Briefing Sections

Every briefing uses the same main sections, in the same order: Preface, Summary, Context, Key [Descriptor], Counterclaims, Supplementary Info, Further Study, Advocacy Resources, and Footnotes. The content within those sections varies with the topic and briefing type. A section may have no substantive entries, but it remains in place so readers can find information consistently.

Preface Section

WordPress generates the Preface from fields populated when the briefing is edited. Do not draft it as a separate section.

The excerpt is the exception: write it for each briefing and enter it in the excerpt field. Follow the guidelines in Briefing Title, Slug, and Excerpt. WordPress displays it in the Preface and on briefing listing pages. You can review the excerpts on those listing pages for examples of how they are written.

Before the briefing is finalized, check that the excerpt accurately reflects its final title, scope, and content.

The Preface presents five additional items in show/hide panels. They help readers use and assess the briefing without interrupting its main text:

• Companion Videos displays videos associated with the briefing, when available. See the Operations Doc on Videos for more information.
• Share This Briefing provides ways to share the briefing and previews the image that will usually accompany the shared link.
• Briefing Meta shows counts for the briefing’s sections and resources, along with an activity log of updates.
• Key [Descriptor] Links lists the numbered entries in the briefing’s central section, giving readers a quick overview and links to individual entries.
• Help Us Improve gives readers a way to report an error or suggest an improvement.

Summary Section

• Write the Summary after completing the other sections. It can draw from the Context, Key [Descriptor], and Counterclaims sections, but it does not need to cover every point in the briefing. Any factual claim it makes should be supported in the cited sections that follow.
• Think of it as an “elevator talk” for the topic: what you might say if someone asked about it or raised the objection and you had a minute or two to respond. Keep it concise and conversational while conveying the at least briefing’s central answer or takeaway.

Context Section

• The Context section orients readers before the briefing turns to its central points and supporting evidence. Place the topic in its broader context, including its connection to veganism or animal ethics. Explain why it matters and provide the background, definitions, circumstances, or broader forces readers need to understand it.
• For an objection briefing, present the objection fairly and explain the question it raises. Keep this section focused on orientation; develop the main response in Key Points rather than repeating the Summary.

Key [Descriptor] Section

This is the most important section of the briefing. Its numbered entries present the central points, concepts, suggestions, tactics, or other takeaways. The text beneath each entry explains and supports it. Readers should be able to scan the headings and understand the briefing’s main ideas.

Note: We use Key Points rather than Talking Points because the section must also feel welcoming to readers who are exploring the topic, even though its entries can be useful in conversations.

Choosing the Descriptor

Points is the preferred descriptor and should be used unless another word better describes the entries. Objection briefings will almost always use Key Points. Other examples include Key Suggestions in Getting Started with Going Vegan, Key Concepts in The Rights-Based Approach to Animal Ethics, and Key Injustices in Fish Injustices and Suffering. Key Findings may suit a research-focused briefing, while Key Steps may suit a sequential process.

The descriptor helps determine the form of the numbered headings. Points and Suggestions naturally call for complete sentences, and complete sentences should be used in those cases. A descriptor such as Concepts or Injustices may allow short phrases or category headings when those forms organize the material more clearly. Whatever the descriptor, each heading should make sense on its own and accurately represent what follows.

WordPress note: The editing interface may refer to this section as “Key Something,” regardless of the descriptor displayed in the briefing.

Developing the Entries

Take particular care in choosing and wording the entries. Use clear, direct, memorable language that a reader could adapt in conversation without sounding combative or alienating to someone who is veg-curious. Aim for distinct entries that together cover the essential aspects of the topic without needless repetition.

In an objection briefing, the entries should build the main response to the objection. In other briefings, they may explain central claims, present evidence, develop concepts, or offer practical guidance. Order them so readers can follow the reasoning or progression, using the sequence that best suits the subject.

Generally, put the most important or convincing entries first. Readers may scan only the first few headings, so the opening entries should establish the strongest reasons to take the topic seriously and give them useful points to carry into conversation. If a later point depends on an earlier explanation, use the order needed to make the reasoning clear.

Develop each entry beneath its heading. Explain the reasoning, provide the evidence it needs, and cite factual claims according to Presenting Evidence. Use paragraphs, bullets, subheadings, or tables when they make the material easier to follow. Entries may differ considerably in length; give each one the space it needs.

Reviewing the Structure

Review the proposed descriptor and set of entries with the editor before writing all the supporting material. Settling the main structure early can prevent substantial rewriting later.

Counterclaims Section

The Counterclaims section addresses likely “Yes, but…” responses to the briefing’s main points. These may be criticisms, misunderstandings, or alternative views. Present each claim fairly and in recognizable language, so readers can understand both the objection and the response.

Each counterclaim is a numbered entry whose heading begins “Claim:” followed by a sentence stating the claim. The text beneath it responds to the claim or explains why it does not change the briefing’s conclusion. Acknowledge valid parts of a claim where appropriate, and support factual assertions with citations.

Counterclaims Variations

The Counterclaims section takes different forms depending on what the briefing needs.

