Cause and Effect papers inform the reader about the possible causes of a recent event or the possible effects of a recent event. In this way, the paper can either look into the future and hypothesize about possible effects or look into the past to identify probable causes. The goal is to prove a causal relationship between two events, or persuade the reader to believe there is a cause and effect relationship between two events. Cause and Effect papers are determined to answer “why”: Why did event A happen? What happened as a result of A? What might happen as a result of A?
Both the cause and the effect need to be sufficient or necessary. But what does this mean? It means that you should not assume that two events occurring at roughly the same time have a cause and effect relationship, there is more to consider than timing. To say that a cause is "sufficient" means that every time that event occurs, the same effect will take place.
Organizing the causes and effects is crucial to the success of this type of argument. The reader must be able to understand and agree with the cause and effect relationship, so the writer must emphasize reasons and consequences. The paper should clearly identify and develop the causes and effects that the writer relies on to arrive at their conclusion.
