A position paper is a typical genre of scholastic argument composition. A position paper is usually created after analyzing and conversing about a specific problem. A lot of the time, the measurements entail more than one topic, and as an author, you have to pick one to write about. Composing a position paper’s main objective is to not only establish and justify your opinion on the subject but also to demonstrate how that perspective links to other opinions. As we create the position paper, we’ll practise skills like formulating topic sentences with an assertion.
Here, we’ll examine how a position paper differs from a university essay.
Purpose of the position paper
A position paper’s goal is to build consensus on a subject. It says what the author thinks about an issue and why they think that way. Like a research paper, it is based on facts that support the author’s argument. Just like a research paper, it uses evidence to back up its claims. It is a fact-based and evidential analysis of a viewpoint that tackles both the author’s argument’s advantages and disadvantages.
Audience
A knowledgeable audience is made up of the writers of the readings and other people with a passion for the topic you are addressing. If you are facing any issues in analyzing the audience, you can buy essays online to get help from experts.
Writing Strategies
Here are some writing strategies for writing a position paper :
- Choose a topic that appears in at least two of the texts and restrict your focus to that topic. Use a clear, focused thesis to introduce the main idea. Early on in the debate, bring up the subject.
- Strengthen your case by demonstrating how your assertion relates to the viewpoints of your references. Clearly state the opinions of three authors, at least two of whom must be taken from the list of required readings. All readings assigned for the course that discusses the topic you are focusing on must be consulted.
- Use pertinent, convincing evidence and carefully articulated justifications. Reasons ought to follow solid logic. Information may come from the literature, one’s own life, and extraneous resources like questionnaires, conversations, or printed sources.
- Make sure your paper is organised in a manner that successfully informs audiences, is simple to comprehend, and lays out your stance with respect to the authors.
- Use MLA in-text citations and publication citations to properly credit all outside materials (both written and field sources).
- Write in a clear, comprehensible style that is free of interrupting punctuation, grammatical structures, and usage errors.
The structure of a position paper
After performing in-depth studies on the topic, writing the position paper should be simple. Position papers typically include one page. A brief introduction should be followed by a detailed explanation of the author’s position on the subject(s) under consideration. A strong position paper will deliver recommendations for remedies in addition to factual information.
The traditional position paper has three key components given as under:
- An intro that highlights the topic to be covered and expresses the writer’s viewpoint.
- The journal’s primary point is found in the Body, which is divided into three separate sections as follows:
- Details of the past
- Arguments in favour of the author’s viewpoint
- The subject is discussed from both perspectives, and reasons that conflict with the author’s viewpoint are addressed and debunked.
- A final paragraph that summarises the main ideas and, when necessary, offers suggestions on how to resolve the problem.
In a position paper, we also list the following competencies:
- Identifying issues in a collection of readings
- collecting information from studies on a specific topic
- relating one’s argument to various viewpoints on the subject;
- MLA in-text references and works-cited references are used to verify the origins.
- organizing the information in the most efficient way possible.
- researching sources on the Internet and in libraries
What is a university essay?
A wide range of academic publications is referred to as “essays.” Fundamentally, a university essay is a written piece that explores, discusses, analyses, evaluates, or assesses a subject in an ordered and reliable way. There are differences between genres as well as between programs within a subject in terms of the definitions used to relate to assignments as well as the length, degree of analysis, and quantity of research that must be done.
Writing a creative essay or literary criticism that analyses a song, short tale, or book using your own views as sources could be required in an introductory English literature program. In more difficult English classes, you might also be utilizing other reviewers’ written viewpoints to strengthen and broaden your interpretation.
Additional terms for essays include:
- Article
- Research investigation
- Research document
- Prolonged project
- Journal publication
Does a position paper differ from a college essay?
While there are some differences between a position paper and an academic essay, there are also many commonalities. A number of their parallels have been examined here.
Similarities between a position paper and a college essay
- Both are narrowly focused pieces of writing that provide a concept or a position and support it with data, analysis, and interpretation.
- Both convey information and persuade the reader.
- Making an argument and analysing an idea or passage
- The thesis statement can be presented in the introduction, supported by evidence in the body, and summarised in the conclusion.
Differences between an academic essay and a position paper
- A position paper’s goal is to garner support for a cause, whereas an academic essay’s goal is to persuade the reader.
- In contrast to a university essay, where supplying proof is optional, a position paper demands evidence to support the author’s argument.
- In writing a university essay, the author’s thoughts are likely to be accepted by all readers, whereas a position paper provides both the author’s opinion and advantages and disadvantages.
Conclusion
It is sometimes difficult for scholars to differentiate between a position paper and a university essay. Both are similar in explaining the viewpoints and structures but on various edges they are different. After reading the entire article, I hope you can now differentiate between a university essay and a position paper.
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