TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: What is a White Paper? From:ekandl -at- unitechsys -dot- com (Erick Kandl) To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 13 Jul 2000 13:00:11 -0500
From the white papers I've seen or taken a role in writing, they are
documents (typically printed and distributed on "white paper" which is
where I think the phrase comes from) that explain a concept, idea, or
product. The paper may also explain how the product will benefit you
or your company. As for format, it varies and really depends on what
the company puts out there as their own standard. The structure can be
formal (e.g. 1.0, 1.2, 1.4.1, etc.) to casual (more like an essay or
college paper). It may or may not include graphics. For your
situation, I would ask the recruiter to send you one of the company's
white papers to see what you would have to do. Or, you could even
visit the company's website and see if they have copies available
there. Good luck!
-Erick
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: Perry Moore
I have a recruiter who has contacted me about writing "white papers" on a
variety of topics. What are white papers? Just informational writing on a
topic? what is their purpose? is there a format?