This index covers all technical items - papers, correspondence, reviews, etc. - that appeared in this periodical during the year, and items from previous years that were commented upon or corrected in this year. Departments and other items may also be covered if they have been judged to have archival value. The Author Index contains the primary entry for each item, listed under the first author's name. The primary entry includes the co-authors' names, the title of the paper or other item, and its location, specified by the publication abbreviation, year, month, and inclusive pagination. The Subject Index contains entries describing the item under all appropriate subject headings, plus the first author's name, the publication abbreviation, month, and year, and inclusive pages. Note that the item title is found only under the primary entry in the Author Index.

As new technologies allow us to change the way we publish information, moving from hardcopy to on-line and the Web, we find that we need to distribute electronic information in a multitude of formats on different platforms concurrently, while exploiting the electronic medium. In addition, we face the challenge of organizing this information on media such as CD-ROM, LAN, and the Web so readers can search through the information successfully. To be able to create, maintain, and update this information, we recommend using a single source of information; to display this complex interactive material in a way that readers can make sense of we recommend adopting a book metaphor.

In creating complex interactive documents, some technical communicators use software products that emphasize format and style in displaying pages. This approach limits the communicator's ability to repackage the information presented in electronic versions and increase its interactive use, which is a key benefit of the structure-based approach offered by using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). In a number of projects that render mathematical, scientific, and engineering texts electronically, using SGML allows the technical communicator to make equations interactive and to automate links to references. The author sketches out problems associated with page description approaches to displaying electronic pages and discusses the comparative benefits of SGML.

To improve the structure of complex information when it is to be presented electronically, technical communicators may turn to ideas taken from object-oriented programming to clarify and revive the structure of the material in existing documents before mounting them on-line. When an organization starts moving information onto the Web, technical communicators may go through a phase transition: as the publishing system becomes much more complex, it exhibits emergent behaviors, and it demands new attitudes, concepts, and work from the technical communicator.

Technical communicators today must document complex applications used in complex environments. Information about users and use models is important under these conditions, especially if documentation will be presented on-line. Customer partnering, a method of information gathering that supplements surveys, contextual inquiries, usability testing, and interviews, provides one way of involving the users of complex applications in the design of information delivery systems. We used this method to help a client gather important information about user and use models and design a new information library for complex server computer systems.

In developing new ways to publish vast amounts of information, many technical communication teams face problems that go far beyond the challenges of one book, a series of books, or even a series of CD-ROMs. Technical communicators begin to face a constellation of problems that are more like those that have plagued software development since it became a distinct profession in the 1960s. At first a project seems promising. Then, as the work begins and progresses, we become enmeshed in interlocking problems of management, purchasing, staffing, training, installation, integration, and vision. This article summarizes the lessons learned from a major effort to use the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to pull together into a single, accessible, electronic "publication" large amounts of very complicated information.

Complex scientific graphics that reproduce well on paper may be difficult to display on computer because of the limited size and resolution of standard desktop monitors. This paper describes several methods for computer display of such large, dense graphics that preserve the usability of the graphics and support the ways users need to interact with the figures. Building on a simple structure of base panels and overlays joined by hypertext links, these methods provide ways of reorganizing figures into smaller graphical units that can be displayed easily, yet communicate all the information the original figure was designed to convey.

Xerox Corporation has developed an integrated electronic documentation system for field technicians to use at customer sites for diagnosis and repair of equipment. The electronic documentation system lets users access large technical documents that include text, graphics, video, and sound. Documents interact with the equipment being serviced to provide the reader with information relevant to the current situation. This article discusses how the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) was used, user interface requirements and how they are addressed in the system, multimedia implementation techniques, integration strategies with other service tools, and the technologies employed in the system.

E-mail privacy in the workplace has emerged as one of the most complex ethical and legal issues confronting corporate communication in the electronic age. The paper discusses the array of legal and ethical concerns of e-mail privacy in the workplace. Building on the existing body of knowledge on the topic, the results of a research study are presented which explore the similarities and differences in e-mail usage and privacy perceptions among management level and administrative level employees. The survey, which polled 337 working professionals, confirmed the popular belief that companies are not effectively communicating their e-mail monitoring policies to their employees. Finally, recommendations are made to corporate communicators on how best to forge an e-mail communications policy that can reduce the risk of disputes, incidents, and lawsuits regarding e-mail privacy issues.

In October 1994 a mathematics professor informed the Intel Corporation that its Pentium chip had a flaw which caused mathematical errors. Intel's response to the professor and its customers created a backlash of anger and a public relations crisis. By analyzing Intel's actions using the work of two relevant ethical philosophies, the article shows that some of the company's errors in public relations were also ethical errors. However, it also points out that Intel has made improvements which will help it avoid future problems and which could set an ethical precedent for the semiconductor industry.

Foreign engineers and scientists must publish their research in professional journals in English, but they often lack the proficiency and skills to do so successfully. The commentary describes a course that teaches these skills to Ph.D. students before they enter the job market. The techniques described are also effective tools for teaching professionals in the workplace.

Groupware software promises to increase productivity by providing users with a common interface from which they may access a variety of software programs that they may then work with in a variety of ways. While groupware technology can perform the many tasks it is designed to do, it is more difficult for people to become comfortable and productive with new technological tools. This is especially true for groupware because it is more than a just new tool: groupware fundamentally changes the way an organization works and communicates. The corporate culture must either be ready for groupware or adapt itself to address the cultural premises of groupware (shared effort, cooperation, collaboration) that the software is designed to enhance. The commentary describes the experience of one organization as it struggled to re-engineer itself using groupware.

