Cultural Differences And Research  

Before conducting research beyond your own country’s borders, it’s important to consider a number of cultural differences that have significant implications for the success of the research. Angela Sinickas outlines some potential issues to consider.

Sinickas, Angela D. Sinickas Communications (2005). Articles>Research>International>Cultural Theory

Current Research: An International Perspective  

Research provides the basis for technical communication practices. Such research, conducted in the United States, is readily available to STC members through the Proceedings, Technical Communication, and other technical communication journals. However, research being performed in other countries is not so readily available to those in this country who may need it.

Warren, Thomas L. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Research>International

Issues of Validity in Intercultural Professional Communication Research    

This article explores three ways to design US empirical methods to be more valid and ethical in cross-cultural studies. First, intercultural researchers need to distinguish broad rhetorical and cultural patterns from regional, organizational, and personal patterns, a process that requires balancing the fact of difference with the need for generalization. Second, US researchers need to distinguish not only the differences in rhetorical patterns in a form of communication but also in the ways that form is used rhetorically. Third, researchers need to construct researcher-participant relationships that are sensitive to the values of organizational relationships in both cultures.

Thatcher, Barry L. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2001). Articles>Research>Methods>International