BMUN 71 Position Paper Tips!

El Festejo, un ritmo con mucha historia y orgullo: ¿Cómo se originó esta danza peruana?

Hello Delegates! I hope you have all had a bit of time to get to know me and your vice chairs for this year's conference. Now that we have introduced ourselves... I welcome YOU to introduce yourself in the comments of this blog post (I would love to hear about your academic interests, a piece of media you have enjoyed recently, or anything at all you would like to share)! With that said, here are some good things to consider as you all write and prepare to submit your position papers.  

As a reminder, UNESCO will be using the standard Position Paper format detailed in the Committee Page on the BMUN website. Besides the general format, we wanted to offer some tips on the research process and the formation of your paper. 

Research

The biggest favor you can do for yourself in the writing process is to really apply time and effort into understanding the topics beforehand. Luckily, your generous dias has written to key to beginning this process: your synopsis! Not only do we recommend reading this synopsis, but we hope that you will interact with it. Ask questions, make connections, and reflect on what you learned. Familiarizing yourself with the synopsis is the key to a smooth research experience. 

After reading the synopsis, don’t stop there! This piece is just a stepping stone for the research we hope you will complete. Maybe read some additional case studies, and look at some current events relating to your country… ultimately, the sign of a well-researched paper is taking the information within the synopsis a step further.

Our advice: don’t simply reiterate the synopsis, interact with it. This could look like researching your country's stance on a certain issue or policy, or a recent development(s) relevant to your take on the topic. Your position papers should be composed of information learned both within and outside the scope of the information we have given you. 

For more guidance on the research process, refer to this page on the BMUN website.

Writing

After researching, you should have a good sense of what you want to include in your paper. We suggest making an outline of this important information first, then adding commentary on why these points are important. A sign of a great position paper is one that not only contains important information but elaborates on it and provides clear and effective commentary. 

Be sure to leave yourself enough time to write, revise, and properly cite your sources-- don’t hesitate to ask for help or an extension if needed!

For more guidance on the writing process, refer to this page on the BMUN website.

A reminder that Position Papers are due on February 12, 2023, to be considered for the Research Award, and February 19, 2023, to be considered for any committee award. Again, we’d be happy to grant an extension if necessary!

Feel free to reach out to us at unescobmunlxxi@bmun.org for any questions or concerns throughout your research and writing process AND interact with the blog if you’d like! 

Though we will be diligently reviewing and grading your position papers once you submit, I want to emphasize that BMUN is a learning conference above all, so please try your best to craft a well-written and thoughtful paper & feel free to reach out with questions about the topic, researching, writing. We are so excited to see what you bring to committee, and are here to help you throughout this process. Happy Writing!

Best, 
Madelyn Diaz
UNESCO, BMUN 71

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