The paper reports the results of a study that tested the translatability of a restricted language, called Simplified English (SE), as used in maintenance procedures in the airline industry. The study examined the effect of document type (SE versus non-SE) and procedure (procedure A versus procedure B) on the quality and ease of translation for native speakers of Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese. The results reveal that SE may be more effectively translated by native Spanish speakers than by Chinese speakers. The paper concludes with a discussion of methodological issues that researchers should consider when running such translation studies.

The paper examines how public relations professionals are dealing with the potential for sabotage, rumors, and misinformation spread via the Internet by computer hackers. The author examines the public relations profession from a systems theory perspective and attempts to outline skills necessary for organizational survival in the new information age. Original data was gathered from a sample population of 41 (n=85 for a 48% response rate) public relations professionals from the membership directory of the Public Relations Society of America. The author concluded from the data that the majority of public relations professionals currently view the Internet as a one-way communication channel. In addition, the data supported the notion that public relations professionals are limited by their lack of understanding of the two-way communication potential of the medium, the speed and power of messages traveling in cyberspace, and the current legal climate as it relates to Internet activity.

With videoconferencing available on the desktop, the technology is becoming feasible for small- to medium-sized companies, as well as mobile workers. Videoconferencing applications range from internal company communications, educating and training remote employees, to telecommuting. It can even eliminate certain travel requirements, thereby cutting costs. In spite of several factors which are fueling the growth in videoconferencing, early projections have been overly optimistic. A literature review reveals that many technological and other barriers are preventing videoconferencing from gaining mainstream popularity. Users are primarily concerned with the costs of hardware and usage, interoperability, and poor quality. Advancements in compression algorithms and chip speed have made videoconferencing affordable to more people in the last decade. However, a video signal with quality acceptable only to some is still very costly and relatively complicated to utilize with the transport capabilities of today. Some say the turning point will not occur until hardware prices drop enough for video to become an add-on to users' PCs.

As multimedia communication continues to grow, online technologies have dramatically changed the ways we use and present information-so much so, that we need new theories and models for understanding how technology and content are related in the new communication environment. The paper presents a theory of digital architecture, explains how SGML, HTML, and information architectures are related in the creation of a new online literacy and rhetoric, and discusses concepts, skills, and resources needed for educating tomorrow's technical communicators.

A post hoc analysis of data collected from a usability test on the Fluke ScopeMeter 97 (a diagnostic instrument for analyzing electrical signals) revealed that, in doing tasks, subjects were making use of their own internal metaphors (user generated) that were unsupported by the design of the ScopeMeter keys. We investigated the interaction of the user generated metaphors and designer generated metaphors. By examining the effects that the subjects' skill levels and their backgrounds had on employing such metaphors, we began to outline certain characteristics of user generated metaphors. We found that user generated metaphors demonstrate unyielding persistence in the minds of ScopeMeter users, particularly in the higher skilled subjects.

Case study research can make important contributions to the field of professional communication if the research is carried out with rigor. The paper discusses inaccurate uses of the term "case study" and then presents ideas for conducting more rigorous case studies. Advantages and disadvantages are described, as well as typical techniques, such as interviews, logs, and visual and verbal protocols.

Practitioners can base design decisions on existing research once they are able to evaluate the rigor and relevance of studies. By understanding research settings, the assessment of causality, and the strength of findings, practitioners can optimally apply research results to practical design decisions.

The paper explores the feasibility of using computer networks as communication survey research instruments. Also covered are the use of computers and computer networks in survey studies; a listing of the advantages and disadvantages of network surveys as compared with mail, phone, and fax surveys; a description of the development steps of network surveys; and a comparison of differences in network survey forms. Research issues are also discussed.

The study of ethics is important for technical communication students and professionals because as workers and as citizens they confront ethical dilemmas and must act. The article describes and contrasts several foundational and nonfoundational ethical approaches. Analyzing two well known ethics cases from the perspective of the different approaches, it is argued that although foundational approaches are limited, they provide better insights than do nonfoundational approaches. Finally, the article describes a problem solving technique, based on foundational approaches and communicative ethics, that can be used by technical communication students and professionals to analyze ethical dilemmas.

We identify various minimalist techniques and argue that, although these techniques can conflict with each other, together they provide a framework for designing computer documentation. A minimalist approach involves making tradeoffs within this framework rather than following a set of prescriptive techniques. Minimalism in this sense, is a pragmatic design philosophy aimed at the overall objective of "minimizing" obstacles to use. The framework covers the following design issues: word and page count, duplication, selective documentation of facilities, elaboration, task orientation, guided exploration, error recovery, and access.

The ISTE approach offers a new method of concurrent testing that is less time-consuming than usual. In addition, it helps catch the user in the act and the scores show almost immediately whether the user has processed the manual as intended. In the ISTE approach, the main information subtypes in a manual are coupled to their intended and unintended effects on users. Research has shown that the ISTE approach yields reliable and valid findings. In addition, it has been found to be versatile and easy to apply, and it provides valuable insights on the usability of a manual.

Engineers face many technical writing tasks that have many features in common: title, abstract, introduction, problem formulation, methods, results, and conclusions. But it is often very difficult to actually write these segments in the same order they appear in the finished product. Instead of this linear approach, we recommend a modular approach starting with the core sections, the methods and results that researchers know best, and working backward and forward to pick up the beginnings and endings. We show how the beginning and ending sections build on the core sections and offer strategies to improve them.

The authors compare a reader-focused text evaluation with an expert-focused evaluation by technical writers and subject/audience experts. The experts were asked to predict the problems readers had signaled in a government brochure about alcohol. On average, they predicted less than 15% of the reader problems and produced a lot of new problem detections. In addition, the experts showed little mutual agreement in their problem detections. Their results suggest that a reader-focused evaluation should not be substituted for an expert-focused evaluation. The paper ends with a discussion of methodological issues for this type of research.