This article concerns a survey made by the author to determine the importance of technical writing to prominent engineers. Specific items discussed are the place of technical writing in the engineering curriculum and what should be included in a technical writing course. The results of a lengthy questionnaire are given, with some individual comments.

In any situation in which a written communication is produced, eight variables and three processes are present. The variables are the occasion, the author, the subject, the purpose, the supporting facilities, time, the communication itself, and the recipient. The processes are the preparation, transmission, and consideration and use of the communication. The success of the communication is governed largely by the effectiveness with which the author evaluates the situation and produces a communication appropriate to the attainment of his purposes within it. Fortuitous circumstances beyond the control of the author (and of which he may be unaware) may affect the likelihood that the communication will be successful.

An experiment was performed to determine the effect (if any) of sloppy typing and reproduction upon the effectiveness of a written technical message. The variables tested were the margins, the way in which corrections were made, and the reproduction of the message. Approximately seven hundred subjects in five definably different audiences were tested. Measures were taken of comprehension, reading time, judgment of the author's credibility, and judgment of the author's competence as a writer. Five main effects and five interactions were found at the 0.05 level of probability. Each variable, each measure of the effectiveness of the message, and each audience was involved in one or more of these effects. In each main effect and each interaction subject to easy interpretation, the unaltered form (good typing and good reproduction) of the variable(s) concerned appeared to be the more effective.