Technical and Professional Writing Commons^™

Sentence Structure, Dawn Atkinson

Writing

No abstract provided.

A Word From The Writing Team (September 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Our New Editor!
• Publications Spotlight
• Check out these Free Workshops Wiley is Offering in September
• Sign up for the First Friday Writing Retreat (Online)
• Did you Know Jefferson Provides Funding Support for Article Processing Charges (APC)?

From Tradition To Innovation? A Diachronic Corpus Analysis Of Simplified Technical English In Aviation, Amber Wanwen Wang, Eric Friginal

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Reading comprehension and fluency are fundamental for successful text processing, particularly in high-stakes environments like aviation maintenance where unclear technical documentation can have fatal consequences. This risk is amplified by the significant proportion of non-native English speakers in the global aviation maintenance workforce. While Simplified Technical English (STE) was introduced in the mid-1980s as an international specification to address these challenges and has evolved through continuous user feedback, its effectiveness in reducing text complexity and improving comprehension remains underexplored. This research examines language changes in aviation maintenance documentation from pre-1990 to 2024, analyzing linguistic variations across two generations of technical …

Between The Buffer And The Black Box: Ed(1), Invisible Text, And Delegation In Word Processing, Kai Prenger

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis provides a media archaeological and theoretical examination of ed(1), the Unix line editor developed by Ken Thompson at Bell Labs in 1969, arguing that its approach to "invisible text" processing established lasting patterns of human-computer collaboration that persist in contemporary digital systems. Through historical research, technical analysis, and critical interpretation, this study demonstrates how ed(1) embodied a particular epistemology of text processing that appears alien in a contemporary context, but proves insightful in the age of generative text creation.

ed(1) emerged from the unique convergence of Bell Labs' collaborative research culture, severe hardware constraints of early Unix systems, …

A Word From The Writing Team (August 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publications Spotlight
• Join the Last Summer Writing Warriors Session Tomorrow
• Check out our Fall Workshops
• Two Ways to Fund Open Access Fees

Empowering The User Through Inclusive Technical Writing, Robert Enriquez

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the issues in technical writing due to a disconnect between writer and reader/user. I am basing this study on my real-life job. I am a manager at a well-known sneaker retailer. In August 2024, there was a Workforce Management (WFM) software that the sneaker retailer launched in the retail stores. The WFM itself was glitched and unfinished. Not much disclaimer, training or preparation was given other than these procedural documents the sneaker retailer gave. If all the store managers had to depend on was technical documentation to prepare for this already glitched WFM, then I argue there …

The Ai Mirror: How To Reclaim Our Humanity In An Age Of Machine Thinking By Shannon Vallor, D. Michael Cox

Critical Humanities

Book Review of The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking by Shannon Vallor

A Word From The Writing Team (July 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publications Spotlight
• Join the Summer Writing Warriors
• Two Ways to Fund Open Access Fees
• Check out the Instructional Design Team’s Podcast, The Learning Curve!

A Word From The Writing Team (June 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Spotlight on Hemma
• Publications Spotlight
• Register for the 17th Annual Jefferson Faculty Days – June 4th and 5th
• Join the Summer Writing Warriors
• Check out the Instructional Design Team’s Podcast, The Learning Curve!
• Looking for Your Next Read?
• Two Ways to Fund Open Access Fees

Hospitality At The End Of The World: An Ideological Rhetorical Criticism Of Tactical Technical Communication In The Prepper Journal, Ryan Cheek

English and Technical Communication Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Final Master's Portfolio, Sophia Michalski

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio explores research in technical writing revolving around digital products and literary practices such as Post-Structuralism as literary theory and the methodology Docile Bodies within literary texts. While half the portfolio includes analytical essays which examine how these themes intersect and arise in literary landscape, the other half aims to investigate how the current digital marketplace prioritizes cloud-based products and what limitations are placed through extensive research.

