Hello tutor,
I’m looking for help with creating an issue brief. An issue brief is a document that quickly informs a decision-maker about the basics of an issue or a program. The issue brief explores the problem/issue/topic at a depth sufficient to give the audience a good idea of its dimensions and the possible scope of the solution. Please keep in mind that this an issue brief, not a policy brief. Generally speaking, some distinctive aspects of issue briefs include focusing narrowly on communicating one important message, it’s very brief, it’s focused on communicating the facts, it heavily utilizes visual aids, and it’s neutral in tone. Therefore, we are simply providing background and some possible options, but we are not making a recommendation in this issue brief.
Therefore, please help me make a 4 to 5 page document (1.5 or double-spaced is fine) that addresses the topic of the Coronavirus. Please include a bibliography at the end of the document. The bibliography is not part of the 4 to 5 page count. Structurally, the issue brief should include: an executive summary, an overview of the issue, a discussion of current US policy, a discussion of what policy challenges/problems remain, and an overview of policy options designed to address those challenges/problems. The issue brief should include visual aids and/or infographics appropriate to communicate relevant information. Another thing to keep in mind is that issue briefs rarely include a lot of quotes. Another thing to keep in mind is that the executive summary part is not an introduction, but rather it is more akin to an abstract. It may help to do the executive summary last since it is a distillation of everything in the issue brief. The audience (the newly-elected U.S. president) should have a good idea of what the entire document does by reading the executive summary alone. In other words, the executive summary should capture the most important points raised in the issue brief.
Please craft the document as if you’re a policy planning staff member writing an issue brief of the Corona virus that is to be shared with a fictional newly-elected U.S. president. Attention to the audience (the newly-elected president) is important. Please be sure to craft this brief from an audience-focused perspective. This means, among other things, address all dimensions of the issue that might be of interest/relevance to someone occupying that office of the president. This might include, but is not limited, the economic, political and social dimensions of an issue. Please also make the brief visually appealing. A bland MSWord document covered with unending paragraphs filled with jargon will not hold the fictional newly-elected president’s attention.
Please use quality academic and journalistic sources. Five or six sources – even high quality, spot-on sources – are unlikely to be sufficient to address a topic comprehensively. Remember, you have to gather information on all relevant dimensions of the topic. Use the full range of resources available. This includes journalistic outlets, policy think tanks, and perhaps even the most under-utilized resource, the US government itself. Please follow the Chicago Manual of Style.
Tutor, this is just some general info/helpful hints on issue briefs/thing that may be helpful to keep in mind when crafting the issue brief. Please keep in mind that this is just extra information and you don’t have to include all of this. I’m including it more as general info about issues briefs:
Content & Analysis:
-Issue briefs demonstrate thorough understanding of the topic and its implications
-Issue briefs include background, legislative issues, public concerns, and other aspects of a topic
-Issue briefs correctly identify every important issue
-Virtually all inlcuded information is relevant
-Provides correct amount of information
Document Formatting:
-Writes to an intelligent reader unfamiliar with the specifics of a topic
-Discussion flows logically
-Well formatted to enhance clarity by breaking down content into sections with clear foci
-Section headings preview text that follows
Writing:
Short, precise, readable sentences that are audience centered
Paragraphs are cohesive