Textbooks

All textbooks are free and open to public use. They are examples of open-source Online Educational Resources (OER).

Gross, A., Hamlin, A., Merck, B., Rubio, C., Naas, J., Savage, M., & DeSilva, M. (2017). Technical writing. Open Oregon Educational Resources. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/

Tijerina, T., Powell, T., Arnett, J., Logan, M., & Race, C. (2022). Open technical communication (4th ed.). Kennesaw State University. http://open-tc.com/

Dingwall, J. R., Labrie, C., McLennon, T. K., & Underwood, L. Part 1: Foundations of technical communication. In Dingwell, et al. (Eds.), Professional communication OER. Olds College, Alberta, Canada. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TczeyBBBtCjKzyLwKhiWTvwvj-DMsEvCsY8r4jGeaoo

Journal Articles

All articles are available through the course site. Select the link to open a page with an embedded PDF. Each page includes a “download” link for downloading the PDF for your own use.

Allen, Jo. (1990). The case against defining technical writing. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 4(2), 68-77.

Clinkenbeard, M. J. (2020). A posthuman approach to agency, disability, and technology in social interactions. Technical Communication Quarterly, 29(2), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572252.2019.1646319

Connors, R. J. (2004). The rise of technical communication instruction in America. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central works in technical communication (pp. 3-19). Originally published in Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 12(4), 329-352, in 1982)

Dobrin, D. N. (2004). What’s technical about technical writing? In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central works in technical communication (pp. 107-123). Oxford University Press. (Originally published in P. V. Anderson, R. J. Brockman, & C. R. Miller (Eds.), New essays in technical and scientific communication: Research, theory, practice (pp. 227-250), Baywood Publishing Company, in 1983)

Kolodziejski, L. R. (2014). Harms of hedging in scientific discourse: Andrew Wakefield and the origins of the autism vaccine controversy. Technical Communication Quarterly, 23(3), 165-183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10572252.2013.816487

Melançon, L., & St.Amant, K. (2019). Empirical research in technical and professional communication: A 5-year examination of research methods and a call for research sustainability. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 49(2), 128-155. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0047281618764611

Miller, Carolyn R. (1979). A humanistic rationale for technical writing. College English, 40(6), 610-617.

Slack, J. D., Miller, D. J., & Doak, J. (1993). The technical communicator as author: Meaning, power, authority. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 7(1), 12-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1050651993007001002

Sullivan, P. A., & Porter, J. E. (1993). Remapping curricular geography: Professional writing in/and English. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 7(4), 380-422.

Walsh, et al. (2016). The Great Chain of Being: Manifesto on the problem of agency in science communication. Poroi, 12(1), Article 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.13008/2151-2957.1246

Additional Resources

These resources will be used in part or in whole during the semester.

Library Guide

Marcia Whitehead, our SPCS Library Liaison, has put together a library guide for research in business and professional communication. Because UR doesn’t have an independent program in technical communication, but does have the Robins School of Business, the library guide leans toward a “business communication” approach. However, the principles and theories of business communication as presented in business schools and courses, while focused on finance and business administration workplaces, remain applicable to the broader field of technical communication.

Online Articles & Blog Posts

Anderson, C. (2013, June). How to give a killer presentation. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/06/how-to-give-a-killer-presentation

Fleming, J. (2020, February 20). 20 steps to a better LinkedIn profile in 2023 (Blog post). LinkedIn Sales and Marketing Solutions EMEA Blog. https://business.linkedin.com/en-uk/marketing-solutions/blog/posts/content-marketing/2017/17-steps-to-a-better-LinkedIn-profile-in-2017

Gallo, C. (2020, January 6). What it takes to give a great presentation (Blog post). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/01/what-it-takes-to-give-a-great-presentation

Google Drive Help. (2020). https://support.google.com/drive/?hl=en#topic=14940

Panopto. (2020, May 4). The best way to record a Powerpoint presentation (Blog post). https://www.panopto.com/blog/the-best-way-to-record-a-powerpoint-presentation/

Websites

Fabric of Digital Life (website)

• Replacing Human Decision Making through Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) in the Hiring Process (website, collection curated by students in Summer 2020 course)
• Building Digital Literacy through Exploration and Curation (website, online help)

Plain Language (website)

• Federal plain language guidelines (website)
• Checklist for Plain Language on the Web (website)