The sixth volume of the Writing Spaces series explores writing in technical and professional communication. Like earlier books in the series, it continues the tradition of covering a wide range of topics about writing. In each chapter, authors present their unique views, insights, and strategies for writing by addressing the undergraduate reader directly. Drawing on […]
Writing Spaces Volume 6 Read More »
Yvonne Cleary Volume 6 Chapter Description This chapter introduces readers to the rhetorical situation of topic-based writing in the context of digital technical communication, which has replaced manuals for many types of products and services. In contemporary work contexts, technical communicators are likely to work in teams, and to write topics, or short chunks of
Writing Technical Content for Online Spaces Read More »
Candice A. Welhausen Volume 6 Chapter Description As a working professional, you will likely find yourself in situations where you need to create visual forms of communication. For example, many scientists and engineers construct technical drawings like illustrations and sketches. Professionals working in business and marketing may need to visualize financial data by creating tables
Worth a Thousand Words: Constructing Visual Arguments in Technical Communication Read More »
Laurence José Volume 6 Chapter Description College classes often involve some level of collaborative work. Technical writing courses are no different. In fact, collaboration has long been identified as one of the key components of technical and professional writing courses (Allen and Benninghoff). Yet, many students and teachers have experienced times of anxiety and even
Stronger Together: Collaborative Work in the Technical Writing Classroom Read More »
Daniel P. Richards Volume 6 Chapter Description If you’re reading this essay, then you most likely have a daunting task ahead of you: writing a literature review.1 Rest assured that you are not alone in your apprehension or lack of excitement at the prospect laid in front of you—most writers feel the same. Parties have
Let’s Party: Composing a Review of the Literature on a Technical Topic Read More »
Quan Zhou Volume 6 Chapter Description Technical definitions and descriptions are essential in technical communication. Technical definitions describe and explain technical terms and concepts. They can not only explain what a term means, but also where it comes from, what it is made of, and what distinguishes it from similar terms. They help readers understand
Drafting Technical Definitions and Descriptions Read More »
K. Alex Ilyasova Volume 6 Chapter Description So, you’ve had writing assignments before, probably ones where you had to compare and contrast something or a few things, or where you wrote a story/narrative. And possibly a few where you’ve even had to write a research paper on a specific topic. You’ve maybe even had to
Last to Be Written, First to Be Read: Writing Memos, Abstracts and Executive Summaries Read More »
Therese I. Pennell Volume 6 Chapter Description As academic writers, your technical communication research papers will require that you use reliable sources to understand your topic and support your argument. This chapter provides you with tips on assessing sources to complete these types of papers. In high school you learned how to search for sources,
Assessing Sources for Technical Communication Research Read More »
Emma J. Rose Volume 6 Chapter Description When I think about what makes a good technical document, I’m reminded of Janice (Ginny) Redish’s explanation.1 Redish defines a successful document as one that helps the intended audience find what they need, understand what they find, use that information to accomplish a task and do that in
Who Is the User? Researching Audiences for Technical Documents Read More »
