Research in Technical Communication

This sourcebook demonstrates the vigorous work being done in the field of technical and scientific communication. Collectively, the essays offer researchers a basis from which to begin constructing the theoretical framework necessary for the study of technical communication. The book begins with general concerns and progresses to particular applications. The chapters comprising Part I outline larger theoretical perspectives from which to examine techical communication: humanistic approaches to technical communication, the history of technical communication, communication theory and technical writing, and the teaching of technical writing. Part II examines the relationship of technical communication to traditional rhetorical concerns such as invention, audience, modes of organization, and style. Specific types of technical communication--proposals, reports, and business correspondence, among others--are discussed in Part III. The use of the computer, oral presentations, and specialized forms of technical communication are examined in Part IV. The appendixes offer guides to textbooks and style manuals and an overview of the technical writing profession.