The White paper module is the AI white paper writer in AI for Research. It is for teams who need a white paper that holds up when a reader checks it: marketing and product teams in B2B companies, research groups and labs, consultancies, think tanks and public bodies. You describe the topic, the kind of paper and the reader. It searches published research, then writes the draft with citations to real papers and leaves gaps where only you have the facts.
What you can draft
The module writes seven kinds of white paper. Each has its own structure, so a technical paper does not read like a sales brochure and a policy paper ends with consultation questions, not a call to action.
| Kind | Best for | Sections in a whole paper |
|---|---|---|
| Problem–solution | B2B marketing, consultancies, a new method or service | Executive summary, introduction, the problem (cited), why current approaches fall short, a better approach, evidence and results, implementation, risks and limitations, conclusion and next step |
| Scientific or research | Labs, consortia, science and health bodies writing for decision makers | Executive summary, introduction and scope, the state of the science by theme with the strength of evidence, where the evidence agrees and where it is uncertain, implications, recommendations, how the paper was prepared, glossary, conclusion |
| Technical | Engineering and product teams explaining how something works | Executive summary, introduction, the technical problem, requirements and design goals, architecture with a text diagram, performance and evaluation, security, reliability and limitations, comparison with alternatives (table), implementation and integration, glossary, conclusion |
| Policy or government | Public bodies, think tanks, advocacy groups proposing change | Summary, introduction, the case for change (cited), objectives, numbered proposals, options considered (table), implementation and timeline, impact, consultation questions, next steps |
| Industry or market report | Trends and outlook for a sector | Executive summary, introduction and scope, the field today, key trends, challenges and risks, outlook (only projections the sources make), what this means for the reader, methodology note, conclusion |
| Backgrounder | Explaining a product, technology or programme | Executive summary, introduction, the problem it addresses, how it works, key features (table), evidence, use cases, getting started, conclusion |
| Numbered list | Key questions or points on an issue | Introduction, 7 to 10 numbered points each with its evidence, conclusion and next step |
You choose the reader too: decision makers and executives, engineers and technical buyers, policy makers and officials, scientists and specialists, investors, funders and partners, or an informed general reader. The reader changes what the draft explains, what it assumes and what it puts first.
How it works, step by step
- Open the Writing Studio and choose White paper under Deliverables.
- Enter the topic or working title, then pick the kind of white paper and who it is written for.
- Choose the voice: educational and neutral, which teaches the reader and recommends no product, or make the case for our approach, backed by evidence.
- Under Write, pick the whole white paper or one part: executive summary; the problem and why it matters; what the evidence says; the approach or solution; or recommendations and next steps.
- Optionally paste or upload your own material (PDF, Word, Markdown or plain text): what you propose or offer, how it works, and your results, such as pilot figures, case studies, survey numbers or benchmarks. Add notes for the organisation name, the call to action, house style or a word limit.
- Choose where to search: All papers, Medical, Preprints, Web or My Library, with filters for year, study type and journal tier. Pick the length (short, standard or long), headings on or off, and a citation style: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago or Harvard.
- Press Run. The module plans several searches from your topic, reads what it finds and writes the draft as it streams in, with the cited papers in a panel beside the text.
- Press Open in editor to finish the paper with live citations and a reference list, and export it to Word or PDF.
Already researched the topic? Run a question in Deep Research first, then choose Write a white paper under "Build on this". The white paper starts from that answer and its sources instead of a fresh search.
A whole white paper is about 3,000 words at the standard length, about 1,800 short and about 4,800 long. One section is about 800 words.
What the draft contains
- A title and subtitle, then the sections for the kind you chose.
- Citations to real papers as numbered markers that link to each source. Markers that point to no real source are removed before you see the text.
- Your material, used as given. Your figures, results and descriptions are used exactly; the module does not add to them or round them.
- Placeholders, not guesses. Where the paper needs a fact only you have (your organisation, product, results, pricing, contacts) or a number no source gives, the draft writes a [placeholder] that names what is missing.
- Honest limits. The draft says where the evidence is weak, mixed or from a different setting, and with the "make the case" voice it includes when your approach is not the right choice.
- Suggested figures. A whole paper ends with two to four charts, diagrams or tables a designer could make, each with the numbers that back it and their source markers.
The draft avoids hype words such as "revolutionary", "game-changing" or "seamless". Readers of white papers discount them, and so do reviewers.
A worked example
Example (invented for illustration): a company that makes temperature sensors for vaccine fridges wants a white paper for hospital pharmacy managers.
- White paper, kind Problem–solution, written for decision makers, voice make the case for our approach, sources Medical. Under material they paste a short description of the sensors and one pilot result, worded exactly as their pilot report states it. Cost: 15 credits.
- The draft cites published studies on cold-chain failures, keeps the pilot result as the company's own claim, and leaves [placeholder] for the price and the number of sites using the product.
- Their head of pharmacy asks for a stronger evidence section. They rerun with Write set to What the evidence says: 3 credits.
- They open the draft in the editor, fill the placeholders, check each cited paper, and export it to Word for the design team, who build the two suggested charts.
Total: 18 credits, inside the Free plan's 45 a month.
What it does not do
- It does not design or lay out the white paper. It writes the text and suggests figures; layout happens in your design tool or template.
- It does not invent statistics, customers, quotations or case studies. If you need a number nobody has published, you need your own data.
- It is not a market research firm. Market sizes and forecasts appear only when a source states them, labelled as that source's projection.
- Citations are real papers, but a summary can still be broader than the paper. Read every source you cite before you publish.
- It does not know your brand voice, legal review rules or claims your regulator allows. Your marketing, legal or compliance team still signs off.
- Web sources are less reliable than peer-reviewed papers. Prefer All papers or Medical for the evidence sections.
Who uses it
- Product, marketing and strategy teams in industry: see AI for industry.
- Academics and research groups writing for funders, partners or policy makers: see AI for academics.
- Doctoral researchers turning their thesis into a white paper for practitioners: see AI for PhD students.
For a state-of-the-science paper, read the scientific white paper page. If you want the structure first, copy the white paper template, the technical white paper template or the policy white paper template. For a quick draft without an account, try the free white paper generator. A short, decision-focused document for officials is a policy brief, which has its own Policy brief module in the Writing Studio.
Learn more
- How to write a white paper
- What is a white paper? Types and purpose
- White paper examples, and what each does well
- White paper format: sections, length and layout
- White paper vs research paper
Last updated 2026-11-13