Technical and Professional Writing Genres: A Study in Theory and Practice

Reviewed by April Asbury, Instructor, Radford University on 8/22/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

I'm impressed by the thoroughness of this text. It covers almost everything I've been teaching in Business Writing and Professional Writing, from business forms to audience evaluation to collaborative work.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text includes practical advice with particular, accurate details. Most importantly, it emphasizes flexibility. For example, depending on the audience, the writer's approach to a proposal/email/etc. will change. This text recognizes that, which is very helpful.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This field is constantly changing. We're already seeing the impact of shifting needs and changing technology in this field, so a textbook can't tie itself too closely to present needs without dating itself in a matter of months. That said, I'd like to see more emphasis on digital communications, and I expect that AI will eventually require a chapter all to itself.

Clarity rating: 5

The prose strikes me as lucid and accessible, particularly given the subject matter. Many chapters take on a conversational, but not improper or artificial, tone. Passages have a relatively smooth flow, and relevant terms--even that great design term, "CRAP"--are explained quickly.

Consistency rating: 4

The "voice" in chapters may shift a bit due to the collaborative authors, but overall this text is internally consistent and framed in a way that makes sense to the reader.

Modularity rating: 4

I can work the sections of this text into a schedule or my online learning platform with ease. I think student readers will have no problem finding what they need if given specific directions.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization is clear and easy to follow.

Interface rating: 5

I actually like the book's interface. The ease of opening and closing entire sections to make readable chunks seems as if it would work well with smaller screens. I also work with readers who have ADHD who told me busy screens interfere with their ability to focus, read, and retain. In this text, it's easy to find what you need, then open only what you need right now. As I spend more time with this text, I plan on asking these readers for feedback, too.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Occasionally there may be blips, as other reviewers has pointed out, which could benefit from a closer line editing.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text recognizes cultural differences and includes an entire section on cross-cultural communication. While too vast and varied to be catalogued in a single text, the message is clear: do your research and think about the details!

Comments

I'm going to spend more time evaluating and experimenting with this text, but I think it's a keeper. For students new to professional writing, or for students looking to advance their skills, may be more than adequate. While I miss the colorful graphics and current events that pepper my current textbook, my students and I will appreciate the ease (and lack of cost) for this textbook instead.

Reviewed by Jessica Mattox, Adjunct Instructor of English, Radford University on 8/21/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Howerton et al.'s text provides an accessible, yet comprehensive introduction to the subject of technical and professional writing. Howerton's text organizes its chapters into two main sections: Part I, "Theory" and Part II, "Genres and Practice." Introducing the theory section first is helpful because students need an overview of the definitions and main ideas of the field before they can understand the particular text types, genres, and rhetorical situations in which they will be asked to communicate. I appreciate the attention given to matters of audience, team/collaborative writing, document design, and ethics in the "Theory" section. These are the foundation upon which sound, rhetorically-informed communication is built. However, I feel the text could be more comprehensive in three areas. First, the matters of style, organization, and persuasion could be included more prominently in their own chapter on the Rhetorical Situation instead of deep within the audience chapter. Although information about audience and purpose is contextualized throughout the book, it would be helpful to have an introductory chapter for students in the "Theory" section. Second, the authors might consider adding an index and/or glossary of defined terms, especially from the "Theory" chapters where these terms are first introduced. An appendix is included, but it is not clear on first glance that it only contains links to example student instruction sets. Finally, the authors might also consider updating their list of genres and rhetorical situations to include professional portfolios, service-learning projects, feasibility reports, and social media at work.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content in the text is as accurate and unbiased as possible. Students are given correct and clear definitions of terms, rhetorically-sound guidelines, and practical advice to use as they practice these technical and professional genres. My only suggestion would be to include a few more examples of how technical and professional writing can be applied in humanities-based and service professions, such as teaching, counseling, medicine, entertainment, administration, and content-creation. In the Introduction to Chapter 3, the authors state: "Collaborative writing is one of the most common ways people in the worlds of business, government, science, and technology handle large writing projects." Although this statement is true, it leaves a lot of folks out. This text--along with many other technical/professional writing texts--focuses primarily on STEM professions in its examples. It perpetuates the myth that those in non-STEM professions don't need/use TPC writing.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Although the text is, overall, relevant in that it relies on time-tested pedagogy informed by rhetorical genre studies (in which key players of the field such as Charles Bazerman, Amy Devitt, and Carolyn Miller operate), there are a few instances in which outdated--or, at least, no longer popular-- platforms and programs are mentioned to illustrate a concept. As this text was published pre-pandemic (2019), it makes sense that programs like Zoom and social media apps like TikTok are not mentioned. Incorporating those programs and apps would be straightforward, though, should they be relevant to a concept.

