QRGs: The Genre

The Quick Reference Guide (QRG) is exactly as the name presents it to be, an outline of an idea or event broken down into sections in order to present a large amount of information and especially context in a short document.  This can be done by means of graphics, answering the crucial questions surrounding the topic, and providing links to resources from all sides of the issue.

QRG Conventions

- Title addressed to the audience

- Sub-headings written in the form of a question

- Links within the body paragraphs leading the audience to additional readings

- Informational graphics

- Pictures

- Short and concise paragraphs

- Information about all sides of the issue

Formatting and Design

A quick reference guide is often very graphic and designed with the purpose of keeping the audience engaged for as long as possible or to guide them to exactly the information they want to know.  For the long-term readers, the use of graphics, chronological presentation of information, and saving the important information until the end of the article are easy keys to success.  The audience searching for an answer to an exact question can quickly scroll to the sub-heading that addresses there question, read the short paragraph, and click away.

The Purpose

- The title gives the impression that the entire issue will be explained to the reader.  Meaning, the article was written for the audience and to address their questions, not just present the facts about the issue.

- Each paragraph of information is presented under a heading asking a question or statement focusing on one aspect of the topic.

    Ex. In the Washington Post article discussing Gamergate, the article is broken down into questions about the issue; what is the issue, who is involved, why does it matter, and how is this affecting the population.

- There are links to alternate reading and stories from all sides of the issue within sentences of the body paragraph.  These links help characterize the "Quick" aspect of the article, as the audience can be directed to large amounts of information that the author also read and would like to present, but they do not have to directly explain and write about.  The audience can read the article and find some of the context themselves.

- Graphics and pictures are constantly used as perspective and context as well.  The image is the fastest way to guarantee the presentation and absorption of information.  It also breaks up the amount of text and keeps the audience engaged to discovering more about the issue.

    - Ex. The Vox article uses a graphic background, multiple context images of e-cigarettes and cigarettes, and a heavy amount of formatting to keep the reader engaged.

Prati, Marco, "How Do e-cigarettes Work?" Originally
 taken from Shutterstock August 24, 2015

The Audience

The article is meant to appease the mass majority of audiences in one foul swoop.  The audience will cover a variety of different levels of knowledge on the topic, so the information must cover all aspects of the issue to appeal to a greater spread of people.  Some might want to know only the people involved, while others might have glimpsed news on the topic and want the full background.  The article exists for the audience find the bulk of the information all in one defined place.

Imagery and Visuals

The various graphics and pictures are used for quick reference, keeping the reader engaged, breaking up the information, and a combination of perspective and emotional connection to the issue.  Imagery is constantly present in quick reference guides as it is so versatile and comprehensive in it's purpose.  A well chosen and aptly presented image is much more valuable than a heavily factual paragraph in this context.  The New York Times article uses a significant number of graphics to present context on the economic state of Greece, without having to go into to much technical jargon.


REFLECTION:

After looking at Victoria's and Isaak's blogs on the QRG, I found quite a bit more variability than I was expecting.  The information about the format is the same, but the way we all explained it was very representative of our own writing.  Victoria wrote a great comprehensive analysis about the QRG, which she may not have had to do.  The quality of the blog was great, but for discussing a QRG, a naturally fast paced guide, it did not have to be as detailed.  Isaak took the shorter approach while still incorporating the QRG examples aptly and successfully.  I did disagree a bit with the presentation of who the audience was, as I found it to be much more all-encompassing of the general population and not just those researching the topic.  Still, both of their blogs were great and an interesting perspective on writing descriptions.