Reference no: EM131090088

The Individual White Paper Report for ENGL 2950

Read the areas highlighted in grey closely - and frequently.  Read all 8 pages; don't just stop on page 3.

Read the e-handout on defining what a white paper is.  That file name is: definition of the White Paper Spring 2016.  Also skim the associated file:  definitions and resources for the white paper rev 2016, just to see the variety of responses and to access the helpful links on the last page of that file.

Stelzner's observations and recommendations match the goals of the professional and technical writing practices and policies of this course.What do all of the conclusions about white papers mean for this class?These are the design and development concepts that will guide you in writing your individual white paper report and (assist in creating the group report that is being done inside the course wiki).

Basically, for the white paper for this class, you are writing a business style research report that informs your company about a new topic in your company's field of endeavor that could somehow benefit the work of the company and recommending what the company should or should not do about that topic.  The final paper that results from this proposed research will not be less than 4, nor more than 5, single-spaced pages, with visual aids; therefore, broad, generalized topics will not work.  How using 3-D printers would impact companies in general will not be a successful report, but analyzing how using a 3-D printer to make special shapes out of chocolate might be a big idea for Hershey's executives to explore. Specifics and details matter.

In the workplace, typically, a brief proposal is forwarded to the authorizing person to get approval to do a report that could benefit the company.  Once the proposal is approved, the research can begin in earnest and the individual(s) creating the report are "okayed" to use company time to conduct the research for that report.  A proposal is the device that will get approval to start a project; in this case, the proposal will get you approval to start on your individual white paper. 

If we had more time in the course, you would write an academic-style proposal in which you suggest the topic for a research report on a subject of concern to in your field - something new and cutting edge.You would then select any company you are interested in, and look up the corporate address.   Your target audience would be the board of directors for that company and the report receiver would be M. B. Van Ness in her role as the Executive Vice President of Research and Development.  You would an employee within that company and you would pick a title for yourself that would be appropriate, given the subject you are researching.  For instance, the subject of sleep deprivation caused by the shift rotation's impact(s) on productivity would be of concern to Ford, and your writer's title might be Assistant Director of Human Resources.  Another combination might be as the Organ Transplant Director for a hospital interested in cloning body parts for transplants.

Even though you will not be writing a proposal to submit for a grade, you would still do yourself a service by problem-factoring and outlining your approach to the topic of this report.  Think about what company you would be part of, and what your goal would be in making this recommendation for this company. Use the skeletal proposal in this document to get yourself going on a topic that can be done for this white paper.Donot write the proposal, but do problem-factor your topic using the next few pages to help you focus.  Be sure to read the information regarding proposals on pages 4-8.

FORMAT CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE WHITE PAPER

Write the report in Times New Roman font, size 12-point.  Single-space the report content.  When using MicroSoft Word, you will not only have to change the font from Calibri to Times New Roman, you will also have to adjust the paragraph command from Multiple to Single, and, while in the paragraph feature, change the "after"  spacing from "10" to "0" for this and all future work in the course. 

This report will be done in a business style version of APA style. It will contain a title page and will have list of references; however, the formatting will not be done in the typical APA restrictions for an academic paper.  The use of a running head is one issue that is handled differently in a business report, and the margins (right and left)  are typically wider than one inch in a business report.

Commentary and Advice

1. Skim through a few articles in the OhioLINK Research Databases if you cannot decide what to focus the topic on.  Most information on the internet is unreliable and very few host sites will actually be useable from the Internet. Begin your research with the OhioLINK Research Databases.  If you have difficulty accessing that site, contact a librarian.   You might want to begin by searching the EBSCOhost index because it is the largest of the multi-subject indexes.  Search to see if you can find enough sources to read for this report.  The general indexes inside EBSCO are Academic Search, MasterFILE Index, and Topic Search. 

1. Note that APA style entries will look very different from the now out-dated MLA style formatting used in the Hempstead model below.  (Current MLA style entries would also look different.)  Even IF you find a web site that is acceptable, to cite it by the http location alone, is not a sufficient citation entry in APA, MLA or any other style of documentation; other information must be included when using web locations.

