NCA Publications Manual Appendixes
(Journal and Book and Monograph Series Editors)
This Copyright Agreement is made and entered into this _____ day of ________________,
20_____ by and between NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION ("NCA") and
_____________________________ (the "Editor").
Definitions
A. "Serial Publication" means ________________________________________ which
is published by NCA.
B. "Term" means the period from ______________________, 19____ through
_____________________, 19____.
Recitals
A. NCA desires to commission Editor to assist NCA in publishing the Serial Publication
during the Term of Editor's appointment;
B. Editor desires to undertake this commission;
C. The parties wish to set forth their understanding with respect to copyright
ownership of the Serial Publications produced during the Term of this Agreement;
Agreement
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
1. Work Made for Hire.
NCA and Editor agree that the Serial Publications produced during the Term of Editor's
appointment will be considered "works made for hire" within the meaning of 17
U.S.C. & 101 and that copyright ownership of each Serial Publication shall vest in NCA
pursuant to 17 U.S.C. & 201(b).
2. Assignment of Copyright.
Editor further hereby transfers and conveys to NCA all of his/her right, title and
interest in and to any and all copyright ownership rights to the Serial Publication during
the Term which Editor may obtain, together with all profit, benefit and advantage that
shall or may arise by or from printing, publishing, or vending the Serial Publication
during the term of any such copyright.
3. Copyright Notice.
Editor agrees that he/she will ensure that each volume of the Serial Publication
produced during the Term will contain an appropriate copyright notice, stating that the
copyright to the Serial Publication is owned by NCA and prohibiting reproduction thereof
without the consent of NCA.
4. Miscellaneous
a) This Agreement (i) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior
agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to
the subject matter hereof; (ii) may be modified only by a writing signed by the party to
be charged or by an authorized agent thereof; (iii) shall not be assigned by operation of
law or otherwise; and (iv) shall be governed in all respects, including validity,
interpretation and effect, by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United
States of America.
b) This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument. This Agreement shall be effective as and when the last party hereto executes
the Agreement.
c) The paragraph headings contained herein are for convenience of reference only and
are not intended to define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision of this
Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of
the day and year first above written.
EDITOR: ___________________________________________
Name: _________________________________
Address: _________________________________
Witness ___________________________
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
By: _________________________________
Name: _________________________________
Title: _________________________________

Appendix 2 Copyright Assignment Agreement
(Book editor)
This Copyright Agreement is made and entered into this _____ day of
______________________, 19_____ by and between NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
("NCA") and ________________________________ (the "Editor").
Definitions
"Book" means _______________________________________ which is published by
NCA.
Recitals
1. NCA desires to commission Editor to assist NCA in publishing the Book;
2. Editor desires to undertake this commission;
3. The parties wish to set forth their understanding with respect to copyright
ownership of the Book produced during the Term of this Agreement;
Agreement
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
1. Work Made for Hire.
NCA and Editor agree that the book produced during the Term of Editor's appointment
will be considered "works made for hire" within the meaning of 17
U.S.C. &
101 and that copyright ownership of each book shall vest in NCA pursuant to 17
U.S.C.
& 201(b).
2. Assignment of Copyright.
Editor further hereby transfers and conveys to NCA all of his/her right, title and
interest in and to any and all copyright ownership rights to the Book which Editor may
obtain, together with all profit, benefit and advantage that shall or may arise by or from
printing, publishing, or vending the Book during the term of any such copyright.
3. Copyright Notice.
Editor agrees that he/she will ensure that the Book will contain an appropriate
copyright notice, stating that the copyright to the Book is owned by NCA and prohibiting
reproduction thereof without the consent of NCA.
4. Miscellaneous
a) This Agreement (i) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior
agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to
the subject matter hereof; (ii) may be modified only by a writing signed by the party to
be charged or by an authorized agent thereof; (iii) shall not be assigned by operation of
law or otherwise; and (iv) shall be governed in all respects, including validity,
interpretation and effect, by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United
States of America.
b) This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument. This Agreement shall be effective as and when the last party hereto executes
the Agreement.
c) The paragraph headings contained herein are for convenience of reference only and
are not intended to define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision of this
Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of
the day and year first above written.
EDITOR: ___________________________________________
Name: _________________________________
Address: _________________________________
Witness ____________________________
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
By: _________________________________
Name: _________________________________
Title: _________________________________

Appendix 3 Copyright Assignment Agreement
(Book Author)
This Copyright Agreement is made and entered into this _____ day of
______________________, 19_____ by and between NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
("NCA") and ________________________________ (the "Author").
