for Brilliant Answers only (DONT BID)

Listicle requirements

Purpose

The purpose of writing this assignment is for you to become better acquainted with technical communication. 

Assignment Overview

In this assignment, you will write a listicle (a short article structured as a list) about an aspect of technical communication that will be of interest to you and will be potentially interesting to others. You should present information in a purposeful, focused, and engaging way that shapes the conclusions readers draw from your piece. The goal of this assignment is to inform others about technical communications through secondary research using at least four reliable, published sources. 

Choice of Subject

You will choose a topic about technical writing of interest to you to write your listicle about. I recommend you skim and scan through several resources to get you started, including the library, web, and course texts. First, look through our textbook, Technical Communication by Markel, The Technical Communicator’s Toolkit by Ann Shivers-McNair, and Sexy Technical Communication to see what jumps out. Then, look through some technical communication journals available online through the library such as Technical Communication, the Journal of Business and Technical Education, Technical Communication (Society for Technical Communication), and the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. 

Top 8 Listicle

Think about what an audience would want to know about your subject and create a top 8 listicle that conveys this information. You have probably seen listicles before: “top ten underappreciated movies” or “top eight sharpest knives.” Listicles usually contain images and/or videos that illustrate your topic, so you will need to use images and/or videos for each item in the listicle. You may include a screenshot of any videos since we are not creating a website. You can find free, usable images at the Creative Commons website. Please do not use copyrighted images or videos. (We may have to compromise on the requirement to use images and video, depending on what you are able to find.). Document any images and/or videos you use. 

Example topics

Here are a few example topics:

· 8 reasons ethics are critical in technical communication and to your employment

· 8 things you need to know about UserX

· 8 key elements to writing collaboratively in technical communication

· 8 things you didn’t know about intercultural communication

· 8 musts in writing job application materials

· 8 tips for writing technical communication proposals

Assignment Preparation 1. Identify an aspect of technical communication (ideally related to your field or academic area of interest that you know or want to learn more about and inform others about. The hard part is deciding what angle to take. Why is the subject interesting? What stands out about it? What are you excited about sharing? What would be surprising to readers? 

2. Consider what you’d like to know about the subject you have identified. In preparation for your listicle, begin to formulate a question or set of questions that you have (and others might have) about technical communication. What do you find interesting about the aspect of technical communication and wish to know more about?  Why? 

3. Gather information about your subject.  Begin by considering the kinds of things you and your readers might want to know about your subject. Next, you will want to create a search plan and begin to gather information. Your sources of information should include at least four published sources (required). You may use our course texts as two of your sources, but you’ll need at least one scholarly source (a source from a scholarly journal available on the library website).

4. Decide the angle on your subject. Informative texts “are concerned primarily with helping readers and other writers advance their understanding of a subject” (Palmquist, Joining the Conversation, p. 163). Your goal is to provide information to your readers in a way that is engaging and informative. Some questions to consider while planning and writing your listicle:

· What will be your focus, and how will it be supported with the information that you gathered?

· What are the most interesting aspects of technical communication, especially for your intended readers?

· What is the lasting or dominant impression on your audience?

5. Consider the genre conventions and plan your listicle. We will be reading several listicles to help familiarize you with understanding the genre. Identify the main idea that can focus your listicle. Plan the information that you want to include and how you might organize it. Decide whether to include any additional design elements such as images or illustrations. 

6. Prepare a draft of your listicle keeping in mind the grading criteria below.

7. Review and improve your draft through a process of feedback, self-assessment, and/or tutorials from ThinkTank or WSIP.

8. Prepare a final product in about 1200 words in length (negotiable) that follows APA formatting. 

9, Design your listicle for your audience by using appropriate photos, videos, and other creative designs. Have fun!

10. Write a reflection

Take the opportunity to reflect on your experience writing this listicle. In 600 words or thereabouts, reflect on at least three of the topics below: 

1. What was the focus of your listicle? Was your listicle informative but also insightful?

2. What would you do differently if you did this assignment again or had more time to complete it?

3. What did you learn from the listicle that will be useful to you in the future?

4. What were your strengths and weaknesses in writing this project?

5. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you overcome them?

6. Why did you enjoy this project, not enjoy it, or both?

Grading Criteria

The major areas in which your listicle will be graded include: 

· Audience and Purpose: The listicle should have a clear and engaging purpose as well as a compelling narrative and context for the audience.

· Research: Information from published sources, and other research should be integrated in a purposeful and compelling manner.

· Development and Support: A main idea or focus should be supported with compelling research. The listicle should develop in a logical, purposeful, and engaging way.  

· Genre Conventions: The listicle should use conventions appropriate for the genre and show evidence of revision.