How Academics and Practitioners Evaluate Technical Texts

Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2005

How Academics and Practitioners Evaluate Technical Texts

Christine Abbott Northern Illinois University ; Philip Eubanks Northern Illinois University

Abstract

In this study, six focus groups comprising technical communicators and technical communication instructors evaluated and discussed two versions of an instructional manual and two versions of a memo. Findings reveal that the practitioners and academics relied on similar metaphors (including the Conduit Metaphor), metonymies, and constructed scenarios. Although their ways of evaluating texts were broadly similar, practitioners exhibited greater awareness of task-related rhetorical variables whereas academics were more likely to be concerned with textual features and general principles that apply to technical writing tasks. Differences between the groups were particularly evident in discussions of the memo.

Journal: Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published: 2005-04-01
DOI: 10.1177/1050651904272949
Open Access: Closed
Topics: technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

Warnock et al. (2017)

Measuring Quality, Evaluating Curricular Change

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Warnock (2009)

Methods and Results of an Accreditation-Driven Writing Assessment in a Business…

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (15)

Dannels (2003)

Teaching and Learning Design Presentations in Engineering

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Eubanks et al. (2003)

Using Focus Groups to Supplement the Assessment of Technical Communication Text…

Technical Communication Quarterly
Smith (2003)

What is "Good"Technical Communication? A Comparison of the Standards of Writing…

Technical Communication Quarterly
Spilka (2000)

The issue of quality in professional documentation: How can academia make more …

Technical Communication Quarterly
Dannels (2000)

Learning to Be Professional

Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Show all 15 →

LAROCHE et al. (1998)

Rhetoric and Rational Enterprises

Written Communication
ELLING (1997)

Revising Safety Instructions with Focus Groups

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
WEISS (1997)

Reading Culture

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
BLAKESLEE (1997)

Activity, Context, Interaction, and Authority

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
SMITH (1997)

Intertextual Connections to “A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing”

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
FREEDMAN et al. (1996)

Learning to Write Professionally

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
FREEDMAN et al. (1994)

Wearing Suits to Class

Written Communication
SLACK et al. (1993)

The Technical Communicator as Author

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Herrington (1985)

Writing in Academic Settings: A Study of the Contexts for Writing in Two Colleg…

Research in the Teaching of English
Odell et al. (1982)

Writing in a Non- Academic Setting

Research in the Teaching of English

Also cites 17 works outside this index ↓

10.2307/358989

↗
10.2307/358391

↗
10.2190/NETC11

↗
10.2307/359064

↗
10.1075/pbns.33

↗
10.4324/9781410609748

↗
10.1037/10518-189

↗
Longo, B. (2000)

Spurious coin: A history of science, management, and technical writing

↗
10.1111/j.1460-2466.1996.tb01475.x

↗
10.2307/375964

↗
10.1080/00335638409383686

↗
10.4324/9781410603739

↗
10.1017/S0047404500019734

↗
10.1111/1467-9481.00081

↗
10.1177/002194369503200101

↗
10.2307/1773295

↗
Turner, M. (2001)

Cognitive dimensions of social science: The way we think about politics, economics, law, …

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →