Technical Communication back issues from May 2005:
A practitioners' citation index?(EDITORIAL)
May 01, 2005; ... In my last editorial (February 2005, pp. 7-8), I discussed the journal's reputation and impact in terms of how frequently articles that have appeared in these pages are cited by those who publish in the field. I had been pleasantly surprised to discover that we fare extremely well in that ...
Tracing visual narratives: user-testing methodology for developing a multimedia museum show.(APPLIED RESEARCH)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Reports on the use of visual narrative for user-testing an interactive museum show * Demonstrates that mapping the audience's reading of the visual narratives was an effective testing structure in developing the show ********** ...
Looking to cinema for direction: incorporating motion into on-screen presentations of technical information.(APPLIED THEORY)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Examines how motion can be used to create effective interactive information systems * Demonstrates how a number of cinema techniques influence new media production and can be applied directly to technical communication practice ********** ...
The role of the highlights video in usability testing: rhetorical and generic expectations.(APPLIED THEORY)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Examines the use of the highlights video as described in the literature * Discovers how usability professionals use these videos * Points to uses that can instruct practitioners and teachers in the usability classroom ********** ...
The methodology of participatory design.(APPLIED THEORY)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Provides the historical and methodological grounding for understanding participatory design as a methodology * Describes its research designs, methods, criteria, and limitations * Provides guidance for applying it to technical communication ...
Not just usability testing: remembering and applying non-usability testing methods for learning how Web sites function.(APPLIED THEORY)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Maintains that Web designers should not rely exclusively on usability testing to provide design information, but should also examine how the sites invoke their audiences * Discusses rhetorical analysis and content analysis as alternative methods ...
Lessons on focus group methodology from a science television news project.(APPLIED RESEARCH)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Highlights guidelines for focus group implementation and caveats for interpreting data from such efforts * Discusses a formative evaluation undertaken for a television news project to understand how some people respond to science news stories ...
Cultural differences in the appreciation of introductions of presentations.(APPLIED RESEARCH)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Reports on a study of 300 people in the Netherlands, France, and Senegal * Finds that the cultures differ with respect to the presentation introduction they prefer * Presents a model to predict the extent to which an introduction will be ...
Trends in undergraduate curriculum in scientific and technical communication programs.(APPLIED RESEARCH)
May 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY * Reports the current state of curriculum in 80 bachelor degree programs * Answers questions about requirements, program location, degrees, internships, and portfolios * Describes two newly revised programs to suggest curricular trends ...
Communicating Ideas with Film, Video, and Multimedia: A Practical Guide to Information Motion-Media.
May 01, 2005; ... Communicating Ideas with Film, Video, and Multimedia: A Practical Guide to Information Motion-Media S. Martin Shelton. 2004. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. [ISBN 0-8093-2603-5. 306 pages, including appendixes and index. $35.00 USD (softcover).] ...
An Overview of Online Learning.
May 01, 2005; ... An Overview of Online Learning Saul Carliner. 2004. 2nd ed. Amherst, MA: HRD Press. [ISBN 0-87425-740-9. 216 pages, including appendix and glossary. $24.95 USD (softcover).] Since Saul Carliner wrote the first edition of Overview of online learning in 1999, the most ...
Teaching Revising and Editing: An Annotated Bibliography.
May 01, 2005; ... Teaching Revising and Editing: An Annotated Bibliography Bruce W. Speck, Dean A. Hinnen, and Kathleen Hinnen. 2003. Westport, CT: Praeger. [ISBN 0-313-27957-8. 205 pages, including author and subject indexes. $89.00 USD.] Annotated bibliographies are difficult books ...
Grant Seeking in an Electronic Age.
May 01, 2005; ... Grant Seeking in an Electronic Age Victoria M. Mikelonis, Signe T. Betsinger, and Constance Kampf. 2004. New York: Pearson Longman. [ISBN 0-321-16007-X. 490 pages, including index. $61.00 USD (soft-cover).] Technical writers seeking new employment opportunities, ...
Guidelines for Developing Instructions.
May 01, 2005; ... Guidelines for Developing Instructions Kay Inaba, Stuart O. Parsons, and Robert Smillie. 2004. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. [ISBN 0-415-32209-X. 147 pages, including index. $49.95 USD (softcover).] Guidelines for developing instructions may be only about 150 pages ...
