#14288
Assessing Proficiency in Engineering English 
Though engineers around the world conduct their work in nearly every language on the planet, there are very few who never use English for some aspect of their job. The largest professional engineering organizations use English as their primary language; most of the world’s engineering publications are written in English; and nearly all cooperative ventures with multinational participation choose English for their common language of communication. Unfortunately, most of the world’s engineers are not native speakers of English and thus are considerably disadvantaged in professional terms.
Orr, Thomas. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Language>Assessment
#13762
When it comes to graphing data, most professionals show little method or creativity. They typically limit themselves to a small repertoire of graph types and select from it on the basis of habit, if not sheer ease of production. Similarly, the many books on graphing devote much attention to graphical integrity and readability, but little or none to graph selection. We developed a methodology to help engineers, scientists, and managers choose the “right graph” on the basis of three criteria: the structure of the data set in terms of number and type of variables, the intended use of the graph, and the research question or intended message. The first and third criteria allow one to construct an effective two-entry selection table.
Doumont, Jean-luc and Philippe Vandenbroeck. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Design>Graphic Design>Technical Illustration>Charts and Graphs
#14292
Communicating for Advantage in the Virtual Organization
This paper looks at the virtual organization in an electronic market environment and the different models of communication and management that may be required. The authors begin by providing some clear definitions of virtual cultures and different models of virtuality that can exist within the electronic market. Degrees of virtuality can be seriously constrained by the extent to which organizations have predefined communication linkages in the marketplace and the extent to which these can be substituted by virtual ones, but also by the intensity of virtual linkages which support the virtual model. Six virtual organizational models are proposed within a dynamic framework of change. In order to realize strategic advantage, virtual organizations must align their management models and communication processes with their virtual culture.
Burn, Janice and Martin Barnett. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1988). Careers>Management>Online
#13753
Corporate Software Training: Is Web-Based Training as Effective as Instructor-Led Training?
Web-based training has been both acclaimed as a self-paced, consistent, stand-alone alternative to traditional instructor-led training and disparaged for its high development costs and dearth of qualified trainers. Critics especially question its effectiveness. This case study tests the effectiveness of a stand-alone web-based training program and compares the results to that of an identical instructor-led course. The course provides highly task-oriented instruction for a computer software package and was developed using a proven instructional design methodology. The data from this study show that web-based training is as effective as instructor-led training for stand-alone software application training in a corporation.
Coppola, Nancy W. and Robert Myre. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online
#13760
The Culture(s) of the Technical Communicator
The role of the technical communication practitioner stems from the need for members from two distinct professions to connect; for example, engineers have created some new technology, and users who are (assumedly) unfamiliar with the technology want or need to understand that technology.
Amare, Nicole. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>TC
#13756
Deep Linking: An Ethical and Legal Analysis
Deep linking, the practice of linking to a subsidiary page rather than the home page of another organization’s website, is the subject of considerable controversy. In several recent lawsuits, plaintiffs have alleged violations of copyright, trademark, and commercial laws. In this article, I review the legal and ethical issues regarding deep linking and comment on how the ethical conflict between rights and utility motivates the controversy. I conclude that protecting site owners’ rights to control deep linking to their sites is a stronger value than enhancing the utility of the Web for users by allowing completely unrestricted deep linking. Finally, I recommend a collection of resources for Web developers interested in staying current with the evolving controversy.
Markel, Mike. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Design>Web Design>Hypertext
#13769
This article analyzes reports describing a proposed MagLev rail system, reports which employ idiosyncratic rhetorical devices to argue for funding. The analysis discusses ethical and rhetorical dilemmas which face writers seeking funding for 'new mode' problems.
Sauer, Beverly A. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1993). Design>Information Design>Assessment
#24770
Disease Classification and the Organization of Large-Scale Web Sites
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) has been employed by the world's public health officials to chart the nature, frequency, and geographic origins of diseases and causes of death in human populations since the late nineteenth century. The ICD has been modified every decade since the 1890s, and a study by Bowker and Star of these changes, in concert with the work of others on the practices employed in information mapping, can be used to better understand the organization of large-scale web sites. Specifically, web designers must adapt classification schemes to fit multiple social worlds. Additionally, we need to understand that these systems can become so entrenched in our thinking that they become "invisible," thus undermining our ability to adapt them as future needs or insights arise.
