Analysis of Writing in Your Field

You will survey the kinds of writing people in your intended career field do and arrange the information in a table (like a benchmarking or comparison table). You’ll provide a short description of the different kinds of writing, identify the typical audiences and purposes, and classify the kinds of writing.

Think of your audience for this project as yourself. Your goal is to learn about the characteristics of the kinds of writing you will typically do in the workplace. This chart will be a go-to resource once you are in the workplace. You should be able to come back to this analysis to remind yourself of the kinds of features to include in whatever you are writing.

Project Requirements

Your Final, Finished Draft must meet these requirements in order to earn a B or better in this course:

• Create a table in Microsoft Word (other software has limited formatting options).
• Provide a specific title for the document.
• Cover at least 10 different kinds of writing that are typical in your field.
• Use professional design and formatting that increase readability.
• End with documentation* for all outside resources you have used.
• Include the following columns in your table:
   
  

  Column to Include	Additional Details on the Column
  type of writing	Specify as appropriate (for example, state “progress report,” “incident report,” or “recommendation report,” rather than simply “report.”
  audience(s)	Identify the particular readers it addresses, breaking the information out into primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences.
  purpose(s)	List the purpose(s) and detail the problem(s) it solves.
  collaborators	Indicate the people/groups who will typically contribute.
  typical length of the writing	State the number of pages generally. If the length varies, indicate a range (e.g., 3–5 pages).
  required components	Detail the kind of information required and specific characteristics. Include whether it uses words only, images only, or both—as well as any other ways of communicating it may include, such as audio or video.
  special features	List any additional details about the type of writing that do not belong in another column.
  layout/format	Explain the customary appearance of the kind of writing and indicate the design features that increase readability.
  ethical considerations	Outline the particular principles for ethical communication that are relevant, focusing on aspects that are specifically pertinent for the type of writing.
  reference(s) in Markel & Selber	Indicate the chapter(s) or page number(s) from the textbook.
  personal experience	Add a note on whether you have written the type of writing and any specific experience with it.

* Documentation Format: Use the appropriate documentation style for your field, if desired—for instance, an electrical engineer can use IEEE. If you are unsure what to use, check with a professor or graduate student in your major, OR contact a librarian for help.

Activities Making Up This Major Writing Project

The following activities will all contribute to your Analysis Table. You can complete all of them, or you can pick and choose. Remember that the Final, Finished Draft is required in order to earn a B or better in this course.

• Research Writing in Your Field (50 points)
• Brainstorm on Workplace Audiences (50 points)
• Analysis Project: Rough Draft (200 points)
• Check for Parallelism (50 points)
• Check for Professional Design (50 points)
• Check for Content Completion & Documentation (50 points)
• Editing and Proofreading (50 points)
• Analysis Project: Final, Finished Draft (400 points)

 

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Photo Credit: 17.DistrictCondos.14S.NW.WDC.15April2011 by Elvert Barnes on Flickr Links to an external site., used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license.