Readings for Professional Writing Courses

The readings represented on this list are intended as complements to course textbooks and provide a range of perspectives on important issues in professional writing courses. They are less focused on pedagogy or advice about writing than they are on interesting ideas for discussion and reflection, with views on key topics from a wide variety of professional writers in business, industry, and academia. In some cases, you'll find news stories and other examples of professional communication at work in the world. For pedagogical readings, see Professional Writing's Index of Resources for Teaching Professional Writing and Purdue's OWL.

Employment Project Readings

• Junk Cover Letters and Bad Resumes
• Kairos and the Cover Letter
  Fun examples that take bad advice too far; by David Blakesley
• A Glimpse and a Hook
  How one resume reader spends his 30 seconds reading yours . . .
• Fine-Tuning Your Resume for Maximum Impact
  Jane Porter (Wall Street Journal)
• Build the Resume Employers Want (Jobweb.com)
  Advice for new college graduates
• List of Resume Topics at the Wall Street Journal)
• How to Apply Oniline and Get and Employers Attention (Jobweb.com)
  Advice for new college graduates
• Answering 6 Common Interview Questions
  From CNN and CareerBuilder

White Paper Project Readings

• Twitter Study - August 2009 (PDF). Read the critique of this white paper at MSNBC.com: Study Finds Most Twitter to be Twaddle.
• How Teenagers Consume Media and then this critique: "15 Year Old Says Teens Are Abandoning Twitter: Where’s the Proof?"
• Future of Books, Sarah Glazer in CQ Researcher. Will traditional print books disappear? Purdue login required.
• Internet Accuracy, CQ Researcher. Is information on the Web reliable? Purdue login required.
• Showing Off Your Solutions in a White Paper (New York Times)
• Purdue University Strategic Plan 2008-2014
  White papers and and PowerPoint presentations on important campus initiatives.
• A White Paper on How to Write a White Paper
  Stelzner Consulting--Download a Free Copy
• The Steak Behind the Sizzle: Effective Marketing with White Papers
  Elissa Miller of Hoffman Marketing Communications
• Learn to Write a White Paper
• How to Design a White Paper
• How to Write a White Paper
  Michael Knowles; high-tech industry

Group Work/Collaborative Writing Readings

• The Bioteaming Manifesto
  Useful for virtual teamwork
• Group Work and Collaborative Writing
  (UC Davis)
• Swarm Theory
  National Geographic Article
• Collaborative Writing Strategies
  New Century College
• Collaborative Roles
  New Century College

Writing and Research in the Digital Age

• Gareth's Tips on Suck-Less Writing
• Discussion of "What we're doing when we blog"
• Tracing the Evolution of Social Software
  From Life With Alacrity.
• Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?
  Bryan Alexander.
• How to e-mail a professor
  Michael Leddy
• The Death of E-mail
  Slate
• Is the Net Good for Writers?
  Ten professional writers assess the Net's impact on writers
• Boss's Angry Email Sends Shares Plunging
• A Stinging Office Memo Boomerangs (assuming you get the free access to the NY Times)
• Learning Styles Online Quiz
  What kind of learner are you?
• Interview Tips
  Find out how to ask great questions during your field research (University of Wisconsin)
• Evaluating Online Sources
  Purdue Libraries

Presentation Readings

• Examples of Bad Slides from Bill Gates Himself
• Annoying PowerPoint Elements Survey
• Presentation Zen - Blog on Good PowerPoint Presentations
• The Cost of Bad PowerPoints
• PowerPoint Is Evil - Comments from Edward Tufte
• Guy Kawasaki 10-20-30 Rule Video

Web Readings

• HTML Beginner Tutorial

Information Architecture and Design

• What Color is Your Business?
• Color Wheel Pro
• YouTube Sleepless in Seattle Trailer Remix (illustrative of the importance of information arrangement)
• YouTube The Shining Trailer Remix