QRG's: The Genre

• Conventions of this genre and how the author defines them.

Quick reference guides follow very similar formats that define the conventions of this genre. Quick reference guides are meant to be, as the name implies, fast ways to learn the basics about a subject or event. For this reason the author chooses to organize the information in a fashion that answers any potential questions quickly. As you will see with any quick reference guide, the guide starts with an introduction into its chosen subject as well as a relevant image. This contextualizes the subject for the reader and sets up the information to come.

        The introduction is followed by a series of different subheads. These subheads can take the form of common questions, as seen in the guide to the Sochi olympics and the guide to Gamergate. The subheads can also take on the form of a list of important people, various facts, and different topics related to the general theme. Under each subhead, the author then elaborates or answers the posed question. 

After the author has sufficiently addressed the important aspects to the subject of their quick reference guide, they occasionally will conclude with some final thoughts, or in the case of the Puerto Rico guide, some ways to address the problem.

• Purpose of Quick Reference Guides

As stated above, quick reference guides are made to inundate readers with important, relevant information about a certain subject. They are fast and easy to follow guides that help readers get the basic information about a given subject.

• Intended Audience

The intended audience for most QRGs is the same. They are often intended for an audience with little background on the subject. Some, more technical QRGs, can have a more specialized audience, but in general they are very approachable pieces of literature.


Reflection

I reviewed and replied to Nicole Nelson's, Brandon Goldenburg's,  and Jason Wittler's posts on the genre of QRGs. I thought they all brought up interesting points about QRGs. Nicole and Brandon specifically noted how all of the QRGs the we reviewed were focused on cultural issues. This is something I did not consider, but after reading their posts it was quite obvious. Jason pointed out that the QRGs are meant for a general audience. I also picked up on this and I strongly identified with this portion of his analysis. Another important note brought up by all three of my classmates was that the QRGs are written in an unbiased form with an objective tone. Overall some good lessons that should help me when I write my own.