According to the Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing (2001), there are five characteristics that define effective technical communication; accuracy, clarity, conciseness, coherence, and appropriateness. For material that emphasizes clarity and conciseness, I find that section 1.1 of the Mayfield Handbook website falls short of delivering the material in such manners. These five characteristics will be used to provide an evaluative summation of the material. Accuracy in technical writing is comprised of three components; document accuracy, stylistic accuracy, and technical accuracy. Document accuracy refers to “proper coverage of your topics in appropriate detail” (Perelman, Barrett, & Paradis, 2001, p. section 1.1.1.). There must be a clearly defined problem statement, which is addressed with relevant data. Next, there is stylistic accuracy, which concerns appropriate use of language. This refers to the use of proper paragraph and sentence structure, as well as word choice that is effective in describing the topics. Finally, there is technical accuracy, which is shaped by the writer’s knowledge of the subject and the ability to analyze data without distorting the facts. The Mayfield Handbook does have proper document accuracy. The subject matter is relevant to technical writing. Stylistic accuracy is where the material is lacking. There is poor sentence structure and wording throughout the material. Simple proofreading would have caught the numerous conjoined words that are in need of a space to separate them. The Mayfield Handbook is up to par with technical accuracy, as the facts are presented with appropriate terms. The next characteristic of effective technical communication is clarity, which is the “ease of understanding” (Perelman, Barrett, & Paradis, 2001, p. section 1.1.2). Structural clarity is helped by using visualization items that help keep the subject in focus, such as; tables of contents, problem statements, strategic repetition, graphs and tables, descriptive titles, and frequent subject headings. Stylistic clarity is met by using direct language. This means using directly worded sentences as much as possible. Contextual clarity means the purpose of the writing is made clear to the reader through introductions, problem statements, citations, and other references. The third characteristic of effective technical communication is conciseness. This means to only include what is relevant to the task at hand. Conciseness is achieved by focusing the document scope. The Mayfield Handbook suggests preparing a clear introduction, detailed outline, and graphics to aid to the conciseness. Thorough revision is also a must. The next characteristic is coherence, which is “the quality of hanging together, of providing the reader an easily followed path” (Perelman, Barrett, & Paradis, 2001, p. section 1.1.4). This is done with style consistency, as well as organizational patterns of ideas. The Mayfield Handbook suggests using abstracts, clear titles, introductions, and problem statements to promote coherence in writing. Paragraph organization is also crucial to coherence. Organize paragraphs with a topic sentence, followed by supporting sentences. The fifth characteristic of effective technical writing is appropriateness. The writing should be appropriate to the goals, as well as to the audience. The target audience is what largely determines the appropriateness of material. The content of the Mayfield Handbook is appropriate for the target audience, and it succeeds in holding valuable information on the topic. The Mayfield Handbook has quite useful content, but it is poorly presented to the reader. Stylistic clarity lacks throughout the material due to the over-complicated wording of sentences. Coupled with the poor sentence structure, these faults make the material somewhat difficult to digest the first time through.