The Frank R. Smith Outstanding Journal Article Award recognizes the authors of exceptional articles that appeared in Technical Communication during a calendar year. Since 1966, STC has paid tribute to the authors whose contributions have made Technical Communication one of the most highly respected journals devoted to the arts and sciences of technical communication. The award was renamed after longtime former editor Frank R. Smith in 1995 upon his retirement.
Judges base their decisions on the article’s content and form. Content is judged on the degree to which it represents contributions to new knowledge, new perspectives, or practical communication applications or techniques. Form is judged by the degree to which it embodies effective and appropriate organization; apt language and correct grammar; relevant and meaningful tables and illustrations; and spirit of vibrancy, intensity, conviction, or enthusiasm in transmitting information.
Below are the honorees from 2008 onward. For more information about the award, including guidelines, visit the STC website.
Outstanding Article of 2011
Recipients: Henk Pander Maat and Leo Lentz
Title: Using Sorting Data to Evaluate Text Structure: An Evidence-based Proposal for Restructuring Patient Information Leaflets
Issue: August 2011
Distinguished Article for 2011
Recepient: Luc Desnoyers
Title: Toward a Taxonomy of Visuals in Science Communication
Issue: May 2011
Outstanding Article of 2010
Recipient: Tatiana Batova
Title: Writing for the Participants of International Clinical Trials: Law, Ethics, and Culture
Issue: August 2010
Distinguished Article of 2010
Recipient: Nicole St. Germain-McDaniel
Title: Technical Communication in the Health Fields: Executive Order 13166 and its Impact on Translation and Localization
Issue: August 2010
Distinguished Article of 2010
Recipients: Lisa Meloncon, Erin Haynes, Megan Varelmann, and Lisa Groh
Title: Building a Playground: General Guidelines for Creating Educational Web Sites for Children
Issue: November 2010
Outstanding Article of 2009
Recipient: Han Yu
Title: Putting China’s Technical Communication into Historical Context: A Look at the Chinese Culinary Instruction Genre
Issue: May 2009
Distinguished Article of 2009
Recipient: Nicole St. Germain-Madison
Title: Localizing Medical Information for U.S. Spanish-Speakers: The CDC Campaign to Increase Public Awareness About HPV
Issue: August 2009
Outstanding Article of 2008
Recipient: Roger Munger
Title: Green Printing: A Guide to Environmentally Responsible Printing
Issue: February 2008
Distinguished Articles of 2008
Recipient: Tiffany Craft Portewig
Title: The Role of Rhetorical Invention for Visuals: A Qualitative Study of Technical ommunicators in the Workplace
Issue: November 2008
Recipients: Marieke Welle Donker-Kuijer, Menno De Jong, and Leo Lentz
Title: Heuristic WebSite Evaluation: Exploring the Effects of Guidelines on Experts' Detection of Usability Problems
Issue: November 2008
Recipient: Lynne Cooke
Title: How Do Users Search Web Home Pages? An Eye-Tracking Study of Multiple Navigation Menus
Issue: May 2008