Locating the Semiotic Power of Writing in Science

Chad Wickman Auburn University

Abstract

This article explores how a doctoral student in theoretical physics constructs computational simulations and reports his work within the constraints of an academic dissertation. The author specifically identifies principal elements of the work ensemble that the student deployed to complete different tasks and analyzes two dissertation chapters in order to examine the semiotic resources that the student used to warrant the outcomes of his research. The study finds that these are not instrumental procedures in which the researcher represents material objects in a mimetic sense; they are epistemic practices through which he generates digital objects that do not have an experimental counterpart and must therefore be justified through references to technical production. Based on these findings, the author argues that theorizing writing as coextensive with the practical work of science demonstrates what makes it powerful as a semiotic resource and constructive rhetorical activity.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2015-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651914548276
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Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Written Communication
  2. Written Communication
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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