Locate a Web site that accommodates various readers at different levels of technicality. Sites for government agencies such as those listed below are good sources of both general and specialized information.

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Examine one of these sites and find an example of

(a) material aimed at a general audience, and

(b) material on the same topic aimed at a speciali1.ed or expert audience.

First, list the specific features that enabled you to identify each piece's level of technicality. Next, using the Audience and Use Profile Sheet (p. 31 ), record the assumptions about the audience made by the author of the nontechnical version. Finally. evaluate how well that piece addresses a nontechnical reader's information needs. (Hint: Check out, for instance, the MEDLINE link at the NIH site.)

Be prepared to discuss your evaluation in class.