Communicating in a Crisis: Risk Communication Guidelines for Public Officials  

Sound and thoughtful risk communication can assist public officials in preventing ineffective, fear-driven, and potentially damaging public responses to serious crises such as unusual disease outbreaks and bioterrorism. Moreover, appropriate risk communication procedures foster the trust and confidence that are vital in a crisis situation.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002). Books>Risk Communication>Biomedical>Crisis Communication

Review: Communication Skills for the Processing of Words, 5th Edition    

This text aims to prepare students for entry-level jobs and foster their career progress after they enter the workplace. The focus of this book is not as broad as the typical introductory text on business communication. However, this book could be the right choice for an advanced business writing course in a high school or an introductory business writing course in a college, university, or technical school. This book might also work well as a supplement in a postsecondary business communication course for use by students who either have not completed a 1st-year composition course or who have completed that course without mastering grammar, mechanics, and style. This textbook includes 18 units: 8 discuss specific types of punctuation (e.g., commas and colons); 7 cover usage and mechanics (e.g., capitalization and numbers); and 3 cover grammar (e.g., subject and verb agreement).

Stallworth Williams, Linda. Business Communication Quarterly (2007). Articles>Reviews>Textbooks>Business Communication

Electronic Scientific, Technical, and Medical Journal Publishing and Its Implications: Report of a Symposium

A report on the STC (Scientific, Technical and Medical) publishing enterprise as it exists today.

National Academies Press (2004). Books>Publishing>Scientific Communication>Technical Writing

Escritura Cientifico Tecnica  

El objetivo de una comunicación técnica no divulgativa es transmitir ideas, información o descubrimientos de carácter técnico o científico dentro de un entorno homogéneo (interacción entre miembros de una misma comunidad, por ejemplo, la comunidad académica de profesores y alumnos). Incluye elementos tales como: Preguntas o dudas sobre una materia concreta a una autoridad competente. Por ejemplo: un mensaje de correo electrónico enviado a un profesor para consultar una duda sobre la organización del laboratorio o sobre una práctica; Informes sobre el análisis, diseño, implementación o pruebas de un determinado sistema o de un módulo de un sistema. Dentro de este apartado podemos incluir la memoria final de la práctica de laboratorios como el LSED o el LCEL; Informes sobre mediciones de laboratorio incluyendo su discusión. Forman parte de la memoria de LSED o LCEL.

Martinez, Juan Manuel Montero. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (2001). (Spanish) Books>Scientific Communication>TC

Improving Risk Communication

Technological risk and the process of explaining risks to the public have become major public issues. The mention of Bhopal or Love Canal can provoke emotional arguments--not only about the hazards themselves but also about how they were explained to the public. As new laws, the threat of AIDS, and other factors make risk communication more crucial, officials in government and industry are seeking guidelines on how to communicate effectively and responsibly. This volume offers an approach to better quality in risk communication. The combined insight of experts from government, business, and universities, Improving Risk Communication draws on the most current academic and practical information and analysis. Issues addressed include why risk communication has become more difficult in recent decades, what the major problems are, and how common misconceptions often hamper communication campaigns. Aimed especially at top decisionmakers in government and industry, the book emphasizes that solving the problems of risk communication is as much about improving procedures as improving the content of risk messages. Specific recommendations for change include a Risk Message Checklist and a call for developing a consumer's guide to risk. Appendixes provide additional details.

National Research Council Committee on Risk Perception and Communication. National Academies Press (1989). Books>Risk Communication>Assessment>Civic

Promoting Health: Intervention Strategies from Social and Behavioral Research

By itself, biomedical research cannot address the most significant challenges to improving public health. Approximately half of all causes of mortality in the United States are linked to social and behavioral factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle, and accidents. Yet less than five percent of the money spent annually on U.S. health care is devoted to reducing the risks of these preventable conditions. Behavioral and social interventions offer great promise, but as yet their potential has been relatively poorly tapped. Promoting Health identifies those promising areas of social science and behavioral research that may address public health needs.

Smedley, Brian D. and S. Leonard Syme, Eds. National Academies Press (2001). Books>Scientific Communication

Risk Communication and Government: Theory and Application for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Research has shown that public perceptions of risk are constantly changing and evolving as the dynamics of public opinion shift in response to the environment in which we all live.

Chartier, Jean and Sandra Gabler. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2001). Books>Risk Communication>Government>Canada

Scientific and Technical Communication: Theory, Practice, and Policy (Digital Edition)

Scientific and technical communication can be defined as a process of gathering, organizing, presenting and refining information. It is also a process of persuasion which often appeals to objectivity to convince an audience. Finally, it is a process inevitably shaped by its contexts, and which is improved when it recognizes its contexts.

