25 Best Argumentative Essay Topics and Ideas

The key objective of an argumentative essay is to convince the reader to comprehend your position on a subject. You should accomplish this goal by providing your reasoning along with corroborating evidence. Wishing to succeed, you will need to find the appropriate balance between sharing your opinions and providing reputable research.

Argumentative essay topics may refer to discussing issues around science, healthcare, politics, technology, etc. Teachers searching for argumentative topics for students, as well as students struggling with developing an idea of their own, are all invited to read this post! We’ve compiled a list of 25 good argumentative essay topics and now share some beneficial info on the subject altogether.

What is an Argumentative Essay?

An argumentative essay is a conventional academic paper that convinces the reader to agree and acknowledge your thesis statement. Such academic papers vary in terms of complexity. Yet regardless of an argumentative essay topic, the paper must involve research with provable data and facts supporting the conclusion you are claiming.

As a rule, the format consists of three core elements:

1. An introductory part – where you state your topic as well as your thesis statement;

2. Supporting paragraphs – in which you provide unique facts and arguments;

3. The final part – where you restate and briefly conclude supporting evidence of your thesis statement.

Depending on your college or high school level, the complexity and length of the paper will vary. Younger students typically write on more superficial argument essay topics and follow shorter-length instructions. Whereas advanced college or high school students are to conduct a comprehensive study, argue thoroughly, and write more extended arguments resulting in more sophisticated conclusions. But don’t worry; you can always request professional help if it sounds intimidating. Otherwise, read on, follow our tips, and get the job done yourself.

What Makes a Good Argumentative Essay?

Even though every story always has two sides, more often than not, we’re aware of or stick to only one of them. It’s not our fault, as choosing one perspective and adhering to it is part of the nature of human communication. We don’t bother about it discussing weekend plans, for instance, yet what if, in other cases, the stakes are higher? What if we need to persuade someone of our opinion on a controversial issue? That’s actually the essence of a good argumentative essay.

Such academic papers are not about taking sides; instead, they are about taking a stand. They are your chance to represent your stance on good topics for argumentative essays and back it up with evidentiary material. That is why two sides of every story matter. If you’re going to argue, you’ll need to research thoroughly and prove comprehensively, being aware of all sides of argumentative essays topics. 

An Interesting Topic

Your argumentative essay will impress only if its subject gets you fired up. The passion for your position, as well as your lack of enthusiasm, will inexorably show through in your paper. However, your subjects and ideas should also be the ones you can argue cogently.

The most challenging academic papers to write are those you hardly care about. If you are not interested in your research argumentative essay topics, why should someone else? What are good topics for an argumentative essay? We recommend choosing more meaningful and thoughtful ones for both you and your readers. If you’re fired up – your passion will shine through your paper!

However, it’s not always you to pick unique argumentative essay topics. You may be given the topics to write about for an argumentative essay, none of which would fascinate you. Well, in such a case, you still will gain some value. College argumentative essay topics of little interest will push you to explore a new subject and broaden your ability to write altogether. Mastering proving your stance fruitfully and meticulously will help you better understand various fields and improve your comfort with academic writing.

Yet still, what are good argumentative topics? First and foremost, we recommend avoiding opinion questions (“Is gun control a good idea?”), interpretation issues (“What does the author actually mean in that chapter?”), and first-person subjects (“How do I write an informative essay?”).

You may find these questions interesting to scrutinize, but they don’t make for good arguments for essays. Alternatively, find something with two distinct sides for you to argue and get people riled up! 

A Captivating Thesis Statement

Once you’ve chosen your argumentative paper topics, it’s time to narrow down your target and develop a thesis statement. This is perhaps the most crucial part since a thesis defines what you will argue and sets the tone for your entire paper.

A good thesis must be concise and distinct. It should claim your position on the topics for argumentative writing without veering off into spillover subjects. Above all, your thesis statement should be arguable. It means that someone should be able to go through your thesis and justifiably disagree with it.

Evidence Proving Your Thesis

Even the most captivating thesis and idiosyncratic argumentative essay ideas won’t be enough without evidence that supports your stance. After all, with your topics for an argumentative essay, you need to persuade readers of the correctness of your perspective! Therefore, finding and appropriately citing credible sources that prove your arguments is crucial. Regardless of your research argument essay topics, be ready for comprehensive research to study scholarly articles in particular. Make sure it expressly and unequivocally supports your thesis regardless of the form your evidence will take.

