joe@smu.UUCP (01/27/85)
I am taking a course in scientific and technical writing this semester. Our first project is to write a report about technical writing. To get information for this paper, we are supposed to interview people in the field who do technical writing in their jobs. Therefore, I would like to present this questionnaire to you. I would appreciate any help you can give me; answer any of this that you like, or tell me about your experiences with technical writing in your own manner (Don't restrict yourself to only answering these questions). (I don't expect many responses to this, but I hope I get a couple or so.) Thanks for your help. Please respond by mail. Responses received before 4 February 1985 would be most helpful. (If there is interest, I can post a summary.) Joe Ramey, Southern Methodist University UUCP: convex!smu!joe CSNET: joe@smu --------------------------------------------------------------------------- How would you define ``technical writing''? (How does it differ from other writing?) How much technical writing do you do in your job? (What kinds: letters, memos, reports, proposals, recommendations, etc.) What is your occupation? What is the most important quality of technical writing (accuracy, conciseness, clarity, etc.)? How distracting are errors (punctuation, grammar, spelling)? How much time do you spend writing in your job (including research and thinking as well as actual writing)? Have you taken a technical writing course? Was it helpful? (Or, do you wish you had?) Describe your writing process. How important is audience to technical writing? How important is style? How important are communication skills (in general) to employment?