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.

OUR SPECIAL section, “Writing for Disadvantaged Readers,” is unusual and unusually pertinent for engineers. As Andrew Malcolm notes in his “Introduction,” many of the engineers in this country are not native born speakers of English and many readers of technical writing may have handicaps which impinge on their understanding of material. Surprisingly, the techniques that the writers in our special section advocate are the very techniques that good technical communicators should be using anyway to achieve clear communication. For example, they underscore the value of avoiding passive constructions. In addition, the value of technology to improve the quality of life is illustrated in the articles dealing with closed captioning. Professional communicators who read “Writing for the Disadvantaged Readers” will find a new sense of pride in their craft and an awakened sense of the value of technical communication.

This is a `starter' bibliography for those who would like to read further into the field of management communications. It has been compiled from lists of pertinent references submitted by various contributors to the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

Although the Professional Communication stem is firmly committed to integrating visuals and text, we are also committed to having a quality transactions. Since the inception of the Transactions on Professional Communication, the cover has varied between the table of contents, and artwork. To preserve the integrity of the Transaction's institutional identity, we are, as a matter of policy, conforming to the standard table of contents on the cover. Our pages will continue to emphasize the importance of visuals.

The authors of Technical Writing believe that students best acquire technical writing skills through imitation. They state in their preface that the purpose of their text is “to give students access to models that truly represent papers in technical disciplines.” The concept of learning by imitating is certainly not new, but Brinegar and Skates have selected, organized, and presented their material with creativity and imagination, and the result is a technical writing text that is innovative and interesting, as well as accessible and adaptable for instructors and students alike.

Qualitative audience responses to editorial treatment and nontreatment in terms of comprehension and evaluation of message and source were compared. This experiment was conducted in response to the trend in government and industry to cut back on editorial expenses by issuing `quick and dirty' reports. From an examination of lay audiences tested, a strong correlation emerged between editorial treatment and reader comprehension (21.3% improvement from unedited to edited treatment), task completion time (21.5% decline), and message acceptability (20% increase), Results indicate that if editors do not invest editorial time in a manuscript, then each reader must. And, according to acceptability scores, some will not.

With this issue of the Transactions on Professional Communication, we are introducing new personnel and a new policy. With the strides taken by Rudy Joenk to establish a regular publishing schedule and a growing readership, we are ready to move on to a more ambitious publication.

In the preface to Style and readability in technical writing, the authors assert: “No other book takes this approach [to technical writing].” That approach, which has produced quantifiable success in writing intelligibly and effectively in other fields, is sentence-combining. To indicate the technical nature of sentence-combining, the authors refer to it as “tinkering,” a process of manipulating word clusters until the writer has put together unified sentences that are “economical, clear, and readable.”

My first frustration in reading this book is not being able to discover for whom the book was written or for what purpose. The book does not define its audience or objectives (a preface is notably lacking). For a book entitled Audience analysis and response, this omission comes as a surprise.

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.

THIS ISSUE: The first four papers are a bonus from the September issue on Developing the Ability to Communicate.

WE are pleased to introduce a joint special issue of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION and the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION. The topic is Developing the Ability to Communicate, and the focus is on the engineering student.

It seem paradoxical that industry indicates that engineers need communication skills, and universities appear to agree, but that universities allocate little time in the curriculum to train engineers in written communications. This paper identifies that paradox and stresses that in response to limitations of time, the technical communications teacher must design an introductory course which reflects current research in communications and teaching methodology. The course must serve the engineering student efficiently and effectively. One such design for the beginning course is presented. Centering the introductory course on the feasibility report and shorter accompanying reports serves the engineer by permitting the design of a report which serves the reader. Such design demonstrates the writing process and dramatises the relationship between the student-writer and the reader-client.

THE ergonomics of word processings suggestions for teaching writing in the classroom and workplace, systems for improving technical reporting, and mathematics editing are discussed in this issue.

