Finds that gender does not appear to influence people's approaches to creating visuals that represent factual data, except that females produced rounded shapes in much greater proportion than males, who produced more angular shapes. (SR)

Suggests that intricate situations occur naturally in the context of work where there is no clearly predetermined division of responsibilities about text production. Observes situations in which a technical writer and a software developer met to clarify specific concepts about the device to be documented, but interesting work in the text actually…

Examines the amount and types of metadiscourse used by novice and expert writers in mechanical engineering design proposals. Finds that the expert took the stance of a member of a community of experts who added credibility by citing other work in his field, whereas students took the stance of agents talking directly to the reader. (SR)

Examines significant new business proposal efforts for United States Department of Defense contracts. Identifies six "pillars" of a contractor's proposal preparation costs. Derives a formula that characterizes proposal preparation costs. Demonstrates that a quick, accurate cost model can be developed for proposal publishing. (RS)

Describes revision as practiced at a major scientific research and development laboratory. Shows how scientific authors, technical editors, colleague reviewers, and supervisors team up in a collaborative approach in which editors provide substantive revisions early in the collaborative review process. Argues that editors should become involved at…

Argues that guidelines are required if a team of technical writers is to create consistent, usable online information. Examines research on screen design, schemata, and readers' styles. Concludes that online help information should be easy to access, structured with different levels, specific to the situation, consistent, and concise and easily…

Analyzes postings from a database users' help bulletin board. Finds that technical instructions should concentrate on likely errors that users may commit and how they can overcome and learn from them; provide may procedural options at once; give minimal conceptual and much procedural information; and integrate troubleshooting with task procedures.…

Identifies advantages and disadvantages of using focus groups rather than individual interviews in evaluating texts. Finds that focus groups tended to identify acceptance problems, whereas individual interview participants focused on comprehension. (SR)

Presents results of a national study in which members of the Society for Technical Communication rated the relevance of 20 selected English-usage principles that were considered to be of limited importance in a previous study involving textbook editors and communication instructors. Shows that all 20 principles were rated as important to…

Reprints a corrected version of an article originally published in the volume 43, number 1 issue of this journal. Presents results of a national survey of technical communicators and technical communication teachers assessing the ethics of seven document design cases involving manipulation of typography, illustrations, and photographs. Offers…

Presents a brief summary of the findings of a study. Describes three simple procedures to improve the accessibility and readability of journal abstracts: (1) enlarge type size to match that of the text; (2) use paragraph indentation to denote structure; and (3) rewrite abstracts in plainer English. (SR)

Investigates the extent to which draft reviews improved the technical accuracy of two computer documents. Finds that draft reviews encouraged reviewers to make suggestions about all aspects of a document, not only technical accuracy. Recommends that draft reviews be supplemented by numerous other quality control techniques such as user reviews and…

Finds that traditional aspects of writing, such as outlining, revising, and audience analysis, rated highest in a ranking by technical communicators of 67 possible topics of an undergraduate course. Notes that other fundamentals, such as style and mechanics, were close behind. (SR)

Studies master's students in professional writing to discern value added by technical communicators. Shows that some expertise is brought to collaborative projects, while other types develop as a function of collaboration. Provides practicing communicators, students, and managers with ideas for documenting, developing, and enhancing this…

Argues that, as the category of "technical products" has expanded and the public's enthusiasm for such products has lessened, marketing writers have begun to reconsider their approaches to technology in ads. Studies two technical ads in detail, and compares the ways in which they portray technology. (SR)