EAPP POSITION PAPER AND REPORT

POSITION PAPER
A position paper is a more complex version of a persuasive essay. A persuasive essay is a position on a
certain issue, and it is presented in paragraph forms. However, a position paper is not an essay, but it has
a various parts just like the concept paper. A position paper can be likened to a debate, but you are
presenting your arguments in a written form. Presenting an argument implies that you are favoring one
side of the issue.
PRINCIPLES OF ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
AUDIENCE. Consider your audience. What is the best possible way to communicate to them? How can
you convince them to side with you in case they have a different stand?
VIEWPOINT. You have to know the issue and the side that you have chosen. To do so, you should do
basic research to gain knowledgeable information about the issue.
You should ask yourself questions such as the following:
1. Is this issue worth pursuing? Is it a real issue?
2. What is my position or stand on this issue?
3. What support do I have (from books, internet, and field research?)
You must make sure that you can back up your position with supporting information from secondary
sources such as books, journals, and the internet. Your position should not be merely a reflection of
personal preference, but it should be a personal strengthened by credible and reliable support.

ORGANIZATION. Organize your arguments in the most persuasive or convincing manner. Here is a
suggested outline of presentation.
1. Introduction – your introduction should present the topic and the issue at hand. It should also be
very clear from the beginning what your position is. Provide background on the issue or the
matter. Highlight your personal stand in a clear thesis statement. Your introduction should also
clearly show the importance or significance of your position to the readers. In short, why it is
worth reading all the way.
2. Opposite Arguments – present the strongest arguments of the opposition. Choose at least three of
their strongest arguments. You may use other data such as statistics, illustrations, and figures
from your sources.
3. Your arguments – assert your arguments to counter the opposition. You should also think of at
least three arguments that would counter the argument of the opposition that you have previously
presented. Again, you may use data from other sources to support your arguments.
4. Conclusion – restate your position. Summarize your main points. Conclude your paper with a
resounding statement that will definitely bring the opposition down!
WRITING STYLE. In argumentative writing, you should choose your words carefully and write with
style and clarity. Choose strong words and vary them. Use synonyms so that you don’t have to repeat a
terminology again and again. Your arguments should be separated in small chunks so that it is easier for
the reader to understand and remember them. Remember to use transition words effectively so that you
can move from one thought or idea seamlessly and smoothly.
FORMAT
 EAPP POSITION PAPER AND REPORT

The format of your position paper is the same as your concept paper.
1. Paper size: 8.5 x 11
2. Spacing: Double – spaced
3. Font: Times New Roman
4. Font size: 12
5. Margins: 1 inch all sides
6. Footer: page number ( page ____ of ____)
7. Header: school logo ( left side), your name (right side)
Cover Page
The cover page should contain the title of your paper, your name, the name of your teacher, the date you
have submitted the paper, your section/year, and the name of your school.

REPORT
- Is a systematic, well – organized presentation of an issue, a problem or an incident. There three
major types of reports. They are informative, the investigative and recommendation reports.
These three differ in purpose.

The purpose of the informative report is to inform.

The purpose of the investigative report is to investigate.
The purpose of the recommendation report is to recommend.

STRUCTURE OF A REPORT
1. Cover Page. The cover page should contain the title of your paper, your name, the name of your
teacher, the date you have submitted the paper, your section/year, and the name of your school.
2. Acknowledgment Page. This page will acknowledge those who have helped you in your report.
You can think of agencies, organizations, and other institutions that have extended their help so
that your report is comprehensive.
3. Content/Table of Contents. Because the report is longer and has many parts, it should contain a
table of contents. Write the parts of the report here as well as the pages where you can see these
parts.
4. Definition of terms. You may have used jargons or technical terms in your report. Devote a
section where you can define, expound, or explain these terms in the context in which they were
used in your report.
5. Introduction. Your introduction should present your topic as well as the purpose of your report. It
should not hold the readers interested enough to continue reading your report. The readers should
feel your goals in writing and the importance or benefits that they can get from reading your
report.
6. Objectives. State the objectives of your report. Make sure that you observe parallelism in your
statements.
7. Main Body. This is the main body or the report itself. You may want to start this section by
briefly describing the process on how you were able to come up with the report. You may break
the ideas into subheadings so that your report will be easier to read.
EAPP POSITION PAPER AND REPORT

