Argues that all the various genres of documents produced in military research and development formulate some sort of problem. Discusses problem formulation and offers a rhetorical map showing their structural relationships to each other. (SR)

Describes several ways that a good marketing message conveys benefits to the reader and differentiates the product from its competition. (SR)

Discusses how independent writers and consultants can learn about potential jobs and can best market themselves and get the business. (SR)

Examines the problem for technical writing classes regarding the demands of workplace writing as they conflict with writing conventions of the classroom. Suggests how the problem might be handled, and explores how this problem illustrates the technical writing class' contribution to preparing students for the work of life. (NH)

Focuses on technical sub-languages to reveal sociological functions of language that transcend mere transfer of substantive information. Finds one sociological feature, the shibboleth, acting widely throughout technical fields. (PA)

Contends information traditionally found in manuals should be integrated into the product itself, and the amount of information required can be reduced and made available when needed. Suggests strategies to increase customer satisfaction and to lower support costs. States that technical communicators can focus on the needs and skills of the users.…

States that time and money limitations make it impossible to do usability testing on every document, particularly by controlled observation. Describes approaches intended to make feedback from testing useful, including judicious selection of what to test and how, special studies on issues of general importance, and better ways of making new…

States that advanced planning and thorough documentation is required to prepare winning proposals. Shares suggestions for preparing better proposal documentation from the foundation, to the Capture Plan, to the final proposal product--all with a goal of increasing the number of contract wins. (PA)

Discusses the identity problem both inside and outside the profession of technical communication. Discusses components of a definition of technical communication. (SR)

Describes the instructional use of electronic mail, and its implications for technical literacy. Discusses the fall from the illusion of narrative consciousness into the reality of "hypertext consciousness" and the impersonality factor. (SR)

Provides advice on writing a research paper when structural equation models are being used in empirical work. Focuses on what information should be reported and what can be deleted without much loss of judgment about the quality of the research and validity of conclusions. (SLD)

Considers how the Internet is revolutionizing the investment world and how the Securities and Exchange Commission recently passed a rule requiring businesses to use plain English to try and rid disclosures of their traditionally complex and ambiguous language. (SC)

In this article, the author describes Stafford Technical Center's Engineering Technology Academy (ETA), in which students pursue a variety of educational and career options for anything connected to construction technologies--including drafting and design, architecture, and even work in historic preservation. In addition to technical skills,…

The browser-based software program, Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) developed by the Molecular Science Project enables instructors to create structured writing assignments in which students learn by writing and reading for content. Though the CPR project covers only one experiment in general chemistry, it might provide lab instructors with a method…

This research article investigates new developments in the representation of the intercultural component in textbooks for a service technical writing course. Through textual analysis, using quantitative and qualitative techniques, I report discourse analysis of 15 technical writing textbooks published during 1993-2006. The theoretical and…