Content and Authorship Patterns in Technical Communication Journals (1996-2017): A Quantitative Content Analysis.

Purpose: The maturity of technical communication merits a comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of the content published in its leading journals and the scholars who produce this research. Although reflexive research is common in the sciences and social sciences, few studies have analyzed the body of research in technical communication. Clarity on content and authorship patterns can help position the field for future relevance and sustainability. Method: We conducted a quantitative content analysis on 672 articles published in five leading technical communication journals from 1996-2017. Articles were coded on nine content variables related to primary topic, primary audience, and authorship. We subsequently conducted a correspondence analysis on the variables to identify how specific content areas associated with the journals. Results: Content and authorship patterns were near identical to the patterns found in the field 30 years prior. The journals published content primarily focused on rhetoric, genre, pedagogy, and diversity. In contrast, field-defining topics--usability/UX, comprehension, design, and editing and style--appeared in the sample less than expected. A majority of research was single-authored and written by female first authors; further, a majority of the first authors had academic affiliations in the United States. Conclusion: Scholars must consider if these content and authorship patterns are the products of deliberate choices and, if so, if this is the field's inevitable trajectory for the next 30 years. We argue that certain topics are being overproduced while other topics that established the field are being underproduced and, in some cases, being assumed by other disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]