WRITING A

POSITION PAPER
Sub Lesson 1:

Gathers Manifestoes and

Analyzes the Arguments
Used by the Writer/s
Forming and communicating
claims on a certain issue What is the
supported by reasonable fundamental
arguments and properly-cited aspect in
factual evidence. argumentation?
An academic writing where the
students establish a position in a What is
given topic and then we provide
Argumentative
evidence to persuade the
audience to see things from their Writing?
point of view.
In academic writing, this is
usually a main idea, often called a
“claim” or “thesis statement”,
What is an
supported with evidence that Argument?
backs up the idea.
Analyzing an Issue and Developing
an Argument

While you may already have an opinion on your topic

and an idea about which side of the argument you
want to take, you need to ensure that your position
is well supported.
Supporting evidence includes the following:
Type of Information Type of Source How to find these sources
Introductory information and Directories, encyclopedia,
Use the literary catalogue
overviews handbooks
Literary catalogue, Canadian
In-depth studies Books, government reports Research Index, Government
website

Scholarly articles Academic journals Article indexes

Government agencies and

Statistics Article indexes
associations

Position papers and analyses Association and institute reports Library catalogue, web sites
Analyzing an Issue and Developing
an Argument

While you may already have an opinion on your topic

and an idea about which side of the argument you
want to take, you need to ensure that your position
is well supported.
Example 1: An argument should always have at least a claim and the
grounds or basis for that claim.

Sample Text:
More laws on texting and driving should be implemented to reduce the
number of car accidents. The World Health Organization has stated that
drivers who are talking on the phone or using any kind of gadget while
driving are four times more likely to get into an accident because they
tend to have longer reaction times and have more difficulty staying in the
same lane.
Thinking Rhetorically
Rhetorical analysis is about exploring the strategies and writing
techniques applied in a particular piece.

The following are the aspects one must analyze when reading another
person’s position paper:
• Audience Ethos
• Purpose Pathos
• Voice Logos
Audience
Academic papers should be written with the intended audience in
mind.

Purpose
A position paper’s purpose is often, if not always, to persuade readers
to take the writer’s side.
Voice
As an academic paper, the position paper’s voice will often be formal,
meaning it is professional, and it avoids slang, contractions, and
cliches.

Ethos
Appealing to Ethos is about using credibility, either of the writer or
the sources used, in order to be persuasive.
Pathos
Appealing to pathos is about appealing to the audience’s emotions.

Logos
Logos is appealing to the audience’s logical side.
Sub Lesson 2:

Defending a Stand on an
Issue by Presenting
Reasonable Arguments
In making the defense, you have to
ensure that you are addressing all
sides of the issue and presenting them
in a manner that is easy for your
audience to understand.
The following are the steps in presenting arguments to
defend or support a stand on an issue:
 1. Make Issue Criteria
The following are the questions that will
help you pull off strong arguments on the
issue:
• Is it a real issue with genuine controversy and
uncertainty?
• Can I identify at least two distinctive positions?
• Am I personally interested in advocating one of
these positions?
• Is the scope of the issue narrow enough to be
manageable?
2. Collect Evidences from
Properly-Cited Sources
Before deciding on a stand to defend, you
should do some research in the subject
matter.
Listing the pro and con sides of the topic
will help you examine your ability to
support your counterclaims, along with a
list of supporting evidence for both sides.
3. Make an Appeal to
your Audience

To convince a particular person that your

own views are sound, you have to
consider your audience’s way of thinking.

Your claim or position may be supported

through three major type of appeals:
A. Logical Appeals
The use of facts in order to support and defend a
position.

Ex.
More than one hundred peer-reviewed studies
have been conducted over the past decade, and none
of them suggests that coconut milk is an effective
treatment for hair loss.
B. Emotional Appeals
This is the use of the audience’s feelings for the
subject of the paper such as anger, pity, and aversion
in order to persuade.
Ex.
How can you say that the government shouldn’t
censor the internet? Think of the poor children who
might be exposed to inappropriate content.
C. Ethical Appeals
This is the use of convincing an audience through
the credibility of the persuader, be it a notable or
experienced figure in the field or even a popular
celebrity.
Ex.
As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this
course of treatment will likely generate the best
results.
4. Organize your
Viewpoints or Arguments

In presenting arguments, you are typically

asked to take a position on an issue or
topic and explain and support your
position with research from reliable and
credible sources.
Sample Outline

I. Introduction
A. Introduce the topic
B. Provide background on the topic to explain why
it is important
C. Assert the thesis (your view of the issue)
Sample Outline

