Transcript TCQ PowerPoint Presentation

Technical
Communication Quarterly
A presentation by
Jillian Swisher and Eric Wardell
A Brief Introduction
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scholarly publication
published quarterly
supported by the Association of Teachers of
Technical Writing (AATW)
Editors & Copyright
Some Familiar Names…
• Carolyn Rude (Editorial Advisory Board)
• Charlotte Thralls (Editorial Advisory Board)
• Stuart Selber (Past President)
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO TCQ?
globalization
visual communication
technology
digital spaces
collaboration
the classroom
public policy
multimodal composition
civil engagement
Subject Matter
Categories of articles:
• Original research
• formal study with original research
• methodologies: textual analysis, archival research, usability testing,
ethnographic observation, interviews, surveys
• Methodologies and Approaches
• description of innovative teaching/research technique without the
structure of a formal, full-scale study
• ideas supported by current, relevant scholarship
• Perspectives
• opinion-based essay about the field
• approaches: call attention to an under-examined issue of current theory,
argue for extensive research on a topic, review theory and research, use
other disciplines to reconceptualize technical communication practice
and pedagogy, etc.
Subject Matter
Several special issues have a thematic focus:
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online teaching and learning (Winter 2007)
distributed work (Summer 2007)
content management systems (Winter 2008)
online health communication (Summer 2008)
science and public policy (Jan-Mar 2009)
new technological spaces (July-Sept 2009)
professional and technical communication programs
(July-Sept 2010)
• technical communication and the law (Jan-Mar 2011)
• multimodal composition (Jan-Mar 2012)
Subject Matter
Content is not entirely a response to the call for
papers; some articles fill a different space
and add variation.
Some of the issues also contain relevant book
reviews and interviews with people of interest
Subject Matter
Other topics of TCQ articles...
• rhetoric in the workplace
• content management
• laws and issues with both plagiarism and copyright
(“Online FDA Regulations: Implications for Medical
Writers”)
• the place for professional writing disciplines within the
University (“Getting an Invitation to the English Table—
and Whether or Not to Accept It.”)
• medical issues ("Demarcating Medicine's Boundaries:
Constituting and Categorizing in the Journals of the
American Medical Association”)
Subject Matter
Other topics of TCQ articles...
• specific rhetorical appeals (“Communicating Values,
Valuing Community through Health-Care Websites:
Midwifery's Online Ethos and Public Communication in
Ontario”)
• technical communication pedagogy (“British Indian
Grammar, Writing Pedagogies, and Writing for the
Professions: Classical Pedagogy in British India”)
Submission Process
“Your cover letter should indicate the category
[Original Research, Methogologies/Approaches,
Perspective] to which you intend to submit your
manuscript” (“Journal Submission”).
More information about the submission process
can be found online.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
TCQ Special Issue (Winter 2015):
Contemporary Research Methodologies in Technical Communication
In 1998, Patricia Goubil-Gambrell edited a special issue of Technical
Communication Quarterly in which methodological approaches to the study of
technical and professional communication were explored. In her introduction,
Goubil-Gambrell argued that “Defining research methods is a part of disciplinary
development,” and that the articles in that special issue “show where we are now”
(p. 7). Since 1998, the nature of work in technical communication and the practices
that mediate that work have evolved. These evolutions are due in part to shifts in
technology, changes in organizational power and politics, and the dynamic nature of
the very spaces in which technical and professional communication takes place.
We wonder, therefore, how do we best study, report on, and build knowledge
about where we are now as technical and professional communicators? What
methodological approaches best afford the rigorous and responsible collection,
analysis, and reporting of data related to how technical communication happens
now—in an age where knowledge work is even more explicitly mediated by and
embedded within a wide range of writing technologies, social software, and
seemingly ubiquitous access to information?
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
TCQ Special Issue (Winter 2013):
Contemporary Research Methodologies in Technical Communication
In addition to actual models of methodological approaches deployed in specific
contemporary investigations of technical communication, some questions motivating
manuscripts for this special issue might include the following:
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How have recent changes in theory and theoretical sources led to methodological changes in technical
communication? How have they reconfigured existing methodology, and how have they led to new
methodologies?
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What new methodologies are being "home-grown" to deal with the unique challenges of technical
communication?
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What are the pressing methodological questions that technical communication faces over the next
decade?
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What changes in communication technologies, organizations, values, and social arrangements require
methodological developments?
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What strides have been taken toward the modification or development of methodological approaches
that account for differences and/or inequalities related to gender, race, disability, access, expertise, and
any other kind of professional, social, technological, or cultural chasm?
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What counts as an object of study, a practice, “data,” and/or a researchable question, given the ways
writing technologies are so embedded in communicative practices?
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What kinds of mixed-methods and experimental approaches are appropriate for the changing landscape
of technical communication?
