Ten Tips for Writing a Strong Position Paper
Select a timely, relevant topic with two clear opposing sides.
Conduct thorough preliminary research, collecting evidence supporting
arguments for and against your position.
Identify your intended audience. ...
Clearly state your position on the topic.
What is a position paper?
A position paper is an essay that expresses an author’s view on a particular
topic and uses evidence to support their stance. While you might learn to
write a position paper for a high school or college class, professionals in
many industries write these resources as a part of their daily work. In a
college class, you might write a position paper to fulfill an instructor’s
prompt, but in your career, you might write a position paper about a topic
that relates to your industry.
How to write a position paper
A position paper requires three basic parts: an introduction, body and conclusion.
Follow these seven steps to help write a position paper on any topic:
1. Choose a topic
In some classes or jobs, you can choose the topic of a position paper. If you’re
choosing your own topic, consider topics that are relevant to your industry or your
academic interests. The purpose of a position paper is to persuade, so your ability
to provide supporting evidence of a claim can be more important than the topic
itself. If a supervisor or manager assigns you a topic, consider your argument and
which perspective you support regarding the topic.
2. Conduct research
Position papers provide evidence to support an author’s claims and persuade the
audience to accept their stance. When you begin researching, ensure that there is
enough data available supporting the topic you choose. If you can’t find enough
information to support your argument, you might adjust your topic or choose a
different perspective.
You can conduct research using government and academic websites for official
information, and periodicals and news releases for updates. Consider gathering a
wide range of information types, like statistics, historical facts and quotations from
experts on the topic.
Related: Types of Research Methods
3. Do a pre-writing exercise
After you’ve gathered research and taken notes on your sources, you can use a
graphic organizer or other tool to sort the information that you’ve collected. This
process can help you define your argument and ensure that you include the most
valuable supporting evidence for your paper.
You might create a list of supporting evidence and counterarguments to help you
decide your position on the topic. If you’re a visual learner, consider using a word
cloud or other visual aid to create a map of your argument and place similar pieces
of evidence together.
Related: Brainstorming Templates (And How To Choose the Right One)
4. Draft a thesis
Once you’ve decided on your position, use your research notes to create a thesis
statement, which is a sentence that states your opinion and summarizes your key
supporting evidence. Many writers place their thesis statement at the end of their
introductory paragraph to help the reader predict the major parts of their
argument. In your thesis, include information about your major areas of evidence.
Related: The Parts of an Argument (With Definition and Examples)
5. Create an outline
Using your thesis statement and notes, create an outline of your argument. While
some people use sentence fragments in their outlines, others create sentence
outlines, which feature topic statements, evidence and conclusions for each
section of their research paper. These are the common sections of a position
paper:
Introduction: Introduce the topic and your thesis or position for
the paper. You might provide background information or explain
why the topic is important.
Body: This section contains your arguments or claims with
supporting evidence. Shorter position papers often have three body
paragraphs, while longer ones might have multiple sections with
several paragraphs each.
Conclusion: The final section of a position paper emphasizes your
claims and summarizes your paper. You might also include
information about the impact of this issue on your industry.
Read more: How To Write an Outline
6. Write a draft of your paper
Create a draft of your position paper by following the outline and filling it in with
research and content. Remember to use appeals to the readers' logic and
emotions when writing an argument because these are powerful methods of
persuasion. Ensure that there is substantial evidence supporting your position and
consider conducting more research if you feel it can improve the paper. You might
also include a section where you counter opposing arguments using evidence. If
you’re writing a paper for a college class, follow your instructor’s directions for
citing external sources. Professionals writing papers for their work can use
industry standards for attribution.
Related: How To Cite a Journal Article: Steps, Tips and Examples
7. Review and create the final draft
Review your draft and make spelling and grammar corrections to create a final
draft of your position paper. It can be helpful to have another person proofread
and make suggestions for improvement. When you choose a reader for your draft,
consider someone with the industry knowledge or reading comprehension level to
provide useful feedback about your persuasive techniques and writing style. For
example, if you’re writing a paper for a research internship, consider asking a
professor or senior student to read your paper and offer suggestions..A position
paper may require several drafts before it is ready to submit.
Related: The Writing Process: Over 45 Tips on Writing
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Position paper template
Use this template as a guide to write the outline and draft of your position paper:
[Introduction]
[Start with an interesting sentence to draw the attention of readers. Then,
introduce your topic and end with your thesis statement, which reveals your
position and summarizes your reasons.
[Body]
[First paragraph includes an argument with at least two facts of evidence to
support.]
[Second paragraph has a second argument with supporting evidence.]
[Third paragraph with another argument to support your position with supporting
evidence.]
[Conclusion]
[Conclusion has a summary of arguments and claims with a statement to
emphasize the position of the paper.]