Some specific areas in which the authors could update the content include: 1.) Chapter 4: Ethics could include information about how to begin navigating generative artificial intelligence in the classroom and in the workplace; 2.)Chapter 7: Applying to Jobs could include information about how students should navigate job opportunities found on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.); and 3.) Chapter 8: Technical Instructions could include more information about usability and usability testing of instructions and the tasks those instructions help users complete. In addition, I feel the closing activity in this chapter, which tells students to locate physical instructions ("As a last resort you can look online") should take into consideration that most of our students have grown up in the digital age and will not necessarily have sets of print instructions in their living space.

Clarity rating: 5

Howerton et al. employ concise language and straightforward, to-the-point prose in this text. It is clear that the text was written with its audience—college students who may or may not have a background in technical and professional writing—in mind. The authors do an especially good job of providing context for each genre; furthermore, they frame each genre as a rhetorical situation unto itself, which is so helpful for students as they navigate new writing opportunities. Also, chapter synopses are included both in the introduction and at the start of each chapter, which gives students a place to land if they experience any confusion.

Consistency rating: 5

All of the major terms used in the text, especially "rhetorical situation," "genre," "audience," and "purpose," maintain consistent meanings throughout each chapter. The authors seem to have normed their style and voice across the chapters to make the text read as one, cohesive work. Although the chapters vary in length and the types of in-class activities provided, each one is connected to the text as a whole and serves its larger purpose. Going forward, I would recommend that the authors include in-class activities and samples/examples for each chapter (most chapters do have examples, but Chapter 12: Oral Reports, for instance, would benefit from a few more).

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters are organized so clearly and effectively. One of my favorite aspects of this text is how easy it is to navigate chapters and subsections quickly on the webpage version. In each chapter, blocks of text are broken up into easily digestible subsections. In planning my own course's calendar, I was able to quickly assign relevant chapters to match up with daily lessons and course content. Readers should have no trouble jumping from section to section as they retrieve needed information in the moment.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

As stated in the "Modularity" section of this review, the topics in this text are organized clearly and effectively. This text can easily be used as a reference or guidebook without the need for cover-to-cover reading; yet, if instructors do choose to assign the chapters in order, students will be able to connect theoretical ideas with the concrete genres/text types they will be asked to compose in their course.

Interface rating: 3

While the webpage interface is incredibly easy to navigate, I had a lot of issues with the downloaded PDF version of this text. Many of the links and images are excluded from the PDF version, and many of the hyperlinks within the PDF version do not work. Also, instructors should preview all of the videos in the text to make sure they align with the instructor's individual course goals.

As for the webpage interface, my only suggestion would be to have the links open up in a new window so readers do not lose their place in the textbook when hitting the "Back" button. Overall, I feel the text itself demonstrates the very design principles it claims to be important. However, I did notice an error at the end of Chapter 5: Design Principles; the graphic at the end of the “CRAP Test” section (Figure 20) needs to be in the “Cross-Cultural” section. Within the "Cross Cultural" section, readers are asked to "take a look at the graphic below," and the graphic does not appear in the correct location.

Finally, the "Links by Chapter" at the end of the book does not contain any links in the webpage version (this section is not included at all in the PDF version).