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
TCQ Special Issue (Winter 2013):
Contemporary Research Methodologies in Technical Communication
Submission Procedures
Proposals should be 1-2 pages in length (500–1,000 words) and include a cover
sheet with identifying information. With the exception of the cover sheet, the
proposal should be free from identifying information. Proposals may be in .doc,
.txt, or .rtf file formats and should be sent via email attachment to Brian McNely
([email protected]) by February 15th, 2013.For proposals that are
accepted (notifications will be delivered by May 15th, 2013), first drafts
of manuscripts will be due by September 15th, 2013, with finished manuscripts
due by May 1st, 2014.Scheduled publication of the special issue will be January,
2015.The guest editors especially welcome inquiries and would be happy to
discuss manuscript ideas with you—please email Brian McNely
([email protected]) with any questions about potential submissions.
Theoretical Focus
• both practical and theoretical perspectives of
technical and professional communication
• current sources
• one type of inquiry or theoretical focus is not
encouraged over another
Theoretical Focus
Specific theories of focus…
• rhetorical theories
• social construction theories
• genre analysis
• pedagogical theories
• other current theories in the discipline
Theoretical Focus (Rhetoric)
Sources in these rhetorically focused articles
include…
• Quintilian (canon of memory)
• Kenneth Burke (theory of motives)
• Lloyd Bitzer (the rhetorical situation)
• Toulmin (claim-evidence relationship)
• Aristotle (ethics)
Theoretical Focus (Social Construction)
Theories of…
• collaborative multimodal writing in the
classroom
• teachers as mentors
• politeness and collaboration in decisionmaking meetings
• technological literacy as network building
• coproducing the law
• power and symmetry in ethnographic research
Theoretical Focus (Genre Analysis)
Theories relating to…
• grant proposals
• consent forms
• discourse in conservation writing
• genre from a posthumanist perspective
• claim-evidence structures in technical writing
genres
• technical communication textbooks
Theoretical Focus (TC Pedagogy)
Theories relating to…
• nontraditional students
• universal design
• post-techne classrooms
• classical pedagogies
• multimodal composition
Methodological Focus
“This category provides a forum for reporting on specific
techniques or strategies without the structure of a formal,
full-scale study. The author should demonstrate
familiarity with current relevant scholarship. Preference
will be given to submissions that address timely topics
and suggest techniques or strategies of interest to TCQ’s
diverse readership”
(“Journal Submission”).
Methodological Focus
Various methodological approaches...
• quantitative data found through surveys, first hand
research, ethnographic approaches, or studying other
surveys.
Examples:
Hannah Bellwoar.
David Wright.
Style
no standard structure, similar stylistic/structural
approaches:
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a brief abstract
introduction
literature review (or similar) for context
methodology
implications for pedagogy, the workplace, future research,
etc
• acknowledgments
• references
• appendix
Style
all articles have several headings:
• general, vague headings: “Review of Literature,” “Data
Sources and Analysis,” “Methods,” “Results”
• specific headings: “Political Constraints in Advocacy
Forums,” “Facilitating Student Development of Legal
Literacy”
some articles have subheadings
APA style of source documentation
Style
scholarship must have significant implications
for teaching, research, or practice in technical
communication
implications outlined in the “Conclusions,”
“Discussion,” “Implications,” “Outlook” section
Style
images to enhance reader’s understanding of
the research
“Authorized Deployment of LFA: 2002-2003.” Graph. Technical Communication Quarterly
16.2 (2007): 245. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
“Browsing in many CMSc is performed using the file folder metaphor.” Photograph. Technical
Communication Quarterly 17.1 (2008): 99. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11
Sept. 2012.
"Concepts Most Closely Associated With Usability in Student Questionnaires." Chart.
Technical Communication Quarterly 17.4 (2008): 394. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
"A 3-D Simulation of the Object Theater." Photograph. Technical Communication Quarterly
18.1 (2009): 57. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
“Departmental Location, All Programs.” Illustration. Technical Communication Quarterly 19.3
(2010): 234. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Representative Article – Wright
Wright, David. "Redesigning Informed Consent
Tools For Specific Research." Technical
Communication Quarterly 21.2 (2012): 145167. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Representative Article – Wright
What is involved in the study?
You are being asked to donate about 20 ml
(approximately 2 tablespoons) of your urine for the
measuring of pteridine levels in the urine by an HPCE
(High performance capillary electrophoresis) instrument
designed in the investigator’s laboratory (at the
[researcher’s institution]).
Representative Article – Wright
“Hello. We understand that you are going through a
difficult time right now. Fighting cancer is never easy,
and we all know someone whose life has been affected
by cancer. But your chances for suc- cessful treatment
are better than ever because of recent medical
advances. Today we are inviting you to help us continue
the fight against cancer by participating in a university
study designed to provide new methods for cancer
screening. Our study will cost you nothing and will lead,
we hope, to much earlier detection and more successful
treatment for patients” (157).