Definitions
"Book" means _______________________________________ which is proposed to be
published by NCA.
Recitals
1. NCA desires to commission Author to assist NCA in publishing the Book;
2. Author desires to undertake this commission;
3. The parties wish to set forth their understanding with respect to copyright
ownership of the Book;
Agreement
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
1. Work Made for Hire.
NCA and Author agree that the Book will be considered "works made for hire"
within the meaning of 17 U.S.C. & 101 and that copyright ownership shall vest in NCA
pursuant to 17 U.S.C. & 201(b).
2. Assignment of Copyright.
Author further hereby transfers and conveys to NCA all of his/her right, title and
interest in and to any and all copyright ownership rights to the Book which Author may
obtain, together with all profit, benefit and advantage that shall or may arise by or from
printing, publishing, or vending the book.
3. Copyright Notice.
Author agrees that he/she will ensure that each volume of the Book produced will
contain an appropriate copyright notice, stating that the copyright to the Book is owned
by NCA and prohibiting reproduction thereof without the consent of NCA.
4. Miscellaneous
a) This Agreement (i) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior
agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to
the subject matter hereof; (ii) may be modified only by a writing signed by the party to
be charged or by an authorized agent thereof; (iii) shall not be assigned by operation of
law or otherwise; and (iv) shall be governed in all respects, including validity,
interpretation and effect, by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United
States of America.
b) This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument. This Agreement shall be effective as and when the last party hereto executes
the Agreement.
c) The paragraph headings contained herein are for convenience of reference only and
are not intended to define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision of this
Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of
the day and year first above written.
AUTHOR: ___________________________________________
Name: _________________________________
Address: _________________________________
Witness ___________________________
NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
By: _________________________________
Name: _________________________________
Title: _________________________________

Appendix 4 Copyright Assignment Agreement
(Book Article Authors)
This Copyright Assignment Agreement (the "Agreement") is made and entered
into this ____ day of ___________, 19___ by and between NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
("NCA") and _________________________________ (the "Author").
Definitions
1. "Article" means the article written by Author entitled __________________.
2. "Book" means ____________________________________________, which is
published by NCA.
Recitals
1. Author desires NCA to publish the Article in the Book;
2. NCA desires to publish the Article pursuant to the terms and conditions herein
contained;
Agreement
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants contained
herein, the parties agree as follows:
1. Assignment of Copyright
Author hereby transfers and conveys to NCA the Article, and the manuscript thereof, and
all of his/her right, title, and interest in and to the same and in any and all
copyrights, with any and all profit, benefit, and advantage that shall or may arise by or
from printing, publishing, or vending the same during the term of any such copyright,
including, but not limited to, all of Author's sole and exclusive rights to:
a) reproduce the Article;
b) prepare derivative works based upon the Article;
c) distribute copies of the Article to the public by sale or other transfer of
ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
d) perform the Article publicly; and
e) display the Article publicly.
2. Warranty of Title
Author warrants and represents that, except as set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto,
the Article has not been previously published elsewhere; that he/she has not, throughout
the world, assigned or in any manner encumbered or impaired the rights herein granted;
that there is no outstanding claim against the title to the Article or the copyright
therein; that he/she will execute any other necessary instruments to convey and assign the
Article and copyright herein intended to be conveyed; that he/she has not given to any
person, firm, or corporation throughout the world any right, license, or privilege of any
kind, nature, or description in or to the Article, or the production thereof, inconsistent
with the rights hereby granted and transferred, or by which the same could be diminished
or impaired; that he/she is the sole author and owner of the Article, together with the
title thereof; and that he/she has the sole and exclusive right to dispose of the rights
and privileges hereby granted and transferred.
Author further represents and warrants that the Article contains no libelous or
unlawful matter.
3. Indemnification.
Author agrees to indemnify NCA and the Book against any and all claims, demands,
liabilities or damages (including reasonable attorney's fees) sustained or suffered by NCA
by reason of any violation of proprietary right or copyright in and to the Article or
because of any libelous or unlawful matter contained in the Article.
4. Author's License to Use.
NCA hereby grants to Author a license to use any or all of the Article in any
subsequent work for which he/she is author, editor, or contributor, provided that Author
shall give proper credit to the original publication by NCA at the time of such use.
