#14017
Estratégia Para a Elaboração de Uma Tese
Resume-se, em duas páginas, uma estratégia para a elaboração de uma tese de mestrado ou de doutoramento. Partindo de um modelo de acção em duas fases, cada uma das quais decomponível em três sub-fases, esclarece-se o percurso mais desejável para obter resultados de forma eficaz e eficiente. Apesar da simplicidade deste roteiro conciso, que contrasta com a complexidade efectiva da elaboração de uma tese, os cuidados apresentados são quase sempre suficentes para superar as principais situações de impasse.
Dias de Figueiredo, Antonio. Universidade de Coimbra (1998). (Portuguese) Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#27365
Everyone fears the long sentence. Editors fear it. Readers fear it. Most of all, writers fear it. Even I fear it. But...
Clark, Roy Peter. Poynter Online (2004). Articles>Writing>Grammar>Rhetoric
#31672
Fixing the Flaws in the Ten Principles of Clear Writing
More importantly, most lists of ten principles of clear writing are not really principles at all, but rather tips and technique. Understanding why you are doing something, i.e., the benefit you will gain, helps ensure that you will actually do it and do it consistently. Too often, when we are told only what to do, we follow the instruction half-heartedly, inconsistently, or not at all.
Yaffe, Philip. IEEE PCS (2008). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>Minimalism
#14056
Fluency, Fluidity, and Word Processing 
Despite the above maxim, numerous studies have been conducted over the past five years to determine whether student compositions improve significantly with the use of a computer. As Gail Hawisher (summarizing Seymour Papert) suggests, our field is so new that we seem lobe in a technoúcentric phase comparable to the egocentric phase through which Piaget’s children must pass on the way to maturity. We are searching for “THE effect” of the computer on the product (the text) rather than “the effects” of the computer both on the writer and on the context in which the product is produced. We have already passed judgment on what the computer should do (improve the product) rather than investigate what it does do. Thus, the results of the studies conducted to date appear contradictory.
Boiarsky, Carolyn. JAC (1991). Articles>Rhetoric>Computers and Writing
#13843
From Logocentrism to Ethocentrism: Historicizing Critiques of Writing Research 
Since the 1960s, attitudes toward empirical research on writing, including research on technical/professional writing, have shifted from encouragement to resistance. This essay traces these shifts in light of changes in writing research, psychology, and the rhetoric of science. In composition studies, an initial mild uneasiness about 'scientism' intensified with the rise of process models, suggesting a Romanticist defense of the mystique of creativity. More recent post-modernist denunciations of scientific methods as immoral have other Romanticist overtones. In technical communication, a long-standing interest in workplace writing practices allowed a smoother integration of empirical analysis with descriptive studies of writing contexts. However, as in composition, recent critiques in technical communication suggest that empirical methods should not be employed. These critiques too tightly circumscribe the values that may be considered humanist and cut off important avenues of inquiry and critique that historically have advanced both the sciences and humanities.
Charney, Davida. Technical Communication Quarterly (1998). Articles>Rhetoric>Writing
#14033
Functional Redundancy and Ellipsis as Strategies in Reading and Writing
Redundancy is widely seen as a kind of linguistic cholesterol, clogging the arteries of our prose and impeding the efficient circulation of knowledge. However, I will argue that, just as a more thorough understanding of cholesterol reveals the existence of good cholesterol (HDL) as well as bad (LDL), so a broader view on the principle of redundancy reveals its effectiveness in certain situations, particularly beyond the sentence level. In this article I aim to revive the beneficial or functional sense of redundancy and show that functional redundancy in writing need not be a contradiction in terms. I believe a discussion of redundancy should include its opposite, ellipsis, so I will define both terms, emphasizing the beneficial sense of each, and then show how they appear in both reading and writing. In the latter part of the article, to illustrate the pervasiveness of redundancy and ellipsis, I will discuss examples of each in document design and in figures of speech. My attention will mainly be on technical writing, but the principles I will discuss may apply to other genres, too.
Grant-Davie, Keith. JAC (1995). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#10077
The Fundamentals of Persuasive Writing
What are the characteristics that make copy effective? Why does one ad make a lasting impression and sell merchandise, while another falls flat and doesn’t generate enough revenue to pay its own cost? Virtually all persuasive copy contains the eight elements described in this article.
#27790
Getting Off the Starting Block: Practical Tips to Starting a White Paper
Why are white papers so hard to write? Simply put, they require effort. Effort makes us sweat. Just the thought of working hard causes some people's blood to percolate.
Stelzner, Michael A. WhitePaperSource (2006). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>White Papers
#25992
The Great Myth That Plain Language Is Not Precise
Occasionally, when you try to convert from legalese to plain language, someone will come forward and assert that you made a mistake. You missed something in the translation. You inadvertently changed the substance.
Kimble, Joseph. Plain Language Network (2000). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>Minimalism
#24794
How to Be Persuasive in Writing
The persuasive theories of Stephen Toulmin and Carl Rogers can be effective in applications to writing on the job. Toulmin’s strategies lead writers to specify the exact claim they are making, to give evidence to support the claim, and to refute the arguments likely to be made against the claim. Roger’s strategies can be used to identify the viewpoint of the audience, grant the points in the audience’s position which the writer agrees with, and then attempt to show how the audience’s position will actually be improved if the writer’s claim or proposal is accepted.
Connors, Patricia E. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Rhetoric>Writing
#25900
It doesn't matter how dazzling your Web site looks if you don't have good, clear copy that appeals to your readers' basic desires--and is easy to read.
Will-Harris, Daniel. EFuse (2004). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#23917
The phrase 'Plain English' (although widely used) is a little misleading. It is nothing to do with the English language as such. The principles outlined here apply to writing in any language. A more accurate expression is 'plain language'.
