The CCCC Outstanding Dissertation Award in Technical Communication: A Retrospective Analysis    

This article presents the history, purposes, outcomes, and significance of the CCCC Outstanding Dissertation Award in Technical Communication during its first five years. It analyzes the topical areas and research methods of the 34 dissertations nominated for the award from 1999 to 2003, as well as the evaluations of the judges. Methods of the nominated dissertations are interpretive (41%) and empirical (59%), but many dissertations combine methods. In the empirical category, qualitative methods (17) outnumber quantitative methods (3). The most frequent topical areas are workplace practice (8), rhetoric of the disciplines (7), and information design (6). Topics that are not widely investigated include issues of race and class and international communication.

Selber, Stuart A. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>Research>TC>History

Cruel Theory? The Struggle for Prestige and Its Consequences in Academic Technical Communication    

Some struggles for prestige in academic technical communication are self-defeating and wasteful because of the clash between the material (or positive-sum) economy of the workplace and the positional (or zero-sum) economy of the academy. Some professors of technical communication create disrespect for themselves and their specialities because they create degrading representations of working people and their artifacts, they promote impossible standards, and they advance discredited or misleading theories. More profitable approaches to gaining prestige for academic technical communication include recognizing that not everyone can be the top person in the positional economy, studying works on the economics of prestige, and promoting the genuinely good works that already exist in academic technical communication.

Moore, Patrick. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2008). Articles>TC>Research

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

Current Research: STC's Research Program  

This interim report shows that the research program sponsored by STC in its publications is becoming more annecdotal each year, relying less and less on research for support of its generalizations.

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

Designing and Implementing Technical Communication Research  

Designing and implementing successful research in technical communication involves an ongoing, circular process consisting of four parts: (1) planning the project and identifying funding needs, (2) matching research needs with funding sources, (3) writing and submitting a focused proposal, and (4) responding to the reviews of the proposal. This same approach can be adapted to fit the unique needs of any research situation.

Zimmerman, Beverly B. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Research>TC

Developing a Continuum to Describe Technical Communication  

The more integrated a discipline is, the greater the likelihood that the researchers are sharing ideas and the greater the chances are for developing theories and models to support the knowledge base. A fragmented discipline offers few connections between discussions and research. This study of technical communication literature reports and reflects upon the dialogue established among practitioners, researchers, and scholars as theories are built. A continuum--fragmented to integrated--places areas of study in technical communication and offers an interpretation of the field.

Smith, Elizabeth Overman 'Betsy'. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Research>Professionalism

How to Consume Research Effectively: You Are What You Eat  

In this hands-on, interactive workshop, you will learn to identify and overcome barriers to using research on the job, identify sources of usable and valid research for your job, identify five basic research concepts and terms everyone should know, and apply practical decision-making methods for knowing whether to use research on the job.

Kleimann, Susan D. and Kenneth D. Keiser. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Research>TC

Panel Discussion: STC-Sponsored Research in Progress  

This panel discussion reports on technical communication research in progress that is being sponsored by the STC. The research topics include an assessment of intentional learning techniques applied in an online environment, rhetorical study of the writing of a 19th century woman scientist, and a survey of the teaching of research methods in technical communication graduate programs. The researchers use both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Sanders, Scott P. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Research>TC

Practitioners: What Research Should STC Fund to Help You at Work?  

This panel discussion is an open forum moderated by the STC Research Grants Committee; its goal is to elicit and discuss suggestions from STC members for research areas and topics the STC should sponsor. The input will help guide the members of the Research Grants Committee as they decide which research proposals to approve during the next year.

Rosenbaum, Stephanie L. and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Research>TC

Research Techniques For Technical Communicators  

Research in technical communication is similar to, yet often pragmatically different from, research in the sciences or the humanities. Researchers may gather information for practical writing projects and/or conduct long-term experiments to increase knowledge about a subject. They are required to use electronic media to discover printed sources, simulations, and demonstrations, yet they are encouraged to do much work 'on their own,' without electronic assistance. To work within technology, science, and communication, technical communicators need to develop a variety of qualitative and quantitative research skills.