E-ffective Writing for E-Learning Environments.
May 01, 2005; ... E-ffective Writing for E-Learning Environments Katy Campbell. 2004. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing. [ISBN 1-59140-216-6. 550 pages, including index. $59.95 USD (softcover)]. Do you have the assignment of writing training material for the Web? If so, you ...
Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists.
May 01, 2005; ... Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists Leo Finkelstein, Jr. 2005. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. [ISBN 0-07-297683-7. 362 pages, including index. $29.37 USD (softcover).] In many ways, the Pocket book of technical writing for ...
Web Application Design Handbook: Best Practices for Web-based Software.
May 01, 2005; ... Web Application Design Handbook: Best Practices for Web-based Software Susan Fowler and Victor Stanwick. 2004. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann. [ISBN 1-55860-752-8. 658 pages, including index. $54.95 USD (softcover).] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Books on ...
Editing by Design: For Designers, Art Directors, and Editors: The Classic Guide to Winning Readers.
May 01, 2005; ... Editing by Design: For Designers, Art Directors, and Editors: The Classic Guide to Winning Readers Jan V. White. 2003. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Allworth Press. [ISBN 1-58115-302-3. 247 pages, including appendix, index, and glossary. $29.95 USD (softcover).] This is the ...
The Synchronous Trainer's Survival Guide: Facilitating Successful Live and Online Courses, Meetings, and Events.
May 01, 2005; ... The Synchronous Trainer's Survival Guide: Facilitating Successful Live and Online Courses, Meetings, and Events Jennifer Hofmann. 2004. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer. [ISBN 0-7879-6943-5. 139 pages, including index. $40.00 USD (softcover).] E-learning is becoming more ...
Screen Design Manual: Communicating Effectively Through Multimedia.
May 01, 2005; ... Screen Design Manual: Communicating Effectively Through Multimedia Frank Thissen. 2004. Trans. James G. Rager. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag. [ISBN 3-540-43923-4. 335 pages, including index. $49.95 USD.] In Screen design manual: Communicating effectively through ...
Writing for the Technical Professions.
May 01, 2005; ... Writing for the Technical Professions Kristin R. Woolever. 2005. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Pearson Longman. [ISBN 0-321-20211-2. 502 pages, including index. $82.00 USD (softcover).] Writing for the technical professions is one of the better books that I have seen for ...
How Images Think.
May 01, 2005; ... How Images Think Ron Burnett. 2004. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. [ISBN 0-262-02549-3. 253 pages, including index. $34.95 USD.] One of Ron Burnett's purposes is to map the terrain of media forms and rethink how "people are traversing and interpreting this new mediascape" ...
Risk Communication: A Handbook for Communicating Environmental, Safety, and Health Risks.
May 01, 2005; ... Risk Communication: A Handbook for Communicating Environmental, Safety, and Health Risks Regina E. Lundgren and Andrea H. McMakin. 2004. 3rd ed. Columbus, OH: Battelle Press. [ISBN 1-57477-142-6. 453 pages, including index. $34.95 USD (softcover).] Risk ...
Designing Highly Useable Software.
May 01, 2005; ... Designing Highly Useable Software Jeff Cogswell. 2004. San Francisco, CA: Sybex. [ISBN 0-7821-4301-6. 342 pages, including index. $39.99 USD (softcover).] If you think no author could possibly have a fresh perspective on usability, think again. Jeff Cogswell's ...
Getting the Most from Online Learning.
May 01, 2005; ... Getting the Most from Online Learning George M. Piskurich, ed. 2004. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer. [ISBN 0-7879-6504-9. 170 pages, including index. $30.00 USD.] As a technical communicator and university teacher, I've read many pages of advice on how to teach and ...
Proven Portals: Best Practices for Planning, Designing, and Developing Enterprise Portals.
May 01, 2005; ... Proven Portals: Best Practices for Planning, Designing, and Developing Enterprise Portals Dan Sullivan. 2004. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. [ISBN 0-321-12520-7. 196 pages, including index. $34.99 USD (softcover).] The title Proven portals: Best practices for planning, ...
Live and Online! Tips, Techniques, and Ready-to-use Activities for the Virtual Classroom.