Stuck for a topic?  Springboard from some of these:

a.       is there a solution for rogue waves that the shipping industry or a cruise line should act on?

b.      is anyone's identity "theft proof"?do the credit card RDIF chips pose a threat?

c.       is a prediction from the Web Bot program any more reliable than one from a psychic?

d.      do nurses and other hospital staff members deliver top quality patient care while working 10-hour work days?  How does this work for other industries?(12-hour days are also being used in some hospitals/industries)

e.       is the New Madras fault line a treat to Ohio?  Should companies prepare for a disaster?

f.       what impact might the UCalifornia Berkley dream studies have on mind control?  on the gaming industry?

g.       should our company allow fracking on land it holds?

h.      will "eye computers" be practical in the workplace? (see https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-top-5-tech-companies-who-want-to-stick-a-computer-73629004620.html)

i.        are 3-D printers worth the investment for a specific application in our company?

j.        will synthetic DNA replace our computers?

k.      would power-generating treadmills benefit our workplace?

l.        should our company implement a program to prevent Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)?

m.    should our company be concerned about employees experiencing cell phone addiction?

Your target audience is the Board of Directors for the company you have selected.  The white paper for your target audience covers the new technology or treatment and recommends whether the company should use that new technology to improve itself in some way.  This could be improving 1) productivity, 2) a particular product the company produces, or 3) the image of the company.

For this document, use a title page.  Use headings within the body - but not for every paragraph. 

Employ as many of the attributes listed above as applicable to the situation and confine the document to a readable and reasonably small quantity for the target audience.  You will write 4 to 5 single-spaced pages for the body (not counting appendices, title page, or reference lists).  Use visual aids to enhance the document and reduce the amount of prose necessary to deliver the target message when possible but do not add pictures or other visuals merely for decoration. 

The report will use APA style documentation and format with modifications typically seen in the world of business.  The font should be Times New Roman, using 10, 11 or 12 point in the body and the reference list.  The title and headings may be in aslightly larger point font, but must also be in Times New Roman serif font.  The pagination and the running head should appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page. 

The running head in an academic report in APA format is a short form of the title of the paper; see the sample paper in the manual or at the OWL site (www.OWL.English.Purdue.edu) for models of the running head.  However, as you will notice in the professional models that are linked in the e-handouts, businesses typically do not use the running head that way. Some do not use a running head at all. None will use the writer's last name as the running head.

The 12 criteria for evaluation of the white paper are:

• how effectively and insightfully the content and analysis meet the needs of the designated target audience
• how well the report defines and addresses the problems, challenges, or needs of the situation for the target audience
• how ethically and accurately the information is presented
• how well APA business format, style and documentation are controlled
• how accurately and subtly the documentation of information is handled
• how well the hallmarks of technical writing are met by the assignment
• how appropriate the organization and development are to the assignment's purpose
• how suitable the language level and usage are to the target audience
• how clear and concise the language is
• how effective sentence structure and desired level of usage are
• how well examples and reasons support ideas and claims of the report
• how appropriately visual aspects used in the project are controlled

Due date:  June 11Possible points:  200

Proposals

A research proposal sets a project in motion.  In a short space, it identifies the goals of the research as well as the plan of attack for completing the report.  Research proposals for projects in the workplace follow some of the same general rules whether they can propose reports or actions.  Those requirements are often field-specific or company-specific, so we will deal with the generic academic proposal rather than one specific workplace model.

The Research Proposal Typically Begins the Report

This proposal is also the "plan" that is the starting point for gathering information in a research-based report that the writer uses to determine what types of materials or information are necessary, and how best to go about getting those things.  The categories discussed below are adapted and updated from John Lannon's Technical Writing, 4th edition (which is called Technical Communication in its subsequent editions) --with modifications from real, practical situations. 

The writer typically uses memo or letter report format for short proposals, depending upon the situation.  Longer, more formal proposals are something we will look at briefly in upcoming sessions.  For our purposes, a memo format will suffice because you are writing as an employee within the company. 

