#30730
A study of how three historical rhetorical concepts (kairos, memoria, and mestiza consciousness) are relevant to professional communication practices today, and productive historical concepts for contemporary practitioners.
Haas, Angela. Michigan State University (2004). Articles>Rhetoric>History>Technical Writing
#26601
What Kind Of Writer Are You, Anyway? 
It never ceases to amaze me when clients and recruiters insist on absolute perfection in a technical writer, or, at the very least, a writer who is everything to everybody. So, at the risk of sounding flippant, what kind of writer are you anyway?
Torres, Derek. TECHWR-L (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
#24472
What Research About Thinking and Doing Suggests About Technical Documentation 
Users of technical documents need to understand the actions required by tasks and how to carry them out. Users may also want to perform some actions automatically, so that they can devote mental effort to other task components, but requires much practice. Technical documentation can support users effectively when it describes and illustrates in ways that grounded in the physical side of user performance.
Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#29107
What Technical Writing Students Should Know About Typeface Personality 
Typeface personality impacts the rhetorical effect of students' documents, yet it receives little attention in textbooks. Technical writing students should stand the definition of "appropriate" in relation to typeface selection, the difference between type's functional and semantic properties, the difference between type family and personality, the effect of a typeface's history, and the contribution of a typeface's anatomy to its personality. Understanding these, students can make informed decisions about typeface appropriateness.
Mackiewicz, Jo M. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Typography>Technical Writing
#21377
What to Expect When Developing an EIS Content Plan
As federal priorities change, federal agencies perform more or different activities or subcontract activities to the private sector. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that these agencies analyze the impact of proposed activities on the environment and disclose this analysis in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS discloses to the public and to decisionmakers the environmental gains and loses from the proposed activity. Because the analysis is comprehensive and disclosure requirements are specifically prescribed by NEPA, technical experts from multiple disciplines write the EIS. To assist these specialty authors in producing an effective and successful EIS, an EIS content plan is mandatory.
Daus-Weber, Theresa. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Environmental>Technical Writing
#32042
Back in 1998, I defined topics as "'chunks' of information in a Help file that answer one question or provide focused, specific content." Ten years later, I typically use the same definition. However, there have been some changes in how those "chunks" are developed.
Helpstuff (2008). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#29053
Although rhetoricians have studied the discourse practices of engineers, little is known about the production workers who must assemble engineering knowledge into functional products. This case study examines what happens when a production worker tried to improve manufacturing documentation, and how her success depended upon both her craft knowledge and the rhetorical skills she attributes to a Writing Across the Curriculum program she experienced in college.
Vélez, Lili Fox and Susan P. Hall. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2001). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Engineering
#22173
When No One's Home: Being a Writer on Remote Project Teams
Asserts that technology has made remote interaction commonplace but that lack of face-to-face contact can be disorienting. Explores rules for remote teams and special behaviors needed to integrate members on those teams.
Larbi, Nancy E. and Susan Springfield. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Writing>Telecommuting>Technical Writing
#31360
When Tech Writers Don't Read Directions
Find out what the Unspoken Rule of technical writers is and how to avoid violating it.
Minson, Benjamin. Intercom (2008). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#19667
When Technical Writers Don't Write Technically
Technical writers are often asked to write more than just end-user manuals or online help systems. Due to company size, layoffs, or a lack of resources, the technical writer might also be expected to deliver marketing communication collateral, Web site content, training materials, and more. These additional tasks can daunt those who have not been formally trained in other writing styles or those who do not switch writing styles easily.
Statt, Ronald A. Intercom (2003). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Technical Writing
#28878
White Paper Writing: Breaking the Monotony of Technical Writing
Preparing to write your first White Paper? Promila provides you a 360-degree view of white paper writing and the subsequent information that will help you envisage the bigger picture.
Chitkara, Promila. International Journal for Technical Communication (2007). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>White Papers
#27770
WhitePaperSource is a rich information source for white paper enthusiasts. It contains news about the industry and a forum for discussing everything and anything about writing and marketing white papers.
WhitePaperSource. Articles>Writing>Technical Illustration>Business Communication
#23371
Technical writing faculty who work in solo situations are often seen as the 'other' in their home departments, whether we are housed with literature, business, or engineering faculty. We are thus inscribed in a unique border location, and consequently are further inscribed in a peripheral location within the greater technical writing academy.
Nardone, Carroll Ferguson. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
#22025
Who or What Are Technical Writers?
