Hannah Stevens, English Department adjunct instructor and graduate of the technical communication and rhetoric doctoral program, recently received one of two Honorable Mentions for the 2025 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Outstanding Dissertation Award in Technical Communication. 

Her dissertation, “Dismantling Barriers to Publishing: Identifying Types of Negative Review Experiences and Strategies for Mitigating Them,” focused on academic publishing and investigated the gaps between journal guidelines and inclusive publishing policy guidelines. “Overall, my research continues the work of cultivating connections among authors, reviewers, editors, etc., in the drive to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of the publication process,” Hannah says. “It describes ways in which we might make the publishing process, particularly peer review, more accessible and inclusive, focusing on how we might all become interventionists/mentors/supporters/etc., particularly for early-career scholars/authors who may be going through the publishing process for the first time.”

Hannah chose to submit to the CCCC award because of the impact her dissertation has in the field of technical communication. “Publishing is a legacy process in academia that is often not researched, and I truly believe my dissertation began to question some of these processes in the drive to make them more inclusive and accessible,” she comments.

The dissertation was praised by the selection committee for extending the field of technical communication’s research and offering practical and critical strategies to change these practices. The committee wrote, “Usable and beneficial for authors, editors, and publishers alike, this dissertation lays the groundwork both for cultivating more positive publishing experiences and for helping scholars publish despite the experience of negative reviews through its emphasis on community and collaboration.”

“I ultimately chose to go into the industry rather than academia, and this award really motivated me to continue to be part of the academic community and continue researching and teaching because I have an important perspective to share,” Hannah reflects.  

Hannah will be recognized as an Honorable Mention recipient on April 11, 2025, during the annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland.