GlossaryBeginner
Whitepaper
A document explaining a project's purpose, design, and technical approach.
A whitepaper is a document, typically published before or at a project's launch, that explains its purpose, technical design, and how it intends to work.
Reading a project's whitepaper is a common early step in research, though the quality, honesty, and technical accuracy of whitepapers varies significantly between projects.
Examples
- Bitcoin's original whitepaper described its design for a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.
- A thorough whitepaper review is often one part of a broader research process, not the only step.