May 01, 2005; ... Live and Online! Tips, Techniques, and Ready-to-use Activities for the Virtual Classroom Jennifer Hofmann. 2004. San Francisco, CA; Pfeiffer. [ISBN 0-7879-6978-8. 202 pages, including appendixes, index, and CD-ROM. $75.00 USD.] I've gotten so old that it's hard for ...
CSS Cookbook.
May 01, 2005; ... CSS Cookbook Christopher Schmitt. 2004. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. [ISBN 0-0-596-00576-8. 252 pages, including index. $34.95 USD (softcover).] Although Christopher Schmitt might not enjoy Eric Meyers' reputation in CSS circles, CSS cookbook is well worth investing in. ...
Instructional Technologies: Cognitive Aspects of Online Programs.
May 01, 2005; ... Instructional Technologies: Cognitive Aspects of Online Programs Paul Darbyshire, ed. 2005. Hershey, PA: IRM Press. [ISBN 1-59140-237-9. 274 pages, including index. $64.95 USD (softcover).] Instructional technologies: Cognitive aspects of online programs is another ...
Design Research: Methods and Perspectives.
May 01, 2005; ... Design Research: Methods and Perspectives Brenda Laurel, ed. 2003. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. [ISBN 0-262-12263-4. 334 pages, including references, index, and author biographies. $39.95 USD.] Examples of design--both good and bad--surround us and affect the way we ...
More Eric Meyer on CSS.
May 01, 2005; ... More Eric Meyer on CSS Eric A. Meyer. 2004. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Publishing. [ISBN 0-7357-1425-8. 271 pages, including index. $45.00 USD (softcover).] Core CSS: Cascading Style Sheets Keith Schengili-Roberts. 2004. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: ...
Act Well Thy Part: Performing Technical Writer and Engineer.(COMMUNICATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Act Well Thy Part: Performing Technical Writer and Engineer N. Amare. 2004. IEEE transactions on professional communication 47:211-215. "Because an effective technical document, manual, or help menu is often the result of successful collaboration between the technical ...
Communication in Latin America.(COMMUNICATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Communication in Latin America R. Conaway and W. Wardrope. 2004. Business communication quarterly 67:465-474. "The format and structure of 150 Spanish-language letters written by business administrators in Guatemalan firms were analyzed to help determine how Latin ...
A Generational Approach to Using Emoticons as Nonverbal Communication.(COMMUNICATION)
May 01, 2005; ... A Generational Approach to Using Emoticons as Nonverbal Communication F. Krohn. 2004. Journal of technical writing and communication 34:321-328. "The purpose of this article is to help determine whether ... emoticons in computer mediated communication (CMC) are truly ...
Increasing User Acceptance of Technical Information in Cross-cultural Communication.(COMMUNICATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Increasing User Acceptance of Technical Information in Cross-cultural Communication T. Warren. 2004. Journal of technical writing and communication 34:249-264. "A significant problem in technical communication is persuading the user that the information is accurate, ...
The Structure of Communication Behavior in Simulated and Actual Crisis Negotiations.(COMMUNICATION)
May 01, 2005; ... The Structure of Communication Behavior in Simulated and Actual Crisis Negotiations P. J. Taylor and I. Donald. 2004. Human communication research 30:443-478. This study "extends recent efforts to differentiate communication in crisis negotiations ... by examining ...
"Curb Cuts" on the Information Highway: Older Adults and the Internet.(DESIGN)
May 01, 2005; ... "Curb Cuts" on the Information Highway: Older Adults and the Internet K. O'Hara. 2004. Technical communication quarterly 13:423-445. "With demographic and social trends in mind, technical communicators should be examining the online communication needs of elderly ...
Assessing and Teaching Competence.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Assessing and Teaching Competence T. Grant. 2004. Business communication quarterly 67:412-429. "The Professional Communication Unit (PCU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) recently conducted a business communication needs analysis to determine students' perceptions ...
Beyond Ethics: Notes Toward a Historical Materialist Paideia in the Professional Writing Classroom.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Beyond Ethics: Notes Toward a Historical Materialist Paideia in the Professional Writing Classroom M. G. Longaker. 2005. Journal of business and technical communication 19:78-97. "By wedding a historical materialist understanding of class formation to pedagogical ...