Although the formats vary, most cover the following categories (with additions or deletions as appropriate for the given project or research).  Note that these are categories, not topic headings.

THE ORDER OF THESE CATEGORIES IS NOT IMMUTABLE.  Add or delete categories as needed.  Use more creative headings!

Lannon's categories of content:

Statement of purpose:   What problem, issue, or topic will your project address?  What is its significance? Why do it?

Scope and limitations: What are the boundaries you are setting for your project?  What will you focus on?  What will you ignore and why?

Background information: How and why did the problem, issue, or topic develop?  What does the target audience need to know about any previous effort(s) to address this  problem, issue, topic?  What other background materials are useful in understanding the importance of this topic or the significance of your  research?

Your plan: What do you intend to do?   Provide a timetable.  How will you conduct your research? What types of sources do you plan to consult? 

Specific areas to be covered:  What are the sub-components of your project? (Devise a working outline for yourself indicating as specifically as possible a tenta­tive breakdown of your research problem.)  Often a problem-solution report investigates four categories of information: the definition of a problem, the cause of that problem, the results of the problem and the solution(s) to the problem.

Projected outcomes:   Hypothesize about possible findings but do not declare what you think will be the final result or position.  If, for instance, you want to explore an aspect of  nanotechnology and you approach your research with the stance that it is a waste of time and money, you will not find a balanced amount of research that gives a fair and neutral appraisal of the advantages and disadvantages of that area of nanotechnology. 

Initial or Basic bibliography:  List the major bibliographic sources of information that you will use as starting points.  These include but are not limited to: the OhioLINK Research Databases, the ElectronicJournalCenter and Scholar.Google.com.  However,

NOTE: Wikipedia is not an acceptable or reliable source for citations; it is only a starting sport for finding terms to search with and names of potential experts  in the reference lists. Just like using other encyclopedias, Wikipedia is a tool to begin research with; no encyclopedia should be used as an expert source to quote or paraphrase  in a quality paper.

You will have to write the report, so select a topic you find interesting.

On the next two pages you will see a sample proposal from a previous edition of Kolin's text.  The dates on the articles are not real, and the information contained in the proposal is too old to do a viable report on today, but the categories of information and the arrangement of the information is a good pattern to follow for academic proposals.  After that model is a skeletal format for you to use to factor your report topic.

MODEL of a RESEARCH PROPOSAL for an  ACADEMIC RESEARCH REPORT

Use the model below for additional suggestions from Kolin's perspective. This is adapted from an earlier edition of Kolin's text.

Introduction

I propose to investigate the causes and effects of job-related stress upon computer programmers. Although programmers may be pictured as robot-like individuals, they are especially stress-prone because of the pressures of their highly technical jobs.  The title and conclusions of one study by Carl Won and Janis Johnson, "Stress and Health in Silicon Valley" (Indus­trialManagement 14 [July 2014]: 106-11), pinpoint the seriousness of the problem.  Stress is one of the most prevalent health hazards affecting programmers.

Understanding the danger of job-related stress is, therefore, important for both computer programmers and their employers.  I intend my paper to be a background report for both these audiences and hope that my research will help readers to recognize the problem and take action to solve it.

Areas to Be Studied

At this point in my research, I have identified the following four ques­tions to investigate:

 (1)  What are the major symptoms of stress that computer programmers exhibit?

 (2)  What are the causes of these symptoms?

 (3)  What are the effects of stress both on the programmer and on the employer?

 (4)  What are some positive ways for the computer programmer to control or alleviate stress on the job?

I plan to divide the body of my paper into four sections, each one explor­ing one of these questions.  I will also provide an introduction charting the importance of the computer programmer in business and industry and a conclusion summarizing the results of my research.

Methods of Research

I will find and read relevant literature--books and articles--on stress in the workplace in general and on the computer programmer in particular.  After examining appropriate subject headings (e.g., stress, computer programmers, occupational diseases) in EBSCO, Business Compendex, Applied Science & Technology Index, and Psychological Abstracts issued for the previous five years, I think the titles listed in the following beginning bibliogra­phy will be most useful to me:

The Individual White Paper Report for ENGL 2950

Read the areas highlighted in grey closely - and frequently.  Read all 8 pages; don't just stop on page 3.

