What is a White Paper?
Introduction Starting this spring 2020 semester at Purdue, I am continuing my capstone course in UAS. Last semester my group began and made great progress in research and experimentation with search and rescue missions aided by UASs. To continue that, we will be doing much more research and analysis this semester, with the goal of writing either a white paper or peer-reviewed publication. Before starting on our literature, we have to answer the question of “what is a white paper?” I’ll be examining that question, analyzing the similarities and differences between a white paper and peer-reviewed literature, and listing pros and cons for each. Finally, I’ll be critiquing a few examples of white papers, and describe how I’ll be moving forward with my writing for the semester. What is a white paper? In short, a white paper is an authoritative document about a complex subject. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab says it is typically used to argue a position or propose a solution to a pr