Position Paper

A position paper is an essay that presents a writer’s point of view, belief and conviction on an
issue. Its generally opinionated but contains factual details and evidence that strengthen the writer’s stand.

Steps in Writing A Position Paper:

1. Analyze an issue and make a stand.

Choose an issue open to arguments. It should not be too general not too specific that no
supporting evidence can be made.
2. Organize your ideas and data in an outline.
Develop your arguments by focusing on three points: general statement of the position, refutation
of counterclaims, and supporting evidence of claims.

The following outline structures of your position paper:

I. Introduction
A. Description of the issue
B. Statement of the Position expressed through a thesis statement
 Thesis Statement
- the central idea of the essay
A good thesis statement should contain the following:
1. Topic or issue
2. Writer’s stand or position
3. Two to three main points
II. Counter Argument
A. Summary of Counterclaims
B. Supporting Evidence of Counterclaims
C. Refutation of Counterclaims through Evidence

Counterclaims - an argument made against the thesis or the position of the writer

Refutation - a statement supported by evidence that disproves the counterclaim

III. Writer’s Argument

A. Assertion of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Point

1. Educated Personal Opinion
2. Supporting Evidence
IV. Conclusion
A. Restatement of the Argument
B. Course of Action
3. Write the introduction, body and conclusion.
Now that you have already made an outline, it will be easier to write your position paper.
1. Begin with the introduction.
2. Develop your arguments in the body of your essay.
3. End your paper with a conclusion.

4. Revise, edit and proofread.

 Revision
-is the process of improving the content of one’s work by changing some details presented
in the paper and this is the stage when you add or remove some ideas or evidence.
 Editing
-the writers are concern on the organization of ideas and choice of words and in editing it is
all about cutting out repetitive ideas or add transition sentences or devices.
 Proofreading
-In proofreading, you check for errors in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation .

Point of View
Point of View is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion or feelings of the
individuals involved in a situation.

1. First Person Point of View:

You can easily identify the 1st person point of view by the use of I, me and myself in the narrative.
The 1st person narrator relates the story as it happening, or retells a story that happened in the past.
 The Protagonist
He or she is the main character in the story. The protagonist shares what happens to him first-hand,
along with the commentary.
 A Secondary Character
This character may not be who the story is about, but can relate his in her experience within the context
of the story and usually has a relationship with the protagonist.
 The Observer
This type of narrator witnesses the story but has limited or no participation in the story.
 The Unreliable Narrator
This type of narrator cannot be trusted to an accurately convey the story. He or she is skewed.

2. Second Person Point of View:

This point of view is the least common of all three persons, mostly because it’s the hardest to pull off
(without coming across as awkward or corny).
 You can easily identify the 2nd person point of view by the use of you, your, yourself with the absolute
exclusion of any personal pronouns (I, me, myself). The narrator is the reader.

3.Third Person Point of View

Many authors enjoy the third person point of view because it offers more flexibility than the first and
second persons.

Third person can give you the author a more global view of what’s happening in the story.

 Third Person Limited

This point of view follows only one person throughout the story.

 Third Person Multiple

This point of view can follow multiple people, switching back and forth between their individual stories
or perspective’s.

 Third Person Omniscient

The omniscient narrator knows everything about everyone. It also knows everything about the world
within the story.