Technical Writing Internships
Internship Journal
The internship journal, summarized below, is a part of the academic requirements for your internship; it is meant to provide an overview of your internship and to allow you to reflect upon your experiences during the internship. It is part of what makes working in an office or at another site an internship rather than a job or individual volunteering.
The Internship Journal: What Is It and What Is It For?
The journal is a place to
- record what you are doing each time you are at your internship site.
- express reactions, raise questions, etc.
The journal provides
- an overview of your internship.
- information for when the internship director speaks with your site supervisor at points during the semester and when she/he gives your final evaluation.
- information for your oral presentation and final report.
- information to help keep your resume up to date.
The Internship Journal: Why Is It? The Rationale
The journal is an way for you to
- reflect on what you are doing and learning in your internship as it is happening and evaluate the culture of the workplace.
- help the internship director monitor whether an internship is helping students hone their technical writing and editing skills.
- evaluate what you have learned--most interns find they learned more than they expected in an internship, and the journal facilitates that.
