Some scientists lack the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely. To improve the quality of scientific investigation write-ups, undergraduate courses in scientific writing should be developed and made requirements for graduation. (JAB)

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether blind reviewing makes a difference in the evaluation of technical papers. The variables of sex and author prominence, as well as the possibility of their interaction with reviewing practice were examined. (Author/AM)

Describes how inexperienced teachers of technical and scientific writing can set their priorities, prepare themselves to teach, and plan action that will improve students' writing skills. (DD)

Describes how to base a course in technical writing on the contrast between subjective and objective values and the contrast between poetry and technology. (DD)

Summarizes fifteen ERIC documents as these deal with the definition of technical writing and the distinction between technical and literary writing. (DD)

Contains hints on note taking, layout, and other skills that are necessary for preparing the minutes of a meeting. (RL)

A revision is given of the National Bureau of Standards guidelines in the use of the International System of Units (SI) in Bureau issuances, publications, and reports. (MN)

Outlines the purposes and the procedures involved in writing an analysis of a scientific/technical magazine. (JM)

Discusses the presence of an implied author and its appropriateness as a rhetorical device in technical discourse. Concludes that it enhances the information transfer from writer to text to reader. (MS)

Describes changes in the work place and in information technology from the perspective of business and trade publications concerned with the changing nature of work. Suggests important changes that professional-communication courses and programs should consider in preparing students for the communication demands of the high-tech work place. (JAD)

Describes a technical writing teacher's experience consulting at a large insurance company. Suggests that consulting provides teachers valuable insight into the real-life writing concerns of writers in service occupations. (ARH)

Illustrates a method to help students grasp what written and oral communication are actually like in business and industry. Describes the use of skits designed to illustrate circumstances that call for several kinds of writing--a short proposal, a progress report, a trip report, and a longer proposal. (HTH)

Notes that while compound nouns are the lexical trademark of many technical languages, their simple surface structure belies the complexities involved in their generation and comprehension. Suggests that by considering carefully these underlying complexities, technical writers can improve the readability of their texts. (HTH)

Describes a procedure technical writing students can use to test how concerns like segmentation, defining criteria, and paragraph structure may apply to finding an organization for their own texts. Essentially a heuristic, the procedure assumes that a number like three (a control number) is useful in organizing information for any kind of…

Critiques Pinder and Bourgeois ("Administrative Science Quarterly," 27) on their view that use of metaphors in administrative science is misleading and counterproductive. Author argues that metaphor is unavoidable in scientific prose and holds creative potential for developing a scientific approach to administration. (JW)