Table.

Characteristics of 3 traditions of writing^a

Characteristic	Literary or Creative Writing	Popular Writing/Journalism	Scientific-Technical Writing
Document types	Novels, poems, essays, term papers, short stories, personal narratives, biographies, songs, plays	For newspapers and magazines: local, national, and international news stories; feature stories; editorials; columns; reviews; news releases	Scientific articles, technical reports, training materials, instruction manuals, grant proposals, letters, business communications
Purpose of writing	General: to entertain, enthrall, evoke, soothe, challenge, inform	General: to report and comment on “news,” to inform, to entertain	Specific: to provide targeted information to help a specific audience accomplish a specific task
Readers	Usually general; a heterogeneous public but often differentiated by genre (eg, juvenile fiction, humor)	Usually general; a heterogeneous public but often differentiated by market sector (eg, business, fashion)	Usually more specific; more homogeneous and targeted to roles in an organization or profession
Elements used to communicate	Writers use primarily words; others may provide artwork or graphic design, with or without input from the authors	Writers use primarily words; tables, visuals, and graphic design may be contributed by others, with or without input from the authors	Writers use words, tables, graphs, and images and usually have substantial input into their content and form
Qualities of the content	Text must engage readers, usually in both content and presentation (style)	Text must engage readers, usually in both content and presentation (style)	Text must provide information needed by readers to perform their tasks
Qualities of the presentation	Writing must be engaging so readers enjoy the act of reading; the words themselves are part of the art; the writer’s style is often an essential part of the text	Writing must be engaging so readers enjoy the act of reading; journalists may develop reputations; magazines and newspapers develop readerships	Writing should be so transparent that the reader is not aware of the act of reading; content is more important than a writer’s expression of it
Motivation to read	Reading is optional and done for personal reasons, so the text must be interesting to keep readers engaged; sensationalism can be a value; readers self-select	Reading is optional, so the text must be interesting to increase “depth of read”; sensationalism can be a value; readers self-select	Reading is often required de facto or even assigned in the workplace, although readers often self-select; the topic is of interest; sensationalism is rarely a factor
Evaluation criteria	How well readers enjoy what they read; popularity over time of the text; literary critics evaluate the text	How well readers enjoy what they read; financial success of newspaper or magazine; journalism critics evaluate the topics covered and how well they are covered	How well readers understand, find, remember, and use information; usability testing of readers can evaluate how well the text accomplishes these goals

^a Reprinted from Lang T. Medical writing up close and professional: establishing our identity.⁴⁸