Representative Article – Wright
“However, to accomplish these goals, we need your
help. We are asking you to donate a urine sample before
you begin your treatment. You will not be asked for
anything else. You are welcome to donate the sample at
any time before your treatment begins, including the next
time you visit the cancer center” (158).
Representative Article – Harlow
Harlow, Rachel Martin. “The Province Of
Sophists: An Argument For Academic
Homelessness.” Technical Communication
Quarterly 19.3 (2010): 318-333.
Communication & Mass Media Complete.
Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Representative Article – Harlow
“Like the sophists, the community of technical and
professional communication scholars is defined by our
‘shared goals, techniques, and outlooks’. We share the
sophistic values of education, sensitivity to culture and
audience, belief in the power of communication, and
strategic thinking and communication. If we ground
ourselves in this intellectual tradition rather than a physical
or administrative position in academe, we can reinterpret
the metaphor of homelessness and realize this opportunity
for self-determination” (322).
Representative Article – Harlow
an example of a Perspective article
structure:
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abstract
introduction
literature review
argument with theoretical grounding
implications and discussions
references
uses classical rhetorical theory to ground an argument about the
current status of the field of technical communication
Works Cited
"A 3-D Simulation of the Object Theater." Photograph. Technical Communication Quarterly 18.1 (2009): 57.
Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
“Authorized Deployment of LFA: 2002-2003.” Graph. Technical Communication Quarterly 16.2 (2007): 245.
Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Bellwoar, Hannah. "Everyday Matters: Reception And Use As Productive Design Of Health-Related Texts." Technical
Communication Quarterly 21.4 (2012): 325-345. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
“Browsing in many CMSc is performed using the file folder metaphor.” Photograph. Technical Communication Quarterly
17.1 (2008): 99. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
"Call For Proposals." Technical Communication Quarterly 16.1 (2007): 135-137. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
"CFP: Special Issues of Technical Communication Quarterly." Scribd. Scribd, 2012. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
"Concepts Most Closely Associated With Usability in Student Questionnaires." Chart. Technical Communication
Quarterly 17.4 (2008): 394. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
“Departmental Location, All Programs.” Illustration. Technical Communication Quarterly 19.3 (2010): 234.
Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Derkatch, Colleen. "Demarcating Medicine's Boundaries: Constituting And Categorizing In The Journals Of The
American Medical Association." Technical Communication Quarterly 21.3 (2012): 210-229. Communication &
Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Gulbrandsen, Karen. "A New Paradigm: Authorizing A Rhetorical Ground In Technology Transfer." Technical
Communication Quarterly 21.2 (2012): 87-104. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Harlow, Rachel Martin. "The Province Of Sophists: An Argument For Academic Homelessness." Technical
Communication Quarterly 19.3 (2010): 318-333. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Works Cited
Jeyaraj, Joseph. "British Indian Grammar, Writing Pedagogies, And Writing For The Professions: Classical Pedagogy In
British India." Technical Communication Quarterly 19.4 (2010): 379-402. Communication & Mass Media Complete.
Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Mackiewicz, Jo. "The Co-Construction Of Credibility In Online Product Reviews." Technical Communication Quarterly
19.4 (2010): 403-426. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Propen, Amy. "Visual Communication And The Map: How Maps As Visual Objects Convey Meaning In Specific
Contexts." Technical Communication Quarterly 16.2 (2007): 233-254. Communication & Mass Media Complete.
Web. 11Sept. 2012.
Rentz, Kathryn, Mary Beth Debs, and Lisa Meloncon. "Getting An Invitation To The English Table—And Whether Or
Not To Accept It." Technical Communication Quarterly 19.3 (2010): 281-299. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Spoel, Philippa. "Communicating Values, Valuing Community Through Health-Care Websites: Midwifery's Online Ethos
And Public Communication In Ontario." Technical Communication Quarterly 17.3 (2008): 264-288. Communication
& Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Tomlin, Rita C. "Online FDA Regulations: Implications For Medical Writers." Technical Communication Quarterly 17.3
(2008): 289-310. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Whithaus, Carl. "Claim-Evidence Structures In Environmental Science Writing: Modifying Toulmin's Model To Account
For Multimodal Arguments." Technical Communication Quarterly 21.2 (2012): 105-128. Communication & Mass
Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Whittemore, Stewart. "Metadata And Memory: Lessons From The Canon Of Memoria For The Design Of Content
Management Systems." Technical Communication Quarterly 17.1 (2008): 88-109. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Wright, David. "Redesigning Informed Consent Tools For Specific Research." Technical Communication Quarterly 21.2
(2012): 145-167. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.