Chapter 4

The Position Paper

Lesson 1
Reading a Position Paper

Lesson 2
Principles in Writing a Position Paper
A. Definition of a Position Paper
 A position paper presents an author’s critical opinion, claim, or viewpoint about an issue.
 It also aims to persuade the readers to believe in and take a side, by way of providing
arguments and reasons that support the position.
 It presents counterarguments, and at the end, refutes these opposing viewpoints or
counterargument with the purpose of strengthening the paper’s claim.
 Closely related to argumentative essays, manifestos, and persuasive essays.

B. Uses of a Position Paper

 The skill of argumentation enables an individual to express his/her critical opinion and to
persuade others to believe in or buy into his/her idea or cause.
 Given any context such as in the academe, at work, or even in your personal life, there
will be situations when you will be asked to present your opinion on or arguments toward
an issue.
 Long provides some uses of argument in real-life writing:
 For College
 Writing an essay persuading a history instructor that the United States should or
should not have fought in Vietnam
 Persuading an instructor to add you to an already crowded section of a course
you need
 In your personal life
 Dissuading a friend from making a poor choice
 Evaluating how biased an article or news report is
 At work
 Convincing a potential employer that you are the best candidate for a job
 Convincing your boss to give you more responsibility given a successful track
record

Organization
A. Parts of a Position Paper
1. The issue is presented in the introduction. This is the problem, controversy, the arguable
point of the position paper. The topic of a position paper is rooted in issues that can be
described as “arguable points” that arise because individuals have different understandings
and opinions about matters.
2. From these issues, develop a claim or position that states your opinion, preference,
understanding, and standpoint. This claim becomes the position paper’s thesis or main point,
which should be proven and strengthened using other components.
3. To prove and support the claim or position, arguments are given to serve as evidences. This
part provides the reason why your understanding of the issue is better, more logical, and
should be accepted. The evidentiary part functions to persuade the readers and the audience to
believe in and side with the paper’s position.
4. It is also important to present opposing viewpoints or counterarguments in order to make
the position paper sound unbiased. This should further strengthen the position. The opposing
viewpoints and arguments are intended to be disproven and refuted to weaken the opponent’s
position and to reinforce the author’s position or claim.

B. Sample Organization of a Position Paper

Leading Innovations, Transforming Lives, Building the Nation

  Johnson- Sheehan and Paine gives us sample model on how a position paper is structured.
The diagram shows the ideas (parts), the development, and the organization of the ideas
(parts) a writer should have in a position paper.

I. Introduction (Issue and claim-optional)

 presents the issue that will be argued upon, pinpoints differing sides about the
issues, and states the claim (thesis) of the position paper

II. Objective summary of opponents’ position (Counterarguments and opposing

viewpoints)
 Provides the opponents’ understanding or claim of the issue

III. Limitations of opponents position (Rebuttal of the counterarguments and opposing

viewpoints)
 Presents a point-by-point discussion of the limitations of the opponents
understanding

IV. Your understanding of the issue (Claim)

 Summarizes the position paper’s claim and understanding of the issue

V. Reasons why your understanding is better that your opponents understanding

(Arguments)
 Presents a point-by-point discussion of what makes the paper’s claim superior to
the opponents claim

VI. Conclusion (Restatement of the claim

 Reviews and restates the main point (claim) and looks to the future

C. Some Writing Principles and Techniques for a Position Paper

1. Stating the Claim: Three Kinds of Claims

In writing a position paper, take a stand and express your critical opinion as you
state your claims. Claims are defined by Barnet, Bellanca, and Stubbs as “assertions of
whether something is true, right, or good.” To clearly and effectively state the claim, it is
necessary to distinguish and understand the different kinds of claim.

a. Claims of Fact are propositions or assertions whether something is true based on cause
and effect, correlation, probability, and states of affairs. These assertions have to be
proven by facts and data. The following serves as an examples:
 A longer school calendar can improve learning.
 Cell phones can be educational tools.
 Reality TV shows promote stereotyping of individuals.
 Death penalty reduces crime rate in the Philippines.
 Anti smoking ads on cigarette boxes are effective.

b. Claims of Value are assertions of whether something is right or wrong, good or bad, or
better or worse than something else. These are usually based on taste and morality.
 E-books are better than printed books.
 Corporal punishment is not needed at home.
 Sex education programs in school are acceptable.

c. Claims of Policy are assertions whether a policy, law or custom should be adopted,
abolished, or altered. These statements or questions are usually recognized by words such
as should, must, and ought.
 Schools should put tracking devices in students’ ID cards.
 Weapons for self-defense must be permitted in college campuses.

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  Abortion should be conducted for fetuses diagnosed with serious congenital
illnesses.
 The government must prohibit private vehicles like sedans and SUVs with only
one passenger.

