Physical format :

•  5 full pages of text not counting any title page or bibliography (this means no dribbling on to the 5th page with a line or two of text).  Use the length to the best possible purpose.
• 1 inch margins (top, bottom, and on both sides)
• double-space - within and between paragraphs
• font size - 10 or 12
• font style - something like Roman which is easy to read.  No script fonts - ones that look like handwritting
• Title page - optional, but all all papers should have a title
• If you are not including a formal title page, the first page of the paper should contain the required information below and then the paper should immediately start.  In other words, don't start the paper half-way down the page.
  
• Information to include on the front page of your paper (title page or just the first page of the paper)
• your name (first and last)
• date the paper is due
• Sources - this is not a major research paper so using and referencing 3 quality sources for the argumentative paper is sufficient as a minimum.  However, no Wikipedia!
• Remember to include a bibliography
• Information on how to do footnotes or endnotes and bibliography in the Chicago Manual of Style can be found at  http://www.saintjoe.edu/%7Eilicias/citationforms.html

Content of paper:

• Use what you have read in the Rules of Argument and heard in lecture and what we discussed about effective arguments in our discussion section.
• You will want to use statistics and facts.
• You can also include personal experience, but remember what you read about being concise and to the point.
• Remember what makes a weak argument.
• Remember you need to address both sides of the argument and show why your position is the stronger.