Written Communication Apr 1994

Invention and Writing in Technical Work: Representing the Object

DOROTHY A. WINSOR

Abstract

Traditionally, invention has been regarded as relatively unimportant in technical writing because of the widely held notion that technologists generate their ideas prior to writing. It has recently been argued, however, that studies of situated writing encounter difficulties due to restricted ideas of writing and text. For instance, if writing means only transcribing extended pieces of prose, then it is difficult to account for the way invention is performed in technical writing. The wider idea of writing allows us to look differently at this instance of situated writing. Using this wider idea, a study of 3 engineering students engaged in a real-world project shows that the technical work of the project and invention for the students' final report were actually simultaneous rather than sequential activities. Moreover, writing in the form of notes and lists contributed to technical work and served to make knowledge communal among group members. In the technical writing examined here, invention for writing, invention through writing, and technical invention itself heavily overlapped.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1994-04-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088394011002003
CompPile
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (21)

  1. Randazzo (2022)
    Bodies of Proof: COVID-19 and Unwitnessed Remote Work
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  2. Weedon et al. (2021)
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  4. Frith (2020)
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  5. Read (2019)
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  1. Weedon (2017)
    Representation in Engineering Practice: A Case Study of Framing in a Student De…
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  2. Cushman (2015)
    “Write Me a Better Story”: Writing Stories as a Diagnostic and Repair Practice …
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  3. McNely et al. (2015)
    Contemporary Research Methodologies in Technical Communication
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  4. Wickman (2015)
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  5. Wickman (2010)
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  6. Warnock et al. (2007)
    Expressive/Exploratory Technical Writing (XTW) in Engineering: Shifting the Tec…
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  7. Jeyaraj (2004)
    Liminality and Othering: The Issue of Rhetorical Authority in Technical Discourse
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  8. HALLER (2000)
    Rhetorical Invention in Design: Constructing a System and Spec
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  9. Kreth (2000)
    A survey of the co-op writing experiences of recent engineering graduates
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  10. Dannels (2000)
    Learning to Be Professional: Technical Classroom Discourse, Practice, and Profe…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  11. Todd (2000)
    Burkean Invention in Technical Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  12. Gruber et al. (1999)
    Writing4practice in engineering courses: Implementation and assessment approaches
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  13. WINSOR (1999)
    Genre and Activity Systems: The Role of Documentation in Maintaining and Changi…
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  14. WINSOR (1998)
    Rhetorical Practices in Technical Work
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  15. MEDWAY (1996)
    Virtual and Material Buildings: Construction and Constructivism in Architecture…
    Written Communication
  16. CHIN (1994)
    Redefining “Context” in Research on Writing
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CrossRef global citation count: 28 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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