Instructor Blog 9: White Papers
Submitted by rpweber on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 18:16.
White papers are a difficult genre whose nuances are hard to catch at first. A white paper may seem like just another report. As the Thomson Handbook describes it, "white papers are used in business, industrial, and governmental contexts to sum up what's known about a subject" (235). White papers are used commonly for their specific ability to sleekly present technical or policy information and to give the pros and cons of various options. Because white papers are used in so many contexts, people often mean slightly different things by the term "white paper." For this class, the term white paper will designate a visually sophisticated document that combines research and technical description to sum up the advantages, disadvantages, and potential uses of technology (in this case, Google Docs and other collaborative software). For this assignment, I'm asking you to choose a business or organization (the more specific, the better) and research how that organization could employ Google docs for its writing purposes (this means you will also need to research the kind of writing done by the organization).
Therefore, a good way to understand the white paper is to imagine that your boss comes up to you and says "Write a white paper about how we could use Google Docs to synchronize writing between the Scranton and Stamford branch." That's often how white papers are born; someone higher up wants to know something, but doesn't want to research it personally, so they commission a white paper and then take the paper to an important meeting so they don't look like an idiot. Understanding that purpose helps the genre make more sense by revealing qualities of the white paper. First off, it is easily raidable. That means that information is easy to find and process - when the meeting discussion turns to the costs of a new technology, for instance, your boss can find the appropriate section via clear headings, turn to that section, and quickly say something intelligent. This is where visual sophistication comes in. Good white papers employ the design principles to guide the eye and lead readers to the most important information quickly. They also use graphics, charts, tables, and pull quotes to excerpt key information and draw the reader in (though as I indicate in my blog on Google Docs, it does not have the same design capabilities of other software. I encourage students to work around this difficulty). Rarely are white papers read from beginning to end, which is why they are also strategically repetitive, including key information in several easy to find places. Therefore, as you assemble your white paper, think about it as parts and a whole. Give it a complete structure, but make sure each section stands apart on its own. Check out pages 235-236 in the Thomson Handbook to help you out, especially the chart of descriptive vs generic headings. You want your headings to be as clear and helpful as possible.
Of course, you want the sections to be just as specific and usable as their headings. Potential sections for this paper could include history, background, technical information, pros and cons of the software, applications, recommendations for use. You'll also want to include an executive summary, which sums up the entire paper in a paragraph or two. Again, it's important that the entire paper is in the executive summary - a reader should be able to see all your major points and the structure of your argument just by reading this short section. You will probably also want to include a short conclusion that again summarizes the possibilities you outline in the paper. But make sure all of your sections are specific and contribute to the paper's forward momentum and reader's needs. One of the biggest mistakes students make with white papers is that they include irrelevant information. For instance, students writing about alternative fuels often spend two thirds of the white paper talking about the history of fuel shortages like the oil crisis in the 70s, and very little time talking about pros and cons of current potential fuels. This is exactly backwards. You want to provide just enough background information so that readers are up to speed, and then give them information that they can use. In a meeting, your boss isn't going to say "I heard that the first five nations of OPEC formed the organization in 1960," but he will saying "I don't think wind power is applicable to our region." Give information that will lead to decisions and action, that will move progress forward. Make your boss look smart, well informed, and valuable to the discussion.
As for the purpose of the paper, I will let your group choose a few possibilities. You can either describe how Google Docs could be implemented in a specific organization, compare the implementation of Google Docs to another software, or discuss the implementation of a software your group is more familiar with (please let me know if you are choosing the third option). In your analysis, please be as objective as possible, even though white papers do not always provide disinterested advice. As the book says, organizations and businesses often "use white papers to stake out a position on an issue by presenting information as if it were unambiguous or inarguable" (235). For this project, I'd like each group to present options comprehensively and fairly without skewing in one direction or making final recommendations (equip the reader to make a decision, and then let them make it). In your case, because you don't work for Google or any of the other software companies, you should be able to provide a more unprejudiced analysis.
As I said above, this is a difficult genre to understand. But the best way to learn this genre, as any, is to read examples, which is why I assigned several real-world white papers to read. As you read them, pay attention to their structure, the sections and information they include, the visuals they use, and their overall design. Choose the ones you like as models for your own work. And please let me know if you need any clarification or further instructions for the project.
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Good Information
The information posted here about white papers definitely helped me to better understand the overall direction of this project. I do better on things when I have a good vision of the overall process while knowing the specifics will come along as I go.
From the information here, I understand we'll be writing a white paper in the context that this white paper will be visually stimulating and sophisticated, and it will be used to provide unbiased (as unbiased as possible) information showing the pros, cons, and potential uses of Google Docs. I'm glad it was pointed out that we are to leave out personal experiences and avoid drawing conclusions from our own data and research. I see that is meant to be left to the reader in the genre of white papers.
I think my understanding of all this will become more clear as our group progresses, but the information here was very helpful. I'm sure I'll have more questions later.
This Was So Helpful!