Porter, Lynnette R. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Research>TC

Shaping the Future of Technical Communication: Improving the Marriage Between Academia and Industry  

The future of technical communication lies in our ability to collaboratively define who we are, what we do, what we should research, and how that research should be used to develop the field. Since technical communication remains a relatively new subject area, we must carefully compete with older, well-established fields for precious resources. The continued development of our field requires a progressively dynamic research agenda developed from a productive and ongoing dialogue between academia and industry. Without such introspective collaboration, our struggle for legitimacy summons an exhibition of rhetorical blundering, which for an emerging field like technical communication, could be fatal.

Carver, Michael. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Research>TC

The State of Research in Technical Communication    

There have been many attempts to assess the state of research in our field. This article is our attempt to both (1) synthesize recent analyses, opinions, and conclusions concerning the status of technical communication research and (2) propose an action plan aimed at redirecting our field's agenda for its research. We explore these questions: What are the recent research trends in our field? What is and is not promising about our recent approaches to research? Where do we need to go next? What are the critical components for a new agenda for our research?

Blakeslee, Ann M. and Rachel Spilka. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>Research>TC

Strategies for Research in Technical Communication  

The purpose of research in technical communication is to determine effective methods of communicating information to target audiences. This two-part workshop will provide hands-on activities for the participants. One leader will define strategies for locating sources and evaluating the literature; another will offer guidelines for the study design, collecting and analyzing data; another will help participants learn how to report results accurately for a given audience; and one leader will help participants learn how to write effective grant proposals. From this workshop, we should develop model strategies from which we can obtain evidence of effective methods for communicating information.

Applewhite, Lottie B., Kenneth Rainey Sherry G. Southard, Katherine E. Staples and Christopher Velotta. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>TC>Research

Strategies for Research in Technical Communication  

This is a repeat of a workshop at the 42nd annual conference sponsored by the Education and Research PIC. The workshop provides consultation for participants interested in conducting research projects. It provides hands-on activities for participants in designing research projects, methods for data collection, methods of data analysis, conducting literature reviews, preparing grant proposals, and reporting research results.

Rainey, Kenneth T., Lottie B. Applewhite, Sherry G. Southard, Christopher E. Velotta and Thomas R. Williams. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Research>TC

Strategies in Technical Communication Research  

The annual offering of this workshop sponsored by the Education and Research PIC provides consultation for participants interested in conducting research projects. It provides hands-on activities for participants in conducting literature reviews, designing research projects, preparing grant proposals, methods for data collection, methods of data analysis, and reporting research results.

Rainey, Kenneth T., Lottie B. Applewhite, Katherine E. Staples, Christopher E. Velotta and Jan H. Spyridakis. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Research>TC

Strength in the Technical Communication Journals and Diversity in the Serials Cited    

More than 1,600 serials from across the disciplines were identified as sources for technical communication scholars. The 99 most frequently cited serials are described. This citation analysis is distinguished from others by the size of the database (25,000+ citations), the 10-year review of articles published in five technical communication journals between 1988 and 1997, the number of serials cited and reviewed, and the focus on technical communication as a discipline. The analysis yielded two observations. First, five technical communication journals have grown in strength as forums for discussions of technical communication. Second, the serials cited illustrate the diversity of resources referred to from business, education, psychology, science, and technology-related sources. As a discipline, technical communication has developed depth and rigor through building the base of its research and theory while integrating the research and theory gathered from a number of disciplines.

Smith, Elizabeth Overman 'Betsy'. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2000). Articles>Research>TC

Technology and Knowledge Transfer: Science and Industry Working Together    

Science and technology are intimately related. The technology sector that drives the modern economy would never have arisen without basic scientific research, and that research is now being funded by companies seeking to gain a technological edge over their competitors. Despite this mutual dependence, technical communication has taken different paths in science and industry. Technology and knowledge transfer, the communication of research results to an audience that can implement the results, bridges these two solitudes and strongly resembles much of the work done by other technical communicators.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. International Journal for Technical Communication (2006). Articles>TC>Research>Workplace

The Value of Research in Technical Communication

Over the years, there has been much debate and discussion in the Society as to whether technical communication is a field, an endeavour, a profession or a discipline, none of the above or all of the above. The topics of professionalism, certification and accreditation have often appeared in the pages of Technical Communication and Intercom. I would like to take the opportunity to review the status of technical communication and to highlight the role of research in technical communication.

