Order Technical Communication Assignment

Posted: September 16th, 2022

Order Technical Communication Assignment
• Technical Communication (TC) statistically corresponded with content related to knowledge and information management and design. Overall, both topics appeared in the sample less frequently than expected. Other research topics; including editing, usability, and design; were also underrepresented throughout the sample, problematizing what
research content practitioners have available to them.
• Compared to the other four journals, TC published the least amount of content directed toward academics. Instead, the journal’s content focused on writers, managers, and designers.
• TC was one of three journals to statistically correspond with content written by multiple authors.
Content and Authorship Patterns in Technical Communication Journals (1996–2017): A Quantitative Content Analysis By Ryan K. Boettger and Erin Friess
Purpose: The maturity of technical communication merits a comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of the content published in its leading journals and the scholars who produce this research. Although reflexive research is common in the sciences and social sciences, few studies have analyzed the body of research in technical communication. Clarity on content and authorship patterns can help position the field for future relevance and sustainability. Method: We conducted a quantitative content analysis on 672 articles published in five leading technical communication journals from 1996–2017. Articles were coded on nine content variables related to primary topic, primary audience, and authorship. We subsequently conducted a correspondence analysis on the variables to identify how specific content areas associated with the journals. Results: Content and authorship patterns were near identical to the patterns found in the field 30 years prior. The journals published content primarily focused on rhetoric, genre, pedagogy, and diversity. In contrast, field-defining topics—usability/ UX, comprehension, design, and editing and style—appeared in the sample less than expected. A majority of research was single-authored and written by female first authors; further, a majority of the first authors had academic affiliations in the United States. Conclusion: Scholars must consider if these content and authorship patterns are the products of deliberate choices and, if so, if this is the field’s inevitable trajectory for the next 30 years. We argue that certain topics are being overproduced while other topics that established the field are being underproduced and, in some cases, being assumed by other disciplines. Keywords: content analysis, correspondence analysis, research, technical communication, technical writing
ABSTRACT
6 Technical Communication l Volume 67, Number 3, August 2020
CONTENT AND AUTHORSHIP PATTERNS
Applied Research