Perhaps the first question should be, What’s a the difference between a Technical Writer, Technical Communicator, or Document Developer? And the answer is: None, Nada, Zero, etc. The basic task remains and that is to interpret and effectively communicate technical and business-oriented information.
#25487
Whose Ideas?: The Technical Writer's Expertise In Inventio
Compelling arguments from researchers studying the rhetoric of science have convinced both scientists and humanists that technical writing involves invention, or discovery of the available means of argument. If we agree that inventio is crucial to technical writing, however, we encounter a problem: namely, that the rhetor engaged in invention as part of a technical writing process does not necessarily have expertise in the subject matter of the composition. What, then, is the expertise that the technical writer contributes to the invention process? Working from the notion that knowledge is an activity rather than a commodity, I argue that a technical writer's expertise in invention lies in an ability to adapt rhetorical heuristics to situations of interdisciplinary collaboration. This focus expands our understanding of how invention works when the goal of communication is producing knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, rather than winning an argument with persuasive techniques.
Harkness Regli, Susan. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (1999). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Rhetoric
#31729
The Why and How of Content Convergence and Integration
Content producers are about to live through interesting times, to adapt the popular saying, with the dawning of The Age of Content. Industry is discovering content as a commodity; the rules are changing, and fast. What have traditionally been seen as the lowliest form of commercial content within an enterprise, technical manuals, are starting to take their place alongside the other valued corporate assets.
Bailie, Rahel Anne. Writing Assistance (2007). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>Technical Writing
#21686
Why Technical Writers are Midwives
Technical writers are midwives who deliver the message to users. Experienced technical writers enable you to understand complex technical concepts easily. Based on personal experience, technical writers always put the reader first.
#30809
Why Write Instructions That No One is Going to Read?
I know that a lot of people never read instruction manuals or online help. But you know what? Some people do.
HelpScribe (2008). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
#31902
Why Writing Deadlines May Be (Almost) As Good As Money
As much as we all like and/or need money, getting paid may not be enough to keep a writer motivated. Deadlines often are just as important. Although some of us fear — or even hate — them, the truth is that without them many of us simply wouldn’t write anything. And you can count me among those many.
Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2008). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Project Management
#28180
Wield the Power of the Written Word
Technical writers can change their professional destiny and the destiny of the organization for which they work by choosing to write or not write a particular document. Too often, technical writers avoid or reject opportunities to influence their working environments positively because they look at their professional role too narrowly.
Uhl, Michael. Carolina Communique (2004). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
#24505
This qualitative content analysis identifies 40 articles about women and feminism published in five technical communication journals in a period of nine years, beginning with the publication of Mary Lay's award-winning "Interpersonal Conflict in Collaborative Writing" in 1989. Along with numeric trends about the frequency of articles about women and feminism in technical communication journals, this study also identifies major themes, all of which concern inclusion: through eliminating sexist language, providing equal opportunity in the workplace, valuing gender differences, recovering women's historical contributions to technical communication, and critiquing previously uncontested terms and concepts. The study concludes that although research about women and feminism has been accepted as part of the scholarly purview of technical communication, the ways in which this research has influenced workplace or classroom practice are unclear.
Thompson, Isabelle. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (1999). Articles>Publishing>Technical Writing>Gender
#28168
There is much left to be done with words. I think the trend toward more graphical interfaces will continue, but so will the complexity of the technology we develop. So there will always be a need for communication experts to figure out the best wording for the details involved in that technology. Finding the best way to articulate ideas and communicate information for making decisions will continue to be our bread and butter. We will see who has the last word.
Albing, Bill. Carolina Communique (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
#31879
For a company that recently secured $29 million in funding, has grown from nonexistence to worldwide popularity in just four years, and which has the reputation of being the platform for serious bloggers, it’s kind of bold for me to call attention to its biggest mistake in a post. But I’m convinced that it’s a huge miscalculation on the part of Automattic (the company that leads WordPress). The Automattic team, led by Matt Mullenweg, has about 25 engineers and …. not one technical writer.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>WordPress
#26697
The World of Competitive Technical Writing: How Applicable it is to Today’s Professionals
Traces the experiences of a new entrant in the field of technical communication, and examines the competitive and cooperative nature of that field.
White, Miranda. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
#27599
Review: Write Your Way to Riches: How to Make Money as a Technical Writer
Write Your Way to Riches gives you comprehensive, step-by-step details on how to make money as a technical writer. Technical writing is one of the highest paid writing professions, and it's easy to get into.
Gregg, Joseph. Writers Weekly (2001). Articles>Reviews>Writing>Technical Writing