A Word From The Writing Team (May 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publication Spotlight
• Two Ways to Fund Open Access Fees
• Mark Your Calendar for the Drs. Theresa and Charles Yeo Writing Prize Reception & Reading (See Flyer)
• Citation Manager Updates
• Check out the Instructional Design Team’s Podcast, The Learning Curve!
• Looking for Your Next Read?
• The OPWPC Canvas Page Offers Helpful Tools

Improving The User Experience Of Joining Bowling Green State University’S Intramural Sports Program, Emily Piekenbrock

Honors Projects

This project, completed as part of the Honors and VCT Synthesis coursework at Bowling Green State University, focuses on improving the user experience of joining and participating in the university’s intramural sports program. Despite the program's popularity and impact on student life, usability issues within its IMLeagues platform and inconsistent or missing rulebooks have created barriers to entry and engagement. To address these challenges, the project involved the design and development of a standardized, user-friendly set of rulebooks for all intramural sports, a how-to guide for purchasing IM passes, and a quick-reference card for flag football referees. Grounded in research …

"What A Good Opr Looks Like": How Air Force Officers Learn To Write Performance Evaluations Without Formal Training, Joanna Kristen Dytuco Kohlhepp

English Theses & Dissertations

Every year, Air Force officers receive an Officer Performance Report (OPR) from their supervisory chain of commands. Air Force regulations state that officers should not write the content for their own reports; however, this is not what occurs in practice as “Ratees” usually compose their own evaluations. At the time of writing, the Air Force has not established a service-wide training or education program to teach officers how to compose these complex and career-altering documents, leaving Ratees to figure out how to navigate the genre’s unique conventions for themselves.

This dissertation examines what rhetorical knowledge Air Force officers must possess …

A Word From The Writing Team (April 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publication Spotlight
• Sign up for the April 4th Writing Retreat (Online)
• Check out the Health Humanities Consortium (HHC) Conference
• Come to the 3rd Annual Jefferson Science Slam
• Visit the Write that Baby in 9 Weeks Workshop Canvas Page

How To Conduct A Discovery Interview To Address Academic Integrity Concerns, Dawn Atkinson, Stacey Corbitt

Writing

Academic misconduct, such as contract cheating and unauthorized use of generative artificial intelligence in assignments, can be challenging to detect. A discovery interview is a tool for probing students’ assignment preparation processes, clarifying their approaches to academic work, and determining their grasp of academic honesty principles.

Developing Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning (Sotl) On A Regional Campus, Shawn Boyne, Rosemary Erickson Johnsen

eJournal of Public Affairs

How can academic affairs administrators foster robust Scholarship of Teaching and Learning practices on a regional baccalaureate campus? Fulfilling tenure-system faculty requirements for scholarly research at a teaching institution alongside 4-4 teaching loads is a challenge, but supporting faculty in SoTL engagement shows them how it draws on their expertise to yield meaningful benefits for themselves as teacher-scholars and for their students. To lay a solid foundation for a new programmatic emphasis on SoTL, academic leadership at the Crookston campus of the University of Minnesota harnessed system resources available through the Center for Educational Innovation to a supportive cohort model. …

A Word From The Writing Team (March 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publication Spotlight
• Jefferson is on Newsweek’s List of Top 250 Hospitals Worldwide!
• Sign up for the March 7th Writing Retreat (Online)
• Write that Baby in 9 Weeks Workshop Series – March 6th Online
• Generative AI Acknowledgement in Publishing
• Check out the OPWPC’s Streamlined Webpage
• The OPWPC Canvas Page Offers Helpful Tools
• Looking for Your Next Fun Podcast?

A Word From The Writing Team (February 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publication Spotlight
• Sign up for the February 7th Writing Retreat (Online)
• Write that Baby in 9 Weeks
• Reception for Research as Art Competition
• Safeguard your figures
• Elsevier No Fee Open Access
• The OPWPC Canvas Page and Helpful Tools
• Free Feedback and Editing for Authors and Presenters

What's Their Story? To Help Save The Humanities, Let's Listen To English Majors, Kevin T. Caffrey

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Amid declining enrollment in humanities programs throughout the United States, the English major has been hit the hardest. This article gives voice to current English majors about why they choose to enroll in a program that often receives criticism pertaining to its value and worth. This study provides a literature review of the history of higher education in the United States, an examination of the humanities backlash that has evolved over the past half-century, and an exploration of the value of a degree in English. In addition, it provides survey results from a small group of English majors currently enrolled …