“This book is different.” This italicized claim appears prominently in the preface to Marya Holcombe's and Judith Stein's Writing for Decision Makers. Their claim is not unusual: Almost every author of a book on writing makes the same assertion to potential publishers and readers. This book, however, is different, and different in an interesting way. Holcombe and Stein believe that managers, though they know the importance of clear, effective writing, dread writing and feel inadequate when it comes time to put facts and ideas into words on paper. They argue convincingly, however, that managers can be more effective writers if they simply apply to their writing tasks the managerial skills they already possess. Managers, they remind their readers, are trained to deal with people, to solve problems, to plan carefully, to market products and ideas, and to stress quality control.

The engineer faces daily the challenge of communicating. To ease this challenge, professional communicators offer practical suggestions based on their own experience and training, combined with their observations of writing in engineering environments. The articles in this issue range from suggesting a variety of techniques for producing clear technical writing to contrasting human and mechanical editors.

In the foreword to this book, Francis Weeks, Executive Director of the American Business Communication Association, says, “This book has been needed for a long time — since 1935, at least, when ABCA was founded.” The publication of this volume does indeed fill a void and will be welcomed by ABCA members and by any professional communicator with an interest in consulting.

This TRANSACTIONS is directed to practicing engineers and scientists, technical project and program managers, and writers, editors, and teachers who have a significant interest in the communication of technical information. It is a refereed publication with quarterly distribution in excess of 3800 copies per issue and is indexed and abstracted worldwide.

DURING 1984 the IEEE is celebrating its one-hundredth anniversary. As the centennial events unfold, members can look back on a century of outstanding progress and achievements. To remind us of the state of the art 100 years ago, drawings from some U.S. patents issued in May 1884 are reproduced in this foreword. During 1884 the 300,000th patent was issued; in 1984 the number will approach 4.5 million. In May 1884, 1541 patents were issued of which about 3.5 percent could be classified as electrical; today the rate is nearly 5000 per month and about 19 percent are electrical.

This TRANSACTIONS is directed to practicing engineers and scientists, technical project and program managers, and writers, editors, and teachers who have a significant interest in the communication of technical information. It is a refereed publication with quarterly distribution in excess of 3800 copies per issue and is indexed and abstracted worldwide.

The author of Publication design notes in the preface that when the first edition of this book appeared in 1972, there were very few design-related books on the market. Today, of course, there are many. The large number of books available on typography, art design, layout, and publication design suggests that publication design has come into its own.

The subtitle of this book is “Reference Guide and Workbook for the Design, Planning, Estimating and Production of Printing and Print Advertising.” Only 36 pages long, Graphics master 2 may well be the Strunk and White of the graphics world. A reviewer quoted in the book's foreword calls it “the best print production workbook ever published.”

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.

Holding a successful conference year after year constitutes a hallmark of excellence for a professional society. While many factors contribute to the success of such a meeting, a key factor is careful planning and organization. To aid the first-time conference chairperson, this paper describes a systematic approach to conference planning and organization: (1) making preliminary analyses and assessments; (2) obtaining the agreement of cosponsors; (3) selecting key conference officers; (4) organizing conference committees; (5) selecting the conference site, hotel, and dates; (6) developing the conference master plan; (7) following through and implementing planning decisions; (8) anticipating and managing contingencies; and (9) coordinating post-conference activities. Using a systematic approach simplifies the task and makes it possible to run an annual meeting successfully.

THE third-quarter 1984 issues of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION and the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION will have a jointly prepared set of papers on education for communication from both the academic and the industrial points of view.

AN advantage to reading a topical issue of interest is learning the different ways people go about performing similar tasks. This issue on proposal development shows that there must be as many ways to write proposals as there are people writing them. Of course, no one way works best all the time, but knowing the different approaches enlightens us.