8. Results. Present the results of your report. If is an informative report, what has resulted based on
the information that you have gathered? If is an investigative report, what is the result of your
investigation? If it is a recommendation report, what are the results that will lead you to your
recommendation?
9. Conclusion. Conclude your report objectively. Make sure that you don not start a new idea or
bring up a new topic into the concluding part of your report. Your conclusion may be of several
paragraphs depending on the length of your report.
10. Recommendations. This may not always be necessary unless it is a recommendation report.
Sometimes, for other kind of reports, the conclusion will suffice. Limit your recommendations
into three to five major points only.
11. Appendices. Your appendices may contain other supporting documents or forms that you have
used in your report. For example, if you did a survey, then you can include in this section the
survey that you used.
12. References. List your references here using the APA format. If you used the MS Word feature,
then you just click on the references tab and it will automatically list all the references you have
included.
INSTRUMENTS FOR GATHERING INFORMATION FOR REPORTS
1. Interview - this is a face – to – face interaction between the researcher and the subject.
Conducting interviews will enable you to get as much possible information from the individuals
themselves. You should be able to set the definite setting of the interview, and also prepare the
questions beforehand. Your questions should revolve around the topic of your research. Include
probing questions. If possible, you have a recorder with you, so that you can review your
respondents’ answers later.
2. Questionnaire – this contains a list of standardized questions that aim to get specific, answers
from the respondents. It is one of the most used date – gathering tools primarily because it is
economical – you obtain responses from people without traveling or making appointments with
the respondents. This is also one of the commonly used tools in doing surveys. Some sample
formats for this are the following:
 Multiple choice
 Checklist
 Rating
 Open and closed questions
Because the questionnaire is in written form, pay close attention to your grammar and other
language details. A lapse in grammar and word usage (such as double negatives or use of
commonly misused words) may lead to misunderstanding from the respondents.
3. Experiment – this is when the researchers plans and executes a controlled situation to yield a
result. This often starts with a “ What if…?” question, and then the researchers starts thinking of
the treatment (controlled situation) and response (from the respondent).
4. Observation – this is when the researcher creates an opportunity to further monitor the subject. To
do this, you should also prepare a set of guidelines to keep your focus.
WRITING AND PRESENTING REPORTS
There are different ways on how to add details to your reports. These are the following:
EAPP POSITION PAPER AND REPORT

Providing jargons – jargons are specific words used in a particular setting. They are used in almost
every field – literature, economics, education, arts and sports. Using jargons is acceptable, as long as
the ones you uses appropriate to the situation and nature of your report.
Presenting graphic illustrations – the content of an academic paper, such as report, is not solely
limited to text. Graphic elements, such as diagrams, illustrations, graphs, and tables, may be included
as long as they are appropriate and relevant to the content. It would also be better if you put captions
for the illustrations, and titles and appropriate labels for the graphs and tables.
Providing Citations – citations are ways of giving credits to the people who originally thought of the
ideas. Citations can also help your readers read more information about the topic.

ACTIVITY 1: TYPES OF REPORTS

Directions: Determine what type of report you should be writing for the following questions. Choose
if it is informative report, investigative report or recommendation report. (2 points each)
_________________1. Convince the members of a community that they should start segregating
wastes.
_________________2. Find out where the fund of your school organization went.
_________________3. Suggest a speaker for your graduation to the principal.
_________________4. Endorse an applicant to your boss.
_________________5. Show what to do in case of a dengue outbreak in your community.
ACTIVITY 2: POSITION PAPER
Write a one – page position paper about your chosen issue from the choices below. You are expected
to write a paper that is argumentative in nature, coherent, and organized. Also, it should an
introduction, body and conclusion. Write your answers in one whole sheet of paper.
TOPICS:

 Homelessness is the result of choice.

 Online games can be good for you
 Internet chat rooms are evil.
 Facebook (or any other form of social media) is replacing the need for face to face
communication.
 Healthcare is the responsibility of the individual, not the state.
 Monitoring media in any sort should be banned.
 Poverty begins in the mind.
 Gangs are the result of family breakdown.
 Graffiti is an art.
 Women should stay in the home to look after their families properly.
EAPP POSITION PAPER AND REPORT