Persuasive essays can come in all forms. A good persuasive essay uses a mix of opinion and fact. It will contain something of interest to hook the reader, give all the information necessary for the reader to understand the topic, and carry enough relevant information and persuasive language to at least make the reader respect the author's stance even if the reader does not agree with the entire premise. Some effective persuasive essays employ humor, some rely on emotion, and some are based almost entirely on factual information. The route an author chooses is based on his or her experience, the topic, and the audience.

For your persuasive research paper, you will learn how to create a general outline to help you format and plan your essay so that you thoroughly address your chosen topic and convincingly express your opinion. Then, with a method to organize your content, you can focus more on how to best word your essay, how to appeal to your audience, and how to use information from other sources to help explain your position on your chosen topic.