The term "targeted violence manifesto" was coined by Julia Kupper and J. Reid Meloy to describe publications that are "intended to justify an act of violence against a specific target by articulating self-identified grievances, homicidal intentions, and/or extreme ideologies for committing an attack."
They identified such publications as largely being written by a single creator prior to the attack, and that they often "express beliefs and ideas to violently promote political, religious, or social changes.
"[1] Manifestos are often written to influence like-minded individuals to commit copycat attacks.
[1] A 2017 analysis found the following themes in the manifestos of mass murderers: ego survival and revenge; pseudocommando mindset: persecution, obliteration; envy; nihilism; entitlement; and heroic revenge fantasy.
[3] The FBI conducted a study of 52 lone terrorists in 2019, which found that 96% produced either writings or videos intended to explain their beliefs to others; they found that in 88% of cases, perpetrators published their manifestos before the attack occurred, or "leakage," which is a valuable opportunity for intervention.