Position Papers: A Guide

 

 

The Basics:

A position paper is a type of argumentative essay in which writers are presented with a topic and asked to take a position on it. The main purpose is to show understanding of the topic and the ability to use reasoning and evidence to support a claim. Your evidence may be sourced from class readings, personal experiences, research, or a combination of the above. You want to try and persuade your audience to take your argument seriously, see the merit in your position, and possibly to adopt your position. As always, you should consult your instructor’s assignment description for the specifics of your position paper.

Common audiences for a position paper include your instructor, your instructor and your classmates, people who are interested in or know a bit about your topic, or even people who know very little about the topic. You might have the opportunity to choose your specific audience, or your instructor might ask you to write for a specific audience. While the specifics of what you present and how you present it will depend on your audience, your tone should convey knowledge of and confidence in the topic and your position on it.

 

Rhetorical Moves:

Rhetorical moves, or just moves,

are strategies writers use to accomplish different goals in their writing. Some moves are obligatory, meaning that they must be made for a work to fit its genre; in other words, without these moves, the audience may fail to understand the purpose of the text or even recognize the text as fitting into its intended genre. Other moves are optional, meaning that a writer may choose whether to make them; in other words, while they might help a particular text achieve its purpose, omitting them won’t necessarily cause the text to fail. (For example, an obligatory move in assembling a shopping list is the naming of items needed, while an optional move may be the identification of a particular brand or maximum price.

  • Take a clear stance on the topic.
  • Explain why you believe what you believe or have taken the stance you’ve taken.
  • Be logical and reasonable while making your argument.
  • Use sources to support an argument.
  • Provide a brief background on your topic.
  • Address any counterarguments.
  • Define any jargon or language that your audience may be unfamiliar with.

Steps to take

Here are some steps you should take to write a position paper.

  1. Consult your instructor’s assignment description and earlier feedback if available.

    Make sure you understand the particulars of your position paper and your instructor’s expectations, including specific sections to include (if any) and which moves may be obligatory and which may be optional. If you have feedback from your instructor on earlier drafts or similar writing assignments, revisiting that feedback can help clarify expectations. If you have any questions, you should talk with a classmate and your instructor.

  2. Choose your topic.

    If your instructor is offering a range of topics from which to choose, decide which one you’d like to focus on: Anything that you have an immediate reaction to? Anything you have prior experiences with? Anything  you already know a lot about or feel comfortable discussing? Don’t take a stance just yet—just decide your topic.

  3. Find information to help you settle your position.

    It’s great if you have a position on your topic immediately, but the best position paper is one in which you challenge your preconceived notions. Before you take your position, read into the topic and see what you can find out about it. Depending on your instructor’s assignment, this might entail some cursory research, or it might be as simple as going back through class readings and notes.

  4. Start drafting your paper.

    Be sure to include your opinion in your opening paragraph. Your instructor has probably offered guidance on how long your paper should be. If you’ve been given some latitude here or a wide range of page numbers, consider this advice: Your paper needs to be long enough to clearly spell out your position, why you’ve taken it, and any other pieces your instructor is looking for.

How to work with a Writing Center tutor on a Position Piece

No matter how you’re feeling about the assignment at hand, whether confident or not, you can benefit from consulting a Writing Center tutor. Please:

  1. Come early in the writing process. Don’t wait until you have a complete draft! In fact, you don’t even have to have written anything. Once you have a focus, main point, or plan of attack or outline for your position paper, come talk it through with a tutor.
  2. Come back at different stages of the writing process. Again, come talk with a tutor well before you’ve finished drafting your [insert genre type]. Try working with a tutor once you’ve written a couple paragraphs or sections. The tutor can help you identify moves that are working and how to keep them up, as well as those that aren’t working and how you can tweak them as you continue drafting.

This genre guide was written by

Mackenzie Berkebile and Cameron Cruser

 

With guidance from

Edward Horan, Writing Center Coordinator; and Patricia McLaughlin, Adjunct Instructor of Education

Works Consulted

Kramer, L. (2023, May 30). How to write a position paper. Grammarly Blog.   https://www.grammarly.com/blog/position-paper/

WO Writing Center (1998). Writing a position paper. University of Hawaii.   https://people.cs.rutgers.edu/~rmartin/teaching/fall17/Writing_a_Position_Paper.pdf