QRGs: the Genre

At the end of this project I will be asked to write my very own QRG. To familiarize myself on the subject I looked at several different QRG’s so that I could get an idea of what they are like and so that I can imitate the same format and strategies and implement them into my own guide. I will be answering some questions about what I have noticed about QRG’s.

Vourloumis, Eirini . "A Father and Daughter at a Demonstration in Athens in Late June". June 2015

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

QRG’s seem to be written in a way that can be easily read. They seem to follow the same guidelines as blogging in that it is written in a way that is easy to read. Most of the QRG’s have subtitles that help the reader easily navigate through the article.

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

Many of the authors of QRG’s implement an array of different devices to support what they are saying in the article in the easiest way possible. Some of these include hyperlinks that link directly to the website of research, subtitles for easy navigation, Pictures to keep the reader interested as well as to appeal to certain emotions, etc. there are many different devices that are used in QRG’s, this is just a short list of examples.

What does the purpose of these QRGs seem to be?

The purpose of a QRG is to present information in a way that can be easily accessed and absorbed into the minds of anyone. Most of the time QRG’s present information on controversies in an easily understandable way.

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

I think that QRG would target a person that doesn’t want to know every little thing about anything, but rather wants to know the basic idea about a particular subject. They can find out a good deal of information quickly by referring to a QRG.

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

I think that the authors of QRG’s use imagery in a way that will appeal to the emotions of the reader. Emotions and facts are two completely different things and the author cannot always activate your emotions using words alone. An example of this would be the picture of the little girl in the QRG on the Greek debt crisis.

Reflection:
I looked at Mehruba's blog post and I agree with everything that she said. The main point that she was trying to get across was how QRG are naturally informative. Alyssa had similar answers to mine. I agree with her in that the QRG should be presented in a storytelling type way that is still informative. Dylan made a good point about the purpose of a QRG. I agree with him that the purpose of a QRG is to get you familiarized with a certain subject and then direct you to further reading if you desire.