• A substantive response: Address the claim directly beneath its heading. A briefing may have several such entries, as in Can Veganism Mitigate World Hunger and Starvation?
• A response covered in another briefing: Give a brief answer and link to the briefing that develops it fully. Animal Agriculture: Cruel and Unjust uses this approach
• A response already covered in a key point: State which key point addresses the claim. This makes the likely objection explicit without repeating the explanation. See Plant Protein: Abundant, Complete, and Healthier
• No additional counterclaims in an objection briefing: The briefing’s Key Points may already constitute the response to the objection in its title. Keep the section and state: “Counterclaims are often not included in objection-type briefings because the objection itself functions as a form of counterargument.” See the economy briefing.
• No counterclaims in another type of briefing: Keep the section and state: “No counterclaims are addressed in this briefing.” See Cow Sentience and Cognition.

Supplementary Info Section

The Supplementary Info section provides material that may help readers understand the topic or use the briefing in conversation, but is not essential to the briefing’s main line of reasoning. It may include background explanations, definitions, data tables, examples, practical resources, extended quotations, or videos. For example, published briefings use it for fish slaughter estimates, farm transition programs, and quotations useful in conversations. See /fish-sentience

Present and explain the useful information within this section. Links and embedded media may be part of an entry, but a list of resources offered mainly for further exploration belongs in Further Study. If a fact or explanation is necessary to establish a key point, place it under that point instead of moving it here.

Give each item a clear label and enough introduction for readers to understand its relevance. Cite factual claims and verify quotations as you would elsewhere in the briefing. Put lengthy material, or a video that can be played within the page, in a show/hide panel so readers can choose whether to expand it.

Further Study Section

Further Study directs readers to resources that deepen their understanding of the briefing’s topic or lead them to closely related subjects. Unlike Supplementary Info, which presents additional material within the briefing, this section points readers to material they can explore elsewhere. Select resources for their relevance and usefulness rather than aiming for a particular number. A source cited in a footnote may also appear here when the full work is useful for further reading.

Related Briefings

Link to vBriefings that expand on an aspect of the topic, address a related objection, or provide useful background. Briefly explain why each is relevant so readers can decide where to go next. Related briefings can also connect an overview to more specific coverage, as Animal Agriculture: Cruel and Unjust does with its briefings on cows, pigs, chickens, and fish.

Other Resources

Link to selected outside resources—such as research reports, books, articles, organizations, or videos—that offer a worthwhile next step. Identify each resource and say what the reader will find there or how it extends the briefing. Check that the link leads to the intended material, and describe an outside resource accurately without implying that vBriefings endorses everything it says. If useful resources are already linked throughout the briefing, a short pointer to those links may be clearer than listing them again.

Advocacy Resources Section

This section gathers resources readers can use in conversations and outreach. Each resource appears in a show/hide panel, so readers can open the items they need.

Not every briefing has every advocacy resource. If a resource has not been created for a briefing, its show/hide panel is omitted from the list.

Like the Preface Section, WordPress generates this section from fields populated when the briefing is edited. Do not draft it as a separate section.

Share This Briefing

This panel is copied from the Preface and displayed here for convenience. It provides sharing options and a preview of the image that will usually accompany a shared link.

Companion Videos

This panel is copied from the Preface and displayed again in Advocacy Resources for convenience. It lets readers view any companion videos associated with the briefing and access the available links for sharing them. See Videos for production information.

Additional Visuals

This panel displays visual resources made for the briefing, such as memes and infographics. Readers can open a larger view and copy or save an image for use in outreach or social sharing. See Visuals for production instructions.

Presentation Slides

This panel links to the briefing’s companion slide deck, when one is available. Readers can view the slides and speaker notes, download the PowerPoint file, and adapt or combine slides for their own presentations. See Slides for production instructions.

Flash Cards

This panel links to the briefing’s flashcard deck on Brainscape. The cards help readers remember important facts and concepts for later conversations; studying them requires a free Brainscape account. See Flashcards for production instructions.

Outreach Cards

This panel reminds readers about outreach cards and links to other advocacy guidance. The cards are shared resources rather than materials made for each briefing, but they can be personalized to direct someone to a particular briefing after a conversation. See Outreach Cards: Why They Work and How to Get and Use Them for guidance on getting and using them.

Socratic Questions

This panel explains the purpose of the Socratic-style questions embedded in the Advocacy Notes. These open-ended questions can help someone examine their assumptions and reasoning during a conversation. See Advocacy Notes & Socratic Questions for production instructions.

Advocacy Notes

This panel contains briefing-specific guidance for conversations and outreach. Notes may suggest ways to frame a point, respond to a concern, or use a Socratic question; the questions appear within the notes rather than as a separate list. See Advocacy Notes & Socratic Questions for production instructions.

Footnotes Section

Footnotes are entered alongside the text they support, much as they are in Word or Google Docs. The system numbers them and displays them automatically in the Footnotes section, so do not draft or number that section separately.

Add each footnote at the relevant claim or quotation as you write. Follow Presenting Evidence for guidance on when a citation is needed, which sources to use, and how to format the note.