Choosing a position for your topic is usually the easiest step, but it is one that should be considered carefully before continuing. It is important that you consider all aspects of the topic and are able to choose a strong, defendable argument.
Your argument should be based on facts and not on feelings. That means that most moral arguments do not apply.
Example:
Good: Raising minimum wage will stimulate the economy and increase workplace productivity by giving working class families an opportunity to have a "living wage" with only one job.
Good: Raising minimum wage has historically lead to an increase in prices as companies attempt to recoup funds from higher wages, thus leading to a never ending cycle that does not improve the standard of living for working class families.
Bad: Raising minimum wage will help working class families but will hurt overall businesses.
Awful: Raising minimum wage means that I get more money which is pretty sweet.
In order to form a convincing argument and a strong stance you have to first know your audience's stance. Are the undecided or firmly against it? Knowing your audience's arguments will help you refute them, giving you a chance to present your owns.
This means that in addition to researching arguments for your topic, you also have to be familiar with common arguments for the opposite side. This will allow you to gather research to combat the opposing view.
While it is not advised to use a single source for a research paper, it is extremely important to use multiple sources for your persuasive and augmentative papers. This approach will not only give you are fuller understanding of the different points of view but will allow you to make a stronger argument as to why your stance is the better option.