No Prompt (extra entry): Thinking about my semester project
In thinking about my Research Proposal project for this class, I’ve been trying to come up with ways to make the proposal work for me most efficiently within the broader framework of my doctoral studies. I’d like to propose a study that I will actually do, first of all. I’d also like this study to be a driving force in a major piece of writing I will do in the future, preferably part of my dissertation. I also am hoping to come up with a study idea I can present at the ATTW conference (which has an upcoming proposal deadline of Oct. 8).
The idea for the study I am currently considering actually grew out of my work in another class. I am taking a topics class on authorship with Amy Robillard this semester, in which we’ve been considering the difference between the terms writer and author and whether there are hierarchies that come along with those terms. I’ve grown interested in the academic perception of digital publishing versus traditional print publishing, and I think a survey-style study on this would be terribly interesting. It would also fit with my interest in technical communication (and thus would work for ATTW) and might provide fodder for my paper in my authorship class as well, though I obviously won’t conduct the actual study until the Spring semester.
Concerns I have with this study are twofold: 1) Am I absolutely certain that this is something that will be useful to me in my future work, particularly in writing my dissertation? 2) Can I separate my work in this class enough from my work in my authorship class, so that I’m not double-dipping, so to speak?
Erin Clark Frost 