This volume brings together a representative sample from the growing body of work in qualitative research in technical communication. Including examples of qualitative methodologies—including ethnography, case study, focus groups, action research, grounded theory, and interview research— used by technical communicators to strengthen their practice, the result is a rich harmony of perspectives, as diverse as the field of technical communication itself.

This practical volume provides a thorough introduction to conducting and critically reading research in technical communication, complete with exemplars of research articles for study. Offering a solid grounding in the research underpinnings of the technical communication field, this resource has been developed for use in master’s level and upper-division undergraduate research methods courses in technical and professional communication.

Examines the impact of Internet technology on qualitative research methods. This book draws on studies using computer-mediated communication (CMC) and shows how online researchers can employ Internet-based qualitative methods to collect descriptive, contextually-situated data. It is intended as a guide for students and researchers.

The purpose of this cutting-edge collection of essays is threefold: first, it presents the principles of data collection and interpretation or the methodological distinctions of a particular method appropriate to technical communication research. Second, it discusses the foundational principles of the methodologies given the primary discipline in which they were created and applied. Finally, it reflects upon the process of importing and employing these methodologies into the research field of technical communication, and on how technical communication research has contributed to the development and application of these methodologies. Written by many noted scholars in the field and presenting a wide range of research methods, Research in Technical Communication combines theory and practice. Both technical communicators and industry researchers who want to learn more about workplace research and methodologies will find it invaluable, as will beginning and advanced scholars, who will find much that is useful in its variety of subjects.

Equipping Technical Communicators for Social Justice Work provides action-focused resources and tools—heuristics, methodologies, and theories—for scholars to enact social justice. These resources support the work of scholars and practitioners in conducting research and teaching classes in socially just ways. Each chapter identifies a tool, highlights its relevance to technical communication, and explains how and why it can prepare technical communication scholars for socially just work. For the field of technical and professional communication to maintain its commitment to this work, how social justice intersects with inclusivity through UX, technological, civic, and legal literacies, as well as through community engagement, must be acknowledged. Equipping Technical Communicators for Social Justice Work will be of significance to established scholar-teachers and graduate students, as well as to newcomers to the field. Contributors: Kehinde Alonge, Alison Cardinal, Erin Brock Carlson, Oriana Gilson, Laura Gonzales, Keith Grant-Davie, Angela Haas, Mark Hannah, Kimberly Harper, Sarah Beth Hopton, Natasha Jones, Isidore Kafui Dorpenyo, Liz Lane, Emily Legg, Nicole Lowman, Kristen Moore, Emma Rose, Fernando Sanchez, Jennifer Sano-Franchini, Adam Strantz, Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq, Josephine Walwema, Miriam Williams, Han Yu

This practical text offers a research-based account of the technical communication profession and its practice, outlining emergent touchpoints of this fast-changing field while highlighting its diversity. Through research on the history and the globalization of technical communication and up-to-date industry analysis, including first-hand narratives from industry practitioners, this book brings together common threads through the industry, suggests future trends, and points toward strategic routes for development. Vignettes from the workplace and examples of industry practice provide tangible insights into the different paths and realities of the field, furnishing readers with a range of entry routes and potential career sectors, workplace communities, daily activities, and futures. This approach is central to helping readers understand the diverse competencies of technical communicators in the modern, globalized economy. The Profession and Practice of Technical Communication provides essential guidance for students, early professionals, and lateral entrants to the profession and can be used as a textbook for technical communication courses.

Accessible, practical and concise, this revised edition expertly tackles the practical problems which writers face when they attempt to transfer the rich data experience of their real world research into a textual product. New attention is paid to the crucial issues of the nature and use of visual data, personal narrative, core and periphery data, and data reconstruction and fictionalization. Sensitive issues dealing with the appropriate use of identity in research settings are clearly discussed, while techniques for avoiding reductive judgements are presented and critically discussed. By making the workings of written study transparent, the book demonstrates how to manage subjectivity and achieve scientific rigour in the qualitative research process. This book provides accessible advice for novice researchers on where to begin and how to proceed. But much more than a simple manual, it also guides the more experience researcher through the social, cultural and political complexities involved in every step of the way. It is an essential tool for students in all disciplines that engage in qualitative research, including sociology, applied linguistics, management, sport science, health studies and education.