HOW TO WRITE A POSITION PAPER
What Is a Position Paper?
A position paper introduces a one-sided arguable opinion on a particular topic. Such a paper is mainly
written by a country's delegates in a conference to show their position on a specific matter. The main goal
is usually to reason logically and compellingly, hence convincing the audience that your policy is valid
and defensible. This assignment requires you to leverage facts, statistics, opinions, and other forms of
attestations. The purpose of a position paper is to express the point of view on a specific controversial
issue in a country or globally. It also requires you to persuade the reader that you have an exceptional
awareness of your topic.
Position Paper Structure
A typical structure of a position paper includes three essential parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
Depending on the materials you use, don't forget about a reference page as well. Check the information
below to know how to start a position paper and what to include under each paragraph.
Introduction
The introductory part can make the reader or audience either dismissive or interested to know more.
Begin with a few opening sentences that capture their attention. You also want to use suspense to hook
your reader. Most importantly, the introduction paragraph should inform your reader about the issue you
have chosen. Therefore, develop a thesis statement and mention it in the introduction.
Body
The body of a position paper has three parts:
Background information.
Evidence to support your opinion.
A discussion of both sides of the matter.
You need to conduct thorough research and have enough facts to back up your claims. However, don't
forget to address both sides of the argument.
It shows the reader that you were not biased in your considerations and, ultimately, gives you a better shot
at convincing them. Of course, the number of arguments backing your position should be more than
counterarguments. Also, remember to mention the idea before the supporting evidence to back it up and
then go on to explain it.
Conclusion
Here you should summarize your key points and let the audience in a conference know where you stand.
You can restate your thesis at the beginning of the conclusion along with the key-points summary. Your
stand must always come out clearly before you wrap up. What's more, you must suggest the way forward
at the end of the conclusion.
How to Write a Position Paper?
Knowing only how your essay structure should look is not enough to write an attractive and convincing
position paper. It would help if you had a few other tricks up your sleeve to guide you when selecting a
topic, developing the argument, conducting research, etc.
Pick a Topic
Writing a good position paper supposes that you center the subject matter with enough findings to support
it and a bit of controversy to create an argument. If the topic is not provided, ensure that you go for
something with enough points to build a case on. Aim to reach as many people as possible at the
conference.
If you are a student writing this assignment, you might want to ignore your personal beliefs. Instead,
focus on what can get you the best grade. Your abilities to give a logical argument outweigh the subject
matter, ranging from simple to complex. Ask yourself the following questions:
Does the issue have genuine uncertainty in the country?
Are there at least two distinctive sides that you can take?
Can you advocate for either of those positions?
Can you manage the scope of the issue, or is it too big?
Conduct Research
Researching in advance helps you determine whether there is adequate information to support your
position paper's stance. Try visiting a handful of authority sites such as government and education
websites in various countries. In case you don't know, they are sites that end with ".gov" and ".edu"
respectively. This research will also give you a clue concerning which side of the argument you wish to
take. If you discover that your subject of choice does not have enough data surrounding it in your country,
try another one. Otherwise, you might lack content down the line.
Develop an Argument
The next task in line while writing a position paper is taking a side and building on your case. You will
most probably have an opinion by this point but be sure to write down the pros and cons and the
supporting evidence for both sides in your paper.
Having a lot of information on the topic is not enough – consider your perspective concerning your
audience's beliefs. Think of yourself as a delegate of a committee or representing your country in an
international forum. Remember that besides your judgment, the audience in real-life situations is diverse
and full of opinions.
You have to be unique, exhibiting innovativeness, and show that you have a thorough understanding of
the topic. Furthermore, make decisions about the terms that you will explain and the background
information to give. There are terms that you might want to explain and others that will be obvious.
Write With Clarity
Do not make the mistake of assuming that the content is everything but rather consider your diction too.
That is your choice of words to express your ideas, clarity, variety, and accuracy. More so, don't be
tempted to use complicated terms that will force someone to open their dictionary. They might get bored
or go to the next point without fully understanding the previous one.
Finally, avoid plagiarism. You can get ideas from other people's work but never copy directly. Just check
online with platforms like Grammarly to ensure that you did not plagiarize in your work.
Position Paper Sample Outline
To ease your writing process, we have prepared a good position paper sample outline for you to consider.
Introduction:
Briefly introduce the topic.
Give a little background information explaining why the issue is essential to your country or target
audience.
State your thesis.
Counterargument:
Give a brief summary of the counterclaims (ask yourself what someone would say to disagree with you).
Outline information that supports the counterclaim.
Contest the counterclaims.
Provide evidence for your argument.
Your opinion:
Give your first informed and educated opinion.
Prove that you are right by using at least two reliable sources.
Repeat the same with the following points that you have.
Conclusion:
Restate your point of view.
Provide a solution.