Technical Communication Today (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Richard Johnson-Sheehan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0321457587 | ISBN-13: 978-0321457585 | Edition: 2

Technical Communication Today epitomizes the shift in technical communication from literal-linear created to visual-spatial created documents. This evolution, which has been provoked by the ubiquity of the computer as a communication tool, is changing fundamental writing and reading processes.  The text has been designed using the idea of “chunking,” where readable portions of text are combined with graphics. Not only does this concept facilitate learning, but it models the way today’s technical documents should be designed.  Its presentation of teaching readers how to write integrates a new awareness of how documents are read—by “raiding” for the information needed.  The author wrote the text with the presumption that users are researching, organizing, drafting, designing, and revising directly on their computer screens. By mirroring these processes in its content and structure, Technical Communication Today offers a higher level of accessibility for readers. 

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION TODAY, Second Edition
Richard Johnson-Sheehan

Whether you are a college student shaping your future or a professional building your qualifications, Technical Communication Today will prepare you for today’s information-based technical workplace.

Richard Johnson-Sheehan wrote Technical Communication Today to reflect how today’s students learn and technical communicators work–on the computer. Johnson-Sheehan’s driving principle is that the computer is the center of today’s communication, and that beyond being a word processor, it’s a thinking and writing tool. An emphasis on the activity of producing effective documents mirrors the reality of the technical workplace; the processes explained in the text are those followed by technical communicators. Johnson-Sheehan consistently applies rhetorical principles to guide you to creating audience-centered, result-driven documents for today’s reader. The book’s chunked design makes it highly navigable and scannable. This format allows you to raid the book for the information needed to complete a task.

www.ablongman.com/johnson-sheehan
The Companion Website, created concurrently with the Technical Communication Today, is a portal designed to work side-by-side with the text. You can do research, find various examples, learn new communication strategies, and download worksheets. Johnson-Sheehan is a regular presence on the website, available for questions and comments.

MyTechCommLab

www.mytechcommlab.com

MyTechCommLab offers the best multimedia resources for technical writing in one easy-to-use place. Students will find model documents, guidelines, tutorials, and exercises for writing, grammar, and research. Features include:

• Actual examples of technical documents in the Model Documents Gallery and Interactive documents collection.
• Step-by-step guidance through the writing process with activities and exercises.
• The online reference of library e-books, includes Visual Communication and Workplace Literacy readers.
• Practice and assessment with grammar skills
• Access to the Research Navigator Web site for step-by-step guidance through the research process, discipline-specific library guides, and citation guidelines including MLA and APA. Students also receive access to EBSCO’s ContentSelect and Link Library. A new Research Navigator feature is the AutoCite bibliography maker!

If your textbook did not come with a student access card, go to www.mytechcommlab.com to purchase an access code.

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 2 edition (January 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321457587
• ISBN-13: 978-0321457585
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Author, February 16, 2009

By 

Richard D. Johnson (West Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Technical Communication Today (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

All right, so I'm the author, and I'm writing a review of my own book. However, the person below with the negative review is mistakenly complaining about the supplier of the book, not the book itself. Yet, I cannot get Amazon to take off that comment. So, I'm countering with one of my own.

In each successive edition, I have incorporated the cutting edge of technology in communication. You won't find this depth of coverage in any other book. Plus, as a professor at a leading engineering and science university, I keep up with the issues and technologies that are just coming into our lives. You will find those issues addressed in this book in creative and innovative ways.

You are always welcome to contact me directly if you would like to know more about this book. Your students will find it very accessible and very useful. You will find it creative and easy to use.

Professor Richard Johnson-Sheehan, Purdue University.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Technical Coummunication, February 18, 2011

By 

David Kennard "Dave Kennard" (Los Alamos, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Technical Communication Today (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

An excellent book, very well presented and is easy to read and understand. I feel that this book has improved my writing abilities vastly in the past month.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good book, June 27, 2009

By 

Syed A. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Technical Communication Today (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I'm a senior biomedical engineering major from Texas A&M, and I thought I didn't need to take technical writing. But after the course, a good teacher, and reading through a lot of this book, I realized I have much to learn. I almost don't want to sell this book back simply because it would prove to be a great resource for the future, but I need the money. The book is lacking a good project proposal section, as my teacher also said. Other than that, lots of examples (real world examples too) and a good book overall. Covers digital media as well.