Since its release in late 2022, ChatGPT and subsequent generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools have raised a wide variety of questions and concerns for the field of technical communication: How will these tools be incorporated into professional settings? How might we appropriately integrate these tools into our research and teaching? In…

Investigates passive voice in scientific writing by examining whether changes in rhetorical role within 12 scientific texts are paralleled by changes in the relative number of passive and active structures. Finds passive structures more appropriate for expository purposes (describing procedures and presenting data), and active structures for…

Discusses a theoretical framework for situating interpretations of textual data collected during research. Describes the framework as consisting of a continuum representing the range of interpretative assumptions (stances) researchers can bring to their reading of textual data. Presents the boundaries of the continuum to be the two most extreme…

Examines the frequency and discourse functions of 752 active transitive clauses in a 66,500-word corpus of 16 research articles in the physical sciences. Finds the overall rate of actives was only 34%, the choice of active voice was often dictated by the demands of information structure, and that the specific discourse functions of active clauses…

Explains and exemplifies terminal modifiers in the context of technical writing. Examines representative technical reports and finds that increased attention to terminal modifiers (especially the absolute, the summarizing appositive, and the nonparticipial adjective phrase) would significantly increase options for effective expression. (SR)

Relates that, in the mid-1500s, Agricola combined the traditions of Hermetic secrets and handbooks to compile mining lore into "De Re Metallica," in which he wrote clearly and simply, illustrated information with graphics, and rationalized use of occult knowledge based on utility. States his text paved the way for philosophers to…

Presents results (in the French language) of a survey regarding French-language professional writing in Canada. Finds that the profile of the professional, the work done, the documentation used, and the requirements for employment varied significantly according to employer and public or private sector. (SR)

Offers a select, 105-item bibliography highlighting research on technical communication published by, for, or about Canadians. Classifies Canadian research by form (books and articles) and by subject (translation studies, technology studies, graphics studies, historical studies, studies of the profession, specialty studies, genre studies, and…

Collects several examples of technical and creative writing to examine whether the differences which have been assumed to exist between the two genres do in fact exist. Finds that their material causes--the tropes and devices of description--are the same and that their differences and similarities are governed by Aristotle's "final cause" (telos).…

Suggests that cohesion is best understood as a general perceptual phenomenon rather than a purely semantic one. Discusses three types of structural cohesion based on an analysis of technical texts: cohesion produced through thematic progression, parallelism, and graphic devices. (SR)

Argues the cloze procedure is the appropriate method of assessing the readability of business writing. Uses this procedure to determine the readability of a statement issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). Finds one important GASB statement unreadable by college-level readers. (NH)

Suggests that acquaintance with nurses' writing would help instructors design assignments for nursing students in basic technical writing courses. Investigates the importance of writing tasks for nurses and describes the most common documents nurses generate, since good writing skills for nurses improve health care delivery and promote…

Offers a brief overview of Gestalt theory. Shows how six Gestalt principles (proximity, closure, symmetry, figure-ground segregation, good continuation, and similarity) can be applied to improve a reader's comprehension of a badly designed instruction module that uses several graphics. (SR)

Describes a study in which 30 letters from corporation executives to shareholders were examined for readability and writing style. Concludes that letters written by executives who were viewed as successful fell into accepted levels of readability. Observes that opening paragraphs tended to be equivocal or positive. Suggests study of shareholder…

Discusses the adequacy of two modes of presenting information on a computer screen, the "alternating" (screen by screen) presentation and the "simultaneous" screen presentation (different information on one screen at the same time). Tests subjects performing writing tasks using one online document or two documents, using either…