Dirty Battles in the Trench: Is It Wise to Use Real Materials for Editing in a Technical Writing Class?  

The use of real materials in a technical writing class involves both advantages and drawbacks. Use of real materials makes the class relate well to the work environment, improves self-esteem, critical thinking, and student motivation. Drawbacks include the problem of finding materials, a lack of course continuity, a lessening of use of the class text, and legal implications. Overall, the use of real materials for classroom editing is recommended.

Stibravy, John A. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing

Discovering That Writing for the Web is Different...Every Day, for the First Time

Every self-appointed pundit on the planet is saying that users are the new 'owners' of the online medium.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2007). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Discovering the Pedagogical Paradigm Shift in Technical Writing  

For my dissertation, I am analyzing technical writing textbooks from the early 1900s to the present to determine whether technical writing pedagogy has undergone or is undergoing a paradigm shift. When I began this study, my hypothesis was that technical writing pedagogy, like composition and rhetoric pedagogy, has shifted from the product orientation to the process orientation. Textbooks that are product oriented emphasize the study of examples or models, and textbooks that are process oriented emphasize the study of the writing process. Now that I have completed my study and am in the process of analyzing the results, my hypothesis is that technical writing pedagogy shifted from a product orientation to a combined product and process orientation.

Jeansonne, Jerold. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing

Distributed or Centralized: How to Maintain Quality When They Keep Reorganizing Your Organization  

Is there a 'best' way to organize technical publications? One central organization? Many small organizations per business unit? Communicators distributed through the development teams? Discuss the pros and cons of organizational structure and its relationship to quality.

Hackos, JoAnn T. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Quality>Technical Writing

Do All Writers Need a Literary Agent?

What kind of contract do I sign with a literary agent? Here are some things to consider.

About.com. Careers>Freelance>Writing

Do Internet Users Want Deep Content or Immediate Gratification?

For a long time I have been an advocate of quality content on web sites. And now I am conducting an experiment that pitches quality content against immediate gratification.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2006). Articles>Information Design>Web Design>Writing

Do Technical Writers Need an International Standard for English-Language Spelling?

He demonstrates how ministers of state who speak different languages often choose English as the most convenient language of communication. He cites the 11-nation European Central Bank in Frankfurt as a typical organization that works only in English. And he notes that many of the journals published by respected international organizations such as the Pasteur Institute also are published in English. TC-Forum is another example.

Blicq, Ronald S. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Style Guides>International>Technical Writing

Do You Have the Brain to Be a Writer?

Are some people born to be great writers, or can they learn their way to greatness? An insightful survey of current thought on this age-old debate.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1996). Articles>Writing

Boilerplate

The SMEs had a choice between two sets of tables they could use to input key product data. If their part of the project used items from the A list, they were supposed to use table A. If their part of the product used items from the B list, they were supposed to use table B. In almost every case, the SMEs used the wrong table, leaving gaps where their information did not conform to the columns of the tables.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>SMEs

Document Hack (A Technical Writer's Journal): Changing Bosses

Switching bosses within the same company is not an entirely smooth process. On the day of the crossover, I showed up to work and discovered my badge and my email deactivated. It took most of the day to get security to reactivate my accounts.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Contracting for Fun and Profit

Because I am working at this job through a contract, rather than as a regular employee, there are some situations unique to my position. In the technical writing industry, many writers work on a contract basis through an agency. This type of employment is called contracting, although you may also hear it called consulting. I prefer the term contracting because I associate consultants with people whose job is to advise a company on one issue or another. That may or may not describe a particular technical writing assignment.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Careers>Writing>Consulting>Technical Writing

Document Hack (A Technical Writer's Journal): First Day

Rule number one for a contractor is to never panic about what happens your first day. First days are naturally chaotic, and often companies are not fully prepared for you. Because contractors are usually brought in to solve a particular problem, the people are anxious to get you started, but companies, especially large ones, are not geared for quick action.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Careers>Advice>Writing>Technical Writing

Document Hack (A Technical Writer's Journal): Interview and Negotiation

My face-to-face interview with the company was similar to my phone interview. So similar, in fact that more than once I found myself answering the same questions I had answered over the phone. They did throw a couple curve balls at me, however. The strangest question I was asked was, 'If we called your references, what would they say about you?' I was unprepared for this one, and I ended up talking more about my references than about what they would say about me.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Careers>Interviewing>Writing>Technical Writing

