white paper
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authoritative report that provides information about a specific issue
A white paper is an authoritative report that thoroughly explains a specific issue, providing detailed information and analysis on the topic. It matters because it helps people understand complex subjects by offering credible, in-depth information from experts or organizations with relevant knowledge.
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- (Maryland) Herbert, Ignatius John - Age 32, Year- 1865 - Fourth Infantry, New Organization, Bis-Z - DPLA - 508586d8572c649eec80e253ad296a54 (page 23).jpg
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Encyclopedic overview
A white paper is an informative report that explains a complex issue and presents the sponsor's philosophy on the matter. These documents are meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision.
The term originated early in the 20th century to mean a type of position paper or industry report published by a department of the UK government. Earlier forms of these reports were called "command papers."
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “white paper” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.