Presents examples of flaws in training materials and technical documentation that result in user frustration, and offers suggestions for avoiding such errors. (CLB)

Discusses theoretical exigencies for observing writer-reader interactions in the workplace. Describes measures to study how corporate engineers adapt discourse to a multiple audience. Discusses research that challenges assumptions about technical writing, and translates findings into heuristics for teaching multiple audience analysis and…

Very realistic spoof of research and scholarly writing. Reports on quantitative and qualitative research into "self-nurturant" (self-indulgent) behaviors and related personality patterns such as the pollyanna, the sulky hedonist, and the guilt-ridden masochistic indulgent. (SV)

Notes that hypermedia may place additional cognitive loads on audiences and may change the way information is processed. Argues that those who write for hypermedia applications may need to change the way they look at the writing process, and those who teach writing may need to reconsider what they teach and what they choose to emphasize. (SR)

Presents a rationale and method for introducing a hypertext authoring assignment in a professional writing course in computer-aided publishing. Describes a rhetorically centered pedagogy that incorporates portfolio assessment, collaborative authoring, and real world projects for teaching hypertext within the context of situated problem-solving…

Discusses defining value added as return on investment. Addresses finding ways to measure value added and working with measures of value added. Looks at literature from other professions. Discusses a case study illustrating problems. (RS)

Compares support calls and related costs for customers who received quality documentation for a messaging system with calls from users who received condensed, inadequate documentation. Estimates that using quality documentation saves the company $1 million annually. (RS)

Discusses the development of a pragmatic model of the writing process in the workplace, focusing on the importance of "drafting" as part of that process. Discusses writers' attitudes about drafting and the structures of the workplace that drafting has to accommodate. Introduces a drafting model and discusses results of using this model…

Reports on an attempt to organize a collaborative writing project with two teams of graduate students. Concludes that despite the professional level of the students, they, like undergraduates, need structure and guidance throughout the collaborative process, including journal checks, conferences, and self- and group-assessment tools. (TB)

Argues that traditional methods of testing software products leave too little time for major modifications and that in-cycle usability testing is required. Reports a study of environmental factors that constrain such testing. Concludes that it is not yet routine because of budget and staff limitations, lack of performance standards, and untrained…

Proposes a system for document organization based on cueing and page formatting techniques, in which the logical and systematic use of cueing and formatting creates a visual hierarchy organizing and signalling information for the reader. Maintains that proper application produces increased reading speeds, ease of access, and comprehension. (SR)

Compares the style, emphasis, and tone in textbook chapters on trauma care written for and by doctors and nurses. Discusses ways physicians' and nurses' roles are mirrored in the writing. Notes that doctors' prose is focused, with attention given to injuries and their repair; whereas nurses' prose adopts a holistic view, caring for patients'…

Narrates a proposal writer's experience over five weeks as a member of a team writing a grant proposal on the design and implementation of a practice-oriented master's degree program on manufacturing education and training. (SR)

Summarizes three recent Dutch studies in the field of functional text research (text which has concrete goals that must be achieved by lay readers). Focuses on the use of and failure to use software manuals, the minimalist approach and learning styles, and the effect of using decision tables. (SR)

Examines perceptions of the author-editor interaction. Discusses chances of acceptance by the journal of their choice, ways to maximize those chances, what to do when editors are slow in communicating with authors, and how to negotiate with editors about manuscript revisions. Notes that editors should show concern for authors and mediate referees'…