Adding Value through Academic Research
Academic journals in the field of technical communication regularly publish research-based articles on problems, trends, and practices in the field to meet the needs of readers working in industry, management, government, and academia. Academic research, however, has a reputation of being inaccessible to the practitioners best positioned to apply results. The value and relevance of academic research for practitioners has also been called into question.
In this talk, we share the results of a study of practitioners’ experiences with and perspectives on academic publishing, with the goal of showcasing research that study participants identified as valuable and relevant and highlighting proposed solutions for how academic research can be better communicated to practitioners. Attendees will learn not only about the academic publishing process and the kinds of research that academic journals in the field publish but also about ways they can access academic research and apply results to increase the value of their team’s work.
What can attendees expect to learn?
Results of academic research can help managers solve problems, make strong business cases, and improve practice. Understanding how academic publishing works, where to find relevant and valuable research results, and what academic journals are doing to better communicate results to practitioners will benefit conference attendees interested using research to maximize value and reduce waste.
Meet the Presenters
Rebekka Andersen is an assistant professor in the University Writing Program at the University of California, Davis, where she teaches courses in professional and technical communication and digital literacy. She serves on the CIDM Advisory Council, on the editorial board of IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, and on the review board of several journals in the field of technical communication. Her research focuses on the diffusion of content management methodologies and technologies in information development teams and on building stronger connections between academia and industry.
JoAnn Hackos is President of Comtech Services, Inc. and Director of the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM) For more than 30 years, Dr. Hackos has addressed audiences internationally on subjects ranging from content management, project management, minimal information products, usability, and online and Web-based information to managing the design and development process. She authored Information Development: Managing Your Documentation Projects, Portfolio and People (Wiley 2006), Content Management for Dynamic Web Delivery (Wiley 2002),Managing Your Documentation Projects (Wiley 1994), Standards for Online Communication (Wiley 1997), User and Task Analysis for Interface Design (Wiley 1998), and Introduction to DITA (2011). JoAnn is a Fellow and Past President of the International Society for Technical Communication.