Call for Proposals

We are now accepting abstracts (250-500 words) on the topic of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for a special issue of the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, via submission to JTWC.AI.Issue@gmail.com. We invite researchers and practitioners to explore themes related to generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, and DALL-E. 

Special Issue Title: Professional and Pedagogical Approaches to Generative AI

Abstract Submission Deadline: July 1, 2023

Theme and Scope:

Since their rollout in 2022, generative AI platform use has exploded. Their impacts on education, healthcare, journalism, manufacturing, marketing, public relations, and other fields are expected to be far-reaching and unpredictable. Generative AI is already used in healthcare for medical note taking, patient communication, and medical data analysis (Pifer 2023). Formulaic fiction online magazines are being flooded with bot-written horror, mystery, and science fiction stories. On Amazon, an aspiring romance novelist may purchase J. Cid’s ChatGPT for Romance Writers: Tips and examples on how to generate ideas and maximize productivity. News organizations, such as Sky news, CNBC, and other outlets, have “hired” ChatGPT to write news stories.  Marketers and creators are experimenting with ChatGPT (as well as DALL-E and Midjourney) to identify novel marketing techniques and unique brand designs. 

Academia is not immune to the impacts of generative AI. Naturally, students have also discovered ChatGPT. Countless videos on Youtube provide guidance for using ChatGPT for help writing essays, research papers, and PowerPoint presentations. Ph.D. candidates will find advice on how to use the technology to plan and write their dissertations. Many of us have received student work that seems oddly formal or unlike the student’s previous writing style but that escapes plagiarism checkers. Editors, including the editorial board for this journal, have already identified bot-written submissions. 

Doomsday predictions abound. OpenAI “could disrupt 19% of U.S. Jobs” (Kan 2023). ChatGPT represents a more destructive technological avalanche that, like cell phones, video games, and social media, will disrupt our youth’s social and intellectual development (Bernstein 2023).  Advanced AI models, already beating doctors at diagnostic tasks, might, some predict, replace clinicians (Pifer, 2023).  Others offer cautiously optimistic visions.  Generative AI has the potential to support clinical practice and medical and public health research (Cascella et al., 2023).  In Education, AI might “revolutionize” learning and assessment (Williamson, Macgilchris & Potter 2023).  A google search will lead to a cornucopia of techniques for using generative AI in the classroom. Yet, scholarship about generative AI in technical communications, writing, and visual design, as well as pedagogical applications for these areas, has to this point remained rare.  

To address that gap, we welcome submissions that cover, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:                     

• Affordances and challenges of generative AI in the classroom
• Generative AI in knowledge making practices, including scholarly research and writing
• Impact of generative AI on job opportunities for students entering the workforce
• Pedagogical approaches to teaching students about generative AI
• Theorizing biases in generative AI, in light of existing research on algorithmic decision-making biases
• Legal and intellectual property considerations in using generative AI for creating technical content
• Challenges and solutions in ensuring data privacy and security when working with generative AI in technical communication
• Ethical considerations and best practices in the development and use of generative AI

Guest Editors:

Dr. Carol Reeves, Professor of English, Butler University

Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV, Associate Professor of Communications Media, Fitchburg State University

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions should adhere to the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication guidelines for authors, which can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/JTW. Please submit your proposal, including a tentative title, abstract (max. 500 words), and a short author biography (max. 100 words) via email by the submission deadline.

Review Process:

All submitted proposals will be initially reviewed by the guest editors to ensure relevance to the special issue theme. Authors of selected proposals will be invited to submit full papers, which will then undergo a double-blind peer-review process in accordance with the journal’s standard review procedures.

Important Dates:

Proposal Submission Deadline: July 1st, 2023

Notification of Proposal Acceptance: September 1, 2023

Full Paper Submission Deadline: January 2024

Notification of Full Paper Acceptance: March 2024

Publication of the Special Issue: April 2024

Please feel free to circulate this call for proposals among your colleagues and networks. If you have any questions about this call or the proposed special issue, please feel welcome to contact us. All inquiries and submissions can be sent to: JTWC.AI.Issue@gmail.com.

Sources:

Berstein, G.  (2021, March 28).  ChatGPT is the wake-up call schools need to limit tech in classrooms.  Time Magazine.   https://time.com/6266311/chatgpt-tech-schools/

Cascella, M., Bellini, V., & Bignami, E. (2023).  Journal of Medical Systems, 47(33), https://doi-org.ezproxy.butler.edu/10.1007/s10916-023-01925-4

Kan, M.  (2023, March 20).  OpenAI:  ChatGPT could disrupt 19% of US jobs, Is yours on the list?  PCMag. https://www.pcmag.com/news/openai-chatgpt-could-disrupt-19-of-us-jobs-is-yours-on-the-list#:~:text=The%20most%20affected%20professions%20included,and%20auditors%2C%20along%20with%20journalists.&text=The%20paper%20also%20breaks%20down%20the%20ChatGPT%20impact%20by%20industry

Pifer, R. (2023, April 21) ‘Hurtling into the future’: The potential and thorny ethics of generative AI in Healthcare.  HealthcareDive.  https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/generative-AI-healthcare-gpt-potential/648104/

Williamson, B., Macgilchrist, F., & Potter, J. (2023).  Re-examining AI, automation and datafication in education.  Learning, Media & Technology, 48(1), 1-5.