5. Miscellaneous.
a) This Agreement (i) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior
agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to
the subject matter hereof; (ii) may be modified only by a writing signed by the party to
be charged or by an authorized agent thereof; (iii) shall not be assigned by operation of
law or otherwise; and (iv) shall be governed in all respects, including validity,
interpretation and effect, by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United
States of America.
b) This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument. This Agreement shall be effective as and when the last part hereto executes
the Agreement.
c) The paragraph headings contained herein are for convenience of reference only and
are not intended to define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision of this
Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of
the day and year first above written.
AUTHOR____________________________________
Name:_______________________________
By:_________________________________
Witness ____________________________________
Name:_______________________________
Title:______________________________
Witness____________________________________

Copyright, 19xx, by the Speech Communication Association; all rights reserved. Brief
portions of material in this publication may be copied and quoted without further
permission with the understanding that appropriate citation of the source of the excerpt
will be included in such copying.
A limited number of copies of brief portions of material in this publication may be
made for scholarly or classroom use if:
 | the material is distributed without charge or no fees above the actual duplicating costs
are charged; |
 | the materials are reproductions, photocopies or copies made by similar processes and not
reprints or republications; |
 | the copies are used within a reasonable time after reproduction; |
 | the material includes the full bibliographic citation; and |
 | the following statement be clearly displayed on all copies: "Copyright by the
Speech Communication Association. Reproduced by permission of the publisher." |
A copy of this statement serves as the Speech Communication Association's official
permission for using material for scholarly or educational purposes under the above
conditions.
This permission does not extend to situations in which
 | extensive amounts of material are reproduced or stored in an electronic or similar data
retrieval system |
 | a fee above actual duplicating costs is charged or if there exists a reasonable
expectation of profit, or |
 | the material is reproduced or reprinted for other than scholarly or educational
purposes. |
In such cases, permission must be obtained prior to reproduction.
Requests for permission to reproduce should be addressed to Publications Manager,
Speech Communication Association, 5105 Backlick Road, Building #E, Annandale, VA 22003. A
reasonable fee will generally be assessed for commercial copying or reproduction.

The contents of this publication have been reviewed by a group of scholars considered
by the NCA Publication Series editor to be experts on the subjects addressed. This
publication was judged by them and the editor to be of sufficient scholarly quality to
warrant publication and to be consistent with the mission of the Speech Communication,
which is to promote study, criticism, research, teaching and application of the artistic,
humanistic, and scientific principles of communication. All publications included within
the NCA Publication Series are reviewed within the spirit of academic freedom, which
promotes the free exchange of ideas. The contents of this publication are the
responsibility of its author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or
positions of the Speech Communication Association, its members, its officers, or its
staff.

Dear: (fill in author(s) here)
The National Communication Association is pleased to publish your work entitled (fill
in article here).
As protection against unauthorized uses of the contents of our journals, to permit the
Association to act as a clearinghouse for granting permission for subsequent use of the
materials, and to permit the Association to develop secondary uses and databases, NCA
requires authors assign copyright for the article to the Association. Accordingly, I ask
that you sign the attached copyright assignment form and return it me promptly.
You retain the right to use any or all of your work, without charge and without the
need to obtain permission from NCA, in any subsequent work for which you are author or
editor, subject only to your giving proper credit to the original publication by the
Speech Communication Association.
Further, I ask you to assure us that, to the best of your knowledge, the material to be
published has not been previously published elsewhere or, if so, has been properly
acknowledged. In instances where substantial portions of a previously copyrighted work are
to appear in an NCA publication, NCA will assume the responsibility for securing
permission from the original publisher. The assistance of the journal article author in
this will be most welcome.
When requests are received to reprint articles for commercial purposes, works that have
been published and copyrighted by NCA, applicants are advised that, in addition to
permission from NCA, the permission of the author will be solicited.
Please sign and date this agreement and return it to me not later than (fill in date
here). Please retain a copy for your files.
Editor's signature

Criteria for the Assessment of Oral Communication
A National Context
Assessment has received increasing attention throughout the 1970s and into the 1990s.
Initially appearing in the standards developed by state departments of education, by 1980
over half of the states had adopted statewide student-testing programs. In Educational
Standards in the 50 States: 1990, the Educational Testing Service reported that by 1985,
over 40 states had adopted such programs, and between 1985 and 1990, an additional five
states initiated statewide student-testing programs, bringing the number of such program
to 47.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the number of different subjects and skills tested has also
consistently increased, with additional attention devoted to how assessments are executed.
