Chapter 2 reviews the legal and ethical issues that you will likely encounter in your career. As a writer, you must be sure that whatever you write communicates with readers ethically. That may mean that you need to modify information to meet the needs of people from different cultures or that you must ensure that the information is complete and clear to ensure that readers have the information that they need to avoid unnecessary dangers. Ethical and legal considerations also include adherence to copyright and other licensing and avoiding discriminatory language and ideas.
Principles for Ethical Communication
Chapter 2 of Practical Strategies for Technical Communication outlines 10 principles for ethical communication:
- Abide by Copyright Law
- Abide by the Appropriate Professional Code of Conduct
- Abide by Your Organization’s Policy on Social Media
- Take Advantage of Your Employer’s Ethics Resources
- Tell the Truth
- Don’t Mislead Your Readers
- Use Design to Highlight Important Ethical and Legal Information
- Be Clear
- Avoid Discriminatory Language
- Acknowledge Assistance from Others
We’ll reflect on these principles during the term, especially by discussing possible situations you may encounter in the workplace. Read chapter 2 for all the details on how they work.
Reading Quiz
After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 2.
Photo: Dr Bronner spreading the word on GMO labeling, on Flickr