Introduction:
The research work takes place in the labs to study, and it is essential to present the work
results in publications. The lab reports are a necessary form of literature where the authors can
present their lab works, findings, and results. There are different ways by which the lab reports can
be given, but the authors follow a generalized and standard form. The textbook has mentioned the
criteria consisting of eight elements necessary for the writing of lab reports. The analysis objective
is to take the two lab reports from the literature and analyze them based on eight features
mentioned in the textbook.

Analysis:
The paper that I annotated discussed the meta-analysis of the literature and the topic has
declared about it. It has made the readers at ease that they can go ahead if they are interested in
reading the article because the details of topic are mentioned and a huge level of information can
be obtained. After analyzing the article thoroughly, it is found that most of the elements are
according to the guidelines mentioned in the chapter. The author has started from the abstract and
has presented all the findings and essential facts in it. It has been presented as the summary of the
paper. The critique is made on Hall’s contexting model and there are two types of model are
discussed in the paper including the high-level and low-level. It has been seen that the author has
mentioned the different literature studies to analyze the elements of contexting. The different gaps
were found and the comparison was made accordingly. The author selected the 224 articles
between 1990-2006 and it was found that the contexting has been evolved in the literature and
different studies have shown either high or low level contexting.
The introduction section has explained the importance of technical communication, and it
is a suitable approach because the introduction should describe the necessary elements and basic
terms to the readers. The next section of the literature review has been written according to the
guidelines.
The second report that I annotated discussed quantitative content analysis and its use in
technical communication, so it has been seen that the title has explained both the elements for the
readers. The following important part of a lab report is to discuss the abstract, and I have analyzed
that the abstract could not meet the requirements of a good research article. The abstract acts as a
backbone of a research article that explains the main facts and figures of the article. The authors
have written the abstract, but it cannot be said good because it has missed the critical summarized
points of articles.
The authors in the first article have tried to explain quantitative content analysis in
technical writing, and the readers can get sufficient knowledge from the section and it is evident
from the examples discussed in the end. Next, the vital concern is the missing literature review, as
mentioned in the guidelines, but the authors have not put it in the article. The literature of previous
studies has been included in the article, but a proper heading and distinct section have not to be
made.
Several previous studies with the results and impacts on technical communication have
been discussed in detail, allowing the readers to get detailed insight into the topic—the fourth
important section of material and methods. The author has used the active voice to explain the
methodology adopted in the article. The meta-analytic method was chosen for the research and the
studies were taken as unit of analyses.
Again, a separate section of methodology has not been made, but it is the discussion of
different case studies that have been explained. The design and back code of the relevant content
has been discussed in the second article.
The descriptive statistics were used in the first article and the author has talked about the
literature studies related to the topic. To make it more interesting, there were nine research
questions on which the whole paper has been written. The audience of paper is whole business
community that is concerned with the telecommunication. The author has found that the previous
studies did not found the contexting measures in detail and it was the gap in literature.
The results have been discussed in detail through the tables. The textbook has mentioned
that the results can be elaborated in the form of tables, statistical approaches, and graphs. So, a
similar approach has been adopted by the author.
The only difference that I noted in the article is the merging of the discussion section and
recommendations. The author has presented both sections in one heading. Moreover, the
conclusion is missing, and the author tried to sum up the details and concluding remarks in the
discussion portion. So, the author should take care of it and consider it in the research articles
(Cardon, 2008).
The next section is of results in the second article, and the authors have taken the approach
to merging all the next steps. The results, discussion, and conclusion have been explained in detail
by the author. A separate section for the conclusion has also been made. Another interesting and
amazing feature is the extensive use of figures, tables, and statistical tools. The results in tabular
form and the figures have made it easier for readers to get the required material. Overall, it was a
fantastic effort by the author to structure the lab reports.
The examples of the usefulness of article can be given by seeing the structure. The
fundamentals of content analysis have been defined in details. The first step is to identify the
sample and it has been explained in the article that how the sample should be identified. The data
collection steps have been elaborated in detail. For example, the author has given the examples that
how the data can be collected in quantitative or qualitative research. The steps to process and
analyze the data have been given as well. All these sections are highly informative and these
examples are the evidence that the article is worth-reading (Boettger, 2010).
Conclusion:
The lab reports are needed for the presentation and publication of research work by the
authors. The researchers have to show their findings through publications instead of practical work.
The lab reports are evidence of a researcher’s work, so it is essential to structure them according to
the standard form. There are eight elements of a lab report, and the researchers should follow them,
and they should make an effort to give their best outcomes in presenting the findings of their
research.
References
Boettger, R. K., & Palmer, L. A. (2010). Quantitative content analysis: Its use in technical
communication. IEEE transactions on professional communication, 53(4), 346-357.
DOI: 10.1109/TPC.2010.2077450
Cardon, P. W. (2008). A critique of Hall’s contexting model: A meta-analysis of the literature on
intercultural business and technical communication. Journal of Business and Technical
Communication, 22(4), 399-428. DOI:10.1177/1050651908320361
ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATION 7

Self- Reflection
The term communication has achieved significant importance in our lives, and it is
considered a way to connect. Communication is the process of exchanging ideas and viewpoints
with people, and it increases the connection with others. Communication can be of different types,
but it is seen that all types of communication, whether verbal or non-verbal, entails a significant
impact on our lives. The common observation shows that communication increases the bond
among the people and allows them to know about each other’s opinions. The following report is
about the impact of technical communication in my life.
Technical communication brings the idea of scientific reports, labs, journals, and articles to
mind, and I used to think the same when I was not aware of its use in daily life. Technical
communication is much more than writing or communicating through scientific journals and
articles. I have understood that technical communication is not about fictional content, but it has
taught me to use software, documentation, manuals, and instruction appropriately. It has not been
confined to it only, but it has given me the chance to broaden my vision in daily business
operations.
I have learned to communicate with my colleagues and teachers for a long and I used to
feel confident to have a good conversation with them. The problem came when I felt that
communication through software and computer is different from other communication types.
Communication through a computer can only be formal in some instances. Otherwise, it deals with
formal communication and involves the business deals and the ideas about the scientific evidence,
research, and manuals. It was new for me as I entered the professional life of scientific writing, but
I have learned a lot about it.
As an engineer, technical communication is essential for me because 95 percent of the time
is engaged with communication, and the rest of my little time is concerned with the writing tasks.
The engineers are involved with the technical communication related to research, reading reports,
discussing scientific journals, writing and reading E-mails, and commenting on different technical
posts. All these aspects are included in technical communication. It directly impacts my career
because I have learned that engineering cannot be completed without knowing the basics of
technical communication.
The role of technical communication can be further elaborated through an example where I
was given the task to write an analytical report on a scientific journal and then comment on it
through an E-mail. It was not a new thing for me to prepare a report and communicate through Email, but there were new elements involved. First, communication through E-mail about scientific
writing requires a lot of effort, and it takes hard work to be confined to a specific point and discuss
the scientific content. Moreover, it took my nerves away to ponder every element of the article
before finalizing the analytical report.
In the end, I have learned a lot from technical communication, and I am still in the process
of learning. It will help me in the future because I am concerned with the research in engineering,
and I have to communicate with various officials and academic researchers.
For this purpose, I need to know technical communication at the advanced level. I hope that the
technical communication will help in the future as I will have sound knowledge to read and
critique the reports and communicate through posts and E-mails. It is a wonderful experience to be
a part of such a communication process. The practice and the careful analysis of scientific and
business operations help to learn it easily.

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