II. Your Arguments

A. Assert point #1 of your claims
1. Give your educated and informed opinion
2. Provide support/proof using more than one source (preferably three)
B. Assert point #2 of your claims
1. Give your educated and informed opinion
2. Provide support/proof using more than one source (preferably three)
C. Assert point #3 of your claims
1. Give your educated and informed opinion
2. Provide support/proof using more than one source (preferably three)
II. Your Arguments
A. Assert point #1 of your claims
1. Give your educated and informed opinion
2. Provide support/proof using more than one source (preferably three)
B. Assert point #2 of your claims
1. Give your educated and informed opinion
2. Provide support/proof using more than one source (preferably three)
C. Assert point #3 of your claims
1. Give your educated and informed opinion
2. Provide support/proof using more than one source (preferably three)
III. Counter Argument
A. Summarize the counterclaims
B. Provide supporting information for counterclaims
C. Refute the counterclaims
D. Give evidence for argument

IV. Conclusion
A. Restate your argument
B. Provide a plan of action but do not introduce new
information
Situation:

Issue: Technology is not good for children.

Stand on the Issue: Opposition
Writer’s Claim: Technology is good for children for it
allows our children to have an amount of knowledge at
their fingertips.
Presentation of Arguments:
Social media, apps, gaming, and television: youth are flooded The statement that
with opportunities to access information and entertainment, hooks the readers
often at the touch of a fingertip. Although many of these
technological outlets have a negative connotation of “wasted
brain space,” not all technology and screen time should be
considered of little worth, or purely for mindless entertainment.
In fact, because of technology’s widespread appeal and
accessibility, it can be easily used to incorporate academic or
educational purpose into a daily routine. Technology’s ability to
captivate and engage a targeted audience can be harnessed
and redirected from mindless entertainment into powerful tools
which are not limited to amusement alone. Games, television,
and apps can be used to appeal to a child’s intellect while
developing technical skills; this creates a wealth of
opportunities to enhance the behavioral and scholastic
development of an adolescent. The use of technology and
screen time can be positive for children as it allows children to Thesis Statement
excel academically by experiencing the expanding definitions
of classrooms and literacy as a whole, and improves low-
performing developmental skills.
Continuation….
Television, textbooks, and computer games are just a few First point of
technological mediums in which information is presented and discussion from the
widely accepted as a form of communication. This must be thesis statement
taken into account when determining what literacy means and
how children receive information as well as how they master
the skill of developing their competencies. Where reading and
writing skills in the medium of spoken word or paper and ink
once strictly defined literacy, the definition is widely changing
to include proficiency in modern technology such as
computers and other digital sources of information of this
changing standard in academia, children must be allowed to
explore information in ways that challenge previous methods.
For example, children can access digital applications and
according to Keben (2006) that digital play with carefully
selected apps can provide active, hands-on engaging and The writer integrates
empowering learning opportunities and facilitate versatility in his research by citing
children’s literacy experience by providing opportunities for an author to explain
reading and writing, and to listen and communicate through a and support the claim.
range of scenarios and activities.
Continuation….
Apps and digital play are not limited to academic and
Second point of
entertainment purposes; some are created with the goal of discussion from the
improving developmental outcomes of adolescents. In doing so, this thesis statement
technology can be used to guide a specific population of children
with learning disabilities, such as those who present on the Autism
Spectrum, to help them learn life skills which can improve their
independence, comprehension, and social skills. In a 2015 case The writer supports
study by Allen et al., the parents of a child diagnosed with her points by including
Intellectual Developmental Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder evidence from other
created video self-modeling (VSM) apps. These video apps
sources. He/she
modeled how one could appropriately interact with others in
specific social situations, such as interacting with a cashier or
properly cited the
acquaintance. Their daughter accessed these apps on a tablet in sources.
order to view appropriate behavior modeling. By viewing others
demonstrating appropriate behavior on demand and in a medium
which she was comfortable with, the adolescent was able to
significantly improve her independence and learned behaviors.
Where she once was able to only model appropriate social
behavior in approximately one quarter of her attempts, after using
the VSM app, she was able to triple her success rate, and
occasionally exceed that marked improvement (Allen et al., 2015).
Continuation….

Some scholars and researchers claim that there are Counterargument

negative impacts of technology on a child’s developing
mind. According to one research study, scholars claimed
that “moderate evidence also suggests that early
exposure to purely entertainment content, and media
violence in particular, is negatively associated with
cognitive skills and academic achievement” (Kirkorian, et
al., 2008, p. 8). Although there is validity to the presented
argument, this theory excludes educationally driven
programming, some of which is specifically designed to
educate children beyond what they might experience by
age-appropriate schooling alone. There is incredible
value in formal education and the public school system;
however, classroom modalities are not the only way
children learn about the world around them.
Continuation….

