) [Investment report]. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from Business Insights.
Starbucks Corp. [Company profile]. (2019). Business Insights. Retrieved February 13, 2020, from Business Insights.
McDonald's Corp. (2020). [McDonald's Corp. interim - last 5 periods Income statement] . Retrieved February 18, 2020, from Business Insights.
** When using a generated citation, you must double check it for accuracy! It’s not unusual for a database to have an error in a citation!**
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source . Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
In Credo, either use the citation tool at the top of the page or find the APA citation following each entry.
Copy and paste the citation, and then make any necessary corrections.
This is how a citation from a reference work is generally structured.
Author's last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (edition). Publisher name.
This is what the copied citation looks like using the citation tools in Credo:
Almost correct, but it does not need the URL in 7th edition APA. This is how it should look:
Posluszny, D., Spencer, S., & Baum, A. (2007). Post-traumatic stress disorder. In S. Ayers, A. Baum, C. McManus, & et. al. (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
The following example, is if there is no author.
Hormone therapy. (2016). In Merriam Webster's Medical Dictionary . Merriam-Webster.
Book and ebook citations are treated the same. They require the following elements: author(s), year of publication, book title, book edition (if applicable), and publisher name. Ebook Central does not need to be listed as the database.
Author's last name, initials. (year of publication). Title of book: With only capitalization of first word of title and subtitle and any proper nouns. Publisher. DOI or URL
Change the format in the drop-down box to APA. The citation ends after the publisher's name because there is no DOI and the URL will not work without logging in. "Dark Knight" is one of Batman's most well-known nicknames, and the name Batman is also a proper noun, so all three words should be capitalized. You also don't need to include the business structure information (Limited). The corrected citation is:
Brooker, W. (2012). Hunting the Dark Knight: Twenty-first century Batman. I.B. Tauris & Company.
Database information is not included in most references because sources can be found in multiple platforms. The goal of a citation is to allow the reader to find the source, not to tell them how to find the source . Meaning a particular article may be found in Ebsco, or Gale, on the publisher's website. Database information is only included if they have "original, proprietary content and works of limited circulation" (Proquest dissertations & theses, Cochrane database of systematic reviews). URLs are usually not included because the reader would need to login to access the source.
When you click the Cite tool button the popup screen provides citations in a variety of styles. Scroll down to find the APA citation. Copy & paste it into your paper and then correct it for 7th edition style if necessary. Articles should follow this format:
Author's last name, first initial. middle initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume# (issue#), pages-pages. DOI or URL
In the example below, the first word of the subtitle (after the colon) should be capitalized, but the 'of' in the Journal title should not be.
Corrected citation:
Dury, R. (2016). COPD and emotional distress: Not always noticed and therefore untreated. British Journal of Community Nursing , 21 (3), 138–141. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2016.21.3.138
Citation example of corrected MarketLine report in Business Source Premier:
MarketLine. (2019, October 28). Company profile: Netflix, Inc. Business source Premier .
[You'll find the date on the first page of the PDF, bottom left.]
Films on Demand does have a Citation tool available directly below the video frame.
HOWEVER--Films on Demand citations for APA are usually incomplete and should not include a URL (APA citations should only have a retrieval date if the content might change).
You can start with the citation from Films on Demand, but you will need to correct it and finish it yourself with help from a style guide, a librarian, and/or your professor.
Here is an example citation from a Films on Demand video:
As you can see, the video director or producer is missing. However, that information is easily available in the database.
In the image below you can see, in the Details section, that the video producer is Java Films.
A correct APA citation for this film would be:
Java Films (Producer). (2014). The mobile revolution [Video].
Many videos in Films on Demand are divided into segments, and sometimes you might only use a segment in a project/presentation.
To cite a segment: Add the segment name and number to the citation
Java Films (Producer). (2014). Disruptive technology [segment 13]. In The mobile revolution [Video].
Articles should follow this basic format:
This is the citation that Gale displays:
Volkow, N. D., & Blanco, C. (2020). Medications for opioid use disorders: clinical and pharmacological considerations. Journal of Clinical Investigation , 130 (1), 10+. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612694392/AONE?u=centpenn_itc1&sid=AONE&xid=64436e81.
It should be:
Volkow, N. D., & Blanco, C. (2020). Medications for opioid use disorders: Clinical and pharmacological considerations. Journal of Clinical Investigation , 130 (1), 10-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1172/JCI134708
The page numbers indicated (10+) weren't correct. Downloading the article you are able to find the page range on the PDF, and there was a doi provided.