I am really glad this blog was made. To be honest, I really had no idea what I was suppose to do with this project until I read this blog. Everything makes sense now, well for a little while. I see that we will have to remain unbiased throughout the paper, and allow the reader to make their own decision. Relevant information will also need to be found. I am a pro at finding irrelevant information and then writing a lot on it, just to beef up the paper, but I am going to try to stay on topic for this sophisticated paper.
I am also glad that there were some sample headings for this paper in the blog. These will help guide me on what I should be writing about. Now that I understand exactly what I am suppose to be doing, I can help my team a lot and hopefully start researching soon.
Andrew Garland
Difficult Genre to Understand (at first)
This is a difficult genre to understand. I had never heard of white papers before this class, but I had definitely heard of reports, summaries, and learning about some topic and paraphrasing to someone above you (such as a boss). In a way, all of these are white papers. I have had numerous experiences with these and am quite comfortable with summarizing something that I understand or have recently learned in order for someone else to understand it quickly. Of course my supervisor will never be right by my while I am visiting a supplier or changing a process because of a quality issue - so I can not expect him or her to understand what just happened or why it happened. This is where 'reports' or summaries come in; well, this is what I have always called them. Apparently, these are all similar to white papers.
One particular example I have is when I was at Toyota, I was working on a project where I investigated noise sources and decibel levels - and then researched, trialed, and ordered sample products to try out for the different areas/processes. One day, a couple of weeks into the project, my supervisor had to report to some upper management about the project. He obviously had not been by my side as I learned all about sound levels and OSHA limits - so I wrote him a report that summarized what I had learned and where I was going with the project. Hmmm.. this is definitely a white paper! Now that I understand the genre a bit better, I can actually see where I have worked on one (or more)! I do believe that a white paper would be longer than what I wrote and broke down into sections. This project will be a good experience with writing an actual white paper, working in a group via internet contact, and learning (or practicing more) with working in teams.
Blog 9 response
This blog definitely helped me understand white papers better, and what we will have to do with them for our project. Before this class I had never heard of a white paper, and the Thomson Handbook was not helpful in its description of them.
It sounds like for our project the white paper will be kind of like a persuasive paper without the persuasion part, if that makes any sense. We'll be presenting the pros and cons of two different software applications (Google Docs and Microsoft Word) and allowing the reader to make their own decision. It is good to know that we just need to stick to the relevant information and not add a lot of fluff. I tend to repeat things when I write papers, which isn't always good, but it sounds like that is an important part of the white papers.
Blog 9 response
I thought that this blog was very informative. I agree that there are a wide array of white papers written. Some are for very detailed and important information where others may seem to be more trivial. Even though I have helped do research and write parts of a white paper before this blog brought to my attention the different reasons they are written. I thought it was interesting how they can repeat the information given in several places since white papers are rarely completely read. I also had never considered the design side of the white paper before. Such as headings and spacing can make a huge difference in how easily the paper can be read and navigated. This post was very helpful!
Blog #9 Comments
In the past, I have never worked on a document specifically called a white
paper, but from the examples and descriptions of this professional document, I
believe I had used some of the elements. The closest experience I had to a
white paper was for design (progress) reports for a design class. These
documents included an executive summary, supportive content, conclusion, and
appendixes. Although these design documents were detailed and extended, the
content was entirely biased for the success of the team’s design. Therefore, at
this point the most difficult aspect of a white paper will be providing
positives and negatives of the subject, while maintaining a proper level of
balance of bias, without impairing the topic’s goal(s). It would be tempting to
develop a white paper into a persuasive paper, as some industries do. Also,
formatting for this white paper will be similar to the design elements in
Project 1, due to the organization, readability, and effectiveness. I believe I
have a good grasp on this concept, but for the white paper I must focus more on
the content phrasing. This blog was helpful in respect to reminders of what to avoid and what the specific type of document should continuously focus on. Overall, I understand the purpose and importance of white papers much better since the start of this course, and I am looking forward to developing one with my team.
Response
Before reading this blog I really did not have any idea what a white paper was. I tried to read some of the other things we had relating to white papers but I was still pretty confused. After reading this blog I have a much better understanding as to what is expected from this paper. I think this project will be a very good one for us to learn because it seems like it will be used quite a bit. I talked to my aunt about them and she said that they use them at work and she talked about what they use them for. She was talking way above my head but now I think I could conduct a relatively intelligent conversation about their uses. I look forward to learning more about this genre of writing and actually writing the paper so I am better prepared for the work force.
As the summer session began,
As the summer session began, I was asked to do some research and present my findings at work. The subject was vauge, but my boss just wanted to know more about the topic. I’ve found myself using the topics discussed in this course to help with my research and the putting together of my information.
I agree with the statement that the executive summary is as important as the white paper itself. The executive summary usually tells me if the White Paper contains any new information that I don’t know yet. Also, this section is always a great way to figure out what it was I just read if the paper itself got overly technical in places.
I found the idea of a ‘fair and balanced (thanks FoxNews)’ intriguing. Some of our reading has discussed how white papers are used to enforce a given position. If a white paper was ‘fair and balanced’ wouldn’t it make no suggestions about the current topic? Do the recommendations or the goal of a company not figure into a white paper?
