Documents may be accessed by increasingly efficient retrieval of abstracts, but information will not be transferred unless the abstracts are read. It is suggested that the measurement of the readability of abstracts can provide an assessment of one phase of an information system: the system/user interface. Controlled reading levels for abstracts could result in more rapid processing of abstracts and a wider use of the information system. It was hypothesized that the use of readability principles in guidelines for abstracting would result in abstracts of lower reading levels than the source documents upon which they were based. Abstracts and their source documents were selected randomly from the information system supported by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC); readability scores were calculated using the Flesch Reading Ease formula. Comparisons among reading levels were made using analysis of variance for correlated data and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test for post hoc comparisons. Results indicated that the reading level of abstracts was significantly higher than the reading level of source documents, but not higher than the reading ability of the intended audience. It was concluded that readability measurement provides one useful techinque for hte evaluation of abstracts.

With the rate of emergence and complexity of new knowledge and technology, formal instruction has become endemic to organizational life. One result is a series of challenges to the traditional instructional model which is based upon public school practices. Three forms of instruction can be identified lying along the dimensions of density of content and style of personal interaction. The First Form is designed for persons on an entrance level. The goal is the attainment of a minimum of basic skills and appropriate attitudes and beliefs. The latter require a high level of environmental control. The Second Form requires the basic skills and beliefs and is designed to develop productive competencies. It is a locus of conflict. The Third Form aims at the advancement of knowledge and the development of new professional skills. Its heuristic form requires careful reconsideration of the rules governing the structure of content and those concerning the nature of personal relations within the instructional setting.

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