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Follow the instructions below and in the attached rubric.
Your last writing assignment is a research-based white paper. This must be an
original paper for this class.
The detailed requirements for this assignment are found in the associated rubric. Please
read that first. Also:
Your paper should be about 6 pages worth of single-spaced TEXT (about 1900 words) (+
graphics, for about 7-8 pages total).
The main sections of this paper are:
Executive Summary (about ½ page)
(Table of Contents)
I. Introduction (about ½ page)
II. Findings (about 5 pages w. graphics)
A. Previous Approaches (optional)
B. New Findings (optional
III. Conclusions (about ½ page)
IV. Recommendations (a few sentences)
References
See “Parts of a Formal White Paper,” below.
You may take any ONE of the following approaches:
1. For internal audience (more like a report) – written to individuals within an organization you
work for or are a part of:
trend in your organization’s field, OR...
solve a problem in your organization
OR…
2. For external audience -- written to individuals in a particular industry or field of study,
but NOT an organization you are a part of.
trend in the field (of your product or service), OR...
promoting a new product or service to potential customers, OR...
a problem you are attempting to solve for other organizations.
Once you find an interesting topic/issue, then you must refine the selected issue to
be very specific and narrow to derive a workable thesis, which will be your
paper’s title.
Requirements and strategies for this assignment
Please follow these guidelines:
Have a focused topic (thesis)
Write to an identified audience
o
if your white paper is to an internal audience, it might have a fairly narrow
audience. For example, if you work in a hair salon and write a white paper
promoting a new billing system for your salon, the audience will probably be the
owner and manager of the hair salon.
o
if your white paper is to an external audience, it could have a broad audience or a
narrow audience. For example, if you do not work for a hair salon and you write
a white paper promoting a new billing system for hair salons, the audience will
probably be the various hair salons in your neighborhood.
o
if your white paper is to promote a product or service to potential customers, it
could have a fairly broad audience. For example, a white paper promoting a new
taxi service in your neighborhood has, theoretically, all residents in the
neighborhood as a potential audience.
Integrate thorough research.
Length of your paper:
Your white paper should be 2000-3000 words in length. Again, you are required to use
at least five sources, with at least one of them being acquired through UMUC Library
OneSearch.
Graphics:
Your white paper should incorporate at least three graphics. Graphic can include tables,
charts, or graphs showing some research findings. They can also be images that are
relevant to the topic of the white paper.
At least one of the graphics must be original. Original graphics can include photos taken
by you; tables, charts, or graphs developed by you; or screen captures showing a function
on your computer (not a screen capture of an image off of the web).
To see examples of graphics used in white papers, see the Purdue OWL video, “White
Papers: An Introduction to the Genre and Its Expectations," at the 3:27 mark, at the 5:29
mark, at the 6:58 mark, at the 7:01 mark, at the 7:11 mark, at the 7:43 mark, and at the
7:58 mark.
Parts of a Formal White Paper (in this order)
Structure and organization is critical in technical writing. You must use these primary headings
in your paper and in this order:
(Title page)
Executive Summary: The “exsum” is a stand-alone piece, written after the
document. It summarizes the WHOLE document. It follows the sequence of the
original document and contains no new information. Some readers will only read
the exsum. It is placed just before the table of contents. You can all but copy and
paste key parts of each white paper section to make an executive summary (and
make a Powerpoint presentation too!)
Table of Contents (not a section per se): Include a table of contents with
corresponding page numbers. Note: the headings in the table of contents are the
same headings actually used in the white paper. Use “heading levels” built into in
MS Word, which generates an automatic table of contents from the heading
levels you set in the document.
Introduction: The introduction states the significance of the identified
problem/topic under investigation, states the goals of the study, and usually
contains background information that the reader needs to know in order to
understand the white paper. Include scope of the study. Begin on a separate page.
Note: Scope are the limitations of the study (what you will and will not cover.
(start numbering with p. 1.)
Findings: Facts bearing on the issue/thesis. Not every paper you propose will
have Previous Approaches and New Findings; that’s ok. But if you use these two
subheadings, they should be under “Findings.” Include all pertinent data
researched. Divide or partition the subject matter into subsections, addressing
each in order of importance. This evidence must support your conclusions. You
may need to use a variety of rhetorical techniques in this part of the white
paper: description, definition, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, etc. The
Findings subsections must logically parallel and flow from your stated
thesis. Don't discuss data that appear to have little or nothing directly to do with
your thesis.
Conclusion(s): Conclusions are inferences drawn from the Findings. They are
what YOU think about the implications of the Findings. The conclusion
summarizes, interprets, and synthesizes the research data. It reflects YOUR
thinking and analysis. The conclusion answers the questions that initiated the
analysis. Your problem identification, conclusions, and recommendations (if any)
must have a logical connection (be parallel) among each other.
References/Bibliography: On a separate page, list all pertinent references used in
compiling the paper.
In preparing for this assignment, you may wish to review the following videos again:
“White Papers: An Introduction to the Genre and Its Expectations,” from the Purdue
OWL
"What is a White Paper?" by Mak Pandit