The author discusses that writing, when taken seriously, can interact with and stimulate the writer's thought process. Tools such as the microcomputer are shown to help through reducing the tedious jobs, especially by allowing easier access to and revision of work. Writing by increments is also facilitated. An example of the interaction between writing and creative processes is given.

“The first edition emphasized techniques for sound writing and successful publishing that aid the professional development of the engineer. In the present edition I decided to add several chapters to serve the same purpose.” Engineers and teachers who are familiar with Herbert Michaelson's first edition might wonder about his motives for writing a second. The answer, as this statement from his new preface indicates, is that he decided to add some new content to the original. The result is to make a useful book even better.

Here is one aspect of technical communication that has seldom been explored in such revealing depth. Indeed, Sternberg makes a deep penetration of the ways to prepare a successful dissertation and still keep your sanity.

Amidst the proliferation of books for the technical writer it is a pleasure to see an old tried and true favorite, Basic Technical Writing, re-enter the field in its Fifth Edition. The new version is handsomely produced and printed in beautiful typographical style.

Five class exercises are suggested for inclusion in the syllabus of any course in technical writing or technical communication. The exercises are designed to develop strategic decisions in writing and publishing. They cast the student in the role of decision maker instead of a tyro, whose sole class work is drill in basic principles.

For some of us, the chore of writing about our research activities is about as exciting as cleaning out the garage or attic; it is an anticlimactic journey into the past, filled with difficult decisions. Thus, any new tool that might make the job easier deserves careful attention. Herbert Michaelson's How to write and publish engineering papers and reports may not convince engineers that report writing should be their favorite sport, but it will help them produce and publish effective manuscripts. That's no small accomplishment.

All of the elements of quality contribute separately to the overall merit of an engineering manuscript. Inadequate content cannot masquerade under the cloak of fine writing. Nor can outmoded engineering concepts hide behind a facade of logical structure and orderly presentation of ideas. Literary style must be combined with effective organization, and results need to be fortified with the kind of balanced interpretation that identifies a manuscript of quality.

The author discusses the rather highly specialized role of the technical communicator in promoting the process of technology transfer, i.e., industrial application of technologies that originally had been developed in Government research and development (R&D) programs.

It should be clear to graduate students and fledgling writers in all branches of science that they oeed to write about their work and to publish their results.The present book addresses this need and has some unique qualities-it is far more readable than most books of its kind and is liberally sprinkled, with humorous but pithy observations.Books on technical writing frequently are devoted to longwinded exposition on the virtues of

A method is proposed for writing journal papers in increments during the progress of the engineering project in a way that will actually aid the development work. Papers written in this manner are not merely a report of work done in the laboratory; instead, they combine the discipline of formal writing with the discipline of engineering effort. The proposed method applies to any kind of engineering manuscript: theoretical, analytical, experimental, or developmental. Specific guidelines are offered for preparing a manuscript in this way and some unique advantages of the method are shown.