The Topic: Should college be free or should students have to pay to go to college? (My position is that College should be free) The paper format is: – Introduce the topic with a little background information. Build up to the thesis sentence. – List possible objections to your position. -Support and acknowledgment of the opposing points – Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counterarguments. – Summarize the argument and restate your position. Position papers are similar to a debate as the goal is to present one side of an arguable opinion about an issue. Once you state your position, use facts, statistics and other forms of evidence to convince the reader that your position is the best one. When writing a position paper it is best to focus on and develop two to four main points, rather than briefly mentioning ten different points. The goal of a position paper is to convince the reader that your position is valid and defensible. To do this you must address all sides of the issue, which involves refuting counterclaims to demonstrate that you understand both sides. Knowing and understanding the opposite view makes your argument stronger.
