The Researched Argument, 7-8 pages, double spaced, which brings together your understanding of the scholarship on a specific philosophical issue and your ability to articulate a response to that problem, should exhibit your ability to:
1) invent a sophisticated research question,
2) undertake in-depth research that informs the question at hand,
3) derive a plausible soft-claim that seriously addresses your problem, and
4) suggest an even better question that prompts further thinking on the matter.
The Researched Argument should also show how your argument holds weight in the theoretical arena, and should advance the implications of your argument.