Researchers have been calling for more empirical studies with which to build
theory and improve practice in business and technical communication. Al
though quantitative empirical research abounds, qualitative studies are rare.
This article explains how qualitative research can benefit the profession and
uses ethnography as an extended example of how such research is conducted
and written. Examples ofgood qualitative studies are discussed in the text and
listed in the references, as are other sources of information on qualitative re
search.
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References
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