Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2005

Noteworthy Observations about Note-Taking by Professionals

Mark Melenhorst University of Twente ; Thea van der Geest University of Twente ; Michaël Steehouder

Abstract

In this article we focus on professional readers who have to write recommendations in an online environment. We address the question whether taking notes on screen influences the reading process and the quality of the recommendations in terms of applicability, completeness, and persuasiveness. Seven participants each composed two pieces of advice on technical communication issues. They could use an electronic Notepad whenever they wished. Taking notes appeared to influence advice quality negatively, which may be caused by attention shifts from reading to taking notes on screen. Although we could not find a relationship between the contents of the notes and advice quality, we noted differences in note-taking approaches between the participants.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2005-07-01
DOI
10.2190/pqyn-ndh6-tu6l-rebc
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Topics
technical communication
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