Position Argument (Pro/Con)

so there is 5 pages essay and 6 sources minimum. The sources you use to support your side should not be purely the opinions of others. For example, say you’re writing an essay that is anti-stem cell research, and you make the statement, “Stems cells come from future humans.” Then you follow that up with a quote from a reliable source that states, “Using stem cells is equivalent to socially acceptable murder.” This information does nothing for your assertion, and is simply a slightly different phrasing from what you’ve already said. It is better to stick to accurate studies, experiments, statistics and/or anything else that is considered primary research. Using other people’s pure opinions, however well stated they may be, does little to back up your own assertions when they are your only sources. On the other hand, if you were to use a source from the opposing side that expressed what you felt was an erroneous or sloppy point, it may work to help your side of the argument. For example, if you were doing an essay that argued for steps to be made to prevent global warming and used a quote from a famous radio personality to show the extreme right’s sometimes knee jerk reaction that human beings are not capable of damaging the environment on such a scale, then combat it with information that human beings are indeed capable of causing pollution that drastically affects their surroundings, it may work. I wouldn’t recommend this in every case (and perhaps not even in this one) because you may end up clashing opinions from both sides with neither of them having any real evidence to back up either side. Most Important: Your topic for this essay needs to have a clear Pro position and a clear Con position to it.