Prior to developing your thesis statement, we recommend researching your argument for corroborating information in scientific studies, journals, and newspapers. If you lack sufficient evidentiary material, consider finding other argumentative essay topics for students. 

Clear Structure

If a reader can’t follow your argument research essay topics, all your work could be for nothing! Therefore, a clear structure is critical to convincing your audience. Here are two commonly used structures to organize your papers.

Although the Toulmin and Rogerian arguments both consist of the same sections, these structures execute them differently.

The Toulmin argument entails a straightforward presentation. It means that you start with an assumption and a thesis statement. Then, you provide the supporting evidence and prove its credibility. The bulk of your paper should disclose how your sources confirm your claim. Afterward, you discuss flaws and concerns that readers may find in your paper. In the end, you specify the solutions to them, as well as alternative perspectives, and reasonably demonstrate why your argument is more substantial.

The Rogerian argument entails a more sophisticated structure. First, you discuss what opposing sides do correctly and explore the authenticity of their arguments. Next, you claim your stance on your argumentative research essay topics. At this stage, you need to specify problems with your opponent’s argument and show how your argument fixes them. Finally, good argumentative essays of this type should end by putting forward a potential compromise between the two sides. 

Stepwise Advice on Actually Writing it

Finding the best argumentative essay topics is exciting and challenging at once. If you’re well aware of which steps to take, you can come up with an engaging academic paper. But if you don’t have any idea of where and how to find researched argument essay topics, make sure to follow these steps in order.

• Opt for a particular field of study you would like to focus on. For example, it can be technology, education, healthcare, science, etc.
• What is a good argumentative essay topic? Research topics for writing an argumentative essay and choose the ideal one in your area of interest.
• Conduct comprehensive research on your argumentative essay topic ideas and develop a strong thesis. Do not forget to collect critical points, arguments as well as counterarguments to support your thesis.
• With all the data researched and collected, devise a plan for writing your paper by sketching an accurate and clear outline. It should contain core parts, like the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Expand your outline and write a paper according to the guidelines provided by your instructor. Your assignment should reveal your arguments concerning the thesis featuring reasonable proving evidence.
• Edit and proofread your paper multiple times. Your assignment will be ready for submission as soon as it’s logical, error-, and plagiarism-free.

Unique Argumentative Essay Topics

General

1. Should abortion be made illegal?

2. Must animal testing be banned?

3. Should illegal immigrants obtain approval for residence permits?

4. Fake news issue: What are the source, problems, and solutions?

5. Which moral concerns affect the legal status of genetic cloning? 

History

6. It is supposed that people should learn from the past, figuring out patterns in history. Does history repeat itself?

7. Does our contemporary perspective change the “truth” of what happened during significant historical events?

8. Did the US get any moral stain from handling the Native Americans the way it did?

9. Slavery was an underlying part of both the American colonies and the United States. Did this injustice change the nation?

10. What factors caused the rise of Naziism in Germany and led to the Holocaust?

Culture & Society

11. Should healthcare be considered a fundamental human right?

12. Social media unites yet pulls us apart. What outweighs – the good or the bad?

13. Equality is part of law creation, yet does it work in practice?

14. Should a patient be able to ask for medically assisted suicide in case of terminal illness?

15. What is the best way to encourage constructive conversations about controversial subjects?

Technology

16. How texting affects interpersonal communication skills?

17. Collecting users’ data by social media sites: Allow or prohibit?

18. Should parents be legally able to limit the screen time of their children?

19. Is AI facilitating or impairing society?

20. Should cyberbullying entail legal consequences? 

Politics

21. What should be done to scale down income inequality?

22. Do you consider paying down the US deficit the most crucial challenge of our time?

23. Does printing money by the Federal Reserve result in an unsustainable bubble?

24. Are the United States ready for a female president?

25. Which recent political decision led to the most significant change?

Tips to Remember & Follow

• Choose the subject that you feel fascinated by.
• Decide on a clear point of view on your chosen argumentative topics and stick to it throughout the entire paper.
• Prove your argument with valid evidence from trustworthy sources.
• Ensure you will be able to refute any counterarguments readers might pose.
• Persuade readers in the correctness of your perspective by demonstrating commonsense thinking and compelling arguments.
• Do not forget to restate your thesis statement in the conclusion.

Don’t be afraid to sound like a broken record. Instead, beware of sounding like you’ve got no idea what you’re talking about!