Do and Don’t Tricks for Writing a Resolution by Selen GÜNERİ

Resolutions can be seen as the whole point of conferences besides the debate. For our resolutions to be the most effective, sensible, and structurally correct, here are some do and don’t trick for writing a resolution.

Do: Gather your ideas in a different document/paper

Don’t: Try to edit everything in your head if it’s hard

The ideas you put are one of the most important things in resolutions. Whether you are in a Harvard or THIMUN procedure committee, it is important to have different ideas for a resolution. While you are preparing for or during the committee, you can take notes, this way you will not forget any ideas that came to your mind. This trick will be helpful especially if you find keeping everything in your head hard and do not have a good memory. 

It also makes it much easier to detect if you have any similar ideas that you can combine and transfer into the resolution in that form. When you only have the idea, you will not need to think of the exact vocabulary or care about the structure which will save you time while writing.

Do: Try to interact with different co-submitters

Don’t: Force yourself to write it all on your own

While writing a resolution, it may be hard to produce ideas all at once and you may get something like a writer’s block, where you cannot think of anything new. In those situations, getting a little help from other delegates is the best thing to do. It is very common for a main-submitter to be exchanging ideas with co-submitters or other delegates. However, as it is very easy, try not to rely on others’ ideas if you are planning to be the main-submitter. 

When it gets hard to produce new ideas, taking a small break can also be effective. Focusing on one thing for a long time causes exhaustion, you can take a small break, drink some water, and try not to think about your writing. This happens often to many people so it is nothing to stress about. When you run out of ideas, just take small ideas from other people to have a different point of view.

Do: Use formal words that are more accurate for the agenda item and committee

Don’t: Use basic and informal words

MUN in general has a formal environment. In a resolution, it is even more important to be careful with language. Using certain MUN vocabulary that could change from committee to committee or agenda item to agenda item will be more accurate for the issues and make your clauses more formal and understandable.

Do: Use different words as much as possible

Don’t: Repeat certain words in different clauses

Much like any writing, repeating words is not something that makes a resolution better. Instead try to use different expressions, phrases, and words while writing your clauses. It may be hard to find synonyms for some words and you might need to use them again and again. However, this will make it easier to read and make the quality of your paper higher in general. For sure, there will be places where you cannot use other words to describe things, other than that, try to use different verbs and adjectives. Especially if you are planning to add more clauses, you can change the words to make the clause longer.

With this trick, if you are trying to expand your vocabulary in English, learning about different synonyms will help you with that. It is possible to say that this is very useful regarding several of ways. 

Wrong example:

1. chaos around citizens,
2. chaos in public places,

Correct example:

1. commotion around citizens,
2. chaos in public places,

Do: Explain everything clearly with clauses

Don’t: Add a sub-clause if there is not a second one

Clauses are the main parts of a resolution. While writing one it is crucial to know its structural bases. Explaining different details with sub and sub-sub clauses makes the clauses much more understandable and easy to read & write. As you are writing one, keep in mind that you need at least two sub-clauses to write one. If the clause does not have further examples or further ways, do not add a sub-clause, continue with the sentence instead.

Wrong example: 

• Allows operations of human testing on the determined subjects if;

1. The survival chance is above the percentage;

1. That the ministry of health of each country determined,

Correct example:

• Allows operations of human testing on the determined subjects if the survival chance is above the percentage that the ministry of health of each country has determined,

One of the most important parts of a resolution is the structure, thus; it is important to know the structure very well. You can search up and gain information from many different sources to be familiar with the structure as much as you can before starting to write one. 

Do: Explain everything you want to do in specific detail

Don’t: Lack detail in your resolutions

       As you make your speeches in a formal language, because of the UN environment, it is also very important to have your resolution the right way, as if your clauses will be in action when it passes. For orders to be correctly fulfilled, detail and precision are important factors.

       While writing your resolution, you will need to add every detail about the issue and make no room for uncertainty. Using conjunctions, punctuation, and mostly sub-clauses to explain everything, your clause should be very clear and easy to understand. As a delegate, a lack of detail is a reason to vote against a resolution. This way, while having your clauses better, the chance of your resolution passing also goes higher.

Do: Find solutions to the facts written in your preambulatory clauses with your operative clauses

Don’t: Make your operative and preambulatory clauses irrelevant

The preambulatory clauses can be seen as the introductory parts of the resolutions; you should include facts about the agenda item, state your concerns, and important aspects. It is important for preambulatory and operative clauses to be upon the same issue to make everything connect better. You can state a fact in the preambulatory clause and find a solution to that in the operative one. 

As a basic example; consider that your agenda item is the impact of COVID-19, you can write a preambulatory clause saying how small businesses struggle with the issue and write an operative clause about the governments supporting those businesses.  

       This method can also help you produce ideas about clauses. If you thought of different operative clauses but could not find many preambulatory ones, you can take a look at your clauses and recognize the main source of the issue. On the opposite, you can think of new solutions by looking at the preambulatory clauses where you have stated facts about the issues. 

Do: Take inspiration from different sources if needed

Don’t: Have plagiarism in your resolution

Some of the main reasons to attend MUN conferences are to be aware of issues and be productive. Plagiarism is both ethically and logically wrong. With the code of conduct, you may even be expelled from the conference. It can also result in many scenarios outside of MUN as copyright infringement. 

As mentioned before, it is possible for you to get stuck while trying to come up with a new things in your resolution. At those times, reading articles and news about the agenda item can be helpful. You can even look at past UN resolutions about similar issues for inspiration. However, it is unconditionally wrong to plagiarize. Be careful not to have plagiarism in your resolutions to avoid problems.

Selen GÜNERİ

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