Hosier, William J. Boston Broadside (1991). Articles>TC>Research>Body of Knowledge

What Research Should STC Sponsor?  

This session is an open forum moderated by the STC Research Grants Committee; its goal is to elicit and discuss suggestions from STC members for research areas and topic's the STC should sponsor. The input will help guide the members of the Research Grants Committee as they decide which research proposals to approve during the next year.

Rosenbaum, Stephanie L. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>TC>Research

Research in Technical Communication: Perspectives and Thoughts on the Process  

Technical communication can be viewed as both a discipline and a profession. As a discipline, it concerns itself with the pursuit of knowledge and the development of theory. As a profession, it attempts to meet the needs of the individuals it serves through the application of knowledge and theory. Research links the discipline and the profession and sustains both by providing the bases from which to develop new areas of inquiry and to find solutions to problems.

Barclay, Rebecca O. Technical Communication Online (1992). Articles>TC>Research>Body of Knowledge

The State of Research in Technical Communication    

There have been many attempts to assess the state of research in our field. This article is our attempt to both (1) synthesize recent analyses, opinions, and conclusions concerning the status of technical communication research and (2) propose an action plan aimed at redirecting our field's agenda for its research. We explore these questions: What are the recent research trends in our field? What is and is not promising about our recent approaches to research? Where do we need to go next? What are the critical components for a new agenda for our research?

Blakeslee, Ann M. and Rachel Spilka. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>TC>Research

The Impact of the Internet and Digital Technologies on Teaching and Research in Technical Communication    

Technical communication practices have been changed dramatically by the increasingly ubiquitous nature of digital technologies. Yet, while those who work in the profession have been living through this dramatic change, our academic discipline has been moving at a slower pace, at times appearing quite unsure about how to proceed. This article focuses on the following three areas of opportunity for change in our discipline in relation to digital technologies: access and expectations, scholarship and community building, and accountability and partnering.

Gurak, Laura J. and Ann Hill Duin. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>TC>Research>Online

Mapping the Research Questions in Technical Communication    

Agreement about research questions can strengthen disciplinary identity and give direction to a field that is still maturing. The central research question this article poses foregrounds texts, broadly defined as verbal, visual, and multimedia, and the power of texts to mediate knowledge, values, and action in a variety of contexts. Related questions concern disciplinarity, pedagogy, practice, and social change. These questions overlap and inform each other. Any single study does not necessarily fall exclusively into one area. A mapping of a field’s research questions is a political act, emphasizing some questions and marginalizing or excluding others. The emphases may change over time. This mapping illustrates reasons for the tensions between the academic and practitioner areas of the field. It also points out their shared research interests and opportunities for future research.

Rude, Carolyn D. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2009). Articles>TC>Research

Practitioner Research Instruction: A Neglected Curricular Area in Technical Communication Undergraduate Programs    

Most technical communication practitioners conduct research throughout their careers. Yet, a survey of the Web sites of 114 undergraduate technical communication programs between September 2006 and April 2007 revealed that 65% (about two thirds) of these programs are providing minimal or no exposure to research instruction and therefore are not sufficiently preparing students to handle the types of research they will encounter in their upcoming careers. Given the disconnect between the centrality of research in the work that technical communicators do and the low presence of research instruction at the undergraduate level, academics need to look for ways to overcome institutional and other constraints in order to give research training greater priority in their undergraduate programs.

Spilka, Rachel. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2009). Articles>TC>Education>Research

The Technical Communication Research Landscape    

This article reports data from questionnaires assessing the day-to-day experiences that members of the technical communication field have in carrying out their research. The data revealed that most members experience at least some frustration and numerous constraints that prevent them from doing the kinds and amounts of research that they want to do and that may affect the quality of their research. In short, technical communication scholars face an array of challenges. This article presents examples of these challenges and ideas that respondents had both for lessening the challenges scholars face and for better preparing graduate students. It suggests several practical initiatives for addressing these challenges along with realistic strategies for implementing those initiatives.

Blakeslee, Ann M. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2009). Articles>TC>Research