2. Presenting Arguments: Two Kinds of Logical Reasoning

Although there are many rhetorical or persuasive strategies that can be used in
argumentation, logical reasoning is one most commonly used as it relies on appealing to
intelligence and provides credible evidences. There are two ways of stating arguments or
reasons through logic:

a. Inductive Reasoning is done by starting from specific to general thus in argumentation,

drawing from the examples and representations in the conclusion or the generalization
would serves as the paper’s argument or reason.

b. Deductive Reasoning is the opposite of inductive reasoning whereby general statements

or premises are given at first followed by a specific case or application that states the
paper’s argument or reason.

3. Providing Evidences: Three Kinds of Evidences

a. Examples are provided using specific instances to illustrate a point. There are different
sub types that may be used, such as giving real examples or instances that in reality exist
and occur, invented examples that are imagined yet illustrate the point, and analogies or
comparisons between two different things to make a point.

b. Testimonies are another form of evidence in which people who are experts and
authorities in a certain field are quoted for their knowledge, opinion, works, etc. It is
important to not only mention any expert but also to ensure that this expert is credible in
the given context or field and that his/her ideas and works are relevant to support the
argument.

c. Statistical data are another set of evidence that may be proven useful and effective as
these backed up by researches that have undergone careful study and analysis. They key
in using such an evidence is to ensure that the research or statistics being used would
really justify and prove the argument.

Lesson 3
Writing the Position Paper

Prepare
Step 1: Identifying and Researching about the Topic
The topic of a position paper is rooted on issues, defined as “arguable points” that
arise because individuals have different understandings and opinions about matters.
To decide on the topic of your position paper, consider the following questions that
will help you narrow down your topic:
 What subjects interest you as a writer?
 Who will your audience be?
 What do you think will interest your readers?
 What information can you find regarding your subject?
 Where can you find relevant information regarding your subject?

Step 2: Developing your Claim and Generating Ideas

From the topic issue of your paper, develop a claim or position that states your
opinion, preference, understanding, and standpoint. This claim becomes the thesis or main
point of the position paper that should be proven using arguments and evidences.

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 A. Write a paragraph explaining your understanding of the issue.
B. To help you generate more ideas, brainstorm about the issue by writing some
arguments you know for opposing claims or positions.
C. Verify what you know about the issue and develop your reasons and arguments
through research. Remember to use credible sources and to responsibly cite your sources.
In evaluating your sources, the annotated bibliography can help in discriminating sources
that can provide the relevant and accurate information for the research. Use sources that
will provide you with an extensive and reliable information about the opposing claims to
the issue.
1. Print sources are published sources in printed format. They are considered
reliable and objective because of the careful editing they have undergone
before the publishing. Some good printed sources are books, academic journals,
government reports, legal documents, and scholarly magazines.

2. Online sources are very accessible through the Internet. Information can be
just a click away, but you need to be careful and critical when using online
sources as anybody can publish and post online information that may be
subjective, lacking in support, and worst, erroneous.

3. Using empirical sources means you need to create facts and support for your
position. You may generate data through surveys, interviews, observations, and
other research methods to prove or refute a position. These may be challenging
and time consuming but you will certainly obtain reliable, extensive, and
precise research for your paper.

D. Now, create a sentence outline of your paper using Johnson- Sheehan and
Paine’s organizational method for a position paper.
I. Introduction of the Issue
II. Opponent’s Position
III. Limitations of the opponent’s position
IV. Your Understanding of the Issue and Statement of the Claim
V. Arguments and Evidences for your Claim
VI. Conclusion

Draft
Step 1: Observing Useful Language Structures
 Recognizing and conceding differing views and opposing positions
 Useful words and phrases: signal words and phrases
 admittedly, although it may be true, despite the fact, granted, of course, he/she is
right to say
 Stating claim by way of qualifying and limiting it
 Useful words and phrases: qualifiers
 frequently, in many cases, likely, may, might, maybe, often, probably, perhaps,
usually

Step 2: Writing the Draft

Additional guidelines for drafting
Be mindful of the organization of your position paper. Keep in mind the essential components of
your paper.
 You must have a clear statement of your position or claim questioning or supporting a
fact, a value, or a policy.
 You have to support your claim with arguments that may be stated inductively and
deductively, presenting premises and conclusions, which express your arguments.

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  You arguments must be backed up with varied and multiple evidence for support. These
pieces of evidence must be contextualized, relevant, and effective to strengthen your
reasons.
 Also, remember that you have to address existing or possible opposing claims and
arguments that your readers and other papers might have to avoid biases and to strengthen
your claim and arguments by later on disproving and refuting these oppositions.

Step 3: Presenting the paper, providing visual design for the paper

Polish
Step 1: Revising and editing the paper
Step 2: Publishing the paper

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