Room 42 is where practitioners and academics meet to share knowledge about breaking research. In this episode, Sam Dragga discusses ethical practices in developing research projects, writing and revising manuscripts, and interacting with editors and reviewers.
Season 1, Episode 1 | 45 min
Dr. Sam Dragga is Professor Emeritus of Technical Communication at Texas Tech University (TTU). He is co-author of The Essentials of Technical Communication (Oxford University Press, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021), Reporting Technical Information (Oxford University Press, 2002, 2006), and Editing: The Design of Rhetoric (Baywood, 1989). He was Editor-in-Chief (2016-2020) of Technical Communication the quarterly research journal of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and series editor of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication (19 titles). He has authored or co-authored a score of articles in journals and collections on such topics as professional ethics and intercultural communication. He is a Fulbright Specialist, a Fellow of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW), and a recipient of STC’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Technical Communication and the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Best Book in Technical and Scientific Communication and Best Article Reporting Historical Research in Technical and Scientific Communication. He served as president of ATTW (1997-1999) and initiated the organization’s annual conference in 1998. He also served as chair of the TTU Department of English (2002-2012).
This conversation will focus on the ethics of researching and publishing in technical communication—issues that might cause anxiety, especially for individuals new to the field or new to publishing. We will consider the perspectives and obligations of authors, journal editors, and manuscript reviewers and examine ethical practices in developing research projects, writing and revising manuscripts, and interacting with editors and reviewers.
Hosts & Guests
Sam Dragga
Janice Summers
Liz Fraley
Resources
Email: sam.dragga@ttu.edu
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samdragga
Sam's author page on Amazon
Advice and Resources from Sam
Sam says:
Lynn Worsham identifies frequent problems with research manuscripts, from minimal citation and anecdotal evidence to distorted and undeveloped arguments in “Fast-Food Scholarship” (Chronicle of Higher Education) https://www.chronicle.com/article/Fast-Food-Scholarship/130049
Amy Benson Brown focuses on three questions (What Kind of Feedback Do You Need? What Stage of the Writing Process Are You In? Who Are Potentially Helpful Readers?) in “How to Get a Useful Critique“ (Chronicle of Higher Education)
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1160-how-to-get-a-useful-critique
Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan and Wendy Troop-Gordon offer practical advice from their professional experience as editors of research journals and members of editorial boards in “21 Dos and Don’ts for Journal Writers and Reviewers” (Chronicle of Higher Education)
https://www.chronicle.com/article/21-DosDon-ts-for/246163
Theresa MacPhail offers clear and practical advice about how to read reviews of your manuscript and revise effectively in a series of three articles:
“Coping with Criticism”
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/830-the-revise-and-resubmit-series-part-1-coping-with-criticism
“Deciphering Reviewer Comments” https://chroniclevitae.com/news/875-the-revise-and-resubmit-series-part-2-deciphering-reviewer-comments
“Techniques for Easier and Faster Revision” https://chroniclevitae.com/news/920-the-revise-and-resubmit-series-part-3-techniques-for-easier-and-faster-revisions
Resources mentioned during the show
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) - for case reading and practice https://publicationethics.org
Author AID - international organization of published scholars who offer mentoring to new scholars https://www.authoraid.info
American Medical Writers Association's Code of Ethics https://www.amwa.org/page/Code_of_Ethics
Society for Technical Communication's Ethical Principles
https://www.stc.org/about-stc/ethical-principles
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