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Overall, the writing was clean and clear. However, I did spot a few typos in the text; most often, articles were omitted. For example, in Chapter 3: Team Work and Collaborative Writing, this sentence is missing the phrase "due to": "Some people dislike group work due negative past experiences."

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Overall, this text does a good job drawing attention to cultural differences across potential audiences. While the text could certainly use more explicit examples from diverse walks of life and identities, it does promote cultural awareness and sensitivity in student readers.

Comments

I highly recommend this text for introductory technical and professional writing courses!

Reviewed by Meghan Hancock, Assistant Professor, Marshall University on 5/21/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text not only covers general principles for effective writing practices in technical and professional communication (covering subjects like audience consideration, the rhetorical situation, effective document design, and ethics), it also covers detailed explicit genre instruction on common genres in fields that fall within the scope of technical and professional communication (for example, memos, technical instructions, proposals, and analytical reports). I would consider this text to be very comprehensive for an upper- or lower-level technical and professional writing course. I also noticed that it frequently distinguishes between workplace/professional contexts and classroom contexts, making it possible for readers to relate to the material even if they are not currently reading it for academic/classroom purposes.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

In terms of accuracy, the text is relatively free of typos and errors, though there were a few per chapter (for example, I counted 5 typos in Chapter 4). There were also some broken links that need to be updated (for example, the link to Paul Anderson's text in Chapter 4, the link to IEEE style in Chapter 5, and the link to EasyBib in Chapter 5). I think if instructors were adapting this text for classroom use, though, it would be easy to remedy those errors.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text is very relevant to today's readers and would be accessible for a variety of audiences. The examples provided would be accessible, for example, to introductory-level or advanced students, or professionals in the workplace.

Clarity rating: 5

I really appreciated the accessibility in language of this text. Each chapter is varied in its use of conversational tone and academic tone, and the examples provided to illustrate concepts are ones many readers will relate to (from football plays/positions to social media use).

Consistency rating: 5

The text was consistent in its use of tone, organization and use of headings, activity examples, and drop-down sections.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided into organized sections that cover different themes of professional and technical writing practices and activities for further exploration. It would be easy to assign different sections of this text out-of-order (I have done this myself using this text) depending on what individual instructors want to cover in their course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text was well-organized. I specifically appreciated that the more general technical and professional writing/communication principles were covered at the beginning of the text and the more specific genre instruction was later in the text. This would make it easy for readers to go in order (though, again, I think the text also works out-of-order as well). I also appreciated that each chapter had a synopsis at the beginning.

Interface rating: 5

Other than the few broken links mentioned previously, I had no issues with navigating sections of this text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There were a few typos per chapter (mentioned previously), but none that would inhibit readers' comprehension.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Many chapters included sections covering how to apply the principles covered to cultural considerations. For example, the chapter on Document Design included a section on how to apply document design principles to considerations of cross-cultural audiences.

Comments

The collaborative writing and teamwork chapter was a standout, as I have not seen much emphasis on these concepts in other professional and technical writing texts I have come across. There is also considerable attention focused on copyright issues, which I have also had a hard time finding for my classes.

Reviewed by Emily Dix, Adjunct Faculty, Radford University on 11/12/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The textbook is very straightforward in its content and is useful to a variety of online learners. Students working in Technical Writing for the first time will learn the basics from the textbook.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The textbook provides accurate information for the theoretical approaches and practical examples of Technical Writing.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content is relevant to an introduction to Technical Writing.

Clarity rating: 4

The textbook is clear and provides ample instruction to students new to Technical Writing.

Consistency rating: 5

The textbook is consistent in its framework and allows students to understand the terminology of Technical Writing within a few readings of the book.

Modularity rating: 5

This textbook is easily divisible into smaller sections that can be worked into weekly lessons, especially for an online class.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This textbook is logical organized.

Interface rating: 5

This textbook is easy to navigate for online students.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This text models good writing in terms of grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook is inclusive and respectful in terms of its use of language, sample document content, and suggested exercises.

