The release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys is part of a public health initiative to limit the spread of infectious disease. The local debate over this proposed action provides a current case study of a public, scientific controversy in which citizens and officials disagree about what is best for the community. The case…

This research explores a presumed link between today's use of digital media and an ever-increasing lack of rhetorical awareness in students. Specifically, the study pilots a method for measuring rhetorical awareness through students' e-mail transactions with faculty in technical writing service courses, questioning whether rhetorical awareness has…

The facts bear out that the odds are against most scientific researchers and scholars--especially those just starting out--in their attempts to win funding for their research projects through their grant proposals. In this article, the author takes a close look at some of the proposal-related problems and pitfalls that have historically challenged…

This article examines the influential Chinese science book "Brush Talks from Dream Brook," written by Shen Kuo in the 11th century. I suggest that "Brush Talks" reveals a tension between institutionalized science and science in the public, and a gap between the making of scientific knowledge and the communication of such…

Service-learning projects and traditional internships both prepare the student of technical communication for the workforce in many ways. What is lacking in the scholarship is a discussion of how to successfully link these two ideas. To help teachers implement courses that bridge the gap between service-learning projects and internships, I discuss…

Investigates the expectations and needs of audience in the health care professions. Determines (through interviews) audience reading habits, desired document qualities, and intended use. Finds that some health care professionals' expectations are similar to those of other technical writers, but some are specific to health care. Notes that findings…

Considers how technical communication is included in accommodating the values and ethics of its many audiences. Presents an introduction and annotated bibliography of articles from technical writing and communication journals published over the past quarter century arranged in categories of professional, academic, and systematic approaches. (NH)

Details writing problems technical students encounter when they fail to distinguish between model and example and between different kinds of models. Analyzes these problems with reference to inappropriate material in texts. Defines several writing models, and shows how understanding these models gives writers rhetorical flexibility while producing…

Studies use of a restricted language, Simplified English (SE), to write procedural documents for specific audiences. Examines the effect of type (SE versus non-SE), passage (A versus B), and native language on the comprehensibility, identification of content location, and task completion of procedure documents for airplane maintenance. Suggests…

Asks if technical writers can predict results of a reader-focused text evaluation. Asks 15 technical writers to point out reader problems in a public information brochure, which was also evaluated by 30 readers from the target audience. Finds little overlap and little agreement among writers as to their problem detections. (PA)

Investigates gerontological research literature to discover what is known about age deficiencies in cognitive processes which might adversely influence instructional text processing. Maintains that, on the basis of findings, tentative guidelines could be given on designing such manuals. Proposes follow-up research to gather more knowledge on the…

Outlines Willard Van Orman Quine's theory of language in the generation of empirical knowledge, gleaned from two works from his voluminous ouvre. Draws connections between Quine's theory and that of Richard Rorty, the American pragmatist philosopher. Sketches how this theoretical perspective can be applied in the technical communication classroom…

States that 25 years ago, James Carey and John Quirk questioned whether technology would revolutionize communication. Finds that while traveling the information superhighway, people experience "the rhetoric of the electronic sublime." Explores 50 award-winning health messages on the Web; suggests that the traditional concepts of source,…

Discusses the impact of possible sex-based differences in communication styles on the technical writer's job. Argues that technical writers can choose to use both male and female communication styles to acknowledge multiple audiences and to improve the quality of their documents. (KEH)

Suggests that technical writers should emphasize similarities rather than differences between oral and written discourse. Argues that implicit rules of conversation have much to offer the technical writer. Illustrates how the principles of conversation can be applied to the process of writing instructions. (KEH)