Ziska Designs (2003). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>Minimalism
#30688
Implicature, Pragmatics, and Documentation: A Comparative Study
This study investigates the link between the linguistic principles of implicature and pragmatics and software documentation. When implicatures are created in conversation or text, the listener or reader is required to fill in missing information not overtly stated. This information is usually filled in on the basis of previous knowledge or context. Pragmatics, the study of language use in context, is concerned with the situational aspects of language use that, among other things, directly affect implicatures required of the reader. I investigate how two manuals for the same software product can be analyzed on the basis of implicature and pragmatics. One is an original copy of the documentation that came with the product, the other an after-market manual. Results show that the aftermarket manual requires far fewer implicatures of the reader and does a better job of providing pragmatically helpful information for the user.
Wright, David. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2007). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
#18927
Clear writing is essential if you want your message to get across clearly to your audience. But, what makes your writing clear will vary and is ultimately dependent on your target audience. Before you write, know who you are writing for.
#27341
Remember that writers are, by training and disposition, attracted to people and places with interesting names.
Clark, Roy Peter. Poynter Online (2004). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#27345
What makes a page-turner, an irresistible read, a story or book that you can't put down? Well, lots of things. But one indispensable tool seems to be the internal cliffhanger.
Clark, Roy Peter. Poynter Online (2004). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#13981
An Interpersonal Approach To Writing Negative Messages 
Writing negative messages is one of the most difficult tasks facing business communicators. Because we usually find saying “no” harder than saying 'yes,” and because refusing a request often is interpreted by a reader as personal rejection, most writers know enough to approach the task of writing negative messages with some degree of caution. Recently I spent all of five minutes writing a note to a job applicant, telling her that she had been hired for an opening. I spent almost ten times as long composing the letter sent to the applicants who did not receive the job offer.
Salerno, Douglas. JAC (1986). Articles>Rhetoric>Writing
#13971
The Irony Game: Assessing a Writer's Adaptation to an Opponent
The study of composition processes describes what writers do. The study of the art of composition describes methods for giving writers better control over what they do. This essay makes a contribution to both research concerns. It contributes to the study of composition processes by describing what ironists do when they refute an opponent. It contributes to the study of the art of composition by offering methods for giving writers better control over the adaptive strategies they use when attempting refutations.
Kaufer, David S. and Christine M. Neuwirth. JAC (1981). Articles>Rhetoric>Writing
#31611
It's a People Thing: The Switch to Reader-Centered Documents
One of the central causes of poor writing is a lack of a thorough understanding of the audience. What are the problems that readers have to solve, and how can we help them? Too many writers believe that people will understand what they have written just because the writers themselves understand it. Good writing always begins with a study of the readers' reading skills, their actual physical situation, the problems they face, the motivation they need, and the actions they need to take.
DuBay, William H. Impact Information (2003). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>User Centered Design
#22228
Learn the Techniques of Writing Before You Write
Writing is an art form. You must understand this art form before you can begin to challenge yourself and grow. Not many people would pick up a cello and start playing right away, without any knowledge of the basics of music, but the same does not hold true with writing. In fact, many people perceive writing to be some sort of inherent talent, without the need for training and hard work. Of course, some writers have a natural gift for creating structured and meaningful works with only minimal revision, but these are the exception rather than the rule.
McKay, Carolyn. Writer's Block (1996). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#26618
Learning to Speak With, Not To, Readers
I think that most journalists prefer giving lectures to having conversations. But today it seems clear to me that the creative-writing class was the more valuable experience. As tough as it was, I learned more in that 'conversation' than I could ever have learned in my own lecture.
Conley, Paul. Blogger.com (2006). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#27370
To become a more fluent writer, try these strategies.
Poynter Online (2004). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#32060
Make Your Content Work for You: Creating and Promoting Viral Content
With the cost of quality traffic rising and reaching and maintaining top search engine position becoming more and more difficult as EVERYONE is moving to the net, viral content blows up one of the most spouted off cliche of all time… “NOTHING IS FREE”. The exposure and added traffic that an amazing piece of content can generate is free. That’s the beauty… with a truly viral piece of content, everyone else does your promotion for you, letting you sit back and enjoy the ride.
Robbins, Kyle. ReEncoded (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Rhetoric
#22259
Making Sense of Step-by-Step Procedures
Procedural instructions that consist of only a sequence of steps will probably be executable, but nevertheless 'meaningless' to users of technical devices. This paper discusses three features that can make procedural instructions more meaningful: adding functional coordinating information, adding information about the use of the technical device in real life, and adding operational information about how the device works. The research literature supports the effectiveness of the first feature, but offers little evidence that real life elements enhance understanding of instructions. As for operational information, the research suggests that users are willing to read it, and that it contributes to better understanding and performance in the long term, but only if it is closely related to the procedure. As a conclusion, we propose a theoretical framework that assumes three levels of mental representation of instructions: syntactical, semantic, and situational.
Steehouder, Michael F., Joyce Karreman and Nicole Ummelen. ACM SIGDOC (2000). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
#31700
Modeling Rhetoric in Scientific Publications
Despite the advent of computer-centered ways of creating and accessing scientific knowledge, the format of the scientific research article has remained basically unchanged. We have developed a model of a more appropriate form for research publications to structure scientific articles, based on a rhetorical structure which is ubiquitous in (natural) science papers. The model has three components: defining rhetorical elements inside the documents, the identification of the argumentational relationships between these elements; and the connection of data elements and entities to external sources.
de Waard, Anita, Leen Breure, Joost G. Kircz and Herre van Oostendorp. INSCIT (2006). Articles>Scientific Communication>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