Moreover, during this period, organizations, such as the National Assessment of
Educational Progress, intensified and expanded the scope of their assessment procedures as
well as extensively publicized the results of their findings nationally and annually.
By the end of 1989, the public recognized the significance of national educational
assessments. In the Phi Delta Kappan-Gallup poll reported in the September 1989 issue of
Phi Delta Kappan, 77 percent of the respondents favored "requiring the public schools
in this community to use standardized national testing programs to measure academic
achievement of students" and 70 percent favored "requiring the public schools in
this community to conform to national achievement standards and goals."
Likewise, towards the end of the 1980s, colleges and universities began to realize that
formal assessment issues were to affect them. For example, in its 1989-1990 Criteria for
Accreditation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools--which provides
institutional certification for over 800 colleges and universities in the South--held that
"complete requirements for an associate or baccalaureate degree must include
competence in reading, writing, oral communications and fundamental mathematical
skills." They also held that the general education core of colleges and universities
"must provide components designed to ensure competence in reading, writing, oral
communication and fundamental mathematical skills."
In 1990, a series of reports appeared which suggested that systematic and comprehensive
assessment should become a national educational objective. In February 1990, for example,
the National Governors' Association, in the context of President Bush's set of six
educational goals, argued that, "National education goals will be meaningless unless
progress toward meeting them is measured accurately and adequately, and reported to the
American people." The nation's Governors argued that "doing a good job of
assessment" requires that "what students need to know must be defined,"
"it must be determined whether they know it," and "measurements must be
accurate, comparable, appropriate, and constructive." In July 1990, President Bush
reinforced this line of reasoning in The National Education Goals: A Report to the
Nation's Governors. And, in September 1990, the National Governors' Association extended
and elaborated its commitment to assessment in Educating America: State Strategies for
Achieving the National Education Goals: Report of the Task Force on Education.
Additionally, in 1990, in their report From Gatekeeper to Gateway: Transforming Testing
in America, the National Commission on Testing and Public Policy recommended eight
standards for assessment, arguing for more humane and multicultural assessment systems.
Among other considerations, they particularly maintained that "testing policies and
practices must be reoriented to promote the development of all human talent," that
"test scores should be used only when they differentiate on the basis of
characteristics relevant to the opportunities being allocated," and that "the
more test scores disproportionately deny opportunities to minorities, the greater the need
to show that the tests measure characteristics relevant to the opportunities being
allocated."
NCA's Assessment Activities
The evaluation and assessment of public address has been of central concern to the
discipline of communication since its inception and to the National Communication
Association when it was organized in 1914. In 1970, NCA formalized its commitment to
assessment when it created the Committee on Assessment and Testing (now known by the
acronym CAT) for "NCA members interested in gathering, analyzing and disseminating
information about the testing of speech communication skills." CAT has been one of
the most active, consistent, and productive of NCA's various committees and task forces.
Under the guidance of CAT, NCA has published several volumes exploring formal methods
for assessing oral communication. These publications began to appear in the 1970s and have
continued into the 1990s. In 1978, for example, the National Communication Association
published Assessing Functional Communication, which was followed in 1984 by two other
major publications, Large Scale Assessment of Oral Communication Skills: Kindergarten
through Grade 12 and Oral Communication Assessment Procedures and Instrument Development
in Higher Education.
In 1979, in Standards for Effective Oral Communication Programs, NCA adopted its first
set of "standards" for "assessment and evaluation." The first
standards called for "school-wide assessment of speaking and listening needs of
students," "qualified personnel" to "utilize appropriate evaluation
tools," a "variety of data" and "instruments" which
"encourage" "students' desire to communicate."
In 1986, in Criteria for Evaluating Instruments and Procedures for Assessing Speaking
and Listening, NCA adopted an additional 15 "content" and "technical
considerations" dealing "primarily with the substance of speaking and listening
instruments" and "matters such as reliability, validity and information on
administration." These criteria included the importance of focusing on
"demonstrated" speaking skills rather than "reading and writing
ability," adopting "assessment instruments and procedures" which are
"free of sexual, cultural, racial, and ethnic content and/or stereotyping,"
employing "familiar situations" which are "important for various
communication settings" in test questions, using instruments which "permit a
range of acceptable responses" and generate "reliable" outcomes, employing
assessments which are consistent with other "results" and have "content
validity," and employing "standardized" procedures which "approximate
the recognized stress level of oral communication" which are also "practical in
terms of cost and time" and "suitable for the developmental level of the
individual being tested."