I would think that a fair white paper gives arguments for both courses of action, but then attempts to persuade to the desired action. This statement is just my opinion however.
White Paper Comment
This blog does a great job at explaining exactly what we need to be doing for this White Paper assignment. I must be honest and say that I really had a hard time getting a grasp on what this project was all about but this blog comes right out and tells us exactly what we need to be doing. I like the idea of relating a white paper project to a small packet of information you give to your boss to make him seem intelligent. This could be a very useful tip if when writing this paper, one always thinks about what his or her boss would want. It makes complete sense to repeat information in varies parts of the white paper because not all of it will be read at one time. If you think about it as a reference, rather than a paper, it might be easier to see what one will need to be writing about. A good tip might be to, as a group, write the table of contents together. The group should think about all the different pieces of information they might need to include in their project, write them down, organize them into categories on the table of contents, and start writing. If a group goes about this starting from a “outline,” it might be easier to split up the work and ensure the group is covering all the important information. Anyways, this blog does a great job of defining the project and I’m sure everyone is glad that we know now what we are expected to do.
Blog Response
This blog was very helpful. Even after reading through the project description and the information on white papers found in the book, I was still a little confused as to what we are going to be writing about and the actual format of a white paper. But, it sounds like white papers aren't really as confusing as I had originally thought. It sounds a lot like one of the many reports that I have had to write throughout school, except it is more focused to give a specific kind of information for a specific purpose. For this reason, a lot of the excess writing can be weeded out, like the layers of unnecessary background information. But, since this is to be used as a summary of the researched information to give the reader a brief understanding of the subject matter, even if the white paper is skimmed through, it is important to clearly state the important information. And, if information is really important, it should even be stated more than once. This is different from reports I have written in the past, for which it is discouraged to write information more than once.
I am very glad this blog was posted, because it has cleared up some of the information about white papers that I was not quite sure about. I’ve never written a white paper before, as I’m sure most of the other students in this class haven’t, but I think if I compare it to the other kinds of reports that I have written in the past, then it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge to complete.
Blog Comments
The blog really helped. I was completely lost in the whole white paper project, until I read this blog. I think that my group will most likely go with a comparative paper. I am glad his blog was made because I was not sure what writing style should be used. I'm glad to know that only a small section of the paper should be devoted to background information. It should be unbiased and should provide the pros and cons of Google Docs. This should be a very helpful project because we will all most likely have to write papers similar to this in our jobs someday. The sample white papers should also help provide information on how white papers are made, and how they look. This blog was very helpful, thank you!
My White Paper Expectations
I am glad to see this posting as it helps explain what the third project in this class is about. Having discussed our project with the rest of my group, I think we are on the right track to producing a white paper. I will try to make our paper as unbiased as possible (we are comparing Google Docs to Microsoft Office). I think this challenge is possible because each productivity suite has its own merits. I hope this project strengthens my ability to produce white papers that are well organized, raidable, and unbiased. One thing of mention though, after reading more and more about white papers, I do not understand why I have never heard of this genre of writing because I see it as very beneficial.
Blog Response
This was all very helpful, especially since I have never heard of a white paper before. It helps a lot to know what we are aiming for in writing, such as the type of content to put into the paper. I wouldn't have guessed that this paper is not to be persuasive, my first impression was that it would be.
White Paper Comment
This blog was very informative for me because I have never been asked to write a white paper before. I am nervous for writing my first white paper for this class and I feel that this blog helped me get a better understanding of what I need to do. I learned that white papers are supposed to sum up what is known about a subject. I need to make sure my paper has information that is easy to find and process. I also need to make sure my paper leads the readers to the most important information. I want to try and only include relevent information. Lastly, I need to provide information that will lead others to decisions and action!
good clarification
To be honest, before this class I haven’t encountered a white paper or Google docs. After reading this blog, I found the information to be very informative and useful for our whit paper project. This blog was very helpful for me and my group because we had some reservations about what types of things could go into this project and what direction we should take. Now that we have read and discusses this blog we have a thorough understanding of how we would like to move on with our project. One very interesting point I found during reading this was that very seldom are whit papers read from start to finish. This makes sense to me the more I think about it. Executives and bosses don’t have the time to read whole reports from start to finish so the white paper needs to be strong and able to be read in pieces. I really liked the advice towards the end of this blog because it corresponds with the examples that are given throughout the blog. Finally, I feel that this blog was helpful in identifying other resources like example white papers and chapters within the Thompson Handbook.
I think Mr. Weber likes The
I think Mr. Weber likes The Office... (So do I), anyways, whitepapers help a great deal in understanding some subject quite quickly. I never have written a white paper, but this soon to be experience will be helpful in the long run. White papers on Google Docs can compare software similar, but I won't give too much comments to this because I'd rather help my group out.
Informing our "committee" why they should use Google Docs will be interesting, and I am up for the challenge. I'd rather make a white paper on how it would help/benefit the "committee" rather than Google Docs vs. MS Office.
John Dumakowski