Read the e-handout on defining what a white paper is.  That file name is: definition of the White Paper Spring 2016.  Also skim the associated file:  definitions and resources for the white paper rev 2016, just to see the variety of responses and to access the helpful links on the last page of that file.

Stelzner's observations and recommendations match the goals of the professional and technical writing practices and policies of this course.What do all of the conclusions about white papers mean for this class?These are the design and development concepts that will guide you in writing your individual white paper report and (assist in creating the group report that is being done inside the course wiki).

Basically, for the white paper for this class, you are writing a business style research report that informs your company about a new topic in your company's field of endeavor that could somehow benefit the work of the company and recommending what the company should or should not do about that topic.  The final paper that results from this proposed research will not be less than 4, nor more than 5, single-spaced pages, with visual aids; therefore, broad, generalized topics will not work.  How using 3-D printers would impact companies in general will not be a successful report, but analyzing how using a 3-D printer to make special shapes out of chocolate might be a big idea for Hershey's executives to explore. Specifics and details matter.

In the workplace, typically, a brief proposal is forwarded to the authorizing person to get approval to do a report that could benefit the company.  Once the proposal is approved, the research can begin in earnest and the individual(s) creating the report are "okayed" to use company time to conduct the research for that report.  A proposal is the device that will get approval to start a project; in this case, the proposal will get you approval to start on your individual white paper. 

If we had more time in the course, you would write an academic-style proposal in which you suggest the topic for a research report on a subject of concern to in your field - something new and cutting edge.You would then select any company you are interested in, and look up the corporate address.   Your target audience would be the board of directors for that company and the report receiver would be M. B. Van Ness in her role as the Executive Vice President of Research and Development.  You would an employee within that company and you would pick a title for yourself that would be appropriate, given the subject you are researching.  For instance, the subject of sleep deprivation caused by the shift rotation's impact(s) on productivity would be of concern to Ford, and your writer's title might be Assistant Director of Human Resources.  Another combination might be as the Organ Transplant Director for a hospital interested in cloning body parts for transplants.

Even though you will not be writing a proposal to submit for a grade, you would still do yourself a service by problem-factoring and outlining your approach to the topic of this report.  Think about what company you would be part of, and what your goal would be in making this recommendation for this company. Use the skeletal proposal in this document to get yourself going on a topic that can be done for this white paper.Donot write the proposal, but do problem-factor your topic using the next few pages to help you focus.  Be sure to read the information regarding proposals on pages 4-8.

FORMAT CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE WHITE PAPER

Write the report in Times New Roman font, size 12-point.  Single-space the report content.  When using MicroSoft Word, you will not only have to change the font from Calibri to Times New Roman, you will also have to adjust the paragraph command from Multiple to Single, and, while in the paragraph feature, change the "after"  spacing from "10" to "0" for this and all future work in the course. 

This report will be done in a business style version of APA style. It will contain a title page and will have list of references; however, the formatting will not be done in the typical APA restrictions for an academic paper.  The use of a running head is one issue that is handled differently in a business report, and the margins (right and left)  are typically wider than one inch in a business report.

Commentary and Advice

1. Skim through a few articles in the OhioLINK Research Databases if you cannot decide what to focus the topic on.  Most information on the internet is unreliable and very few host sites will actually be useable from the Internet. Begin your research with the OhioLINK Research Databases.  If you have difficulty accessing that site, contact a librarian.   You might want to begin by searching the EBSCOhost index because it is the largest of the multi-subject indexes.  Search to see if you can find enough sources to read for this report.  The general indexes inside EBSCO are Academic Search, MasterFILE Index, and Topic Search. 

1. Note that APA style entries will look very different from the now out-dated MLA style formatting used in the Hempstead model below.  (Current MLA style entries would also look different.)  Even IF you find a web site that is acceptable, to cite it by the http location alone, is not a sufficient citation entry in APA, MLA or any other style of documentation; other information must be included when using web locations.

