Technical Communication Quarterly Jun 2007

Undistributing Work Through Writing: How Technical Writers Manage Texts in Complex Information Environments

Shaun Slattery DePaul University

Abstract

Abstract This article presents findings from a recent study of mediated writing in a technical writing firm to examine distributed work conditions and how they affect the practices of individual technical writers. Distribution of labor, texts, and technologies for producing documentation creates complex information environments that writers must negotiate. In doing so, they practice two kinds of expertise central to technical writing as a profession—technological and rhetorical skill. This article examines how those skills are affected by distributed work.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2007-06-07
DOI
10.1080/10572250701291046
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Topics
rhetorical criticism technical communication affect and writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (31)

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    Modeling Writing Processes and Predicting Text Quality in Technical Communication
    Written Communication
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    Constructive Distributed Work: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Collaborat…
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    The Primary Care Clinic as Writing Space
    Written Communication
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    When Writers Aren’t Authors: A Qualitative Study of Unattributed Writers
    College English
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    Evolving skill sets and job pathways of technical communicators
    Communication Design Quarterly
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  4. Opel (2018)
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  5. Pflugfelder (2018)
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    A Systematic Literature Review of Changes in Roles/Skills in Component Content …
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    Emerging scholars and social media use: a pilot study of risk
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    John Hartley, Wen Wen, and Henry Siling Li
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
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    The Net Work Genre Function
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    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
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CrossRef global citation count: 48 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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