Collier, James H. and David M. Toomey. Virginia Tech (1997). Books>Scientific Communication>TC

Shaping Written Knowledge: The Genre and Activity of the Experimental Article in Science  

In Shaping Written Knowledge, Charles Bazerman traces the history and character of the experimental article in science, calling attention to the social and rhetorical forces that shaped its development. Truly a landmark in writing studies, this book provides a broadly interdisciplinary exploration of an important genre and offers insights that extend far beyond its immediate focus of study.

Bazerman, Charles. Academic.Writing (1988). Books>Scientific Communication

The Slashdot Effect: Analysis of a Large-Scale Public Conversation on the World Wide Web  

This dissertation argues that Slashdot emerged from collaboration among a group that shares a cultural commitment to open discussion. This combination¡ªthe dedication to open discussion with the technology to facilitate mass interaction¡ª allows Slashdot to perform the larger function of linking social groups, voices, and ideas that would otherwise remain separated.

Halavais, Alexander M. Campbell. University of Washington-Seattle (2003). Books>Web Design>Communication>Blogs

Review: Successful Writing At Work: Concise Edition    

Philip Kolin's purpose in writing Successful Writing at Work: Concise Edition is to introduce professional and business writing to undergraduate students who probably will not be taking other business writing courses. Kolin forgoes theory and provides ample exercises and examples. The concise edition, at 344 pages (10 chapters) and US$55, is 412 pages shorter and US$23 less than the full version, Successful Writing at Work (Kolin, 2006). While the book includes many of the important topics of the full version (such as discrete chapters devoted to letter writing, job applications, and writing procedures), the savings may not justify the loss of content and depth.

Dangler, Doug. Business Communication Quarterly (2008). Articles>Reviews>Textbooks>Business Communication

Understanding Risk: Informing Decisions in a Democratic Society

Understanding Risk addresses a central dilemma of risk decisionmaking in a democracy: detailed scientific and technical information is essential for making decisions, but the people who make and live with those decisions are not scientists. The key task of risk characterization is to provide needed and appropriate information to decisionmakers and the public. This important new volume illustrates that making risks understandable to the public involves much more than translating scientific knowledge. The volume also draws conclusions about what society should expect from risk characterization and offers clear guidelines and principles for informing the wide variety of risk decisions that face our increasingly technological society.

Stern, Paul C. and Harvey V. Fineberg, Eds. National Academies Press (1996). Books>Risk Communication>Assessment

White Paper Writing Guide  

The words 'white paper' in the title of a document no longer indicate a detailed and authoritative report. Many white papers today are overly long product brochures weighed down by weak organization, confusing content, unsupported assertions, and poor document design. If you follow the instructions in this guide, you will write real white papers: authoritative business communications that achieve marketing goals by explaining technical ideas clearly with a compelling presentation of business value.

Kemp, Al. Impact Technical Publications (2005). Books>Writing>Business Communication>White Papers

Twitter: Expressions of the Whole Self  

Twitter.com is a web-based communications platform combining Instant Messaging and SMS that enables subscribers to its service to send short ‘status updates’ to other people. Beyond its hybrid platform, Twitter’s unique feature is its overarching question “What are you doing?”, which acts as a ‘guidance note’ on how users should phrase their postings. Although it is a ‘soft restriction’, meaning that other formats and styles are possible, this study investigates the extent to which users of Twitter are responding to the question.

Mischaud, Edward. London School of Economics (2007). Books>Communication>Social Networking>Blogging

The Mobile Generation: Global Transformations at the Cellular Level  

People are constantly innovating in the use ofmobile technologies to allow them to be more interconnected. Almost a half century ago, Ralph Lee Smith conjured up “The Wired Nation,”foretelling a world of interactive communication to and from the home that seems commonplace in developed countries today. Now we have a “Wireless World” of communications potentially connecting two billion people to each other with interactive personal communications devices.

Lasica, J.D. Aspen Institute, The (2007). Books>Communication>Wireless Web

Civic Engagement on the Move: How Mobile Media Can Serve the Public Good  

Many people—especially youth and the previously disempowered—are learning to use cell phone messages, snapshots and videos as a way to express their political views. Certainly that was being demonstrated by the thousands of young people and others drawn into the 2008 Presidential primary campaign.

Lasica, J.D. Aspen Institute, The (2008). Books>Communication>Wireless Web>Civic

Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) 1.6  

The Business Analysis Body of Knowledge is the sum of knowledge within the profession of Business Analysis and reflects what is considered currently accepted practice. As with other professions, the body of knowledge is defined and enhanced by the business analysis professionals who apply it. The BOK describes Business Analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution.

IIBA (2006). Books>Business Communication>Professionalism>Body of Knowledge