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New STC Intercom article: How to Research What You Need to Learn to Be Successful as a Technical Writer

by Tom Johnson on Jan 3, 2018
categories: technical-writing

I published an article in the most recent issue of STC's Intercom magazine titled "How to Research What You Need to Learn to Be Successful as a Technical Writer" (Nov/Dec 2017). The article explores the approach I take in "researching" topics at work to gather the information needed for documentation.

If you’re an STC member, you can read the article on the STC Intercom site here: How to Research What You Need to Learn to Be Successful as a Technical Writer .

In the article, I explain four facets of knowledge — Product knowledge, Technical knowledge, User knowledge, and Industry knowledge — and how this knowledge informs documentation. I also explore strategies for incorporating this knowledge into your daily workflow.

If you don’t have access to the STC Intercom magazine, you can read an earlier version of the article on my site here: How do you learn what you need to learn to be successful as a technical writer?

The differences between the two aren’t substantial. In the earlier version, I wrote about learning what you need to know to be successful. In the final version, I contextualized learning as “research” to better fit in with the larger themes in the issue.

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.

If you're a technical writer and want to keep on top of the latest trends in the tech comm, be sure to subscribe to email updates below. You can also learn more about me or contact me. Finally, note that the opinions I express on my blog are my own points of view, not that of my employer.