Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 1982

The Informational Sketch — A Major Vice of the Technical Writer

George H. Douglas University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

The author of this article argues that all too often teachers of technical writing spend too much time pressuring their students to write simply and without jargon, and that as a result they often get writing that is bad because it is skeletal and undeveloped writing lacking in continuity and narrative functions. The technical writer is often overjoyed to submit outline-writing because it requires small effort, not realizing that it shifts the burden of interpretation to the reader. The author recommends a number of cures for the skeletal technical paper.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1982-01-01
DOI
10.2190/8xv2-jtwd-5rfe-vxf3
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication
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References (4)

  1. The Doldrums of the Advanced Writing Course, Journal of Business Communication, Winter 1971–72.
  2. The Common Diseases of Technical Writing, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Winter 1974.
  3. Business and Technical Writing: Philosophy and Practice, Teaching English in the Two-Year College, Fall 1975.
  4. What to Do About Cobblestone Writing, The Technical Writing Teacher, Fall 1977.
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