Technical Communication A Practical Approach Chapter 9 Technical

Technical Communication A Practical Approach Chapter 9: Technical Research William Sanborn Pfeiffer Kaye Adkins

Technical Research n n n Getting Started Reviewing Published Research Conducting Primary Research Using Borrowed Information Correctly Reporting Your Research Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 2 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Getting Started n Ask yourself the following questions to give direction to your work n n n What questions must be answered during the research phase? What print, multimedia, and electronic sources would be most useful? What is the nature and extent of information that is needed? Should it be scholarly or popular? Current or historical? Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 3 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Getting Started n Ask yourself the following questions to give direction to your work n n What are the best strategies and research tools for locating information? To whom can you talk who might have expertise on the topic? Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 4 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Getting Started n Ask yourself the following questions to give direction to your work n n What are the best criteria for critically evaluating information for reliability, validity, accuracy, timeliness, or point of view or bias? What format must be used to document material borrowed from sources and what copyright permissions must be acquired to use the information? Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 5 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Reviewing Published Research n n n Searching Online Catalogs Searching in the Library Searching the Web Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 6 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Searching Online Catalogs n n Author or Title Search Subject Search Keyword Search Advanced Search Techniques Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 7 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Searching In the Library n Library Services n n n Reference and information Interlibrary loan Circulation Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 8 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Searching In the Library n Library Resources n n n Books Periodicals Newspapers Company directories Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other general references Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 9 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Searching the Web n Fundamentals of Web Searching n Using Your Evaluation Skills n n Invest time and effort in critically evaluating what you find Be alert to the following n n n Obscured authorship Out-of-date information Subtle and obvious bias Poor-quality links Flawed style and design Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 10 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Searching the Web n Fundamentals of Web Searching n Learning the basics n Uniform resource locator (URL) n Contains important clues to the Web site’s authorship, country of origin or the domain, or the type of organization sponsoring the site Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 11 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Searching the Web n Web Search Options n n Searching by URL (uniform resource locator) Searching by key words using search engines and meta-search engines Searching with subject directories Using reviewed and recommended subject guides Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 12 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Conducting Primary Research n Quantitative Research n n n Research is valid Research is reliable Qualitative Research n n Interviews Focus groups Field observation Document and analysis Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 13 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Conducting Primary Research n Research with human subjects n n n Comply with ethical guidelines Submit a research plan Using surveys n Can combine qualitative and quantitative research Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 14 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Conducting Primary Research n Usability Testing n n n How clear are the instructions? How quickly can a user find information in a help file? How useful are the illustrations in a user’s guide? Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 15 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Using Borrowed Information Correctly n n Avoiding Plagiarism Varieties of Documentation Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 16 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Using Borrowed Information Correctly n Avoiding Plagiarism n Cite sources for all borrowed information used in your final document. This includes quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 17 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Using Borrowed Information Correctly n Why Should You Document Your Sources Thoroughly and Accurately? n n n Courtesy Ethics The law Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 18 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Selecting and Following a Documentation System n Varieties of Documentation n n American Psychological Association (APA) Council of Biology Editors (CBE) Modern Language Association (MLA) Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 19 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Reporting Your Research n n ABC Format for Technical Research Writing Research Abstracts Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 20 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

ABC Format for Technical Research n Abstract n n n Identifies the question, problem, or issue being researched Reviews the published research about the topic, or secondary sources Overviews the organizational plan of the document Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 21 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

ABC Format for Technical Research n Body n n n Explains the methodology used to gather information form primary sources Presents the results, using tables, charts, and graphs as necessary Interprets the findings through analysis and discussion Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 22 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

ABC Format for Technical Research n Conclusion n n May include recommendations May make a prediction Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 23 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Writing Research Abstracts n Types of Abstracts n Informational Abstract n Format n n Purpose n n Major points from original document Main findings, conclusions, and recommendations of original document Length n One to three paragraphs Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 24 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Writing Research Abstracts n Types of Abstracts n Descriptive Abstract n Format n n Purpose n n Main topics of document without supporting details such as findings, conclusions, or recommendations Given their lack of detail, helps readers decide whether they want to read the original document Length n No more than one paragraph Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 25 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Writing Research Abstracts n Guidelines for Writing Research Abstracts n n n Highlight the Main Points Sketch Out an Outline Begin with a Short Purpose Statement Maintain a Fluid Style Avoid Technical Terms Readers May Not Know Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 26 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.