A Comparison of Traditional and Technology-assisted Instructional Methods in the Business Communication Classroom.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... A Comparison of Traditional and Technology-assisted Instructional Methods in the Business Communication Classroom D. Sauers and R. Walker. 2004. Business communication quarterly 67:430-442. "In their study of 261 students enrolled in eight sections of a business ...
Content Delivery in the "Blogosphere".(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Content Delivery in the "Blogosphere" R. E. Ferdig and K. D. Trammell. 2004. T.H.E. journal 31 (7): 12, 16-17, 20. The authors "describe the pedagogy behind blogs[,] .... ...
Creating Hybrid Distributed Learning Environments by Implementing Distributed Collaborative Writing in Traditional Educational Settings.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Creating Hybrid Distributed Learning Environments by Implementing Distributed Collaborative Writing in Traditional Educational Settings P. B. Lowry, J. F. Nunamaker, Q. E. Booker, A. Curtis, and M. R. Lowry. 2004. IEEE transactions on professional communication 47:171-189. ...
Designing for the Changing Role of the Instructor in Blended Learning.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Designing for the Changing Role of the Instructor in Blended Learning M. M. Danchak and M. P. Huguet. 2004. IEEE transactions on professional communication 47:200-210. Analyzing "the challenges of dealing with the human and technical aspects of blended learning ... ....
Enabling Distributed Learning Communities via Emerging Technologies--Part One and Part Two.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Enabling Distributed Learning Communities via Emerging Technologies--Part One and Part Two C. Dede. 2004. T.H.E. journal 32 (2): 12+ and 32 (3): 16+. "Both opportunities and challenges arise in applying this model of learning communities to the instruction of students ...
Implication versus Inference: Analyzing Writer and Reader Representations in Business Texts.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Implication versus Inference: Analyzing Writer and Reader Representations in Business Texts D. Jameson. 2004. Business communication quarterly 67:387-407. "The narrative concepts of the implied author and implied reader elucidate how business texts represent writers ...
Proficiency [Special Issue].(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Proficiency [Special Issue] D. Andrews, ed. 2004. Business communication quarterly 67:385-474. "How do you know you've won? This question ... is certainly pertinent to the serious game we play when we seek to improve the communication skills of business and management ...
Reducing the Distance: A Study of Course Websites as a Means to Create a Total Learning Space in Traditional Courses.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Reducing the Distance: A Study of Course Websites as a Means to Create a Total Learning Space in Traditional Courses S. Codone. 2004. IEEE transactions on professional communication 47:190-199. "A primary goal of both distance and traditional courses should be that ...
Teaching in a High-tech Conference Room: Academic Adaptations and Workplace Simulations.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Teaching in a High-tech Conference Room: Academic Adaptations and Workplace Simulations L. Rehling. 2005. Journal of business and technical communication 19:98-113. "As a response to research about both the work space of professional writers and the pedagogy using ...
Technical Communication Instruction in Engineering Schools: A Survey of Top-ranked U.S. and Canadian Programs.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Technical Communication Instruction in Engineering Schools: A Survey of Top-ranked U.S. and Canadian Programs L. Reave. 2004. Journal of business and technical communication 4:452-490. "This survey of 73 top-ranked U.S. and Canadian engineering schools examines ...
Toward a Post-techne--Or, Inventing Pedagogies for Professional Writing.(EDUCATION)
May 01, 2005; ... Toward a Post-techne--Or, Inventing Pedagogies for Professional Writing B. Hawk. 2004. Technical communication quarterly 13:371-392. "This article examines the concept of techne in relation to situatedness. Techne is conceived as techniques for situating bodies in ...
Multilingual Scholars and the Imperative to Publish in English: Negotiating Interests, Demands, and Rewards.(LANGUAGE)
May 01, 2005; ... Multilingual Scholars and the Imperative to Publish in English: Negotiating Interests, Demands, and Rewards M. J. Curry and T. Lillis. 2004. TESOL quarterly 38:663-688. This article examines how multilingual scholars who work outside English-speaking countries ...
America's Looming Creativity Crisis.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... America's Looming Creativity Crisis R. Florida. 2004. Harvard business review 82 (10): 122-136. "The article focuses on how the United States became a powerful economy by attracting human capital and questions whether the U.S. will keep its competitive advantage ....