When the tool of technology is used to supplement

formal education, it can be important in aiding the
positive development of a student’s growing mind.
Television programs can introduce new ideas or
reinforce those which have already been presented,
making concepts more familiar and contextual.
Social skills can be learned by low performing
children via tablet apps or videos, which allows for
developmental growth in a convenient and easily
accessible way. The definition of a classroom itself
has changed, and online learning is a space in
which high-performing students can flourish.
Exercise #1: Appeal the Big Deal!
Directions: Imagine this scenario. The Department of Education is
considering instituting a longer school day. You’re against the idea
because you think that quality rather than quantity is important when it
comes to time spent learning. Everyone seems to be talking about the
issue, so you listen to and participate in many arguments. You notice that
different people use different kinds of appeals: ethical, emotional, and
logical. Often, all three appeals are present in one argument.

Your task in the exercise that follows is to identify the main appeal being
used in each situation.
1. At a school board meeting, one of the members
argues against the change to a longer school day. She
cites facts about the number of students involved in
afterschool activities and estimates how many hours
of work it would require to adjust schedules.
2. A friend of yours tells her story: She works hard
to keep up her grades and also puts in long hours at
home taking care of her younger siblings. She says
her opinion on the longer school day is important
because she is a hard-working individual who knows
it would mean trouble for many students like her
3. Your social studies teacher gets into the fray. He
cites case studies about schools that have tried a
longer day without seeing a rise in test scores. He is
against the extension.
4. You have dinner with a friend whose parent is a
teacher. The parent is in favor of the longer day and
says you should agree with her. Her experience
teaching, administering, and counseling at schools
all over the country means that she really knows her
stuff on this issue.
5. As a member of the newspaper staff, you are
charged with researching information that will help
students decide whether a longer school day will be
helpful to them. You give them examples of the
research you have conducted as you have reached
your conclusion
An academic writing that is
typically written after reading
about and having a discussion on
a particular issue. Much like
Position
other forms of academic paper, it
has an introduction, body, and
Paper
conclusion.
Writing a position paper is relevant
and useful in various situations since
its general purpose is generate support
for a side or position. Writing a
position paper will help you gain Why is writing
insight on the issue. It will also
improve your critical thinking ability
position paper
since it requires research skills in relevant?
gathering, evaluating and analyzing
information.
• Introduction What are the
• Body important
features of a
• Conclusion position paper?
Introduction
The introduction of your position
paper should accomplish the
following:
• Introduce the topic or issue Features of a
• Provide background information
on the issue to explain its
Position Paper
importance
• Give and assert your thesis
statement, which is your view or
take on the issue.
Example:
Most schools implement a school uniform policy. It is rare for
schools, especially for their students in primary, elementary, and
high school, to let their students wear whatever they want. It is
practically status quo by now, and very few schools, if any at all,
have removed their policy for mandatory school uniforms.
Requiring school uniforms, however, is an outdated and
restrictive school policy that does more harm than good, so it
should be abolished.
Body
The body of your position paper,
which should be the longest part
of your paper, contains your
arguments in support of your Features of a
chosen position. This is also Position Paper
where your evidence supporting
your arguments can be found.
Example:
Students who are preteens or teenagers are usually still forming their personal identities.
According to a study by Arnett, many adolescents are still in the process of trying to integrate
their prior experiences and characteristics into a more stable identity (2000). Many of them try
out different activities, interests, and clothes in an attempt to find which ones really suit them.
Having these adolescents wear the same clothes five to six times a week effectively stifles their
creativity and self-expression. They will have a harder time exploring and finding out their own
fashion styles because they have very few chances to experiment. In fact, a local study by
professor Janine Vera states that from the five private schools that she was able to conduct a
survey in, 59 percent of high school students were against having a school uniform policy, with
70 percent of them agreeing that it did not let them express themselves fully (2014). Another
study by psychologist Jacob Domingo backs this up by stating that many adolescents and teens
tend to use fashion as a way to express their personal identity, and they feel that wearing
uniforms for a majority of the week really suppresses their individuality and sense of self (2018).
Conclusion
The conclusion of your position
paper should be brief, and it
should mostly contain a Features of a
restatement of your thesis Position Paper
statement.
Example:
With more and more proof emerging that school uniforms are
more of a burden than a boon to students, parents, and even
teachers, the policy that mandates them should be considered
outdated and restrictive. Schools, especially those handling
adolescents and teens, should consider removing this policy and
allowing students to wear casual clothes so that they may
express themselves more freely. Perhaps, if a compromise must
be made, then the policy can be modified to be a dress code
policy instead of a school uniform policy.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!