Professional women in education often encounter the need to write for their peers. This monograph discusses approaches to the writing process that will make writing assignments of various lengths more enjoyable and effective. An introductory chapter examines the search for a topic, creating time for writing, the stages of writing, and…

Argues that college English departments need to emphasize the teaching of technical writing and communication if they are to survive the educational changes of the 1960s and 1970s. (RB)

Almost every discussion of technical or scientific writing style mentions the passive voice as a stylistic choice to avoid. However, the passive voice does have legitimate uses in technical and scientific writing--the problem is to define the appropriate or effective uses and the inappropriate or ineffective ones. An examination of passive voice…

The perceived problems of college students' writing and possible ways to improve college writing instruction are the topics of these radio transcripts. In the first script, parents, teachers, and students comment on the state of writing in college. Professionals are interviewed who comment on the difference between oral and written English, the…

A study was conducted to test the notion that effective business writing can be taught with half the "usual" number of teacher-graded papers, thereby allowing teachers to devote more of their time to more creative teaching strategies. Ten instructors and 29 sections of an informational writing class were involved in the study. The design of the…

A psychological model can show the technical writer how to present information for effective communication by explaining how readers perceive, understand, learn, and remember. The principles underlying the model are the reader's psychological set, the mind's pattern-forming tendencies, the span of short-term memory, and the mind's need for…

In the period from 1950 to the present, there has been a progressive realization of the rhetorical character of scientific and technical discourse, rendering such discourse subject to formal rhetorical study. Audience is now seen as a formative influence on discourse. Technical writing must be tailored to audiences, not simply in terms of…

Because of the increase in the number of manuscripts submitted to journals, editors and publishers must either publish more manuscripts or increase the proportion of manuscripts rejected. Rejection decisions are usually informed by informal peer evaluation, editorial processes, and/or citation analysis. Unfortunately, no standard criteria for…

Defining "functional documents" as those such as regulations, contracts, and policies that people must read in order to act, this paper posits the need for a revision principle by which writers can structure such documents to meet readers' needs. The first part of the paper describes a research project that uncovered some needs of…

The 29 editorial board members of three communications journals were asked to indicate what criteria they used to evaluate and select the manuscripts submitted to their journals for publication. The 16 people who responded indicated six things that they require in manuscripts: a strong introduction that clearly and concisely states the conceptual…

Three possibilities are discussed for providing communications skills to engineering students. In preference to having the English department teach technical writing to engineers, with either total or partial control of methodology, the authors recommend that engineering educators undertake the task themselves. (MLH)

The guide provides suggestions for vocational educators who desire to write proposals for research, demonstration, or development. The guide's first chapter, Organizing Your Ideas, outlines procedures for communicating one's intentions and for preparing a prospectus or abstract, and offers models of abstracts. The second chapter, Writing the…

As one of four options under English 105 at Western Michigan University, the course "Writing and Science" is intended to help students become better communicators as they enter college. The first assignments are in technical writing--descriptions of a mechanism, a process or a mechanism in operation, and a behavior. Emphasis in these exercises is…

Because community college proposals have been found inadequate in many cases, suggestions are made for the improvement of future proposals by these colleges. The suggestions are as follows: (1) Meet the Criteria--read carefully the restrictions and guidelines; (2) Present Specific Facts and Plans--list specific classes, forums and seminars…

This handbook is designed to be a comprehensive, practical reference guide for courses in business writing or business communication. Alphabetical entries provide coverage of grammar, usage, style, format, and writing procedure--planning, research, outlining, methods of development, and so on--and also include specific information on letters,…