Bright Words, Dull Words, and Snags: A Theory of Technical Writing  

While all words on the page should be necessary, not every word carries the same importance. Yet words compete for attention, and depending on what they mean to readers, one word may make a greater impression than another. As writers, we must express what’s important with bright words. We must tone down what’s not important and express them with dull words. We must avoid snags, words that distract, confuse, or interfere in any way with the smooth transfer of information.

Palkovic, Lawrence A. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Writing>Rhetoric

Teaching Audience in Technical Communication  

Teaching technical writing students how to communicate with the different audiences of technical documents requires defining those audiences. Traditional division of audiences by educational level or job function fails to consider the readers’ familiarity with the subject and their interest in it. This paper sets up three categories of audience (lay, middle, and expert) and suggests how to communicate effectively with each, to help students prepare to create documents designed for different audiences.

Samson, Donald C., Jr. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Rhetoric>Writing

Using a Problem Focus to Quickly Aid Users in Trouble  

Users are encountering more and more situations where task dotumentation separates topics too much for the interconnected nature of the task. These complex processes require an approach that takes into account the effect of strategy on the outcome of the task. Users have to know what factors affect the quality and type of output, and the stages where branching will depend upon these choices. This paper deals with the methodology required to help users in trouble in complex tasks. It also presents the types of situations where this approach is most useful.

Hallgren, Chris. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Writing>Rhetoric

Who is the Author?  

Who should be listed as the authors of an article for a journal or conference proceedings? The basic requirement for authorship is that an author should be able to take public responsibility for the content of the paper. People who may have contributed intellectually to the work but whose contributions do not justify authorship may be acknowledged in the appropriate section of the paper.

Burgan, Murrie W. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Rhetoric>Writing