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Subject:Re: What to do about writing samples From:Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 22 Jan 2003 08:07:34 -0800 (PST)
<craig -dot- cardimon -at- att -dot- net> wrote...
>
> I was going to use a copyediting test as a sample of my technical/medical
> writing skills. I wanted to show what it looked like when I got it and then
how
> it looked after I fixed it. Before and after. Someone said I shouldn't do
that
> because it might violate copyright. I wasn't going to identify the entity
that
> gave me the test. I was simply going to show the text itself, which is merely
a
> list of sentences and a few paragraphs. I was still advised against it. What
do
> folks think? What do you do about generating samples of technical/medical
> writing?
I think a lot of people take issues of copyright a little too seriously. No
judge in the world is going to lock you up because you took a test into an
interview and tried to get a job. The purpose of copyright laws is to protect
outright theft and profit, not prevent people from getting jobs. If you took
that test and started a testing company using it and made a boat load of money
- then somebody might come after you.
The real question is, does the test actually demonstrate your tech writing
ability. My feeling is that you would be better off taking in some docs you've
written. Grammar and editing ability are only a small slice of a tech writer's
skill set.
Andrew Plato
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