How to write a White Paper

最近公司安排我写手上项目的白皮书，以前没搞过这个，特研究了一番，写下来和大家分享。

首先什么是白皮书？
A white paper in the high-tech industry is a technical document that describes how a technology or product solves a particular problem. It's a marketing document and a technical document, yet it doesn't go too far in either direction. A good white paper is informative and is designed to show off the advantages of a product or technology.
白皮书是一种高科技产业中的技术文档，用于描述一种技术或产品怎样解决了一个特定的问题。它即是一个面向市场的文档也是个技术性的文档，但同时两方面都没有很深入。一个良好的白皮书在提供了一种技术或产品的详实信息，同时能很好地展示出一种技术或产品的优势。

写白皮书的目的？

• Show that the vendor understands customer problems;
      表明该供应商了解客户的问题；
• Describe the vendor's technology;
      描述供应商所使用的技术；
• Explain why that technology is the customer's best choice among available products.
      解释为什么这种技术是客户在可用产品中的最佳选择。

写白皮书的一些建议
One white paper author suggests thinking of your audience as investors, and that's not a bad way to approach writing the paper. An informal tone is best; use acronyms and abbreviations sparingly. Use plain English, no matter how much someone insists on using more technical language. The objective is to educate, inform, and convince, not to geekspeak or marketspeak the reader to death. That's not to say that the white paper isn't slanted -- it is, in the end, an opinion piece. But it also provides real information that the reader can use.
Remember the old training aphorism:
   1. Tell them what you're going to tell them.
   2. Tell them.
   3. Tell them what you told them.

白皮书的结构

• Abstract -- A one-paragraph description of what the paper is about. Do not state the conclusion here; simply tell the reader what the purpose of the paper is. Customers frequently read only the abstract and conclusion of white papers, so provide material that gives them a good reason to read the details.
        摘要（介绍）－－可以用一段来描述这个文档是关于什么的。不要在这个时候下结论；只是告诉读者这个文档的目的是什么。客户经常只阅读白皮书的摘要和结论，所以提供的一些实质的材料让他们有一个很好的理由要阅读的细节。
• The Problem -- Two-to-three paragraphs covering the problem and a little background. Be straightforward and succinct. Avoid obfuscatory language, or what one white paper author calls "hidden assumptions."
       具体问题－－两到三段文字涵盖问题和一些相关背景。尽量直截了当和简洁。避免使用模糊的语言和一些隐藏的假设。
• Understanding The Product's Design -- How the product works in general. While this is not the place to describe how the product solves the problem, the section is oriented so that the reader will be able to understand the product's application to the problem. This and the following section are the meat of the white paper.
      理解产品的设计--一般情况下产品是怎样工作的。当然这里不是要你描述产品是怎样解决问题的，这里所要面向的是，使读者能够了解产品的应用可以解决问题。这里和下一节是白皮书的中心内容。

• How the Product Solves the Problem -- How the application of the product solves the problem. Provide evidence of how the product solves the problem, and why it is the best solution available.
        产品怎么解决问题－－产品的应用是怎么解决问题的。提供的证据来说明产品是如何解决问题的，以及为什么它是最好的解决方案。
• Conclusion -- A one-paragraph summary of why the product is the best solution to the problem.
        结论－－一段说明为什么该产品是解决该问题最好的方案的概要。