Signaling Context in Topic-Based Writing

In topic-based writing delivered as web help or interactive PDF, readers are able to access topics non-linearly, reading only those topics they feel a need to read. Consequently, readers can easily lose a sense of a topic's broader context of related topics and concepts, which is knowledge presumed of a "qualified reader." Purpose: This paper investigates how relative "that" and "which" clauses are used to signal context in writing that is intended to be free of obligatory contextual connections to other topics in a documentation set. Method: This analysis relies on a computer-assisted, descriptive analysis of relative pronoun use in a corpus of published, topic-based documentation. The analysis focuses on "that" and "which," typically used in English to refer to and add information (e.g., a context) about an antecedent noun. Results: Relative "that" and "which" clauses are shown to be used in a variety of ways in topic-based writing to signal associations between topics, making it easier for readers who need context to find it. Conclusions: The author offers implications for writing practice that include deliberate, strategic use of "that" and "which" and complementary documentation design that enables readers to locate contextual information signaled by those pronouns.