Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 1977

The Past and the Future of Scientific and Technical Writing

Merrill D. Whitburn

Abstract

Excerpts from Thomas Sprat's History of the Royal Society, published in 1667, are used to explore the parallels existing between the rise of modern scientific and technical writing and the rise of seventeenth century science. The author of this paper shows how the English teachers of today, like the scholastic critics of the past, are too often isolated from the realities of communication. He quotes Thomas Sprat to emphasize that communication techniques should not be studied at a distance. The practice of scientific and technical writing must be brought closer to the university. Doing consulting work is one possibility; another is conducting communication research for business and industry. Additional specialized courses should be introduced for students specializing in the professions. English majors planning to work full time in communication should have internships provided. Sprat recognized that a bridge must exist between science and the humanities. This applies as well to the present condition.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1977-04-01
DOI
10.2190/a6m8-vfk6-3nr4-9gtg
Topics
multimodality technical communication multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Dubinsky et al. (2021)
    The Disappearance of Business Communication From Professional Communication Pro…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. RIVERS (1994)
    Studies in the History of Business and Technical Writing
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. LITTLE (1993)
    The Technical Communication Internship
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Gloe (1983)
    Setting up Internships in Technical Writing
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Brandt et al. (1980)
    An Approach to Developing Communicative Competence in Scientific and Technical …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (1)

  1. Whitburn (1976)
    Personality in Scientific and Technical Writing
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
CrossRef global citation count: 5 View in citation network →

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