To gain better understanding of white papers and the White Paper Project as a whole, we should further examine the white paper genre, its history, its constituent sections, its audiences, and its goals.

History

***NOTE: The information presented below is adapted from Michael Stelzner’s website on how to write white papers.

• http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/

The term “white paper” is a derivative of “white book,” a politically-oriented document genre that includes two especially notable documents: the British White Paper of 1922, written by Winston Churchill; and the White Paper of 1939, presided over by Malcolm MacDonald. The White Paper of 1922 clarifies ambiguous, prematurely-made points presented in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which advocated the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The White Paper of 1939 advocated abandonment of current policy recommending Jewish-only occupation of Palestine in favor of Jews and Arabs living together in the area.

Since the early 1980s or so, white papers have sought to sell – both figuratively and literally – products, policies, ideas, and positions. They often, though certainly not always, pertain to technology-oriented issues.

Purpose

While white papers contain research-based information that strives to communicate balance, they’re meant to be persuasive – and as such, need to present and elaborate upon a position.

Sectors that use white papers

• Business
• Technology’
• Education
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Cause-based groups

General structure of white papers

Executive summary: This section is usually 1-3 paragraphs in length, and provides a general outline for the white paper. It will present the paper’s position, and often discuss research methodologies used.

Introduction: Depending on the length of the white paper – some are as few as 5 pages long, while others run over 100 pages – the introduction will be between 1-5 pages in length.

History/background section: This section provides a needed context behind the position argued, and its supporting details. It also seeks to offer information that relates its subject matter to issues and events with which target audiences are more familiar with and/or especially interested in. This section can run anywhere between 1-10 pages in length. For our white papers, this section will be from 1.5-3 pages in length.

Main body: This section represents the bulk of your white paper. Each major point discussed will be presented within its own sub-section – and consequently, each major point will span several paragraphs (introductory paragraphs, source-related paragraphs, your analysis of source-based material, and transitions). Our white papers will have main body sections of between 3.5-6 pages.

Analysis: In this section, you’ll tie together each of your major points and discuss in detail how they reflect, as well as bolster, the position/argument that you’re presenting. You’ll also spend much time here relating open source technologis and their constituent issues to the required larger topic: electronic communication in the workplace. This section will run 1-2 pages.

Conclusion: This section will discuss actual or potential “future developments” or “things to think about,” reiterate key points discussed earlier, and bring the paper to a natural close. It will remind readers of its position, as well as of the importance of the issues presented and of the overall relevance of its content to the readers’ professional and/or personal experiences. It’s not a few sentences “tacked on” at the end. Your conclusion should run 2-3 well-developed paragraphs in length, but could run a bit longer.

Works Cited: Contains bibliographical information on all sources used within your white paper. Works Cited pages should not include items consulted, but not used – though you’re certainly welcome to include a separate Works Consulted page.

Appendices (if needed): Appendices – or an appendix, if there’s just one – are appropriate for information that doesn’t neatly fit within your white paper, but should still be presented to provide necessary context for ideas that are presented within the white paper.

Target audiences

Your white paper’s readers will generally fall into one – or perhaps more than one – of the following categories:

• Readers seeking information.
• Readers serving as decision-makers, who are gathering resources to influence/support their decisions.
• Readers doing research on behalf of decision-makers, who gather resources to forward to decision-makers and/or who interpret information presented by resources in making recommendations to decision-makers.
• Readers in one or more of the above categories who are accessing several white papers on your topic, in order to gauge current discussion/trends.

Readers in any of these categories might know next to nothing about your subject matter – or might know quite a bit – so it’s important to do some background research on your target audience, its knowledge of your subject matter and/or connections between it and issues with which they’re highly familiar (such as workplace communication), and what they might do with the information after they’ve read your white paper.

Rhetorical strategies/goals

It’s not a guarantee that your readers will take the actions, or adopt the stances, that your white paper advocates. But if you apply the following suggestions, your readers will at the very least learn from, and respect, the knowledge and ideas that your white paper presents.

• Present and further your position throughout the paper – not just at the beginning and at the end.
• Identify – directly or indirectly – your target audience. Vocabulary, tone, examples, and analysis help accomplish this goal.
• Establish credibility and sincerity early and often throughout your white paper. With this in mind, see the next three suggestions.
• Always, always…come across as if you know what you’re talking about! If your subject matter involves ideas/issues/technologies about which you’re not especially knowledgeable, do some background/additional research and learn.
• Avoid using overly “gimmicky” approaches – these tend to leave readers wondering what you’ve left out because you’re hiding something and/or you’re too lazy to properly address an issue that needs to be addressed within your paper.
• Use research-based information from balanced and varied sources.
• Connect research-based information to your position and to issues/events about which your target audience is knowledgeable/interested/concerned.
• When using multiple sources, “introduce” the source and his/her credentials and relevance to your topic before quoted or paraphrased material. It’s essential that your readers are able to keep track of who’s “talking” – and of whether ideas presented are those of the writers or of the source(s).
• Use analogies when appropriate – but do so only occasionally, or else such attention-getters and voice-establishers lose their impact.
• Relate your discussion’s content/viewpoints to its apparent “place” within a larger and broader discussion about the topic.
• Use a variety of well-chosen, effectively-presented visuals within your paper – but don’t expect the visuals to “do all the talking,” and don’t “plop in” visuals without transitions before them and discussion/analysis afterward. Visuals are no different than word-based sentences/paragraphs, in terms of communication.
• Use basic document design strategies – conventional fonts, headers and/or footers, easy-to-see section headings, and clear, easy-to-interpret visuals, to communicate a sense of professionalism.