Appendix A - Tutorials & White Papers
Tutorial
A tutorial is a document or website on a computer that shows you how to use a product in a series of easy stages. (Definition of “tutorial” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press.)
A tutorial is a system of instruction containing exercises, information, etc., as in a training manual or computer program, for individual self-study (Definition of “tutorial” from the Collins English Dictionary.)
A tutorial is a paper, book, film, or computer program that provides
practical information about a specific subject.
Tutorials with live tutors are useful for both advanced students and struggling
ones. Many computer programs include electronic tutorials to help the new user
get used to the program, leading him or her through all its functions, often by
means of pictures and short videos. But a really difficult program may still
require a real-life tutor to be fully understood.
(Definition of “tutorial” from the
Merriam-Webster
Dictionary)
A tutorial is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task. (Definition of “tutorial” from Wikipedia.)
White Papers
A whitepaper is a persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution. The old-school definition comes from politics, where it means a legislative document explaining and supporting a particular political solution. In tech, a whitepaper usually describes a theory behind a new piece of technology. According to Wikipedia, a white paper is an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.
Blue Papers – Writing Technical Specifications
The term “blue paper” is a currently seldom used phrase that is slowly catching on around the world. First used in Germany, the term is used as a means of distinguishing between policy and procedure papers (white papers) and those papers outlining only technical specifications and descriptions of new technologies or particular pieces of equipment.
Preparation of a Blue Paper
To prepare a blue paper, one must first collect every technical aspect of a new technology (what it is, how it is useful, what its potential implications are, etc.) or the technical specifications of a new piece of equipment (components, features, uses, etc.)
The general outline for a blue paper consists of:
- Introduction – brief description of the technology or equipment being discussed.
- Features or Characteristics – describes the parameters and scope of the new technology or the functional features of the equipment being discussed.
- Uses – how the new technology or equipment can be used.
- Implications – effects the new technology or equipment might have on society and its industry.
Blue papers are usually written at higher levels of detail as they are used primarily by people in the particular technological field in question, rather than by the public at large. Although you are writing to industry insiders for the most part, it is still advisable to define seldom used words and phrases or to explain new concepts or concepts that have limited public exposure when writing a blue paper.