Comments

The textbook is separated into two sections focused on introducing Techincal Writing and the practical use of Technical Writing. I appreciated the chapter dedicated to Teamwork and Collaborative writing because many students do not understand effective teamwork practices nor do they know how to work in groups that do not rely on one person to carry the brunt of the work. While the textbook does not have a section dedicated to creating digital documents, I found the Document Desing chapter to be incredibly useful in this area. Overall, this textbook is solid in introducing new students to Technical Writing.

Reviewed by Rubens Amy, Associate Professor, Radford University on 1/12/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The title suggests the textbook book offers a genre-driven exploration of technical and professional writing (TPW). On the whole, the textbook delivers on this promise. It is divided into two sections: the first describes the foundational principles of TPW while the second outlines how those strategies are used within the most common TPW genres, such as instructions, proposals, and reports. Also addressed are additional genres that are crucial for accomplishing the work of TPW, such as correspondence (e.g., email) and writing for the hiring process (e.g., resumes). The textbook does not cover genres such as flyers, websites, or social media; this is not surprising given the explicit focus of the textbook. That being said, TPW writing style in the textbook is given little attention--just a few short paragraphs. This is surprising considering the extent to which the book purports to be an introduction to TPW; most students encountering this text, therefore, would have had little guidance in understanding how TPW writing style differs from the academic writing style they have been trained in for most of their educational lives. Overall, though, instructors who choose this text may be able to rely on it in their TPW courses (introductory, at least) to a significant extent.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The textbook offers theoretical frameworks and practical applications that are in keeping with TPW as a scholarly discipline and professional field.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

TPW is intertwined with technology, but references to technology in this textbook are a mixed bag in terms of their currency. For instance, the chapter on ethics is very current, as it helps TPW students navigate the use of online sources in ways they may not have considered in previous writing courses. But, the sections on email and text messages could be updated so that they speak more authentically to today's college students and the ways in which email, video conferencing, chat, and social media messages have become central to our personal and professional lives post-COVID-19. The chapter on resumes and cover letters could be updated to be more relevant to the needs and expectations of today's job seekers.

Clarity rating: 4

For the most part, the text is written with accessible language, and in this way, the text models plain language, a mainstay of PTW. At times, language can become somewhat esoteric or "academic."

Consistency rating: 5

Terminology is used consistently throughout the text and is in keeping with conventions of the field.

Modularity rating: 5

The text easily lends itself to modular use, which is a boon for TPW instructors who are using OER in their courses. NB: The topics of "design" and "research" appear to be organized within (discrete) chapters, but they also are addressed at length in other parts of the textbook. This does not detract from the overall modularity of this textbook, in my view.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook's structure is logical; this is especially true of the early chapters, which introduce students to the field (i.e., purpose, basic tenets). Still, because the book is highly modular, it can easily be reordered to suit an individual instructor's pedagogical needs.

Interface rating: 4

For most computer users, the interface is clean and easy to navigate. Collapsible menus allow users to easily navigate to specific areas of the textbook. The textbook occasionally utilizes internal links to allow navigation to related content in another chapter. An important note: Instructional graphics and some short sample documents (e.g., submittal letter) are embedded in the textbook as images (.png) while lengthier student sample documents open to web-accessible PDFs that are supported by a university library system. The non-decorative images (graphics and short sample documents) embedded in the text do not appear to have alt text added to them. Some PDFs do not appear to be optimized for screen readers.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This text models good writing in terms of grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The textbook is inclusive and respectful in terms of its use of language, sample document content, and suggested exercises. However, the textbook does not extensively address how TPW practitioners can be inclusive and respectful in their own use of language. Inclusiveness as it relates to document design is addressed in detail, though.

Comments

Relevant, useful, and meaningful practice activities are included in the textbook; many seem lend themselves well to in-class work (think-pair-share). Sometimes, these activities are not always listed in each chapter's table of contents.