In 1987, at the NCA Wingspread Conference, "conference participants recommended
that the chosen instrument conform to NCA guidelines for assessment instruments," and
they specifically suggested that "strategies for assessing speaking skills"
should be directly linked to the content of oral communication performances and student
speaking competencies. Prescribed communication practices were to determine the choice of
assessment strategies, with the following content standards guiding formal evaluations:
"determine the purpose of oral discourse;" "choose a topic and restrict it
according to the purpose and the audience;" "fulfill the purpose" by
"formulating a thesis statement," "providing adequate support
material," "selecting a suitable organization," "demonstrating careful
choice of words," "providing effective transitions," "demonstrating
suitable interpersonal skills;" employing "vocal variety in rate, pitch, and
intensity;" "articulate clearly;" "employ the level of American
English appropriate to the designated audience;" and "demonstrate nonverbal
behavior that supports the verbal message." Additionally, the Wingspread Conference
participants considered strategies for assessing listening and for training assessors
(see: Communication Is Life: Essential College Sophomore Speaking and Listening
Competencies, Annandale VA: Speech Communication Association, 1990, pp. 51-74).
In 1988, the NCA Flagstaff Conference generated a series of resolutions calling for a
"national conference" and "task force on assessment" because
"previous experience in developing standardized assessment has met with problems of
validity, reliability, feasibility, ethics, and cultural bias" (in The Future of
Speech Communication Education: Proceedings of the 1988 National Communication Association
Flagstaff Conference, ed. by Pamela J. Cooper and Kathleen M. Galvin, Annandale VA: Speech
Communication Association, 1989, p. 80).
In July of 1990, a National Conference on Assessment was sponsored by
NCA, the NCA
Committee on Assessment and Testing or CAT, and the NCA Educational Policies Board
(EPB).
The Conference generated several resolutions regarding assessment.1 Some of these
resolutions reaffirmed existing NCA oral communication assessment policies. Others
provided criteria for resolving new issues in assessment. Still others sought to integrate
and establish a more coherent relationship among the criteria governing oral communication
assessment. The recommended assessment criteria are detailed immediately below.
General Criteria
- Assessment of oral communication should view competence in oral communication as a
gestalt of several interacting dimensions. At a minimum, all assessments of oral
communication should include an assessment of knowledge (understanding communication
process, comprehension of the elements, rules, and dynamics of a communication event,
awareness of what is appropriate in a communication situation), an assessment of skills
(the possession of a repertoire of skills and the actual performance of skills), and an
evaluation of the individual's attitude toward communication (e.g., value placed on oral
communication, apprehension, reticence, willingness to communicate, readiness to
communicate).
- Because oral communication is an interactive and social process, assessment should
consider the judgment of a trained assessor as well as the impressions of others involved
in the communication act (audience, interviewer, other group members, conversant), and may
include the self report of the individual being assessed.
- Assessment of oral communication should clearly distinguish speaking and listening from
reading and writing. While some parts of the assessment process may include reading and
writing, a major portion of the assessment of oral communication should require speaking
and listening. Directions from the assessor and responses by the individual being assessed
should be in the oral/aural mode.
- Assessment of oral communication should be sensitive to the effects of relevant physical
and psychological disabilities on the assessment of competence. (e.g., with appropriate
aids in signal reception, a hearing impaired person can be a competent empathic listener.)
- Assessment of oral communication should be based in part on atomistic/analytic data
collected and on a holistic impression.
Criteria for the Content of Assessment
- Assessment of oral communication for all students should include assessment of both
verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication and should consider competence in more than
one communication setting. As a minimum assessment should occur in the one-to-many setting
(e.g. public speaking, practical small group discussion) and in the one-to-one setting
(e.g., interviews, interpersonal relations).
- Assessment of speech majors and other oral communication specialists could include in
addition assessment in specialized fields appropriate to the course of study followed or
the specialty of the person being assessed.
Criteria for Assessment Instruments
- The method of assessment should be consistent with the dimension of oral communication
being assessed. While knowledge and attitude may be assessed in part through paper and
pencil instruments, speaking and listening skills must be assessed through actual
performance in social settings (speaking before an audience, undergoing an interview,
participating in a group discussion, etc.) appropriate to the skill(s) being assessed.
- Instruments for assessing oral communication should describe degrees of competence.
Either/or descriptions such as "competent" or "incompetent" should be
avoided as should attempts to diagnose reasons why individuals demonstrate or fail to
demonstrate particular degrees of competence.
- Instruments for assessing each dimension of oral communication competence should clearly
identify the range of responses which constitute various degrees of competence. Examples
of such responses should be provided as anchors.
- Assessment instruments should have an acceptable level of reliability, e.g. test/retest
reliability, split-half reliability, alternative forms reliability, inter-rater
reliability, and internal consistency.
- Assessment instruments should have appropriate validity: content validity, predictive
validity, and concurrent validity.
- Assessment instruments must meet acceptable standards for freedom from cultural, sexual,
ethical, racial, age, and developmental bias.
- Assessment instruments should be suitable for the developmental level of the individual
being assessed.
- Assessment instruments should be standardized and detailed enough so that individual
responses will not be affected by an administrator's skill in administering the
procedures.
Criteria for Assessment Procedures and Administration
- Assessment procedures should protect the rights of those being assessed in the following
ways: administration of assessment instruments and assessment and the uses of assessment
results should be kept confidential and be released only to an appropriate institutional
office, to the individual assessed, or if a minor, to his or her parent or legal guardian.
- Use of competence assessment as a basis for procedural decisions concerning an
individual should, when feasible, be based on multiple sources of information, including
especially a) direct evidence of actual communication performance in school and/or other
contexts, b) results of formal competence assessment, and c) measures of individual
attitudes toward communication (e.g., value placed on oral communication, apprehension,
reticence, willingness to communicate, and readiness to communicate).
- Individuals administering assessment procedures for oral communication should have
received sufficient training by speech communication professionals to make their
assessment reliable. Scoring of some standardized assessment instruments in speaking and
listening may require specialized training in oral communication on the part of the
assessor.
Criteria for Assessment Frequency
Periodic assessment of oral communication competency should occur annually during the
educational careers of students. An effective systematic assessment program minimally
should occur at educational levels K, 4, 8, 12, 14, and 16.
Criteria for the Use of Assessment Results
The results of student oral communication competency assessment should be used in an
ethical, non-discriminatory manner for such purposes as:
- Diagnosing student strengths and weaknesses;
- Planning instructional strategies to address student strengths and weaknesses;
- Certification of student readiness for entry into and exit from programs and
institutions;
- Evaluating and describing overall student achievement;
- Screening students for programs designed for special populations;
- Counseling students for academic and career options; and
- Evaluating the effectiveness of instructional programs.
No single assessment instrument is likely to support all these purposes. Moreover,
instruments appropriate to various or multiple purposes typically vary in length,
breadth/depth of content, technical rigor, and format.

The Significance of New Journals
The decision to create or to acquire a new journal constitutes a major conclusion
regarding the nature and activities of NCA. The creation and/or acquisition of a new NCA
journal can potentially affect NCA in at least three major ways.
First, the cost of creating or acquiring a new journal necessarily affects the entire
financial structure of NCA. NCA journals now constitute a significant portion of NCA's
annual operating budget, roughly twenty-five percent of NCA's current operating budget. If
higher membership fees are not employed to offset the cost of a new journal, other
budgetary items must necessarily be reduced. The benefits of creating and/or acquiring a
new journal must be weighted against the effects of higher membership fees and/or reduced
NCA services in other professional areas.
Second, the effect of creating or acquiring a new journal must necessarily be
considered in the context of NCA's total publications program. A new journal can
potentially affect the quality of other NCA journals. As new publication outlets are
created, the number of submissions and the acceptance rate of existing NCA journals may be
reduced, thereby diluting the quality of NCA's overall publication program.
Third, a new journal constitutes a defining feature of the nature of NCA and the
discipline of communication itself. The decision to create or to acquire a new journal
creates a major conception of what NCA seeks to promote as scholarship and ultimately how
the discipline of communication is understood by those within and outside of the
discipline. In this sense, the types of journals maintained by NCA define the priorities
of the discipline of communication as well as providing a "taxonomy" of the
discipline of communication. While every discipline must undergo transformations,
institutional support for such transformations must be critically assessed, with
thoughtful attention given to the impact of such institutional support upon the research,
teaching, and service defining a discipline.
