Teaching technical writing without formal training can be daunting. However, there are many resources available that can provide background and materials for teaching. My approach involved reading textbooks and articles not only on approaches to technical writing but also on what students can expect once they complete their education and are…

As public relations professions advance toward new media platforms, one traditional tool--the backgrounder/position paper (more technically termed white paper) remains a compelling vehicle to impart enduring professional competencies. Moreover, the skills requisite to produce a white paper can be deployed in a variety of new and traditional media…

The 82 annotations in this bibliography describe papers and articles that relate technical writing to industry and the real world as well as to the liberal arts and the academic world. The citations are arranged into the following eight categories: (1) studies showing needs and demands in the real world; (2) studies of present practice as…

Notes that many preservice teacher education students in a composition methods course confess they did not prewrite seriously in middle and high school, and that many did not prewrite at all. Introduces a technical writer who spends 80% of his writing time in prewriting activities alone. Discusses strategies to help students realize the value and…

Describes one teacher's experience in an internship as a technical writer and editor and how it sharpened her awareness of what she must teach to emulate the workplace in the classroom and truly prepare technical writing students for communication in business and industry. (HTH)