In many countries in the world, white papers are published to make information more widely available and encourage debate in society.

As mentioned in the first part of this blog entry, white papers are seen as a useful part of discussion before official policies are adopted. As BBC News defines it, a white paper

is a document issued by a government department which contains detailed proposals for legislation. It is the final stage before the government introduces its proposals to Parliament in the form of a bill. When a white paper is issued, it is often accompanied by a statement in the House from the secretary of state of the department sponsoring the proposals. A white paper is sometimes produced following the consultation process which is undertaken when the government issues a green paper.

What is a green paper? Again, BBC News has a definition:

A green paper is a consultation document issued by the government which contains policy proposals for debate and discussion before a final decision is taken on the best policy option. A green paper will often contain several alternative policy options. Following this consultation, the government will normally publish firmer recommendations in a white paper. Green papers and white papers are both types of command paper and may be the subject of statements or debates in the House of Commons. Unsurprisingly, it is printed on pale green paper.

So a white paper is more advanced than a green paper, in terms of suggesting final policy decisions or policies to be adopted. One key point of a white paper is that it offers a solution or several solutions to an existing problem. The name white paper apparently originated in the UK in the 1800s, where such papers did indeed have a white cover, as opposed to a green paper, or other documents provided in specific colors. To add to the colors in British tradition, a blue book is a collection of official documents. More recently, the term white paper has been used in the business world for marketers who present brief arguments about why certain products are superior to others. Since this limited use of the term white paper is mainly useful for business schools, in this blog entry, the more general definition of white paper will be discussed.

Reading white papers.

Since white papers are meant to invite further discussion, they usually do not present final rules or laws that will be adopted no matter what anyone says. Different countries have different customs and content for white papers. The Thammasat University Libraries own many examples of published white papers. They include: A New Impetus for European Youth: European Commission White Paper; White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises in Taiwan; White Paper: the Next Step of Public Service Reform; White Paper on Japanese Trade; and many others.

The TU Libraries also own The White Paper Marketing Handbook: How to Generate More Leads and Sales with White Papers, Special Reports, Booklets, and CDs. This guide is more directed to businesses than to other writers of white papers. Not yet in the TU Libraries collection, but available from interlibrary loan are more general guides, such as White Papers for Dummies and Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged.

Writing white papers.

Even when not written for the business world, white papers often borrow some of the style of written advertisements. They are meant to be brief and easy to read, even for people who are not specialists in the subject. White papers should clearly and directly state a problem and offer a solution or solutions. An article on the website of Purdue University, USA indicates that white papers should focus on the needs or problems of anyone who will be reading them:

In order to persuade your audience, you need to focus on their needs. If you can address the problems that your readers want to solve, they will read your white paper for a solution. Otherwise, your white paper may not be read. It is important to emphasize your readers’ interests rather than your interests.

Organization.

White papers should be well organized, so that readers can get all the necessary information from them as quickly as possible. By reading the table of contents in a matter of seconds, people should be able to see what the white paper is about and some basic information about the suggestions it makes. This is because in public life, people often do not have the time to read dense or complicated explanations, and prefer condensed versions. An introduction and background sections should sum up the problem, and why it is worth discussing. Remember that you are trying to communicate to readers why this should be a subject of interest for them, and why the solutions presented will directly relate to them. If the writer has spent a lot of time with a subject, it can often be difficult to know what to leave out of an argument. Yet a white paper only has room for what is directly pertinent to the problem or its solution, not for any other related problems, which should be discussed in their own white papers. A solution and conclusion should further inform the reader. Remember never to raise a problem or question that you are not providing an answer or solution for. The final section of any white paper is typically a bibliography or list of works cited in the paper. As with most such writing, the more you read and are familiar with white papers, the more comfortable you will be in writing one. According to one professional service for writing business-related white papers, they are usually from six to eight pages long, although some more serious and detailed white papers can be as long as 100 pages. By sticking to facts, and asking the following questions, the white paper is most effective:

• Why are you writing this?
• When is it meant to be used?
• Who will read it and what do they expect from it? If it is for general readers, avoid technical vocabulary only understood by specialists.

Make a detailed plan for the white paper, keeping in mind:

• What you hope it will achieve.
• What you would like people to do after reading it.
• Use information to convince the reader.
• You are not writing an advertisement, but a discussion.
• Choose a clear and lively title.

If you expect to have different types of readers, then it may be worth writing a different paper for each possible audience. Gordon Graham, the author of White Papers for Dummies defines a white paper as

a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a certain product, service, or solution to a problem.

It attempts to deal with new ideas in a fair way, making complicated problems seem easier to understand.

to be continued in part II of this blog entry…

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).