Reports results of a study in which 72 African-American college students listened to and evaluated a tape-recorded excerpt of a speech in two versions, one in Ebonics and one in Standard English. Finds students rated the speaker who used Standard English as more credible (i.e. , more competent and having a strong character) and more sociable than…

Offers examples from the author's experience to show how service learning is well-suited to the population of students who take introduction to technical writing at Salt Lake Community College. Outlines what the organizations and the students themselves say about the service learning experience. Outlines recommendations for making service learning…

Claims technical writing, which emerged during the Renaissance, gained credibility and prestige during the 1641-1700 period. Provides examples and outlines general characteristics of the technical writing of this period. Discusses writings in the major disciplines as well as influences on the development of technical writing. (NH)

Investigates the feasibility of using sub-headings similar to those found in structured abstracts to facilitate the writing and reading of scientific papers. Claims the use of sub-headings: (1) forces the writer to make sure no issue is forgotten; and (2) enables the reader to search for and find information more easily. (NH)

Proposes that readability formulas cannot predict text difficulty. Presents results of an experiment designed to demonstrate that "text difficulty" is determined by individual differences (perception) and not by the objective qualities of a text. (NH)

Argues that Truman Capote's nonfiction novel "In Cold Blood" serves as a case study of a psychopath through its close examination of the entire constellation of antisocial personality traits of the murderer, Richard Hickock. Suggests this best-seller conforms to established medical authority while maintaining its popular appeal. (NH)

Argues that if rhetoricians do not work to articulate rich techniques for invention in the education of technical writers, they inadvertently reinforce the myth of the technical writer as born scribe. Suggests that to articulate those techniques, rhetoricians must recognize and examine the expertise they have in interdisciplinary collaboration.…

Surveys technical writing professors concerning the definition and location of technical writing programs. Finds that programs located in English departments do not receive the respect and support they need; and that faculty in programs located in other departments are significantly more satisfied. Suggests some strategies for improving the…

Reviews and compares views of grammarians, usage experts, and authors of technical writing books concerning "dangling participles." Finds many unattached clauses are unacceptable, some are less objectionable, and still others are acceptable. Notes that cultural (and perhaps gender) differences between humanistic teachers and task-oriented…

Examines two ethical questions regarding the ongoing antitrust battle between the U.S. Department of Justice and Microsoft Corporation using traditional rights-based ethical theory, utilitarianism, and John Rawls's principles of justice. Concludes that it is neither good nor fair for a company having a near-monopoly over a market to sell products…

Explores the communicative effectiveness of imprecise frequency descriptors within the context of consumer prescription drug advertising. Conducts two separate studies using a total sample of 147 adults. Finds that consumers are unable to accurately estimate the relative likelihood of side effect occurrence when a list of side effects are preceded…

Discusses a theoretical framework for situating interpretations of textual data collected during research. Describes the framework as consisting of a continuum representing the range of interpretative assumptions (stances) researchers can bring to their reading of textual data. Presents the boundaries of the continuum to be the two most extreme…

Examines some examples of discourse practices among managers and employees in the customer service department of a large manufacturing firm. Shows how knowledge of the ways that language can both include and exclude people from cultural groups in the worksite can help professional communicators facilitate more effective and responsible…

Discusses the building of a multipurpose computer writing environment that will take into account the needs of the professional writer as well as those of the students learning to write. Presents the developed model after looking at some computer writing environments described in the literature and seeing how these environments take into account…

Describes an upper level rhetorical theory course for Scientific and Technical Communication majors (developed and taught by the author) that is grounded in Aristotle's "On Rhetoric" and in his understanding that effective communication is a systematic "tekhne"/art. Describes how the course uses Aristotle's work as a theoretical framework. (SR)