Stuck for a topic?  Springboard from some of these:

a.       is there a solution for rogue waves that the shipping industry or a cruise line should act on?

b.      is anyone's identity "theft proof"?do the credit card RDIF chips pose a threat?

c.       is a prediction from the Web Bot program any more reliable than one from a psychic?

d.      do nurses and other hospital staff members deliver top quality patient care while working 10-hour work days?  How does this work for other industries?(12-hour days are also being used in some hospitals/industries)

e.       is the New Madras fault line a treat to Ohio?  Should companies prepare for a disaster?

f.       what impact might the UCalifornia Berkley dream studies have on mind control?  on the gaming industry?

g.       should our company allow fracking on land it holds?

h.      will "eye computers" be practical in the workplace? (see https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-top-5-tech-companies-who-want-to-stick-a-computer-73629004620.html)

i.        are 3-D printers worth the investment for a specific application in our company?

j.        will synthetic DNA replace our computers?

k.      would power-generating treadmills benefit our workplace?

l.        should our company implement a program to prevent Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)?

m.    should our company be concerned about employees experiencing cell phone addiction?

Your target audience is the Board of Directors for the company you have selected.  The white paper for your target audience covers the new technology or treatment and recommends whether the company should use that new technology to improve itself in some way.  This could be improving 1) productivity, 2) a particular product the company produces, or 3) the image of the company.

For this document, use a title page.  Use headings within the body - but not for every paragraph. 

Employ as many of the attributes listed above as applicable to the situation and confine the document to a readable and reasonably small quantity for the target audience.  You will write 4 to 5 single-spaced pages for the body (not counting appendices, title page, or reference lists).  Use visual aids to enhance the document and reduce the amount of prose necessary to deliver the target message when possible but do not add pictures or other visuals merely for decoration. 

The report will use APA style documentation and format with modifications typically seen in the world of business.  The font should be Times New Roman, using 10, 11 or 12 point in the body and the reference list.  The title and headings may be in aslightly larger point font, but must also be in Times New Roman serif font.  The pagination and the running head should appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page. 

The running head in an academic report in APA format is a short form of the title of the paper; see the sample paper in the manual or at the OWL site (www.OWL.English.Purdue.edu) for models of the running head.  However, as you will notice in the professional models that are linked in the e-handouts, businesses typically do not use the running head that way. Some do not use a running head at all. None will use the writer's last name as the running head.

The 12 criteria for evaluation of the white paper are:

• how effectively and insightfully the content and analysis meet the needs of the designated target audience
• how well the report defines and addresses the problems, challenges, or needs of the situation for the target audience
• how ethically and accurately the information is presented
• how well APA business format, style and documentation are controlled
• how accurately and subtly the documentation of information is handled
• how well the hallmarks of technical writing are met by the assignment
• how appropriate the organization and development are to the assignment's purpose
• how suitable the language level and usage are to the target audience
• how clear and concise the language is
• how effective sentence structure and desired level of usage are
• how well examples and reasons support ideas and claims of the report
• how appropriately visual aspects used in the project are controlled

Due date:  June 11 Possible points:  200

Proposals

A research proposal sets a project in motion.  In a short space, it identifies the goals of the research as well as the plan of attack for completing the report.  Research proposals for projects in the workplace follow some of the same general rules whether they can propose reports or actions.  Those requirements are often field-specific or company-specific, so we will deal with the generic academic proposal rather than one specific workplace model.

The Research Proposal Typically Begins the Report

This proposal is also the "plan" that is the starting point for gathering information in a research-based report that the writer uses to determine what types of materials or information are necessary, and how best to go about getting those things.  The categories discussed below are adapted and updated from John Lannon's Technical Writing, 4th edition (which is called Technical Communication in its subsequent editions) --with modifications from real, practical situations. 

The writer typically uses memo or letter report format for short proposals, depending upon the situation.  Longer, more formal proposals are something we will look at briefly in upcoming sessions.  For our purposes, a memo format will suffice because you are writing as an employee within the company. 

