Overview
Both genres are persuasive and evidence-based, but they differ in emphasis. A position paper states and defends a stance on an issue — common in policy courses, Model United Nations, professional associations and advocacy. A white paper explains a problem in depth and proposes a solution, often for government, industry or a technical audience; in commercial settings it also informs purchasing decisions. Our support adapts to whichever you are writing.
For students, this is coaching and feedback: you write the paper, and we critique its framing, structure, evidence and recommendations. For professionals and organizations — where the paper is issued under your name or your organization's — we can also co-draft sections from your material and positions, with you approving every claim and recommendation.
Throughout, the standard is credibility. Recommendations should follow from the evidence, alternatives should be treated fairly, and sources should be traceable. We will flag unsupported claims rather than smooth them over.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Students in public policy, international relations, public health, environmental studies and business courses
- Model United Nations delegates preparing country position papers
- Graduate students writing policy-oriented capstones or practicum papers
- Professionals, researchers and nonprofit staff producing white papers or position statements for their organization
- Early-career researchers translating their findings into a paper for practitioners or policymakers
Common problems we help with
- Your paper reads like an essay rather than a document someone could use to decide
- You're unsure how a position paper differs from a white paper or a policy brief
- Your recommendations appear without a clear link to the evidence
- You haven't addressed counterpositions or alternative options
- The technical content is accurate but too dense for the intended readers
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Clarifying genre, audience and purpose: position paper, white paper, or policy brief
- Problem framing: scope, significance, stakeholders and the decision the reader faces
- Evidence planning: types of evidence, source credibility and how to present data
- Options analysis: comparing alternatives against explicit criteria such as cost, feasibility, equity and risk
- Structuring counterpositions and rebuttals
- Recommendation writing: specific, actionable, prioritized and tied to evidence
- Executive summary and title feedback for busy readers
- Readability for non-specialist audiences: plain language, headings, visuals and call-outs
- Model UN position papers: country stance, past actions and proposed solutions within committee rules
- For professional clients: co-drafting from your material, with your approval of all content
Not included
- Writing position papers or white papers that students will submit as their own graded work
- Inventing data, statistics, case studies or endorsements
- Marketing content presented as independent research without disclosure
- Legal advice or regulatory compliance determinations
What you receive
- Genre and audience brief
- A short note confirming purpose, readers, the decision at stake, expected length and structure.
- Outline critique
- Feedback on your problem statement, evidence plan, options and recommendation logic before full drafting.
- Annotated draft
- Comments on argument, evidence strength, fairness to alternatives, clarity for the audience and citation.
- Executive summary feedback
- Targeted comments to make the first page do its job for readers who may read nothing else.
- Co-drafted sections (professional clients)
- Draft text built from your positions and sources, marked for your review and approval.
How it works
Scope
We confirm genre, audience, purpose, length and any template or committee rules.
Frame and plan
You outline the problem, evidence and options; we critique the plan and the logic linking evidence to recommendations.
Draft
You draft (or, for professional clients, we co-draft from your material).
Review and refine
Feedback on argument, evidence and readability, followed by a check of the executive summary and recommendations.
Structures and techniques
- Problem–options–recommendation
- A common structure: define the problem, present evidence, compare options against criteria, recommend and address implementation.
- Criteria-based options analysis
- Comparing alternatives against named criteria (effectiveness, cost, feasibility, equity, political acceptability) in a table the reader can scan.
- Evidence hierarchy awareness
- Distinguishing systematic reviews, evaluations and official statistics from opinion and anecdote, and saying which you rely on.
- Counterposition handling
- Naming the strongest opposing view and responding to it, borrowing from classical and Toulmin argument structures.
- Plain-language and visual design
- Short paragraphs, informative headings, call-out boxes and simple charts so non-specialists can follow.
- Model UN conventions
- Country background, past international action and proposed solutions, written in the delegation's voice and within the committee's page limits.
Position paper, white paper or policy brief?
A position paper argues for a stance and is judged by the strength of its case. A white paper tends to be longer and more explanatory, walking the reader through a problem and a proposed solution. A policy brief is shorter and aimed at a decision maker with little time. If your task is a short brief for a policymaker, our policy research brief service may fit better.
Getting the genre right changes the structure, tone and length, so we confirm it before anything else.
Making recommendations follow from evidence
Reviewers of these papers look for a visible chain: evidence about the problem, a fair comparison of options, and recommendations justified by that comparison. We trace that chain in your draft and flag where a recommendation appears without support or where evidence contradicts the stance.
We also check that recommendations are specific: who should do what, by when, with what resources, and how success would be judged.
Writing for readers outside academia
Policymakers, managers and practitioners read selectively. An executive summary that states the problem, the recommendation and the key reason on the first page is often the most important part. We give feedback on headings that summarize rather than label, on replacing jargon, and on visuals that carry the key comparison.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Sample outline feedback for a student position paper
A master's student in environmental policy outlined a 3,000-word position paper arguing that a mid-sized city should adopt congestion pricing. The comments are invented for illustration.
Audience
Your brief says the audience is the city council, but the outline opens with two pages of theory on externalities. Council members will want the local problem first: congestion costs, air quality readings and bus delays. Move the theory into one short paragraph supporting your options analysis.
Options
You compare congestion pricing only with 'doing nothing'. Add at least one realistic alternative — for example, expanded bus priority lanes — and compare all three against the same criteria so your recommendation looks earned.
Recommendation
'Adopt congestion pricing' needs detail: phased pilot, zone, exemptions and how revenue is used. Tie each element to evidence from the cities you cite.
Illustrative example with an invented scenario. Real feedback follows your brief, audience and evidence.
What you’ll need to provide
- The assignment brief, committee guidelines or organizational purpose
- Your intended audience and the decision or action you want from them
- Evidence you have gathered: research, data, reports, stakeholder input
- Your outline or draft, and any house style or template
- Deadline and, for professional work, who approves the final version
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Length and technical complexity of the paper
- Whether you need feedback only or co-drafting (professional clients)
- Volume of evidence to review and integrate
- Number of revision rounds and stakeholders providing input
- Turnaround
Turnaround depends on
- Paper length and how complete your evidence base is
- Time for stakeholder or supervisor approvals in professional work
- Committee or submission deadlines
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Can you write the white paper for my organization?
For professional and organizational clients, yes, we can co-draft from your material, positions and data. You or your organization remain the author, approve every claim and are responsible for publication. We won't invent data or present marketing as independent research.
I'm a student — can you write my position paper?
No. For graded coursework and Model UN, you write the paper and we coach you through framing, evidence and structure, with feedback on drafts.
How long should a white paper be?
It varies widely by field and purpose — from a few pages to twenty or more. We recommend a length based on your audience and the complexity of the problem, and a short executive summary regardless.
Do you help with Model UN position papers?
Yes. We give feedback on how well your paper represents your country's position, uses past actions and resolutions, and proposes realistic solutions within your conference's format and page limits.
Can you check my data and charts?
We review whether charts are clear and support the claims around them. For deeper checks of figures and statistics, see our fact and data verification service.