How to write a Position Paper

Choosing Your Position

1 Make sure your topic is arguable. If you are choosing your own topic, then you will want to
make sure that it has multiple sides. The topic should be controversial, with at least 2 clear sides.
Sometimes a topic might seem to have 2 sides, but in actuality most people would agree on 1 side. [1]
 For example, you wouldn’t want to write a paper arguing that children need proper care, as no one
would disagree with that stance.
 A better topic may be taking a stance on what should be done if children are not receiving proper
care.

2 Research your topic and the alternative sides. You need to fully understand your issue in
order to choose and defend a position. Consider the background information, recent developments,
and the reasons behind each side. Remember to examine at least 2 sides of your issue.
 Visit your local library to find books, journals, and newspapers.
 Access online databases, credible websites, and news sources.
 To decide if a source is credible, look for peer-reviewed journals, check the credentials of the author,
locate the information in two separate sources, and check the date to make sure the information is
the most recent available. You should also avoid self-published sources.

3 Make a pros and cons list for at least 2 positions on your topic. Based on your research,
write down the reasons for and against each position that you are considering taking. This will help
you choose a position that is easy to defend using the evidence that you have collected.
 Looking at both sides not only helps you pick the best position, it will also help you choose a good
counterargument.[2]
 For example, if you are writing a paper about whether or not your community should invest in new
park equipment, your two sides would be either in favor of the new park equipment or against it. A pro
of buying new equipment might be purchasing safer equipment, while a con would be the expense of
the purchase.

4 Think about your views on the issue. You may have strong views on the topic, which could
help guide your choice. If you do have an opinion, make a list of the reasons behind it to see if they
can help you build an argument.[3]
 In some cases, it’s easier to argue a position if you don’t have strong opinions either way. This is
because you can focus on the evidence, not on your personal views.

5 Consider your audience's views on the topic. How your paper is received will depend on the
audience and their stance on the issue. If you are preparing your paper for a class, it could be helpful
 to consider the views of your instructor. Similarly, a paper such as a policy paper would benefit from
localizing the issue, just as a paper for an international journal would appeal to more readers if it
includes a wider worldview.[4]
 While you don’t have to change your position to fit your audience, you may want to adjust your
reasons behind the position or the counter-argument you choose.

 Part 1 Quiz
 Which argument would be a good topic for a position paper?
 Children should eat vegetables.
 Stealing should be a crime.
 Gambling should be legalized.
 Absolutely! A position paper should argue a claim that has at least two sides with pros and
cons to each side. If it’s easy to imagine some people agreeing with the claim and others
disagreeing with the claim, you have a winning topic for a position paper.Read on for another
quiz question.
 Clean air is beneficial to the environment.

Stealing should be a crime.

Try again! This claim isn’t really up for debate. To make this more arguable, you could say that prison
sentences for burglary should be increased. Choose another answer!
Children should eat vegetables.
Nope! Everyone can agree that children need to eat their vegetables. To make this more of an
arguable claim, you could argue that legislation should be passed to make vegetables mandatory in
every school lunch. Click on another answer to find the right one...
Clean air is beneficial to the environment.
Not quite! Pretty much everyone can agree on principle that cleaner air is better for our environment.
A more debatable claim would be to say that companies should be taxed more heavily if they pollute
the air. Pick another answer!
2. Building Your Argument

1 Establish your claim. Your claim is your position on the topic, which is what you will defend in
your paper. You should base your claim on what you can prove with your evidence.

2 Identify your supporting reasons. Most position papers provide 2 or 3 supporting reasons for
your claim, but a longer paper may include more reasons. Your supporting reasons will come directly
from your evidence, so choose statements that you can prove.[6]
 If possible, look for supporting reasons that are shown through 2 or more different pieces of evidence,
as this will make your argument stronger.
 Use your assignment sheet or the parameters of your paper to determine how many supporting
reasons you should include. For many academic papers, you will use 2 to 3 reasons.

3 Compile your supporting evidence. Identify which pieces of evidence you will use to support
your argument, and mark them in a way that is convenient for you. For example, you could write your
 citations on index cards for use while you write the paper, or you could type them directly into a
document and then copy-and-paste them into your paper when you reach the drafting phase. [7]
 Use an organizing strategy that works for you.
 Compiling your evidence now will help you more easily write your paper.
 Keep in mind that it is important to cite your sources. If you use a direct quote from a source, then put
it into quotation marks and identify the author when you use it. If you paraphrase or summarize
something from a source, give credit to the author for the ideas.
 Don’t go overboard on including evidence! Remember that most of the ideas in the paper should be
your own. It’s good to quote sources, but avoid quoting entire paragraphs from other sources. Keep
your quotes to a sentence or two and try to avoid including more than one quote per paragraph.

4 Identify a counter-argument that you can easily dismiss. Using a counter-argument can help
you strengthen your claim because it shows the audience that you have considered other options. By
introducing and then dismissing the counter-argument, you are showing that your position is the
correct one to take. A good counter-argument is easy to dismiss, allowing you to refute it using your
evidence.[8]
 For example, if you are writing a position paper arguing that your community should purchase new
playground equipment, your counter-argument could be that the purchase will be too expensive. To
strengthen your argument, you would cite this possible point against you but show why it's not a valid
reason to dismiss your position. A good way to do that would be to show that the equipment is worth
the expense or that there is outside funding to pay for it.
 You will also want a piece of evidence that supports your counter-argument. This evidence, which
should be easy to dismiss, will be included in your paper.
3. Drafting Your Paper

1 Develop your thesis. Your thesis will control your paper, so you should write it first. For a
position paper, you can vary how you write your thesis. Since you are using a counter argument, you
may only have two supporting points, depending on the requirements of your paper.
 One easy way to set up your argument in your thesis is to include both your counter-argument and
claim, preceded by the word “although.” For example, “Although installing new playground equipment
in the park will be expensive, new playground equipment would provide a safe play area for children
and offer options for special needs children.”
 If you’re an expert writer, you may not need to include supporting reasons in your thesis. For
example, “As parents learn the benefits and dangers of outside play, communities across the nation
are turning their eyes toward their parks, making safe, accessible equipment a public necessity.

2
Write your introduction. Provide your audience with background information on your topic, including
the history and recent developments. You should include information that is relevant for your stance,
which will narrow what you tell the reader. For example, if you are writing a paper about gay marriage
in Maine, you would only include background information relevant to that state.
 Start with a hook that introduces your topic. For example, you could provide a statistic of how many
children are injured on old playground equipment every year.
 Include a few sentences that provide more information on your topic, narrowing down toward your
stance.
 End your introduction with your thesis.

3 Include at least 2 body paragraphs. A short position paper may only contain 2 body
paragraphs - one for the counter-argument and one for the supportive points. However, most position
papers will have 3 or 4 body paragraphs, with 2 dedicated to supportive evidence. Depending on the
length of your paper, you may decide to include more.[11]
 Follow the requirements for your paper, which may state how many paragraphs you should include.

4 Use topic sentences that link back to your thesis. Each body paragraph should begin with a
topic sentence. The topic sentence is like a mini-thesis that controls your whole paragraph. Your topic
sentence should introduce what you will talk about in the paragraph, whether it’s the counter-
argument or one of your supporting reasons.[12]
 For example, you could write: “Installing new playground equipment would make the park more
inclusive for special needs children because updated designs are accessible to those who are
differently abled.”

5 Provide evidence to support your position. Each of your reasons needs at least 1 piece of
evidence, though using more evidence will strengthen your argument. Pull your evidence from your
research, focusing on the following:[13]
 Facts
 Statistics
 Quotes
 Documented stories

6 Provide commentary to explain your evidence. Commentary explains to the reader why your
evidence supports your reason and your position, so your commentary should clearly explain the link
between your evidence and thesis. In your own words, tell the reader what you want them to take
away from this piece of evidence, and why it proves that you are correct. You should include 2 to 5
sentences of commentary for each piece of evidence.[14]
 Without commentary, there is no link between your evidence and your position, leaving your
argument weak.

7 Conclude your essay by reasserting your position. A strong conclusion restates your
position and the reasons why it’s the correct viewpoint. You will summarize your argument and briefly
dismiss your counter-argument. In a position paper, you’ll also want to end with a call to action.[15]
 Restate your thesis. For example, "While new playground equipment is expensive, it's worth the
investment because it serves the best interests of the community by providing children with a safe
area to play and making the park more accessible for special needs children."
 Sum up your argument.
 End on a high note with a call to action. For example, "Children need a safe, accessible place to play,
so the only choice is to install new park equipment in Quimby Park."

8 Cite your sources. Since your position paper will contain evidence, you need to include where
you sourced that information. Follow the preferred citation style of the recipient of your paper, whether
that’s an instructor, organization, journal, or other entity.[16]
 If you don’t cite your sources, then you will be guilty of plagiarism. You could lose credit or face
harsher penalties if you are caught stealing someone else’s words or ideas.
4. Revising and Editing Your Paper

1 Use your spell check tool. The spell check tool is the easiest way to avoid misspellings, and
it’s available on most word processors. Remember that you will still need to proofread your paper
because the spell check tool will not catch words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly, such
as “form” instead of “from.”
 Before you change a word, re-read the sentence to make sure that the new suggestion fits. The spell
checker may think that you mean one thing, while you really mean something else.

2 Take a break from your paper. Go for a walk, eat a snack, take a nap, or participate in a
relaxing hobby. Your brain needs rest before you try to edit your paper. By stepping away, you’ll have
more insight into gaps in your argument and whether or not your sentences make sense.
 Waiting at least a day is best. If you are short on time, wait at least 30 minutes before reviewing what
you’ve written.

3 Re-read your paper with fresh eyes. Read through your paper as a reader rather than the
writer. Identify your claim, counter-argument, and support. Look for areas that need development or
additional evidence. Mark sentences that need to be rewritten to streamline or provide more clarity. [17]
 If possible, have a friend or mentor read your paper and suggest edits or revisions.

4 Revise your paper. Start by making any additions, such as more evidence to support your
argument or additional commentary. Make sure that your argument is clear, supported by evidence,
and restated in the conclusion. Then go back through your paper and rewrite awkward sentences, as
well as sentence fragments and run-ons.[18]
 Combine short, choppy sentences, and break up long sentences.
 Fix sentence fragments and run-ons.

5 Proofread your paper to make final edits. Check your final draft for typos, misspellings that
the spell check tool missed, and any remaining grammar issues.[19]
 If possible, ask a friend or mentor to proofread your final draft. They may be able to spot errors that
you don’t see.
 6 Prepare your works cited page, bibliography, or references page. Since you will likely be
using evidence, you will need to include a page listing all of your sources. You should prepare this
page using the style manual prefered by your instructor.

7 Format your paper to fit your instructor’s requirements. Consult your assignment sheet,
syllabus, or the parameters of the paper for how you should format your paper. Adjust the margins,
font size, and spacing to match the format requirements. Then add your heading and page numbers.
 If you are presenting or turning in a printed paper, check to see if you should place it in a presentation
folder.