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Body and Conclusion. Limit each paragraph in the body of the essay to one main idea. Connect the body of each paragraph to your thesis statement. Provide at least three detailed examples per paragraph that explain why the evidence supports the thesis. Discuss opposing viewpoints of each paragraph's main idea.
Opposing Viewpoint | Definition & Examples - Lesson
Start by acknowledging and explaining points of view that may conflict with your own to build credibility and trust with your audience. Also, state the limits of your argument. This too helps you sound more reasonable and honest to those who may naturally be inclined to disagree with your view. By respectfully acknowledging opposing arguments ...
Hello, Readers! LET'S ARGUE.Incorporating opposing viewpoints in an argument can make an argument stronger—as readers, we can pay attention to how authors de...
Each viewpoint essay starts with an Article Commentary that includes information about the essay's author(s), position summary, main points, and questions to consider.Having this information at the start, sets you up to be a critical thinker. It's important to know the credentials of the author, their expertise, and potential biases in order to assess their credibility and understand why they ...
When it comes to addressing the opposing point of views in your argumentative essay, you have to do so carefully so that your essay doesn't end up weak. The rule of thumb is to be objective and respectful. Also, be distinctive, making sure you make your audience know that this is clearly not your argument. It makes sense to be fair and making ...
By examining and countering opposing views, you can clarify and bolster your points, leading to a more nuanced and compelling argument. This process can help identify any weaknesses in your own reasoning, allowing you to address them directly and improve the overall quality of your essay. Additionally, acknowledging naysayers can enhance the ...
Addressing Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing views, or counter-‐arguments, challenge your own stance. The counter-‐argument helps ensure thorough logic. Lest your argument appear one-‐sided, you must explore multiple angles of issues and consider their possiblerefutations. When the opposing views are handled well, they do the following:
About This Guide. The purpose of this LibGuide is to display resources that will help you respectfully and thoughtfully write papers and create assignments that address topics with opposing viewpoints and varying positions. In addressing difficult or divisive topics, let us look to the example of Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and ...
Place these opposing views and counterarguments either where they blend together with your own points in your paper or cluster them together at the start or end of the body of your essay.
Opposing Viewpoints, or use the search box to find your own topic. Browse Issues Option At the top of the database's homepage find the option to Browse Issues and click it. That will take you to an alphabetical list of controversial topics. Selecting one takes you to a collection of viewpoint essays, articles, and other relevant information ...
The Basics - Opposing Viewpoints - Research Guides
Remember that the goal of a Rogerian essay is to find common ground and establish mutual understanding. Approach the topic with an open mind and be willing to consider opposing viewpoints. Lastly, start writing your essay by introducing the topic, presenting the different perspectives, and highlighting areas of agreement.
Each viewpoint essay starts with an Article Commentary that includes information about the essay's author(s), position summary, main points, and questions to consider.Having this information at the start sets you up to be a critical thinker. It's important to know the credentials of the author, their expertise, and potential biases in order to assess their credibility and understand why they ...
Understanding Opposing Views in Argumentative Essays
Opposing Viewpoints in Context is a resource that brings together academic articles, audio, videos, opinion essays and primary sources about contemporary controversies and hot topics. Whether you need a balanced view or support for your position, Opposing Viewpoints is the first place to go when you're researching a controversial or contentious ...
How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips
6. Address Counterarguments: Acknowledge opposing views and refute them to strengthen your argument. 7. Conclude Effectively: Summarize your key points and leave a lasting impression on your readers. Follow these steps to create a compelling argumentative essay that will engage your audience and showcase your writing skills. Understanding the Topic
A Simple Formula for Discussing Two Opposing Views in ...
you to access it indefinitely. An Opposing Viewpoints In Context folder is automatically created to make it easy t. find your exported documents.Print, Email, or Download the document to keep a copy of the result, including any highl. hts and notes you've added.Use Save to My Folder to add the article to a temporary session folder available ...
Traditionally available as a series of books, Opposing Viewpoints in Context is now available as a database. This series presents both sides of arguments on controversial topics and provides a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. ... Where to Start a Research Project? << Previous: How to use NoveList Plus; Next: How to use ...
Find Opposing Views (Pros and Cons): Find Articles & Books
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Opposing Viewpoints is an online library of current event topics. It is useful for all majors for finding information on contemporary social issues such as censorship, immigration, stem cell research, terrorism and many more. The sources in this database allow you to explore the various sides of an issue.