Abstract
In July 2013, Written Communication (WC) will publish a second special issue titled “Methodologies for the Study of Written Communication,” this time with a focus on inherent methodological tensions and new analytic strategies for the study of writing.
A previous special issue on the topic of methodologies for the study of written communication was published by WC in July 2008, and that issue included important conceptual pieces by Peter Smagorinsky and Charles Bazerman, as well as rich and detailed articles by Theresa Lillis and Tiane Donahue on the methods of ethnography and textual analysis, respectively. These pieces have been influential in the methodological discussions of the past 5 years in writing studies, as well as heavily used in graduate seminars on methods.
In the introduction to that earlier special issue on methodology, my coauthor Chad Wickman and I noted,
Given the scope of writing as an object of study, this [addressing the problems and prospects of methods] is no minor undertaking; but it is an important one, not only because methods provide a means by which to conduct reasoned inquiry, but also because discussions about methodology provide writing researchers with a forum for examining the problems that these methods are deployed to address.
This situation still holds, and issues of methods and methodologies—and analysis and discussion of them—remain important for the field of writing studies and for the mission of WC. The time is right to consider, and reconsider, some of the continuing problems in the study of written communication and to explore some new strategies for studying writing and written communication.
Hence, for the special issue “Methodologies for the Study of Written Communication II,” I am interested in two kinds of articles, reflecting the dual foci of the issue:
Articles that document, analyze, conceptualize—or reconceptualize—an inherent methodological tension in the study of writing. Here, I am looking not for “thought pieces” but rather for arguments on continuing and essential tensions in studying writing, arguments grounded in published research, including but not limited to those of the authors.
Articles that illustrate, analyze, and conceptualize a new strategy or approach for the study of writing. Here, I am interested in manuscripts that argue for the value of a particular strategy or approach, the need for the strategy or approach, and the problem it addresses. Again, the argument should be grounded in previous published research, including but not limited to that of the authors.
Of course, these two kinds of articles complement each other, because (a) arguments about tensions in the study of writing will probably gesture toward potential solutions and (b) arguments about new strategies or approaches must be set into the context of a methodological problem.
* * *
Authors submitting manuscripts should indicate in a cover letter that they wish the submission to be considered for the Special Issue on Methodologies for the Study of Written Communication.
Authors should submit manuscripts electronically as .doc or .docx file attachments to
Please note: Prospective authors are strongly urged to acquaint themselves with previously published issues of the journal and to strictly follow the Guidelines for Submission (in the print journal and on the website), as well as conform to the guidelines for publication of the American Psychological Association (sixth edition). Failure to do so will result in a substantial delay in the processing of your submission.
Submitting a manuscript indicates that the work reported has not been previously published, that the article—in present or revised form—is not being considered for publication in other journals or in edited volumes, and that the authors will not allow it to be so considered before notification in writing of an editorial decision by WC. Consideration for this special issue will begin November 15, 2012, and continue through January 15, 2013, or until a suitable number of publishable manuscripts have been identified. Submissions for this special issue will follow the normal, peer-review practices of WC.
* * *
WC is the premier international multidisciplinary journal of research on writing. The scope of the journal is broad and encompasses writing in its myriad contemporary forms, both within and outside the academy. Theoretical and applied contributions of articles in WC are made explicit and will be relevant to researchers, theorists, teachers, and policy makers from a range of scholarly disciplines.