When the first editions of these two books appeared, I thought they were significant because of their unique format and content. As the authors suggest in the preface, the books can serve both students and practicing professionals equally well. I have used them in the college classroom; in short courses presented to scientists, engineers, and business people; and in the corporate writing-editing environment where I now work. These books are, as they promise, useful to every reader concerned with clear and effective communication.

In his preface, Joseph M. Williams says that Style: ten lessons in clarity and grace focuses on “the single most serious problem that mature writers face: a wordy, tangled, too-complex prose style.” His book deals with that problem admirably. Indeed, the advice and examples furnished by Williams are varied and sophisticated enough to make it a useful resource for any mature writer — even the mature writer whose prose is clear and concise.

LIKE the man in the cartoon, I've been collecting little notes about items for this preface. But first, a quick look at the issue.

This paper describes a systematic approach to preparing presentations that uses a four-step problem-solving method familiar to most professionals. Step 1, understanding the problem, involves analyzing the speaker's purpose, the character of the audience, and the demands of the situation. Step 2, devising a plan, consists of selecting a strategy to integrate information from the first step with the speaker's knowledge of the subject. Step 3, carrying out the plan, uses conventional techniques of organization, explanation, and visual representation to compose a draft of the presentation. Step 4, examining the solution, compares the draft with the plan and modifies the presentation in response to feedback.

WITH the half-life of an engineering education today being between five and ten years, many industrial organizations are concerned with the technical proficiency and vitality of their engineering employees.

This TRANSACTIONS is directed to practicing engineers and scientists, technical project and program managers, and writers, editors, and teachers who have a significant interest in the communication of technical information. It is a refereed publication with quarterly distribution in excess of 3800 copies per issue and is indexed and abstracted worldwide.

THE third-quarter 1984 issues of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION and the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION will have a jointly prepared set of papers on education for communication from both the academic and the industrial points of view.

This TRANSACTIONS is directed to practicing engineers and scientists, technical project and program managers, and writers, editors, and teachers who have a significant interest in the communication of technical information. It is a refereed publication with quarterly distribution in excess of 3800 copies per issue and is indexed and abstracted worldwide.

This TRANSACTIONS is directed to practicing engineers and scientists, technical project and program managers, and writers, editors, and teachers who have a significant interest in the communication of technical information. It is a refereed publication with quarterly distribution in excess of 3500 copies per issue and is indexed and abstracted worldwide.

WHEN I wrote the call for papers for this issue, I had in mind papers from the in-house publishing operations that produce technical reports and other documents for industrial organizations. What I received was a surprising assortment of ideas for getting the job done, primarily getting engineers to write.

WITH the half-life of an engineering education today being between five and ten years, many industrial organizations are concerned with the technical proficiency and vitality of their engineering employees.

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.

OFTEN the quality of product documentation affects the user's perception of the product. Shortcomings in product documentation, therefore, may cause users to assume that the product quality has been compromised. The solution is to keep the reader in mind as we write. To do so will engender confidence and minimize misinterpretation. In the first article Gudknecht reminds us that procedures should be presented in a format that allows the reader to locate and use information efficiently. For example, if we're writing about how to calibrate or troubleshoot a device, using a flowchart may be better than using only text.

THERE are four forms of writing: exposition, which informs the reader by presenting facts and figures; description, which helps the reader visualize an idea or situation; narration, which tells a chronological story; and persuasion, which tries to convince the reader to accept the writer's perspective. Most writing is predominantly one of these forms. Proposal writing may require all four forms. Perhaps this explains why many proposals are not effective.

MANY engineers and scientists have or could have the opportunity (some would say responsibility) to interpret developments in engineering, science, and technology for non-specialists through community organizations and news media. Many such opportunities are missed or muffed, however, because it's not easy to shed jargon, simplify technical concepts at the risk of imprecision, and develop a public presence.

IN writing this preface I was reminded of a recent article reporting on the testing of a certain motorcycle. The first sentence was “The XV750 is very much the same as the XV920 test in the November 1981 issue-only it's different.”