Explaining Everything
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| Post Memes "The Ninja-Cat Guide" (5/14/2015) via Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic License |
Today I will be looking at the Quick Reference Guide (QRG for short) Genre. In this post, I will explain the purpose, conventions, formatting, images, and audiences of QRGs. I will provide links to examples that illustrate characteristics of the genre
Purpose
Quick reference guides are created to give context to an issue. Their function is to explain an issue in its entirety to readers in an approachable and concise format. A Quick Reference Guide should address the who, what, when, where, why, and how of an issue.They must also include opinions, facts, and perspectives from all sides involved in their topic to thoroughly educate the reader.
Quick reference guides are created to give context to an issue. Their function is to explain an issue in its entirety to readers in an approachable and concise format. A Quick Reference Guide should address the who, what, when, where, why, and how of an issue.They must also include opinions, facts, and perspectives from all sides involved in their topic to thoroughly educate the reader.
Conventions
Subheadings
- subheadings summarize that section
- headings are usually a FAQ or answer an FAQ (ex: The Sochi Olympics Explained QRG)
- allow reader to skip info they already know and seek information they don't
Visual data
- uses variety of visuals: graphs, charts, screenshots, interactive embeds, photographs
- presents info to readers in an approachable format
- appeals to readers' emotions, makes them interested (ex. image of a girl at a demonstration in Greece's Debt Crisis Explained)
- some images can be used that seem to encompass the subject
- authors provide links to sources instead of listing works cited
- allow the reader to take in more info on their own time (ex: The only guide to Gamergate you will ever need to read incorporates links into sentences)
- easy access to sources of information
- show what QRG will be addressing
- usually declares that the QRG is an explanation of an event or issue
- draws readers in (ex: #BernieSoBlack QRG)
- multiple ways for readers to enter the guide and take in information
- readers can jump around headings and other sections of the QRG and still be thoroughly educated (ex: sidebar in E-cigarettes and health QRG)
- allows the reader to skip information they already know and address their unanswered questions
- provides easy navigation
Authors can choose how they want to implement the conventions of the Quick Reference Guide by adding their own style. Each author's style of addressing an issue (ex: heavy subtitle organization in Sochi Olympics Explained, sections leading into another to form an image along the way in #BernieSoBlack, and the use of a central image to lead into the title in E-cigarettes and health) can emphasize the use of certain conventions and downplay others.
Images
Visuals in QRGs are related to the content and serve to give context to the issue being discussed. Whether the images be graph demonstrating an effect over time, or a photograph that evokes emotion and seems to contain the whole of an issue, they must give context to that guide. A picture of a cute puppy in a QRG about sexual harassment is of no benefit to the author or reader. Images must convey information about the subject to the readers (ex: the photograph of a demonstration in Greece's Debt Crisis Explained) QRGs also use a myriad of images to convey different types of context: graphs provide factual information, photographs give emotional or societal context.
Audience
Quick Reference Guides cater to the general public to help average people understand certain issues and events. However, depending on the topics they are covering, and the location of the guide, QRGs will be directed to certain audiences who are interested in the topic. Some appeal to audiences that are entertainment and media focused (ex: The Sochi Olympics Explained). Many QRGs appeal to audiences that follow politics and major news controversies (ex: #BernieSoBlack, Greece's Debt Crisis Explained, The only guide to Gamergate you will ever need to read). And still others serve to educate those interested in certain drugs or addictive products (ex: E-cigarettes and health)
Reflection: After reading Michael, Charles, and Scotts analysis of QRGs, I realized that we all have a pretty similar understanding of what QRGs are and how they work. One thing that stood out to me was that Michael had a much longer list of conventions that all made sense and seemed to appear within QRGs. It was nice to see other conventions of the QRG, because now I can look back at those and create a better Quick Reference Guide of my own based upon more guidelines. This will hopefully allow me to edit my understanding of the conventions of the QRG, but also edit my QRG.
Resources: Michael McMillin: 109H Sec14
Charles Novak: Life of a Nerd
Scott Norrix: Scott Norrix English 109H
Reflection: After reading Michael, Charles, and Scotts analysis of QRGs, I realized that we all have a pretty similar understanding of what QRGs are and how they work. One thing that stood out to me was that Michael had a much longer list of conventions that all made sense and seemed to appear within QRGs. It was nice to see other conventions of the QRG, because now I can look back at those and create a better Quick Reference Guide of my own based upon more guidelines. This will hopefully allow me to edit my understanding of the conventions of the QRG, but also edit my QRG.
Resources: Michael McMillin: 109H Sec14
Charles Novak: Life of a Nerd
Scott Norrix: Scott Norrix English 109H
Your post was extremely informational and definitely covered all of the bases! I really like how you gave explanations about what purpose each convention serves. This would definitely help someone who didn't know anything about Quick Reference Guides. I also really enjoyed your picture that the top of the post!
ReplyDeleteI really like how clear your post was; it was very easy to read and provided a clear explanation of a QRG. Like Lauren already mentioned, this would be helpful to a reader wondering what a QRG is! I also enjoyed how you provided several hyperlinks to various examples.
ReplyDeleteNice! I'm pretty sure you covered everything! It was also good that not only did you include hyperlinks, but you included them as almost in-text citations to provide examples throughout the text where they were needed (I was able to remember that I needed hyperlinks, but I just lazily added a list of them at the beginning - your strategy is far more effective).
ReplyDelete