Document Hack (A Technical Writer's Journal): Phone Interview

When I originally spoke to the recruiter on the phone, she gave me a brief description of the job and asked for my rate. We negotiated the rate for a few minutes and came up with an acceptable number ($25 an hour) and she sent me an e-mail with the full job description and a short agreement asking me to confirm her representation and my rate. I sent back my confirmation and that was it for a while.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Careers>Interviewing>Writing>Technical Writing

The Documentation Scene

Funny thing, documentation. Ought to be easy enough, surely? So why the disappointing results? What IS the elusive spark which distinguishes the professional author from others who put their hand to the pen (keyboard)?

Mobbs, John. ISTC (2002). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Documentation Solutions for Complex Tools: Task-Based Design at the Cross Roads  

For most of the technical writing community, task-based documentation has become the panacea for presentation of end-product document (in any of its myriad forms including traditional linear manuals and online help). We believe, however, that applying this method to a complex tool, (for example, a software tool without a Graphical User Interface), challenges the task-based approach.

Swallow, Lisa and Matt Laney. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Documenting Contributory Expertise: The Value Added by Technical Communicators in Collaborative Writing Situations     

Technical communicators frequently collaborate in workplace projects and bring a host of different kinds of expertise to this collaboration. Yet the understanding of communicators’ expertise among managers and subject matter experts is grounded in a view of writing as a finished product and authorship as singular. This article documents many different kinds of 'contributory expertise' employed by writers collaborating to produce articles for publication. Expertise in research, textual composition, visual composition, as well as other kinds of expertise garnered on previous projects is often brought to collaborative projects. Often emerging and developing as a function of collaborative work is expertise in framing the project, conducting review processes, and assessing outcomes. These categories are discussed in some detail to provide practicing communicators with ideas for documenting expertise in their specific workplaces, to provide students with ideas for developing expertise in various areas, and to prov

Henry, James M. Technical Communication Online (1998). Articles>Writing>Collaboration>SMEs

Documenting Sources: Using APA Format  

This presentation reviews the purposes of APA documentation, as well as methods for effectively using parenthetical citations and a reference page. This presentation is ideal for the beginning of a research unit in a science course or any assignment that requires APA documentation.

Liethen, Jennifer Kunka. Purdue University. Presentations>Slideshows>Writing

DocuMentorG Columns

Columns on technical writing. Continuation of the column written from 2001-03 for IT People.

Kamath, Gurudutt R. Topica (2004). Resources>Mailing Lists>Writing>Technical Writing

Dodge the Grammar Traps

You don't have to swallow a grammar book to write correctly. If you can just avoid ten serious and very common traps, your chances of making a grammar mistake drop dramatically.

McAlpine, Rachel. Quality Web Content (2004). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Does Globalization Spell Trouble for Technical Writers?

The nature of work for traditionally white-collar professions such as technical writing, is also changing. While a growing number of professional writers is opting for the life of the freelancer, and enjoying the freedom and earning potential that this lifestyle can provide, many permanent full-time writing positions are being eliminated when work is delegated to temporary or contract workers.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2001). Careers>Writing>International

Does Having a Blog Make You a Writer?  

For the techno-savvy TechRepublic member, writing in some form or fashion is an almost daily occurrence. But how effective is your communication? In this interview, author Barry Rosenberg shares his thoughts about the current state of technical writing skills.

Kaelin, Mark. TechRepublic (2005). Articles>Interviews>Technical Writing>Blogging

Doin' That Old Two-Step: A System for Getting Your Writing Right

Here's an awful question: "What is good writing?" When we run writing workshops for businesspeople, we often begin by asking for the characteristics of good writing versus bad writing. The first list typically contains words like simple, clear, accessible, concise, lively and conversational. The second list is on the flip side of the coin, with participants describing bad writing as complex, wordy, confusing, illogical, full of jargon and having no clear purpose.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Writing

Don't Call Me Tina

Scott Adams created a character named Tina the tech writer for his comic strip Dilbert. She’s brittle, humorless, literal, and wonders why she doesn’t get any respect or interesting work. Like many caricatures, Tina has a basis in reality. This blog will explore issues in technical communication and its professional association the Society for Technical Communication.

Harkness, Holly E. Don't Call Me Tina (2008). Resources>Writing>Technical Writing>Blogs