1. Researched Position Paper

2. Hosted by English Writing Center www.uta.edu/owl
A Division of the Department of English
Sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts

3. The Writing Center Executive Staff
Workshop Leaders
Presented by:
The Writing Center Executive Staff

4. What is the RPP?
For this paper, you will be advocating a position on your issue with a well-supported argument written for an audience that you select.
In other words, this is finally your chance to make your own argument about your issue!

5. The Components of the RPP
Snappy, attention-grabbing title
Identifies an arguable issue
Addresses a specific audience
Includes a contestable and specific claim
Uses well-developed supporting reasons
Has a clear exigence (So what? Who cares?)
Supports reasons with solid evidence
Responds to counterarguments fully and appropriately

6. Logistics
Must be between 5 and 10 pages, at your professor's discretion.
Don’t shoot for 5 pages; considering how much work you have already done on your issue, you should have plenty to say and plenty of ammunition to create a detailed and thorough argument, which in all likelihood take more than 5 pages.
Works Cited page does not count as a page.
Standard MLA and page formatting.

7. Audience
This paper is unique because you get to choose your audience. But, your audience does have to be specific and realistic—you can’t writer to “the American people” or to “children.”
Think carefully when choosing an audience—what criteria should you consider?
Whenever you pick your audience, you then need to write specifically to that audience. Use an analysis of your audience to guide your rhetorical decisions.

8. Claims: Conceptually Rich?
Review Ch. 4 in FYW
Is your claim conceptually rich?
Ex. The effects of the Civil War are still felt today.
Ex. The ideological and social divisions of the Civil War still exert a historical influence on the political discourse of the North and the South reflected in their antithetical political theories about the relative scope of state and federal powers.
In this example, the nouns cat, fence, and mouse take an indefinite article, but only when they are introduced for the first time. After they are introduced, we use the definite article in every instance. This pattern, or rule, covers a lot of basic instances of concrete nouns, especially in story telling. This rule can extend over long periods of time and interrupted dialogue so that I can ask you to buy a pen and then several hours later I can ask you if you bought the pen.

9. Claim: Appropriately Qualified?
Is your claim appropriately qualified?
Make your claim judiciously modest.
Ex. State College would stop tuition increases if it eliminated administrative waste.
Ex. State College might be able to slow the rates of tuition increases, if it could reduce administrative wastes.
Can you see the difference?

10. Your Argument: Logos
Your audience expects strong logos in your argument; to accomplish this, you need to have multiple good reasons to support your claim, and you need sufficient evidence to “prove” and support your reasons.
Also, consider the warrants of your reasons; will your audience grant you your unstated assumptions?
Use a variety of types of evidence from a range of sources.

11. Counterarguments: “They Say”
Address at least one extended counterargument. This involves the following:
Name and describe opponent.
Present their position fairly and accurately
Make any necessary concessions/find areas of common ground
Offer a direct and well-considered rebuttal.

12. Arrangement
Once you have completed all of the Invention steps, then you can start thinking about how you are going to arrange your information.
The ordering/structure of the paper is up to you (unless your specific instructor has said otherwise). As long as you get all the info in there, there are lots of options for arrangement.
However you choose to do it, the key is to make sure that it is arranged in a manner that your reader can follow, understand, and keeps them interested.

13. Style
Don’t forget that you are writing for a specific audience. In order to appeal to this audience, you need to consider their values and expectations (pathos).
What values can you appeal to?
How exactly can you make these appeals?
Think about the ethos you want to create for yourself. You want to be fair and respectful, and you also want to come across as being knowledgeable and credible on the topic.

14. Advice
AUDIENCE IS EVERYTHING! Whoever you choose as your audience, keep this at the front of your mind as you write. Appealing to your audience is key, and this should impact every rhetorical decision you make in your paper.
STAY FOCUSED ON THESIS/MAIN CLAIM! Many students struggle with their RPP because their writing becomes overwhelmed with ideas and thoughts. You’ve thought, read, and written SO MUCH already about your issue—make sure you don’t let yourself get lost in your writing. If you get lost, it stands to reason that your reader will be lost too! Keep your focus simple, and keep your main claim in mind.
This exception also applies to ordering (ordinal numbers used as adjectives) where it is presumed that the ordering is unique: the second time, the third example, the fourth person to call. In other words, once you place an order on objects they hold a unique position in that order. This exception applies to named things (which through naming become unique): The Rocky Mountains (a mountain range)The New York Islanders (a sports team)The Amazon River (a river in South America)The Pacific Ocean (an ocean)The Steelworkers Union (an organization)The Great Plains (a geographic locality)The Washington Monument (a statue)The Number Four Bus
However, this application is imperfect as some things such as named lakes and islands take no articles (Buttle Lake, Skull Island) except in plural instances (the Great Lakes, the Galapagos islands).

15. More Advice
3) BE THOROUGH/DETAILED! Use the ample time you have already writing on this subject this semester to make a detailed and thorough argument. Expand on your points. Provide more-than-enough evidence. Give your audience details. This is what makes strong arguments. 4) MAKE A PLAN, THEN EXECUTE. You know when your paper is due; you also know your own writing habits, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Use this knowledge to your advantage! Make an honest and realistic plan for your writing. Then, follow this plan closely to ensure that you get your paper done ON TIME and that you produce a QUALITY and COMPLETE paper.

16. Other Bits of Advice
Take revision seriously! Your instructor will be grading your essay based in part on how well you participate in the revision process. However solid your paper might be, there is always room for improvement. So spend adequate time in the revision process.
Get lots of feedback! This comes from your instructor, your peers and friends, and also the Writing Center. Visit the WC for more help.

17. Upcoming Workshops
For a list of workshops that we will be offering in the fall semester please check our calendar at:
uta.edu/owl

18. Additional Resources www.uta.edu/owl/ www.uta.mywconline.com
For additional writing resources check out the Writing Center website at:
For additional writing support you can schedule an appointment with a Writing Center consultant at: