Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 1991

A Basic Unit on Ethics for Technical Communicators

Mike Markel Boise State University

Abstract

To make informed decisions about ethical issues, technical communicators need to understand how to apply general ethical principles to the kinds of dilemmas they will face routinely, concerning such issues as plagiarism, trade secrets, and misrepresentation of text and graphics. This article reviews the controversy about the relationship between ethics and rhetoric among the Greeks, provides basic definitions of ethics, and applies the literature of business and professional ethics to the concerns of technical communicators and other professionals who communicate, showing how they must think through the conflicts of obligations to their employer, the public, and the environment. It provides a case study that can be used to reinforce a student's understanding of the relationship between technical communication and ethics.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1991-10-01
DOI
10.2190/buax-fqj4-ewbj-mj37
Open Access
Closed
Topics
qualitative research technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. DeJeu (2022)
    The Ethics of Delivering Bad News: Evaluating Impression Management Strategies …
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Dombrowski (2000)
    Ethics and Technical Communication: The Past Quarter Century
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Henson (1996)
    Why and How to Advance Technical Copywriting
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. THOMPSON (1996)
    Competence and Critique in Technical Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Markel (1993)
    Induction, Social Constructionism, and the Form of the Science Paper
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

Also cites 8 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1177/002194368702400303
     ↗
  2. 10.1177/002194368502200306
     ↗
  3. 10.1109/47.31600
     ↗
  4. 10.1109/47.9225
     ↗
  5. 10.1177/002205748016200203
     ↗
  6. 10.1177/002194368502200104
     ↗
  7. 10.1177/108056999005300304
     ↗
  8. 10.1109/47.31601
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 13 View in citation network →

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