QRG's: The Genre

QRG'S: What They're All About

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What IS a quick reference guide? Well, it is just what it sounds like- a reference guide that quickly summarizes and gives key information about a specific controversy, topic, or issue. Quick References Guides are very useful in the sense that they combine all (or most of) the information you need to know about a subject, and put it into one document that is easy to follow. As expected with any type of writing genre, there are certain conventions that one must follow in order to effectively produce the work. They are as follows:

Conventions & Designs Used To Implement Them

• Typically, They Have Headings One of the first things I noticed about Quick Reference Guides was how they were broken up into sections. Headings tend to allow individuals to quickly find the specific information they need, or to follow a stream-of-consciousness format that begins as an overview and works its way into more detailed information.

• Each Section Is Kept Short In Quick References Guides, the information presented is, well, quickly. Each section has detailed information, but it is kept concise in order to keep its audience's attention. Lengthy, super-detailed paragraphs typically discourage readers, as many, including myself, have short attention spans. Information that is extremely verbose, no matter how important or useful, tends to just seem extraneous. For example, would you want to read a "Quick" guide to something with only one paragraph that was two whole pages?

• Plenty of Hyperlinks and References to Other Sources These guides are typically detailed overviews of topics, so finding links to further readings is pretty common. Say a certain aspect of the controversy sparks your interest, but the section did not provide all the information you wanted, you could probably find a link at the end to help further educate you on the issue.

• Images, Diagrams, Charts See the Pictures! Pictures Everywhere! section below.

The Purpose of A Quick Reference Guide
The purpose of QRG's is to inform individuals that are unfamiliar with a subject as to what that subject is all about. It serves as the guide of all guides in the sense that it takes multiple in depth sources and provides the key information needed in order to understand the subject being discussed. Furthermore, the conventions and basic design mentioned earlier help to sort of smoothly give the audience what they are looking for- an overview on the topic.

The Audience of A QRG

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The audience of a quick reference guide is typically the general public or a person that's interest has been sparked by the issue at hand. (Typically people experienced in the field already know the information listed in the guide, so it is targeted at individuals curious on learning more information). For instance, one of the examples Dr. Bell provided us with of QRG's is the one concerning the Sochi Olympics. If someone watched the opening ceremony and was confused on all the symbolism within it, they could easily open up the link and become enlightened.

However, not every Reference Guide has the same general audience. To illustrate this statement, take the same Sochi Olympic QRG for example, some individuals understood the ceremony, and some didn't even watch the ceremony, so the guide targeted individuals that needed the explanation. People that carry no interest in stem cells will most likely not be opening a QRG on them. So in this sense, QRG's are open to the general public, but are also designed for certain interested audiences.

Pictures! Pictures Everywhere!

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Earlier, I mentioned how one of the conventions of a QRG was the length of each designated section of information; I went on to state that it was to keep the audience's attention. This further applies with pictures. Again, lengthy passages with no breaks and only words are just what they sounds like; b-o-r-i-n-g. To keep the attention of readers, pictures, diagrams, images, and more are inserted into the post. This way, people are not only reading about a topic, but are seeing the argued points visually. Moreover, images help to solidify arguments and provide more knowledge on topics.

QRG's All Summed Up
Quick Reference Guides are very important in terms of the information they present and how they present them. The convenience of having almost all the information you need to know on one topic in one place is phenomenal. These guides allow for a more informed general public without overwhelming them with sources that are difficult to understand. Personally, I think QRG's are one of the most useful genres I have come to learn about. They manage to be remarkably informative, yet very succinct; it is truly spectacular.

Reflection

I learned that most of my classmates (if not all) agree on the conventions on the QRG genre. There are headings, a set organization, short sections, images, links to other sources, and simple language. The whole point of these guides are to summarize everything you need to know; not to get in depth. For example, I feel that both Spencer's and Massimo's posts accurately reflected what a QRG was. They made their posts simple and said what needed to be said- just like a quick reference guide would. Michael's blog went a little more in depth as to the whole meaning behind a QRG, but it was quite interesting to read his opinion, and I found that I even agreed with his statements. In general, I feel that I have a better understanding of what a Quick Reference Guide is, and I feel that while it may not have a larger meaning behind it, it definitely isn't just some basic source to disregard. It is its own internet genre, has its own conventions, and is extremely informative to anyone that is reading it.

QRG Rough Draft: https://docs.google.com/a/email.arizona.edu/document/d/1PAzA7GA1krkEDLVxa6qgk2kjZ2-DR8LIZjL27WLiZmI/edit?usp=sharing