Applen, J.D. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2001). Articles>Information Design>Web Design>Biomedical
#13755
The Effect of Inductively Versus Deductively Organized Text on American and Japanese Readers
When document designers localize documents for readers in other cultures, they should consider what text organization will best suit those readers. The study presented here examines American and Japanese readers’ comprehension of and preference for expository text that contains a thesis and is organized either inductively or deductively. The results revealed that while Americans performed equally well with either organizational structure Japanese readers recalled more information from inductively organized text. The implications for document designers in English and Japanese speaking countries are discussed.
Spyridakis, Jan H. and Waka Fukuoka. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Language>Rhetoric
#13770
The Engineer as Rational Man: The Problem of Imminent Danger in a Non-Rational Environment
Mine safety instruction manuals and training guides reflect an engineering perspective based on the concept of a Rational Man, a perspective which obsstructs effective risk management.
Sauer, Beverly A. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1992). Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication>Rhetoric
#13812
Experiential Learning Prepares Students to Assume Professional Roles
Educators need to prepare their students to assume roles as communicators in the corporate world. By providing experiential education--active learning both inside and outside the classroom--teachers can ensure that students succeed.
Southard, Sherry. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1988). Articles>Education>Workplace
#24772
Extensible Markup Languages and Traditional Abstracting and Indexing Strategies
Object oriented coding languages are used to more accurately label and search for content embedded in electronic texts. An object can be a graphic, a row of specific data housed in a table, a written text, or any other piece of information that conveys meaning. XML, XLink and RDF are second-generation object-oriented coding languages and tools derived from SGML. I illustrate how these object-oriented languages can effectively deploy the indexing techniques and systems traditionally used by information professionals.
Applen, J.D. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2001). Articles>Content Management>Knowledge Management>XML
#13761
Back in 1990, Leonard and Gilsdorf presented 45 instances of questionable usage, in full-paragraph contexts, to both academics and working business executives. These usage elements included sentence fragments, assorted punctuation problems, pronoun–antecedent (dis)agreement, and various examples of questionable word choice. Their intent was to assess the “botheration level” of each usage “error”; their conclusions were that 1) academics are (nearly) always bothered by usage “errors” more than executives and 2) usage elements that bothered survey respondents the least were evolving over time into acceptable English usage. Just over ten years later, these same researchers have followed up on their original study and have drawn similar conclusions from the more recent data.
Manning, Alan D. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Language>Style Guides
#14286
The Influence of Gender on Collaborative Projects in an Engineering Classroom
Using a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis, this article discusses some of the findings from a larger study on collaboration and the role of gender. Here, we profile three student engineering teams as they participate in processes leading to the submission of a report for a team-based technical communication course. While some theorists suggest that gender can play a significant role in achieving a successful team dynamic, our study only partially supports that claim. A synopsis of two women from two predominantly male teams reveals glimpses of what the literature describes as traditional gender-linked behaviors by both men and women, but the all-female team does not conform to stereotypical patterns and their behaviors call into question the existence of these interactional styles. We suggest that factors other than gender and independent of a team’s gender composition—such as team commitment and a strong work ethic—exert a greater impact on collaboration. Nevertheless, the study does caution against assigning women to predominantly male teams since, when a team’s social structure is mostly male, traditional gender-linked interactional behaviors as well as manifestations of the culture of engineering are more likely to emerge. Overall, the study underlines the importance of examining specific face-to-face interactions to see how behavior is situationally produced in order to more fully understand the interactional strategies open to individuals.
Ingram, Sandra and Anne Parker. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Collaboration>Writing
#13767
John Carroll's The Nurnberg Funnel and Minimalist Documentation
A review of the use of minimalist theory in the creation of documentation sets.
Farkas, David K. and Thomas R. Williams. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1990). Design>Documentation
#14285
Literature Reviews in Student Project Reports 
Writing project reports is an important part of the engineering curriculum at Singapore universities. One important section of the formal report is the literature review. Most universities around the world provide guidelines on writing reviews, emphasizing that plagiarism is unethical. However, these guidelines do not offer explicit training on how to avoid plagiarism. In order to write academically acceptable reviews while avoiding copying from source materials, students face a major challenge and resort to employing various strategies to cope with the task. In this study, we examined the literature review sections of final year project reports to find out how engineering undergraduates in a Singapore university cope with writing reviews and to suggest ways in which they can extend their skills to improve their literature reviews.
