Position paper

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What is a position paper? A position paper presents a debatable viewpoint about some issue. The objective is to convince the audience that your opinion is legitimate, defensible, and worth considering. You need to be careful in selecting your topics, examining your topic, developing your arguments, and organizing your paper. It is important that you address all sides of the issue and present it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand.

In developing your position paper, select one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have an implementable and workable solution. It is important to support your argument with evidence supporting the validity of your claims. Examine the implications on the system if your position were deployed. Address significant counterclaims to show that you are well informed about all sides of your topic.

To take a position on a topic, first establish the solvability (or lack of) of the topic that interests you. The following questions are provided as examples to assist you in presenting a strong argument:

Is there a real issue? Do you have a solution or partial solution? Can you distinctly identify at least two positions? Can you design a solution to this issue that can be widely implemented? Is the issue and solution narrow enough to be manageable? Once you have selected a topic, do research on the subject. You may have a ready-formed opinion on the topic and a notion about which side of the argument you want to take, but you need to ensure that your position is well supported. List the pro and con sides of the topic. Examine your ability to support your idea against counterclaims. Examples of supporting evidence includes the following:

Factual Knowledge Information that is verifiable and generally accepted. Statistical Inferences Interpretation and examples of accumulated facts. Informed Opinion Opinion developed through research and/or experience with the claim. Personal Testimony Personal experiences related by a knowledgeable party. Consider your audience Your audience consists of technicians, consultants, managers, and users that need to know that their system is secure and wish to quantify or qualify how secure it is. When you write your paper, think of the position that may take. Tailor your presentation to the audience.

Who is your audience? What do they believe? Where do they stand on the issue? How are their interests involved? What evidence is likely to be effective with them? Ask yourself:

Is your topic interesting? Can you manage the material within the specifications set by the workshop? Does your topic assert something specific or propose a plan of action? Do you have enough material to support your opinion? How should I organize my paper? Your introduction should lead up to a thesis that organizes the rest of your paper. There are three advantages to leading with the thesis:

The audience knows where you stand. The thesis is located in the two strongest places, first and last. It is the most common form of academic argument used. My employer/Government sponsor won't let me release a paper without their consent. There is no benefit from identifying the sponsor, the program you are working on, or any other sensitive information. If you truly cannot write a position paper without some kind of corporate permission, mark the paper you submit as being "not for public release."

Can I write about a negative position? Simply writing about how some problem cannot be solved is not especially enlightening. Take a different approach. Show what benefits would derive for a security measurement or how you would you use it.

© 2001 Applied Computer Security Associates