A white paper is a five-page document that describes a problem and proposes a solution.Government and corporate settings are where it's used the most.A typical white paper might list ways to meet a client's marketing needs, suggest the use of a certain product for a technical process, or identify how to tackle municipal problems.To write a successful white paper, you need to know your audience, state your problem clearly and make a convincing and engaging argument of how to solve it.
Step 1: Pick your audience.
You won't know your audience personally.You should identify as many factors as possible, such as professional needs, educational background, and job title.How to form your argument will be determined by these aspects.Your proposal should be based on these factors.If your topic is community gardens, appeal to your readers as property owners and parents, as well as community decision-makers.They will be interested in learning about the impact of gardening and local food on their children's health and property values.
Step 2: Take their level of expertise into account.
How complex your paper should be will be established by this.Technical jargon could be included if your audience's expertise matches or is close to your own.The paper should be jargon-free for a general audience.If you have to include specific terminology, use it lightly and explain it.If you're writing a white paper for an engineer, you should include a lot of technical details.If you're writing for a government official, focus on policy implications.If you're writing for a corporate audience, focus on cost-effectiveness and growth potential.
Step 3: There is a title you can choose.
It shouldn't be over-the-top.Mention or allude to the problem.The words "white paper" aren't mandatory in some titles.The language should be tailored to a general audience.There are some good examples, such as closing the School-to-PrisonPipeline with Art Safer Cities through Community Gardens: A White Paper.
Step 4: Go to the point.
Assume your reader is busy.Don't add padding to your white paper.The first couple of sentences should grab their attention.
Step 5: Write about something.
How you intend your audience to use the paper should be acknowledged.Explain why the present order of things is a problem.Explain why you're proposing something different.If you were writing on student debt, you might say: Student debt has grown over the past decade.With the dismal job market new graduates face, their debt threatens to become the next economy-crashing bubble.There are arguments for A, B, and C, but they do not address X, Y, or Z.
Step 6: Give a summary of your solution.
Introduce the methodology you'll use in your analysis.You can explain possible solutions you have rejected.Explain to your audience why they should accept your solution.The solution to the student debt bubble could be: Interviewing experts, examining statistics, etc.Two or three proposed solutions do not adequately address the problem.Your proposed solution will be argued in favor of by this white paper.
Step 7: Pick out the problem.
Know your reader's needs for this step.The challenges you propose to solve should be the focus.You can say this in a few words.Problems include "decreasing sales," "slow network speeds," or "management-employee conflicts."
Step 8: The problem should be Analyzed.
It makes your argument credible in the mind of your reader.Tell us about the problem you identified.How you concluded this is a problem should be given.Use terms that are clear and precise.The analysis should last no more than a paragraph.
Step 9: Provide an overview of the past.
Historical overviews show how the problem became a problem.You could discuss how your problem was once solved.This progression can be explained with specific figures, dates, and names.A white paper on addressing climate change might discuss how hydrofluorocarbons were once thought to be a safe replacement for chlorofpyrifos, which had produced a hole in the ozone layer.HFCs are dangerous greenhouse gases.
Step 10: There are visual aids that can be used.
To back up your white paper's argument, include charts, graphs, and diagrams.They can get the attention of the audience.There are white papers that integrate visual aids into the text.Others put them in an appendix.Ask your employer what method they prefer.
Step 11: Additional background is provided.
You need to analyze the data and figures.How did you arrive at your conclusions?There are no holes in your findings if you've examined all the facts.You should try to reproduce the findings from the analysis you did.
Step 12: Discuss your proposed solution.
A step-by-step approach will clarify exactly how you intend to implement your idea.Bulleted lists or individual paragraphs have their own bold headings.Your audience will be able to read and understand your argument.Don't mention your company's product in your paper if you're writing it in a corporate context.What to expect in a solution should be the focus.
Step 13: You should justify your solution.
Use hard evidence, such as trade journals, government publications, and the data and figures in your research, to explain why your solution is the best course of action.You should weigh your argument against the other solutions.Emphasize why opposing solutions don't solve the problem while acknowledging their usefulness.
Step 14: A summary with a close.
The problem should be reviewed at hand.Give a brief recap of your solution.The result you hope to see should be emphasized.If you slip in a plug for your product, keep it subtle and relevant.Promoting a product or service for personal gain is not the same as solving someone else's problem.