Writing a White Paper
Why "white paper"
The name goes back to the old days of the US government when documents classified at various levels of secrecy were printed on different colors of paper. Documents printed on white paper were intended for the general public.
Types
Most people classify white papers as one of two types:
- Solutions-oriented - these describe steps in solving a particular problem
- Informational - these educate the reader on details of a situation
Some people classify white papers further to arrive at six different types. See at end for a link to this information.
A white paper is also quite similar to a business proposal. The only real
difference is that in a business proposal, at the end of the white paper
sections there is a section that spells out monetary details in concrete terms,
that is, who will pay whom how much, at what rate, and so on.
Five elements to include
- Title
- "Abstract" or "Introduction" section
- "Background" section
- "Solution" or "Discussion" section
- "Reference links" section
Title
Write a good title that gives an idea what the paper is about. Normally the term "white paper" is not included.
"Abstract" or "Introduction" section
This section can be titled "Abstract" or "Introduction", whichever seems to fit best. The former is a bit more pretentious and probably best for a more sophisticated audience.
This section should be one paragraph - two at most - that briefly explains the problem we are trying to solve or discuss.
"Background" section
In this section, give the context so that the reader understands how we have come to this point, what all the problems and goals are, possibly prior work in the area and any other details that they may need to understand the next section.
This section can be arbitrarily long. It can include charts and graphs.
"Solution" or "Discussion" section
In a solution-oriented paper, this is the "ta da!" section that describes and explains the proposed solution.
In an informational paper, this section discusses the ins and outs of the
problem in detail and perhaps offers future directions for further research or action.
This section can be arbitrarily long. It can include charts and graphs.
"Reference links" section
This section is just references for further reading, either hyperlinks and/or names of books or articles.
More information
Created:
Tue Mar 21 19:59:08 UTC 2023
Please send any comments to
Rick Heli