TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
A few weeks ago, I posted to the list, asking for possible research topics
in technical communication. You sent me a long list of interesting ideas,
which I will be happy to send to you individually if you like. Among the
requests was one for research on minimalism in instructions. There
actually has been some good research on that issue. Here are some
references:
Charney, Davida, Lynne Reder, and Gail Wells. "Studies in Elaboration in
Instructional Texts." Effective Documentation: What We Have Learned from
Research. Ed. Steven Doheny-Farina. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1988. 47-72.
Charney, Davida, Lynne Reder, and Gail Kusbit. "Goal Setting and Procedure
Selection in Acquiring Computer Skills: A Comparison of Tutorials, Problem
Solving, and Learner Exploration." Cognition and Instruction 7 (1990)
323-342.
