An introduction Identification of the issue Statement of the position The body Background information Supporting evidence or facts A discussion of both sides of the issue A conclusion Suggested courses of action Possible solutions

In Favor of the Gobbledygook: A Position Paper on Steven Pinkers Why Academics Stink at WritingDoes it really stink? No, why? Is academic writing really that bad? In his article, Why Academics Stink at Writing, Steven Pinker seems to think so. And he goes on citing reasons to fuel and reveal that there are supporting facts to the stereotype of academese being a bamboozling, gobbledygook mind-job for any outsider who might be put to the task of digesting such contents. However, I do not think academic writing stinks. Difficult may be a more apt word to describe it. I believe it is meant to be difficult, because one cannot be expected to break down sophisticated arenas of knowledge subjects and convey the information into elementary concepts which can be easily regurgitated by the brain as easily as one chows down a bowl of cereal. Academic writing may be complicated and at first undecipherable to the unprepared mind, but it does not reek of agonizing stench.Klein (2015), in her online blog, defined academic writing as, Academese that slow nuanced ponderous way of seeing the world we are told, is a symptom of academias pretensions. But I think its one of our only saving graces. She goes on to say that, With academic writing, is that its core the creation of careful, accurate ideas about the world are born of research and revision and, most important of all, time. Time is needed. But our world is increasingly regulated by the ethic of the instant. We are losing our patience. We need content that comes quickly and often, content that can be read during a short morning commute or a long dump (sorry for the vulgarity, Ma), content that can be tweeted and retweeted and Tumblred and bit-lyed. And that content is great. Its filled with interesting and dynamic ideas. But this content cannot replace the deep structures of thought that come from research and revision and time.

How to Organize Position EssaysMaking an OutlineI.Intro: Describe the problem and make it vivid for the reader. Your introduction should: make the reader interested in this issue/problem convince them that it is importantIntroduction Ideas:unusual fact or statistic, intriguing statement, anecdote, example, question, historical background, story, typical scenario, conversation, interesting quotation, vivid description, a list, explaining a process, an analogy, frame story (part of story in the intro and the rest of the story in the conclusion).Claim Sentence:Generally, the introduction will end with your claim or thesis (sometimes this will be the opening sentence, or you may put a question which is not fully answered until the conclusion). You may phrase this as a question or a statement.II.Body: The body will focus on one particular sort of claim: fact, definition, value, cause or policy. Your claim is what you want your audience to believe and it should be stated in one sentence. The claim can be placed in different points in the paper but is usually at the end of the intro or the first sentence of the body.1. Subclaims: Your subclaims should be three or more reasons why the reader should believe your claim. They should be supported using your sources. Be sure to use author tags and parenthetical citation in MLA form. Different types of position papers require different organization and support. See my other hubs on specific sorts of essays.2. Warrants/Backing(evidence to support warrants): Warrants are why you believe this claim to be true. Telling your warrants and backing them up is optional. The reason you would do so is to draw your reader into common ground with you. It is especially useful to do if you are appealing to a reader who holds a very different position from you on this issue, particularly on policy claims. (Examples: on the issue of abortion, both sides agree that reducing the number of abortions is desirable; on the issue of war, everyone agrees that the goal is to allow citizens to raise their families in peace). A discussion of warrants can be put in the intro, before or after the subclaims or as part of the appeal in the conclusion.3. Rebuttal: The rebuttal is a discussion of other positions on this issue and explaining why your position is better. Again, you may use sources to support your position and you may also use qualifiers (sometimes, if, most of the time) to narrow your claim and encourage the audience to agree with you.III.Conclusion: Conclusions can use some of the same techniques that you use in your introduction. Be sure your conclusion is linked to your introduction. Do not just repeat the claim, but draw a conclusion which urges the reader to believe it or do something about it. Ways to conclude: Make a final appeal to the reader and tell them what you want them to think or do. Depending on your topic, you may want to make an appeal to logic, emotion or authority Return to the intro and finish the frame story, or revise the story or description or conversation to show how things would be better if your proposal/claim is adopted. If you havent done so in the body, you can sometimes use a countering of other positions in the conclusion. Explain why your position is better. If you started with a question, you may save your final claim thesis for the end.