Establishes a practical model of the document-development process for writers in nonacademic settings. Pulls together and builds from recent research about writers and writing in the workplace. Reveals the process to contain both linear and recursive elements. Asserts that writers must be involved early in the process. (SR)

Shows how accident reports in a large government agency fail to account for the multidimensional nature of accidents in tightly coupled technologies. Proposes a three-dimensional model of accident analysis to illustrate how underlying models of causality influence the structure of technical reports and the nature of the argument over…

Uses a systems approach to organizational theory to argue that technical communicators function as "boundary spanners," who make sense of and disseminate information required for coordination between organizational groups, and for effective responses to the environment. (JAD)

Examines significant new business proposal efforts for United States Department of Defense contracts. Identifies six "pillars" of a contractor's proposal preparation costs. Derives a formula that characterizes proposal preparation costs. Demonstrates that a quick, accurate cost model can be developed for proposal publishing. (RS)

Discusses the development of a pragmatic model of the writing process in the workplace, focusing on the importance of "drafting" as part of that process. Discusses writers' attitudes about drafting and the structures of the workplace that drafting has to accommodate. Introduces a drafting model and discusses results of using this model…

Maintains that an understanding of software development models gives insight into the problems of writers and the teaching of technical communication. Focuses on analogies between the two processes and domains, and suggests concrete ways for writers to proceed beyond analysis. (SR)

Outlines two hypotheses about the reasons for obscurity in expository writing and notes that neither accounts for the general results of an exploratory study of the writing of postgraduates nor for the individual cases presented. Argues that a crucial factor is a person's implicit model of expository writing. (FL)

Surveys recent trends in the area of clear writing. Discusses the problem of incomprehensible language in functional writing (forms and documents). Considers solutions, particularly those developed by the Document Design Center. (PD)

Asserts that research in technical communication must grow in quantity, quality, and coherence. Assesses the research reports in the proceedings of the annual conferences of the Society for Technical Communication for the last 20 years. Suggests a model for future growth. (SR)

Offers a Burkean framework for study of collaborative business writing. Reviews the research on collaborative writing, explains a Burkean framework that identifies key areas for future investigation, and provides categories for conducting research. Argues for a research agenda that emphasizes qualitative studies first, to be followed by…

A two-phase ethnographic study conducted over the course of two semesters examined a project to create a web site on the Internet. Subjects were enrolled in either a "Features Writing for Business and Industry" course or an "Advanced Technical Writing" course at an open-admissions university offering a major in Professional…

Discusses demands users face when searching for information in online libraries of product documentation. Demonstrates how physical libraries provide a helpful metaphor for design. Offers heuristics and a conceptual prototype for facilitating electronic document retrieval. Argues that the search form itself should communicate the way materials are…

Noting that the process of writing textbooks has seldom been studied, this paper offers a process-product model that relies on a systems analysis of the textbook universe (or megasystem) to provide insight into the textbook writing process. The model presented discloses the interaction of a number of boundaried but interdependent "peer systems,"…

Finds that current pedagogical emphases on audience analysis and adaptation in the field of technical writing are based largely on classical conceptions of audience and society. Traces the influences of rhetoricians who challenge the classical model as inadequate or inappropriate for contemporary rhetorical situations. (SKC)

A study investigated the effectiveness of peer critiquing and the use of writing models in the preparation of scientific reports. Primary trait scoring was used to evaluate laboratory reports on exercise physiology written by four different groups of sophomore biology majors: (1) a reference (control) group that prepared for writing reports with…