People who develop information into a consumable form seem at times to work in a vacuum, failing to consider the potential users. Some helpful tips for preparing documents for easy retrieval and use, based upon guidelines followed in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system, are presented. The three major areas of evaluation are…

A computer program has been designed to analyze the reading difficulty of English text. It is, essentially, an automation of the widely used Dale-Chall formula for the estimation of reading difficulty. Text samples of up to 5000 words are input, with only minor punctuation restrictions being applied. Output from the program consists of sample…

The thesis that the methods in mass communication research for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data should relate directly to the theoretical models of communication is argued in this speech. Communication models indicate that a source can usually communicate more effectively in the presence of feedback from relevant receivers on their…

Standards for water and atmospheric analysis are compiled in this segment, Part 23, of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) annual book of standards. It contains all current formally approved ASTM standard and tentative test methods, definitions, recommended practices, proposed methods, classifications, and specifications. One…

The Institute for Research on Teaching, a major center funded by the National Institute of Education, has as its central mission the determination of the mental life and decision-making processes of teachers, with particular reference to the teaching of reading. The Teachers' Conceptions of Reading Project, part of the Institute, is exploring…

To assist librarians in selecting more relevant resources and provide better user services, 2,805 citations from 31 dissertations were analyzed according to publication form, periodical title, subject, time span, language, and publishers. Dissertations were selected from State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB) business and management…

The so-called "threshold level," defined as minimum basic vocabulary, is analyzed. It is felt that the "Lexicon for Threshold-Level English" contains too many rare words and exemplary sentences that are empty of expression and sometimes unidiomatic. (Text is in German.) (IFS/MS)

Reports on a study in which content analysis of a community newspaper and open-ended questioning of residents were used to analyze the newspaper's influence on the local information the public has and the topics the public considers salient over time. (GW)

The future of multimedia materials as aids to learning is discussed in relation to content analysis, learning tasks, learner characteristics, learning mode, learning materials, and the larger learning picture. "Part I, The Present," is found in the November 1978 CLW. (Author/MBR)

Four TV film versions of the same story were shown to fifth graders; the presentation format of each film varied. Different patterns resulted between initial mental skills and knowledge acquired from each format, depending upon whether the format called upon or supplanted the skill. (Author/GDC)

Examination of six approved biology textbooks indicates that not all the texts deal adequately with bioethical issues. A table of 25 bioethical issues and the pages on which they are discussed in each textbook is given. Suggests that scientific literacy includes the ability to apply science to relevant life situations. (MA)

Suggests that college reading instructors should use an integrated approach (rather than a series of activities) to teach textbook reading and discusses previewing, reading for meaning, paraphrasing, analyzing, and reviewing. (JM)

Revised instructions of Library of Congress on indirect subdivision of topical headings are analyzed from the points of view of feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and usefulness for historical and/or geographical aspects of a topic. The use of direct subdivision for regions according to previous LC practice is proposed for areas in the U.S.…

The paragraph unit that constitutes an addition or subtraction word problem text is discussed and the logical conditions such problems must fulfill are formulated. An attempt is then made to formulate the semantic conditions which will define well-formed addition and subtraction texts. (MN)

Reports an analysis of the roles assigned to each sex in prose and photographs of general business textbooks. Results indicated that the textbooks did not provide equal treatment to both sexes, and suggested that the general business teacher needs to make efforts to counterbalance the impact of such sex biases on their students. (TA)