Winning the Trust of the Researchers We Work With  

Technical communicators serve as bridges between researchers and a variety of audiences that include other researchers, the news media, and the public. The latter group includes potential funders, such as agency administrators and legislators, as well as scientists/engineers in other fields. Most professional discussions seem to center on how well we meet the needs of our various publics, but this discussion will look into the steps that we need to take to meet the needs of the researchers we work with and to win and maintain their trust. This discussion should emphasize the different “cultures” that are sometimes in conflict: for example, the standards and aims of the scientific and journalistic professions are quite different and sometimes contradictory.

Armbruster, David L., Judith Gunn Bronson, E. Charles Crume, Jr., Nancy E. Davis and Margaret Boone Nester. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Professionalism