When document designers localize documents for readers in other cultures, they should consider what text organization will best suit those readers. The study presented examines American and Japanese readers' comprehension of and preference for expository text that contains a thesis and is organized either inductively or deductively. The results revealed that while Americans performed equally well with either organizational structure, Japanese readers recalled more information from inductively organized text. The implications for document designers in English and Japanese speaking countries are discussed.

When document designers in English-speaking countries localize documents for readers in other cultures, they should consider what text organization will best suit those readers. This study examines the effect of inductive versus deductive organizational patterns on Japanese readers so as to identify what pattern may best suit them. The study assessed Japanese readers' comprehension of and preference for expository text that contains a thesis and is organized either inductively or deductively. The results reveal that readers recall more information from inductively organized text. Preference results were less clear. The implications for native English speaking document designers are discussed at length.

When document designers localize documents for readers in another country, they often assume that the organization of the material used with its original audience will be effective for readers in another country. Whether this assumption is sound depends on what organizational structure readers in other countries are accustomed to seeing. The study examines the organizational structure of 17 Japanese expository texts with the goal of determining what expository structure Japanese readers are most accustomed to reading. The results lead to implications for document designers and readers in both Japan and native English speaking countries.