Effective Technical Communications Copy Preparation and Reproduction - Experiment I.

Abstract

The effects of three variables in the copy preparation and reproduction of a written technical message upon the effectiveness of the message were tested on five definably different audiences in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial experiment. The message was a 3619 work passage describing a simple mechanical device and containing ten line drawings. The variables tested were margins (straight or ragged), corrections (clean or sloppy), and reproduction (clean or dirty). The effectiveness of the message was measured by a comprehension test, reading time, judgments of the author's knowledge of his subject, and judgments of the author's competence as a writer. The five audiences tested were drawn from the student bodies at the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Air Force Academy, and the University of Dayton. Audience contrasts were made on the basis of sex, intelligence, technical inclination, and instruction in technical writing. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1971
Accession Number
AD0722054

Entities

People

  • Richard M. Davis

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combinatorial Analysis
  • Comprehension
  • Contrast
  • Instructions
  • Judgment
  • Robots
  • Students
  • Technical Writing
  • United States Air Force Academy
  • Universities
  • Writing

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Materials Science.
  • Regression Analysis.