More than 1,600 serials from across the disciplines were identified as sources for technical communication scholars. The 99 most frequently cited serials are described. This citation analysis is distinguished from others by the size of the database (25,000+ citations), the 10-year review of articles published in five technical communication journals between 1988 and 1997, the number of serials cited and reviewed, and the focus on technical communication as a discipline. The analysis yielded two observations. First, five technical communication journals have grown in strength as forums for discussions of technical communication. Second, the serials cited illustrate the diversity of resources referred to from business, education, psychology, science, and technology-related sources. As a discipline, technical communication has developed depth and rigor through building the base of its research and theory while integrating the research and theory gathered from a number of disciplines.

This article presents a review of the literature on reader-focused text evaluation. First, an account is given of the document characteristics that can be evaluated. Then the possible functions of evaluations are considered, a distinction being made between verifying, troubleshooting, and choice-supporting research. Finally, an overview is presented of methods appropriate for the various document characteristics and evaluation functions. Relevant research findings on the methodological strengths and constraints of each method are discussed.