Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 1987

Profile of Technical Writers in San Diego County: Results of a Pilot Study

Sherry Burgus Little San Diego State University ; Margaret C. McLaren University of Waikato

Abstract

In spite of the recent proliferation of technical writing programs, textbooks, and professional associations, quantitative information on the people and work involved in technical writing is scant. This article reports the responses of 122 technical writers in the San Diego area to a questionnaire asking them about the tasks they perform, documents they produce, skills they consider significant, audiences they write to, working conditions, types of companies they work for, and education and training. The pilot survey also identified other demographic information such as salary and length of service as technical writers and in their present position.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1987-01-01
DOI
10.2190/2ymh-y0w6-4kwq-quw5
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing program administration technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. LITTLE (1993)
    The Technical Communication Internship
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Zimmerman et al. (1993)
    Exploring the technical communicator's roles: Implications for program design
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. COUTURE (1992)
    Categorizing Professional Discourse
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Rutter (1991)
    History, Rhetoric, and Humanism: Toward a More Comprehensive Definition of Tech…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Keeler (1989)
    Portrait of a Technical Writer: An Annotated Bibliography
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Show all 6 →
  1. Veiga (1989)
    Commentary: Sexism, Sex Stereotyping, and the Technical Writer
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (2)

  1. Harwood (1982)
    Freshman English Ten Years After: Writing in the World
    College Composition and Communication
  2. Bataille (1982)
    Writing in the World of Work: What Our Graduates Report
    College Composition and Communication
Also cites 4 works outside this index ↓
  1. Howard L. A.Jr., A Survey of Technical Communication Programs in U.S. Colleges and Universities—1984, IEEE Tr…
     ↗
  2. 10.2190/NETC1
     ↗
  3. Anderson P. V., What Technical and Scientific Communicators Do: A Comprehensive Model for Developing Academic…
     ↗
  4. 10.1177/002194368101800302
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 6 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2024
    Implementing a Continuous Improvement Model for Assignment Evaluation at the Technical and Professional Communication Program Level ↗
    Michelle Sonnenberg; Carolyn Gubala; Justiss Burry; Jessica Griffith; Tanya Zarlengo; Lisa Melonçon
    writing program administration curriculum design multimodality technical communication professional writing multilingual writers
  2. Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Jun 2020
    Pentadic Critique for Assessing and Sustaining Service-Learning Programs by Amy Rupiper Taggart ↗
    writing program administration service learning qualitative research technical communication multilingual writers
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2016
    Reconsidering Power and Legitimacy in Technical Communication ↗
    Teresa Henning; Amanda Bemer
    writing program administration technical communication professional writing
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2007
    Training Teachers and Serving Students: Applying Usability Testing in Writing Programs ↗
    Heather McGovern
    writing program administration graduate education technical communication
  5. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2006
    The Lone Ranger as Technical Writing Program Administrator ↗
    David Alan Sapp
    writing program administration technical communication