QRGs: the Genre

From the examples I have seen, QRG's are easy ways for people to get clued in on major events and controversies. As with any genre, these pieces follow certain conventions and cover certain things. In this post, I will answer a few questions about the QRG genre as a whole.

openclipart.com "lightbulb." 9/12/15 via all-free-download.com. Public domain license

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

• Title- It describes the guide and why readers should care to browse it
• Skillful use of images- They give evidence in graphic form, provide a cultural portrait, make abstractions concrete, and provide emotional impact
• Subtitles are questions/ major topics- This form of organization makes the piece easy to scan, lends itself to artful transitions, leads into important topics, and makes the guide tell a story
• Concise paragraphs/white space- Brevity makes the text easy to read, does not burden readers with too much information, and breaks up the "story"
• Hyperlinking- Links to other information on the topic simplifies the writer's job, builds author credibility, and allows readers to explore further if a certain aspect of the story interests them

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

• The formatting greatly defines the conventions because they all lend themselves to brevity and scan-ability. In some instances, authors use graphical representations, side bars, and text options to provide easy emphasis to aspects.

What does the purpose of these QRGs seem to be?

• The QRG seems to be a genre dedicated to providing information on topics that are popular in society. They provide a fairly unbiased review of all sides of the controversy, pertinent facts, and the progression of events.

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

• All of the guides seem to be aimed towards readers with little-to-no prior information on the issue but a desire to know more without having to do intense research. The more "social issue" pieces seem geared towards the general population as the language is simple and direct. The pieces about economic and health issues seem more directed to educated individuals with more background knowledge.

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

• Images and visuals in the guides evoke emotional responses, break up long stretches of text, and communicate ideas in a way that is largely up to interpretation. I think they are utilized to make the guides seem more like a journey/story and less like a news report.

Reflection: In reading Charles, Annelise, and Tyler's blog posts, I discovered that we all are fairly certain and consistent in our understanding of the conventions included in a QRG. I think that this is not only due to the discussions that we had in class but also the very nature of QRG's themselves. The articles are so distinct and concerned with conventions that it's easy for us to quickly identify what the rules of the genre are.