🚀 go-pugleaf

Date: Thu, 2 Jul 87 10:15:47 EDT
From: cje@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Chris Jarocha-Ernst (Meteora's chess partner))

From: "Guidelines for Document Designers", published by the Document Design
Project of the American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC, November,
1981.  Chapter II, subsection C-5, "Use Ragged Right Margins":

"What the Research Says

"  In general, research shows little difference between justified and
unjustified margins.  Gregory and Poulton (1970), however, found that poor
readers had more difficulty reading justified text.  Other studies found
no difference for adult readers in either reading speed or comprehension
between justified and unjustified text (Fabrizio, Kaplan & Teal, 1967;
Hartley & Mills, 1973; Wiggins, 1967).  In another study Hartley and
Burnhill (1971) compared different arrangements of unjustified text only,
and found no differences in reading speed or comprehension.  The general
conclusion is that unjustified and justified text are equal (except for
poor readers), but unjustified text should alwats be considered because 
it reduces production costs, it is easier to correct, and it is currently
preferred by many document designers."

So much for hard data.

Chris Jarocha-Ernst
UUCP: {ames, cbosgd, harvard, moss, seismo}!rutgers!elbereth.rutgers.edu!cje
ARPA: JAROCHAERNST@ZODIAC.RUTGERS.EDU

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