Print Resources

The UMD Library owns a number of books that provide guidelines, samples and advice on various types of professional writing. Some of the more recent items are listed below.

The Art of Technical Documentation, Katherine Haramundanis
General Collection T11 .H28 1998

The Craft of Scientific Writing, Michael Alley
General Collection T11 .A37 1996

Handbook of Technical Writing, Gerald J. Alred
General Collection T11 .B78 2000

How to Write & Present Technical Information, Charles H. Sides
General Collection T11 .S528 1999

How toWrite & Publish a Scientific Paper, Robert A. Day
General Collection T11 .D33 1998

A Guide to Writing as an Engineer, David Beer, David McMurrey
General Collection T11 .B396 1997

Writing for Computer Science: the Art of Effective Communication, Justin Zobel
General Collection T11 .Z62 1997

The AMA Style Guide for Business Writing
General Collection HF5726 .A49 1996

Business and Administrative Communication, Kitty O. Locker
Circulation Desk HF5718 .L63 2000

Business Communication Today, Courtland L. Bovée, John V. Thill
General Collection HF5718 .B66 1998

Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace, Linda Beamer
General Collection HD30.3 .V374 2001

Why Does My Boss Hate My Writing?: 20 Questions That Can Help You Improve Your Business Writing 100 Percent!, Becky Burckmyer
Browsing Collection HF5718.3 .B87 1999

Journals

The UMD Library subscribes to several journals that may prove useful for students in technical writing and business communication courses. These include:

Business Communication Quarterly
(Library has 1995-present)

Journal of Business and Technical Communication: JBTC
(Library has 1994-present)

Journal of Business Communication
(Library has 1985-present)

Technical Communication Quarterly : TCQ
(Library has 1992-present)

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
(Library has 1987-present)

Electronic Collections

The library subscribes to a wide variety of databases which allow you to find citations and articles on various topics. For example, if you are interested in learning more about the teaching and learning of writing, materials found in the ERIC database will prove useful.

If you need sources for topics for your reports, a variety of databases. Databases such as ABI/Inform DateLine, ABI/Inform Global or ABI/Inform Trade and Industry will offer numerous articles on topics related to business and industry. Applied Science and Technology Index will be of use to those needing information about various computer-related topics. Depending on the focus of your report, several databases may prove helpful. For instance, while researching a topic like repetitive stress injuries, you might find useful articles in business-related databases, as well as health-related databases.

Feel free to ask for further advice on selecting databases at the reference desk.

Internet Resources

General Information and Collections of Links

Technical Writing at About.com – offers information on a variety of issues as well as brief articles on current topics in technical writing and electronic publishing - one of the best meta-sites

Writer’s Toolbox – a large variety of resources for business, technical and creative writing

John Hewitt’s Writers Resource Center

Guidelines for Technical Writing (Ohio University Chemical Engineering Department)

Associations and Organizations

Society for Technical Communication

IEEE Professional Communication Society

Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication

International Association of Business Communicators