Although the formats vary, most cover the following categories (with additions or deletions as appropriate for the given project or research).  Note that these are categories, not topic headings.

THE ORDER OF THESE CATEGORIES IS NOT IMMUTABLE.  Add or delete categories as needed.  Use more creative headings!

Lannon's categories of content:

Statement of purpose:   What problem, issue, or topic will your project address?  What is its significance?  Why do it?

Scope and limitations:  What are the boundaries you are setting for your project?  What will you focus on? What will you ignore and why?

Background information: How and why did the problem, issue, or topic develop?  What does the target audience need to know about any previous effort(s) to address this problem, issue, topic?  What other background materials are useful in understanding the importance of this topic or the significance of your research?

Your plan: What do you intend to do?   Provide a timetable.  How will you conduct your research?  What types of sources do you plan to consult? 

Specific areas to be covered:  What are the sub-components of your project? (Devise a working outline for yourself indicating as specifically as possible a tenta­tive breakdown of your research problem.)  Often a problem-solution report  investigates four categories of information: the definition of a problem, the cause  of that problem, the results of the problem and the solution(s) to the problem.

Projected outcomes:   Hypothesize about possible findings but do not declare what you think will be the final result or position.  If, for instance, you want to explore an aspect of nanotechnology and you approach your research with the stance that it is a waste of time and money, you will not find a balanced amount of research that gives a fair and neutral appraisal of the advantages and disadvantages of that area of  nanotechnology. 

Initial or Basic bibliography:  List the major bibliographic sources of information that you will use as                                            starting points.These include but are not limited to: the OhioLINK Research Databases, the ElectronicJournalCenter and Scholar.Google.com.

NOTE: Wikipedia is not an acceptable or reliable source for citations; it is only a starting sport for finding terms to search with and names of potential experts in the reference lists. Just like using other encyclopedias, Wikipedia is a tool to begin research with; no encyclopedia should be used as an expert source to quote or paraphrase    in a quality paper.

You will have to write the report, so select a topic you find interesting.

On the next two pages you will see a sample proposal from a previous edition of Kolin's text.  The dates on the articles are not real, and the information contained in the proposal is too old to do a viable report on today, but the categories of information and the arrangement of the information is a good pattern to follow for academic proposals.  After that model is a skeletal format for you to use to factor your report topic.

MODEL of a RESEARCH PROPOSAL for an  ACADEMIC RESEARCH REPORT

Use the model below for additional suggestions from Kolin's perspective. This is adapted from an earlier edition of Kolin's text.

 

Introduction

I propose to investigate the causes and effects of job-related stress upon computer programmers. Although programmers may be pictured as robot-like individuals, they are especially stress-prone because of the pressures of their highly technical jobs.  The title and conclusions of one study by Carl Won and Janis Johnson, "Stress and Health in Silicon Valley" (Indus­trialManagement 14 [July 2014]: 106-11), pinpoint the seriousness of the problem.  Stress is one of the most prevalent health hazards affecting programmers.

Understanding the danger of job-related stress is, therefore, important for both computer programmers and their employers.  I intend my paper to be a background report for both these audiences and hope that my research will help readers to recognize the problem and take action to solve it.

Areas to Be Studied

At this point in my research, I have identified the following four ques­tions to investigate:

 (1)  What are the major symptoms of stress that computer programmers exhibit?

 (2)  What are the causes of these symptoms?

 (3)  What are the effects of stress both on the programmer and on the employer?

 (4)  What are some positive ways for the computer programmer to control or alleviate stress on the job?

I plan to divide the body of my paper into four sections, each one explor­ing one of these questions.  I will also provide an introduction charting the importance of the computer programmer in business and industry and a conclusion summarizing the results of my research.

Methods of Research

I will find and read relevant literature--books and articles--on stress in the workplace in general and on the computer programmer in particular.  After examining appropriate subject headings (e.g., stress, computer programmers, occupational diseases) in EBSCO, Business Compendex, Applied Science & Technology Index, and Psychological Abstracts issued for the previous five years, I think the titles listed in the following beginning bibliogra­phy will be most useful to me: