HOW TO WRITE A
(Research Comparison)
WHITE PAPER
(on Halloween or otherwise)

Our problem is how
to get down off this
line and bite the
face of the jerk who
put us up here.
White Papers = informal literature published by
organizations (government, companies) that help readers
solve a problem or make a decision on a given issue.

THREE KINDS OF WHITE PAPERS:
1. Those with a social or political focus.
2. Those used to market IT products.
3. Those that present scientific or technical research
findings.

Research Comparison White Paper Sections
• Title Page
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results/Discussion
• Recommendations

TITLE PAGE

Title Page: Poor Design Choices
Notice how color
choices and design
elements convey
meaning.
Clearly, these are not
the best rhetorical
design choices.

Title Page: Improved Design Choices
Notice how color
choices and design
elements convey
meaning.
These rhetorical
design choices match
the purpose of the
white paper.

INTRODUCTION

Introductions create a permanent
record of…
• Products tested (brief description)
• Why they were tested.
• Who performed the test.
• Description of users you identified when
designing the test.

Rhetorical Moves for Writing the Introduction
Option 1: Start the introduction with a purpose
statement.
Example:
This white paper describes the findings from a usability test of
two free blogging tools: Tumblr and Blogger.
Example:
This white paper evaluates how Gimp, a free cloud computing
tool, compares to its pricey counterpart: Adobe Photoshop.

Rhetorical Moves for Writing the Introduction
Option 2: Start with a definition/description, then
move on to purpose statement.
Example:
Weebly and WordPress are [write a concise definition/description of these two
tools]. This white paper describes the findings from a usability test of these
two products.
Example:
Image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop often have steep learning
curves, deterring most novices from trying them. This white paper describes
the findings from a comparison of two image editing products aimed at
novice users: [name the two products].

METHODOLOGY

Methodology consists of…
• Tasks
• Test environment
• Evaluative criteria/rating scale.

RESULTS

Results
“digest” the
data for
readers.

For results,
• Analyze data: what was significant about your
test findings?
• Provide clear, concise technical descriptions.
• Organize the data to help make your
argument.
• Incorporate visuals (screen shots).

Possible organizational strategies for results:
1. Abbreviate criteria in the methodology section. Use complete criteria
statement with Likert Scale in the results section.
Task 1: Create a web site and assign a theme.
[List each task and describe what happened when you did the task. Include
screenshots as needed. End your description with the criteria statement and Likert
Scale with score.]
[Insert criteria statement used to evaluate usability.]
List each criteria statement you applied with the corresponding score.

2. Abbreviate criteria in the methodology section. Use complete criteria
statement with Likert Scale in the results section.
• Task 1: Create a web site and assign a theme.
[List each task and describe what happened when you did the task,
include screenshots as needed, but without the actual Likert Scale. Do
this by abbreviating the criteria and include the corresponding score for
each abbreviated criteria statement.
For example, if one of your criteria statements in the methodology is
aimed at evaluating the time it took to do the task, you can make the
connection between criteria and score clear by abbreviating the
statement using just the word “time.” Make certain your criteria
abbreviations correspond to the criteria statements and in the same
order listed in the methodology section. ]
At the end of your results section, compare scores earned per criteria statement for
each product. You could graphically represent the scoring data in a table or bar chart.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Make recommendations to potential users of the
product. Consider if it is useful to explain which
product might be best for a novice vs. a product
for a more experienced user.