In this article, we present a usability experiment in which participants were asked to make intensive use of information on an intranet in order to execute job-related tasks. Participants had to work with one of two versions of an intranet: one with an organization-based hyperlink structure, and one with a task-based hyperlink structure.…

This article introduces an activity based on Standard 12 of the "Standards for Technological Literacy" that will help students develop good writing skills. It also describes the elements of a writing prompt and of a rubric, the advantages of using rubrics, and the writing development process itself. It provides an activity through which students…

Noting that accounting reports, including management advisory service (MAS) studies, reports on internal control, and tax memoranda, often appear rather dense and heavy in style--partly because of the legal environment's demand for careful expression and partly because such documents convey very complex information--this paper presents four…

The author's voice is implicit in all writing, even technical writing. It is the expression of the writer's attitude toward audience, subject matter, and self. Effective use of voice is made possible by recognizing the three roles of the technical writer: transmitter, translator, and author. As a transmitter, the writer must consciously apply an…

The right course in report writing improves trainees' writing quickly. With good assignments at its heart, it provides trainees repeated opportunities to write successfully, bringing their own language resources into conscious awareness. Not an academic subject, writing is a form of behavior. Five criteria for effective writing assignments are…

Points out that teaching technical writing to students whose specialties differ can be more interesting than teaching the conventional composition courses. (RB)

The relative frequency and sentence level use of syntactic structures in comtemporary written scientific English was investigated. Two thousand sentences from 100 engineering textbooks were compared with sentences from American literary prose by means of a computer program. The results confirmed the hypothesis that engineering writing uses a…

This publication is one in a series of booklets designed to provide basic, practical guidance to information workers and students. It is intended to assist information workers (i.e., librarians, information scientists, archivists, indexers, bibliographers, database managers, information officers--and many other titles by which these workers are…

The responsibilities of the technical writer, an analysis of the writing process, qualifications and educational requirements are highlighted in the review of this professional occupation. (MW)

The fact that technical writing is a form of discourse and not just a craft to be learned for a specific purpose means that it has at least three implications for the structure of writing programs. First, it is a method of writing development that is "you-centered" rather than "I-centered." Second, it is a heuristic for perceiving and organizing…

Intended for use by nonprofessional writers who must use the written word to communicate and get results, this book offers practical suggestions on how to write business letters, memos, sales and fund raising letters, plans, and reports. The book covers general principles of good writing and emphasizes the importance of editing. In addition, it…

Nineteen chemical operators, aged 38 to 59, were trained in report writing in their plant in order to pass national examinations. There were two training sessions. In the first, the need for clear, accurate statements and appreciation of the difference between the written and spoken word were stressed. The second was practice in writing inductive…

The document serves as a guideline to report writing for vocational evaluation and work adjustment programs, providing general principles for content with the aim of developing some uniformity in report organization. Common problems in report writing are described from the reader's and writer's perspective. Basic principles are listed which should…

Instructional objectives for a junior college course in technical report writing for police science students are presented. The objectives are offered as samples that may be used where they correspond to the skills, abilities, and attitudes instructors want their students to acquire. They may also serve as models for assisting instructors to…