Fellow HistArchers:
I don't disagree with Ned that all of our reports (and, for that matter,
anything we produce) should look and read as well as they possibly can,
or at least within the limits of ability and resources. Where we
disagree, I think, is in who we expect our audiences to be.

The Delaware Department of Transportation, one of Ned's clients, is
exceptional in its commitment to publishing, albeit in limited
quantities, snappy looking, well-written reports. I wish the Maryland
State Highway Administration, one of my clients, would make a similar
commitment. (They produce high-quality reports in multiple copies, the
number depending on anticipated demand, but I don't think they do so
with a public audience in mind, relying instead on an annual compendium
of project abstracts for public distribution.)

I have always taken the view that one size does not fit all, that we
write and publish with different venues and audiences in mind.

I also agree with Lee Hamovitz--our writing isn't always what it ought
to be. There are no laws or regulations of which I am aware requiring
jargon, poor grammar, and limp prose in reports. While we can blame
different degrees of aptitude, however, I see the problem as poor
training. The essence of good writing is rewriting, an adage that more
than one of my graduate instructors shared with me on more than one
occasion, including one who now teaches at UC Berkeley, the institution
with which Lee is associated.

I have also found, apropos Diana Wall's comment, that thorough analysis
lies at the heart of good writing and interpretation. I don't write the
results and analysis portions of my reports, and certainly not the
interpretations, until I have created all of the drawing, statistical
tests, tables, and graphs that I think are essential, only occasionally
interupting my writing to create a new object when I discover a flaw or
gap in my train of thought.

I have found this a rewarding thread, giving me the opportunity to
express my ideas on issues that I have been mulling over for several
years. Thanks Ned for starting the ball rolling--troublemaker.

Jim Gibb
Annapolis, MD  USA