QRGs: the Genre

In this blog post I will be dissecting the quick reference guide (QRG) genre. There are five questions about the QRG genre that I will be answering.

1. What do the conventions of this genre - the Quick Reference Guide - seem to be?

There are several conventions of the typical QRG. They include an informative title, relevant images/graphs/statistics, questions asked and then answered by the author, short paragraphs, and an introductory paragraph.

2. How are those conventions defined by the author’s formatting and design choices?

The format and design choices made by the author will define how each of the conventions of a QRG exist in that specific piece of writing. If, for example, an author chooses a format that is confusing, such as placing all informative graphs and images at the beginning and all text afterwards then the QRG will be far less effective. The format and design must appeal to the reader and aid them as they read through your QRG. If the conventions are used improperly, the QRG may fail to inform the reader.

Screenshot from my computer, 9/12/2015

3. What does the purpose of these QRGs seem to be?

The purpose of these QRGs is to inform the reader on a topics that cannot easily be understood by reading one article or listening to a news report. QRGs generally cover topics with some level of complexity and depth in a clear and concise manner, giving you all the important information on the subject.

4. Who is the intended audience for these different QRGs? Are they all intended for similar audiences? Or different? How & why?

The intended audiences for these QRGs have similarities and differences. They are similar in that all the intended audiences are not well informed on a certain subject. The audiences are different in regards to their interests and what topics are relevant to them. Each QRG is written to inform a certain audience on a topic they are not likely to know a lot about, but each QRG targets a certain group of people who would be interested in learning about a certain subject matter.

5. How do the QRGs use imagery or visuals? Why do you think they use them in this way?

The QRGs use visuals for a variety of reasons. One of them being to help the reader better understand or contextualize the information. For example, the writer of a QRG could list relevant statistics on their topic, or they could have a graph or image that more clearly illustrates the information. Of course, the latter is better. Images are also great for keeping the reader interested and engaged. Imagine an online article with just walls and walls of black text. Not too appealing. Instead, writers add interesting visuals to keep the reader interested and connected to the text. 

EDIT:

After reading Casey's, Bri's, and Sam's analysis of the QRG, I learned a few things. Most importantly, I learned how important formatting is on a blog post like this. Sam's blog post specifically was laid out very well, in a way that conveyed information smoothly and effectively. Organization has been something I've always struggled with, and I could learn a lot about it from my peers. I also learned about the importance of writing for your specific audience when writing a QRG.