Comprising a five-year study, this text examines four engineering students as they write at work. Primarily concerned with whether engineers see their writing as rhetorical or persuasive, the study aims to describe the students' changing understanding of what it is they do when they write.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"Any teacher, student, engineer, or seientist who is seriously interested in the use of rhetoric in science and technology has much to learn from reading this excellent sext. Writing Like an Engineer will undoubtedly enhance the rhetorical education of all its readers."—JBTC, 4/97"...a model for solid research in our field, introducing students to not only thoughtful balance of theory, methodology, and practice but also reflexivity of self-awareness by the researcher of the stance, bias, or interpretive choices she brings to her observations. Winsor's Writing Like an Engineer lives up to her reputation. The book is excellent. Winsor sets a high standard for future, long-term studies of engineering discourse communities."—IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication"Winsor's study is valuable for educators who prepare scientists, engineers, and technical communicators for active and responsible professional roles. However, it is equally valuable for technical communication practitioners who work with scientists and engineers, and who mentor interns or new technical communicators."—Technical Communication"Dorothy Winsor's book will be of immediate use to anyone teaching technical writing and anyone who studies the rhetoric of science and technology. Winsor shows how the personalities of the students and their interactions with managers and co-workers shape their views of what it means to write like an engineer. The hallmarks of Dorothy's research are clarity of purpose and thoughtful marshalling of evidence."—Davida CharneyThe Pennsylvania State University