Introduction

Academic researchers might begin by explaining what rhetoric is and how it relates to approaches individuals use to convey technical information to different audiences. Industry practitioners, however, might respond with an overview of content-management practices or a summary of what usability (or user experience design) is. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The objective of the book is that readers view it as a tool, or a reference, individuals can use to explore or to think about such relationships in a way that best addresses the academic or the industry context of the reader. To examine various ideas and approaches to fostering academy-industry relationships, the editors have organized this collection into four sections. Each section represents a general category readers might consider when thinking about establishing different kinds of partnerships within the field.