While your experience writing a “report” might be limited to class assignments, various report-like genres circulate in the professional world: technical reports, cost-benefit analyses, compliance reports, feasibility studies, business proposals, etc. These different types of reports differ in terms of purpose, and have slightly different genre conventions, but they also share some key characteristics:
they all function to educate readers about a particular problem or situation
they all rely heavily on evidence, drawn from both primary and secondary research
they all are broken down in key sections
they all use a professional tone
As one of the genres falling into this catchall “report” category, the white paper is an informational document intended to educate readers about a complex problem, often arguing a specific position or recommended solution based on the issuing body’s philosophy/stance on the issue. The white paper is typically used in government, business, non-profit, and education.
Details
The first decision you will need to make is your audience. In determining your audience you will need to think about readers from the professional world. You might choose someone serving an administrative capacities at Roger Williams University (e.g., Brian Williams, Chief of Staff, or John King, Vice-President for Student Life); someone you know in the business world (e.g., a current or former employer, or the hiring manager at a company you hope to work for in the future). Choosing your audience is a vital decision, but it impacts your whole purpose for the white paper: to educate your readers about the problem, and to persuade them that it is a problem worthy of attention. Sometimes stakeholders in a given problem are unaware of their status as stakeholders (they might not understand how or why the problem impacts them); your job is to frame the problem so they better understand what is at stake for them.
The white paper, like all report genres, is governed by genre conventions. You will need to emulate those conventions, including the following components:
Front Matter
Title or cover page
Table of Contents
Lists of Figures and Tables (if appropriate)
Abstract (250 words maximum)
Body (1,200-1,500 words)
Introduction
Problem/Background
Solution
Conclusions
Back Matter
References
Attachments or Appendices (if appropriate)
