http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Columbia_University A listing of works published by Columbia University in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Columbia_University http://tc.eserver.org/18979.html http://tc.eserver.org/18979.html English 301 is an introductory course in the principles and practice of technical and business writing. Technical and business writing is, of course, part of the universe of written discourse, and so you will be building on writing skills that you already have and acquiring skills that you will be able to use in other writing tasks. While it is difficult to define technical and business writing precisely, we can say that it differs, generally, from other kinds of writing in its subject matter, purpose and approach, formal conventions, and style. At the same time, the differences are differences of degree rather than absolute differences. The subject matter of technical and business writing is, obviously, the world of science, technology, and business. However, subject matter that is not normally considered 'technical' can be the subject of technical writing, provided the approach to it is objective rather than subjective. In other words, the purpose and approach may allow an otherwise 'untechnical”'subject to become 'technical.' The two primary purposes of the writing you do in this course will be to inform and to persuade. You will study some basic principles of defining, instructing, and evaluating, and you will concentrate on presenting material objectively. When you persuade, you will persuade on the basis of verifiable evidence, not on the basis of appeals to emotion. Most technical and business writing observes specific conventions of form, and you will be introduced to a variety of these. Three elements of form that are particularly important in technical and business writing and are seldom used in other kinds of writing are headings, lists, and illustrations. These elements of form, when used effectively, will, of necessity, also affect organization and style. In addition, there are specific conventions of form that govern memo writing, letter writing, and report writing, and you will practice using these. http://tc.eserver.org/13064.html http://tc.eserver.org/13064.html The notes below apply to technical papers in computer science and electrical engineering, with emphasis on papers in systems and networks. Papers can be divided roughly into two categories, namely original research papers and survey papers. There are papers that combine the two elements, but most publication venues either only accept one or the other type or require the author to identify whether the paper should be evaluated as a research contribution or a survey paper. http://tc.eserver.org/10112.html http://tc.eserver.org/10112.html A guide to locating, translating, and using the elements of citation for both a humanities style (i.e., MLA and Chicago) and a scientific style (APA and CBE) for electronically-accessed sources. Part I is divided into two chapters. Chapter I examines, in broad and theoretical terms, the logic of citation; it answers the questions, 'Why cite?' and 'Why use a citation style?' Chapter 2 answers the question, 'How should we cite online material?' It first provides a guide to citation for authors working with humanities-oriented texts and then discusses an author-date citation system typically used in the sciences. Part 2 includes four chapters. Chapter 3 discusses the logic–the why–of document style. Chapters 4 and 5 describe standards for how to produce print and online documents. Chapter 6 discusses some more advanced considerations related to online style (3-4).