How To Write A Position Paper

 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. Here are some industries where position papers are common:

• Health care

• Law

• Scientific research

• Economics

• Education

• Public policy

How to write a position paper

A position paper requires three basic parts: an introduction, a body, and a 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 for 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.

3. Do a pre-writing exercise

After you’ve gathered research and taken notes on your sources, you can use a graphic organizer or another 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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 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.

Position paper template

Use this template as a guide to writing 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]

[The first paragraph includes an argument with at least two facts of evidence to support.]

[The 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.]