Discusses the results of a survey of college graduates to determine the kinds of writing they did at home or at work, how they felt their writing compared with that of other graduates, the circumstances under which they usually wrote, and whether college courses had adequately prepared them for their writing demands. (HTH)

Discusses results of a two-phase survey of the writing problems of people with technical, legal, and scientific degrees. The results indicated that most respondents lacked knowledge of the value of preparation in advance of writing, and that many who ranked their writing ability highly suffered from negative writing attitudes. (HTH)

Explores the writing needs of probation officers and how this kind of writing can best be taught to college students specializing in criminal justice. Discusses how to gather information and prepare presentence reports and how to remain objective in corrections writing. Compares corrections reporting with traditional technical writing. (HTH)

Course content of a course at the University of Malawi (Africa) in legal English covered client interviews, letter writing, evaluation of judgments, advocacy (oral work in court), and drafting legal documents. No precedent and very few instructional materials were found for such a course. (MSE)

Complexities involved in staffing a legal research and writing program with regular faculty members, as contrasted with instructors or teaching assistants, are addressed. Development, implementation, and maintenance of regular staffing are discussed. Available from Union University, 80 Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208; $2.50, entire issue. (MSE)…

Discusses how technical writing courses have been built on a strong foundation in freshman English at the College of Technology of the University of Houston. (HM)

Common pitfalls in technical writing and how to avoid them are outlined. These pitfalls include goobledygook words and phrases, plodding style, failure to follow the prescribed format for publication or proposals, misuse of words, inconsistencies, and failure to edit or proofread adequately. (MSE)

A statement of course objectives for a first-year course in legal writing is proposed. Its uses are described and problems that arise in the context of a legal writing course are noted. A statement of objectives in a form appropriate for distribution is appended. (Author/MLW)

Discusses a one-semester course offered in the School of Chemical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana which incorporates technical writing and the use of the chemical literature into a single course. (CS)

A description is given of a course developed (at Oklahoma State University) to provide practical skills for mathematics majors entering industry instead of academia. (MK)

Surveys the kinds of business communication courses and programs available at United States colleges and universities. (RL)

This feature consists of teaching materials to be used for the instruction of French as a second language. Areas covered include technical vocabulary, language usage, and fortune-telling. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

A communications consultant reminds design professionals that in marketing communications, "It's not creative, unless it sells." Available from: Architectural Record, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020; $5.00 single copy. (Author/MLF)

Contends that, as publishers integrate international issues into professional writing textbooks, analysis is necessary about how curricular globalization is presented to students. Examines textbooks that position international students as clients, consumers, and exotics who present barriers to effective communication; most contain catalogs of…

Presents a method, based on a human factors approach, for helping individuals choose training in a new text technology that suits them. Offers a self-assessment questionnaire ranking preferences among firms, industries, techniques, roles, purposes for writing; then matches those preferences to typical expectations for each of several new text…