Intended for the secondary school or college teacher beginning a course in technical writing, this bibliographic guide lists selected sources that provide an introduction to the field. The guide is divided into the following five sections: (1) "Bibliographic Sources," which directs the reader to other useful bibliographies; (2) "Theory and…

To assess the value of professional writing internships, a pilot study at Michigan State University will administer pre- and post-tests to students involved in internships, as well as to control groups composed of professional writing majors who do not participate in internships, and other English majors following a traditional curriculum of…

This annotated bibliography contains 33 items from the ERIC database concerning the use and misuse of metaphor in science education. The items date from 1977 to 1988 and are grouped into fire categories: overview, science education, writing in the sciences, children's learning, and computer terminology. (RS)

Using the "pattern approach" is a means of teaching students to be confident and competent writers. In this method, the writer uses a device called a planning blank to establish purpose, audience, topic, and role as a writer. Then the overall structure can be planned. A good writing plan should suggest not only a beginning, middle, and…

In order to make information about technical writing more available, the South Central Modern Language Association (SCMLA) has collected the papers not subject to copyright restrictions that were presented at the technical writing section of its 1987 meeting. The essays cover a wide range of topics in technical writing pedagogy and research. The…

Pointing out the relationship between the writing process and business communications should help business students understand the necessity of communicating clearly and efficiently. Students should first learn that adequate preparation before using non-print communications devices--such as telephones--is as necessary as prewriting is before…

Eighteen naval fire technicians served as subjects in a study using scenarios to simulate a real world task for assessing the readability of general technical texts. The scenario asked subjects to read a segment of text and to explain to a colleague how the particular component described in the passage functioned. Subjects' summaries were assessed…

The practical nature of technical writing is one of several concepts illustrated by the feasibility report assignment used in a technical writing course at Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute. As much as possible, the class is set up to simulate a work environment, including handouts printed as memos on letterhead paper. Students are…

Since 1969, the graduate school of business at the University of Michigan has been collecting data on newly promoted executives (chief executive officers, presidents, and vice presidents in business and industry). In 1980, the questionnaire was revised to include more questions concerning their academic preparation for a business career. Responses…

A communication activities audit was completed by managers and technicians (N=213) from four high technology industries in a study conducted to examine the scope and kinds of communication activities of these professionals. Respondents' responsibilities ranged from lower middle-management/technical professional to senior-level management/technical…

This publication represents the collaborative efforts of vocational educators who are involved in the planning and teaching of high technology training programs. It contains a series of reports and profiles which illustrate the diversity of high technology programs in vocational education institutions and the variety of approaches that can be used…

Two varieties of user-friendly computer systems that deal with natural language are now available, providing either at-the-monitor stylistic and grammatic correction of keyed-in writing or a sorting, selecting, and generating of statistical data for any written or spoken document. The editor programs, such as "The Writer's Workbench"…

To persuade adult audiences in business and industry of the need for change in the writing, the consultant must first know precisely what changes are desirable. One source for this information is the Document Design Project funded by the National Institute of Education, conducted by scholars from a variety of disciplines, and supported by…

Intended for high school students, this guide for writing the research paper consists of three parts. The first part deals with the research process and includes seven steps: choosing and limiting a topic, finding and examining materials, making bibliography cards, notetaking, writing the outline and paper, using footnotes and endnotes, and typing…

The ten papers included in this document discuss the following topics: educating Americans about the United States economic system, writing and publishing your next book, the advantages and disadvantages of one-way and two-way communication in business (e.g., writing versus telephoning), structural flexibility in business communication courses,…