Automating Single-source Development.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Automating Single-source Development A. VanConas. 2004. Best practices 6:140-144. "The increased pace of software development has also had an effect on the process of developing and delivering documentation (content) .... [C]ontent providers must decrease the time ...
A Balanced Model for Product Usability.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... A Balanced Model for Product Usability C. Dowdell. 2004. Best practices 6:151-153. "This article introduces a new model for consideration in the development of information systems: the Balanced Model for Product Usability. This model serves ...
Cultural Intelligence.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Cultural Intelligence P. C. Earley and E. Mosakowski. 2004. Harvard business review 82 (10): 139-146. "The article focuses on how to cope with different national, corporate, and vocational cultures. Cultural intelligence [also called CQ] is an important aptitude and ...
How to Publish Dynamic Documents More Easily.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... How to Publish Dynamic Documents More Easily P. G. Bartlett. 2004. Best practices 6:116-1118. "The most advanced dynamic publishing systems can pull information from content repositories, relational databases, and other business systems, assemble that ...
Implementing the Information Architect Role in the Rational Unified Process [RUP].(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Implementing the Information Architect Role in the Rational Unified Process [RUP] V. Beg, M. Priestley, and A. Swope. 2004. Best practices 6:111-115. "Many known benefits ... [result] from following a formalized development process, such as the RUP framework, for ...
Leadership Discourse in Action: A Textual Study of Organizational Change in a Government of Canada Department.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Leadership Discourse in Action: A Textual Study of Organizational Change in a Government of Canada Department C. Harrison and L. Young. 2005. Journal of business and technical communication 19:42-77. "This article examines two discursive events during a major ...
Requirements: A Primer for Technical Communicators.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Requirements: A Primer for Technical Communicators K. Steele and J. Shelton. 2004. Best practices 6:105, 107-110. "Poorly written requirements are the single biggest point of failure in the development of new software systems .... Smart project managers these days are ...
Rethinking the Assembly Line: How "Documentspaces" Can Energize Team-based Technical Writing.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Rethinking the Assembly Line: How "Documentspaces" Can Energize Team-based Technical Writing M. Fergusson. 2004. Best practices 6:133, 136-139. "[W]ith few exceptions, we're still hard-wired to think along straight lines, our collective DNA holding fast to the ...
Single Source Content Management.(MANAGEMENT)
May 01, 2005; ... Single Source Content Management P. Trotter. 2004. Best practices 6:145-150. "As more and more businesses expand into international markets, a critical success factor becomes high-quality, cost-effective, and timely translated, written content. Responsibility for this ...
From Medical Writer to Communication Specialist: Expanding Roles and Contributions in Pharmaceutical Organizations.(PROFESSIONAL ISSUES)
May 01, 2005; ... From Medical Writer to Communication Specialist: Expanding Roles and Contributions in Pharmaceutical Organizations J. D. Ford, S. A. Bernhardt, and G. Cuppan. 2004. American Medical Writers Association journal 19 (2):4-8, 11. In this article, the authors examine "the ...
Fulfilling the Need for a Technology Integration Specialist.(PROFESSIONAL ISSUES)
May 01, 2005; ... Fulfilling the Need for a Technology Integration Specialist M. Hofer, B. Chamberlin, and T. Scot. 2004. T.H.E. journal 32 (2):34+. A sample job description indicates that this IT specialist position may be one suitable for persons in technical and professional ...
Negotiating Maternity Leave Expectations: Perceived Tensions between Ethics of Justice and Care.(PROFESSIONAL ISSUES)
May 01, 2005; ... Negotiating Maternity Leave Expectations: Perceived Tensions between Ethics of Justice and Care M. Liu and P. M. Buzzanell. 2004. Journal of business communication 41:323-349. "In this study, women who had maternity leaves indicated that their treatment often ...
Seeing Technical Communication from a Career Perspective: The Implications of Career Theory for Technical Communication Theory, Practice, and Curriculum Design.(PROFESSIONAL ISSUES)
May 01, 2005; ... Seeing Technical Communication from a Career Perspective: The Implications of Career Theory for Technical Communication Theory, Practice, and Curriculum Design J. Jablonski. 2005. Journal of business and technical communication 19:5-41. "This article explores the ...