Krishnan, Lakshmy A. and Sujata S. Kathpalia. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Academic>Education>Writing>Plagiarism
#13758
Magical Numbers: The Seven-Plus-or-Minus-Two Myth
George Miller’s “magical number seven, plus or minus two” is poorly understood and, consequently, blindly applied to professional communication. As an example, I have heard speakers explicitly allow themselves up to seven items of up to seven words on each visual aid, in addition to the title. Any such slide would fail any real-life test of effectiveness, such as briefly showing the slide while going on talking, then asking the audience what was on it. Such misconceptions endure.
Doumont, Jean-luc. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Human Computer Interaction
#13765
Measuring the Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators
Many organizations underestimate what technical communicators do for them. This article studies how to quantify the measure of return on investment in TC.
Ramey, Judith A. and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1993). Articles>TC>Assessment
#14287
This article provides a framework for organizing and structuring the research of historical researchers who analyze technical and scientific publications. Because historical research spans both decades and centuries, an effective research methodology is essential. The framework consists of a multifaceted 10-step method for studying the written discourse of scientific and technical communication, specifically for interpreting historical data obtained from articles published in technical and scientific journals. The method is a reliable means for making sense of the enormous body of data that awaits historical researchers in the volumes of scientific and technical discourse already published.
Battalio, John T. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2001). Articles>History
#13768
Online Editing, Mark-Up Models, and the Workplace Lives of Editors and Writers
Despite the fact that most editing is still performed on paper, there are compelling reasons to begin marking copy on the computer.
Farkas, David K. and Steven E. Poltrock. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1995). Articles>Editing>Online
#14289
A Peircian Approach to Professional Ethics Instruction
Registered Professional Engineers (PEs) in most states have a continuing professional development requirement that specifies that in addition to taking a certain number of short courses in their area of technical competence each year, PEs must also take a professional ethics refresher course at least once every two years. Because the PEs in these ethics courses are forced to attend and because the subject matter is often perceived as legalistic, repetitive, and unnecessary, these courses tend to elicit less-than-enthusiastic responses from participants. Furthermore, since the duration of these courses (1 or 2 hours) is so short, it is difficult to give a meaningful treatment of the very broad field of ethics and also apply it to real-world ethical situations in the time frame allotted.
Chambers, Terrence L. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2001). Articles>Education>Ethics
#13752
Perceptions of Accuracy in Science Writing
Technical experts and writers often disagree about what constitutes accuracy in popular writings about science and technology, such as news media reports. In previous attempts to quantify accuracy in science news reporting, many of the sources’ comments pointed to objective errors, but a sizable number dealt with lack of completeness or stylistic issues. There has been no consensus among communication researchers on the kind of scheme that should be used to code such information. We suggest a scheme for categorizing empirical information about the different kinds of perceived “errors” that technical sources identify in articles about their work by journalists and other writers. This study may lead to strategies for enhancing the accuracy of popular writings about science and technology.
Carsten, Laura D. and Deborah L. Illman. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Scientific Communication
#13757
Project Characteristics and Group Communication: An Investigation
This research study examined the effects of technological complexity on project group communication. The same project teams performed three separate projects involving the development of an HTML website, the development of a local-area network (LAN), and the development of blueprints for a wide-area network (WAN). Each of the projects exposed groups to a different level of complexity. The results of the study indicated differences in group information sharing, group communication focus, and group gatekeeping activities. In each of these cases, the groups had greater communication with the less complex project task, the HTML project. The study did not find significant differences in group communication concerned with member withdrawal or group conflict.
Roberts, Tom L., Paul H. Cheney and Paul D. Sweeney. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Collaboration
#14291
This article details a methodical audience identification called a 'pre-write.'
Savakinas, Ruth C. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1988). Articles>Writing
#13754
Professionals involved in the creation of text-based communication face a number of challenges. These include overburdened and often uninterested users juxtaposed with the writer’s desire to communicate relevant topical information. Uninvolved users are likely to ignore the message. This may be exacerbated by increases in text length designed to increase the amount and/or detail of information to be communicated. An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of rhetorical figures in text headings as to how users read and process the text (hereafter, readership, as used in marketing). To the extent that higher levels of text readership increase user knowledge and skills, enhance topic-related attitudes, and facilitate beneficial topic-related behaviors, higher readership should yield desirable communication outcomes. Headings with rhetorical figures were hypothesized to enhance readership, particularly under conditions generally associated with relatively low readership, namely, lower perceived information relevance and longer text. Results generally support rhetorical figures’ abilities to enhance readership, especially with longer texts.
Huhmann, Bruce A., David L. Mothersbaugh and George R. Franke. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Rhetoric>Writing
