Call for Papers Special issue of IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication to focus on "Examining International Outsourcing: Perspectives, Practices, and Projections" Guest Editor: Kirk St.Amant Texas Tech University Department of English Deadline for Abstracts: October 1, 2005 International outsourcing (or offshoring) has become a topic of increased interest and concern, primarily because of the effects it is having on the nature of knowledge-based work. While a great deal has been written on the effects of international outsourcing in relation to the information technology (IT) and the customer service industries, relatively little has been published on the effects international outsourcing is having on professional communication. Similarly, relatively little has been written on how international outsourcing practices might change the nature of specific technical communication practices or change the field in general. Such perspectives, however, are essential to technical communicators who must re-think the nature of their jobs in an age of global business practices. Additionally, such perspectives are important for educators who train the technical communicators of tomorrow. This special issue will examine how international outsourcing is affecting professional and educational practices in technical communication and how international outsourcing could shape future practices in both areas. TOPICS Topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to, the following • Which technical fields seem poised to engage in large-scale international outsourcing in the future? What implications will such outsourcing have for professional and technical communication in related industries? • What professional or technical communication tasks or practices are particularly susceptible to international outsourcing? • What lessons can professional or technical communicators learn from how international outsourcing has affected other professional fields? • Which nations seem poised to become international outsourcing providers for professional or technical communication tasks? How well prepared are workers in those nations to perform such tasks? • How have international outsourcing practices in other fields shaped the ways in which professional or technical communicators interact with subject matter experts (SMEs) in different nations? • What technology developments (particularly online communication technologies) can facilitate the international outsourcing of professional or technical communication practices? What developments (particularly in online communication technologies)could affect how professional or technical communicators interact with subject matter expetts (SMEs) located in other nations? • Which international legal factors affect international outsourcing practices? How do professional or technical communicators fit into that legal framework? • How should educational practices change to train professional or technical communicators to work effectively in an environment of international outsourcing? • What implications does online education have for the training of professional technical communicators in other nations? How might such situations affect the outsourcing of professional or technical communication practices? SUBMISSIONS Please email abstracts (200-500 words) to Kirk St.Amant at kirk.st-amant@ttu.edu Please include the following information in your abstract: • Title of the proposed article • Name, institutional affiliation, and contact information for author(s) • Overview of proposed article topic • Discussion of the contribution this article will make to research, teaching, or other professional practices in the field of technical communication TIMELINE Abstracts due: October 1, 2005 Invitation to submit full papers for peer review: October 15, 2005 Full papers due: December15, 2005 NOTE: The invitation to submit full papers for review does not mean a paper has been accepted for publications. Rather, all full papers will undergo a peer review process, the results of which will be used to determine if the paper will be published in this special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. QUESTIONS Questions should be emailed to the Kirk St.Amant at kirk.st-amant@ttu.edu, and prospective contributors are welcome to contact the guest editor to discuss prospective topics for an article.