What have we learned about content (and its purpose) in white papers?
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What have we learned about content (and its purpose) in white papers?

If you’re in Pittsburgh today, come hear Jef Naidoo and me try to answer this question at IPCC 2014.  Here’s more detail than we’ll be able to cover in 20 minutes. (We have a couple of related details about white papers to share as well.) Why are we studying white papers? They’re important to organizations. Here’s some evidence from…

What have we learned about information design in white papers?

What have we learned about information design in white papers?

Not too long ago, I concluded that we need some research on white papers if we want to offer evidence-based guidance for their writers. (You can get some background with my summary of the available evidence on writing white papers and more about what experts say about developing content for white papers.)  We — that’s Dr. Jefrey Naidoo and me…

Help your readers see what you mean with informative graphics
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Help your readers see what you mean with informative graphics

As Forbes.com contributor Naomi Robbins says, Despite the fact that graphs are now ubiquitous in virtually every field of business, very few people have received any training on how to read or design  a graph. Naomi ran a graph makeover contest in which she explains why the bar graph shown here is a much better choice than the original…

What (else) do we know about writing white papers?
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What (else) do we know about writing white papers?

A couple of months ago, I summarized the available evidence on writing white papers. I’ve done more digging and want to provide a follow-up with a few more details on developing content, organizing it, and using an appropriate style. (See the earlier post for a description of the white paper as a genre.)  The bottom line…

The genre of white papers: What we do (and don’t) know
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The genre of white papers: What we do (and don’t) know

One of my colleagues recently asked me for resources on writing white papers for a corporate friend who is confident in his ability to write short recommendation reports, but believes longer ones — white papers — are increasingly important for corporate success although he hasn’t had experience writing them. I was most familiar with white papers…