Criteria
Given the significance of a new journal for NCA, deliberate and thoughtful attention
must be given to the advantages and disadvantages of creation and/or acquisition of a new
journal. Both extensive fact-finding and multiple levels of deliberations regarding the
available information must characterize any decision to create and/or acquire a new
journal. The criteria specified below are designed to provide comprehensive fact-finding
and deliberation processes.
A new journal should have the support of a significant portion of the membership of
NCA. While measures of membership support might take any number of forms, from formal mail
balloting of all members of NCA to informal reports of random statements of support, a new
journal proposal shall, at a minimum, be initially supported by a petition signed by a
significant portion of the members of NCA indicating their willingness to subscribe to the
new journal. Minimum support for a new journal, as measured by the number of signatures on
a petition, shall constitute at least ten percent of NCA's total membership. The petition
should be secured by the person or persons submitting the new journal proposal. The
petition shall be submitted to the NCA Executive Director who shall verify the petition.
A new journal should be a self-sustaining financial enterprise. A new journal proposal
must include sufficient information to determine both the short-and long-term financial
implications of creating or acquiring the new journal. To create a new journal, minimum
financial information would include the proposed number of issues per volume, a proposed
three-year page allocation or the journal, the anticipated run for each issue, provisions
for NCA membership fee increases, an assessment of the effect of the new journal on NCA
sustaining memberships, and an outline for both individual and library advertising and
subscription campaigns. To acquire an existing journal, minimum financial information
would include a statement of ownership from the last volume of the journal, financial
statements for the journal for the last three years, a list of the names and addresses of
all current subscribers, a provision for a buyout procedures for long-term subscriptions,
a publication history of the journal (including number of issues per volume, number of
pages per volume, and run size for the last three years), provisions for NCA membership
fee increases, an assessment of the effect of the new journal on NCA sustaining
memberships, and an outline for both individual and library advertising and subscription
campaigns. It is expected that any new journal proposal will demonstrate that the new
journal would be financially self-sufficient within a reasonable period of time. Relevant
financial materials should be submitted to the Chair of the NCA Finance Board who will
prepare, with the advice and consent of the other members of the Finance Board, an
evaluation and recommendations regarding the financial implication of a new journal
proposal.
A new journal should promote NCA membership. A professional educational association the
size of NCA cannot continually increase its publications program without affecting its
membership fee structure, adversely affecting the burden which sustaining members can
reasonably sustain, and/or increasing the total membership of NCA. A new journal proposal
should minimally specify any membership fee increases, specifically provide an assessment
of the effect of the new journal on NCA sustaining membership fees, and indicate the
effect of the new journal on size of NCA's membership. Relevant information regarding the
total NCA membership increase procedures shall be submitted to the NCA Executive Director
who shall prepare an evaluation and recommendation regarding the total NCA membership
increase procedures contained in the new journal proposal.
A new journal should promote scholarly standards. In order to promote scholarly
standards, a new journal proposal should minimally include a detailed statement of the
objectives of the journal which identifies the relationships which exist between the new
journal's objectives and NCA's purposes as specified in Article II of the NCA Constitution
and NCA's existing journals, a detailed statement specifying the ways in which the new
journal would make a significant contribution to the discipline of communication,
"ideal" table of contents for the first two issues of the journal, provisions
for a peer and/or "blind" review system, the proposed "offices" of the
journal (e.g., book reviews, forum sections, etc.), and a proposed editorial board of
reviewers drawn from NCA's membership. Relevant information regarding the scholarly nature
of the new journal proposal shall be submitted to the Chair of the NCA Research Board who
shall prepare, with the advice and consent of the other members of the Research Board, an
evaluation and recommendations regarding the scholarly objectives and procedures of a new
journal proposal.
A new journal should meet established production standards of the printing industry. In
order to establish that a new journal meets the production standards of the printing
industry, a new journal proposal should minimally include professionally rendered samples
of the proposed cover, layout of the journal, and type style of the new journal. Relevant
information regarding the design of the new journal shall be submitted to the NCA
Controller and Publications Manager who shall prepare an evaluation and recommendation
regarding the design of the proposed new journal.
A new journal proposal should be consistent with NCA's overall publication schedule and
National Office staffing capabilities. A new journal proposal would minimally include a
proposed timetable for all steps involved in the creation of a new journal and/or
acquisition of an existing journal. It is recommended that the proposed timetable be
developed with the advice and consent of the NCA Executive Director.
Coordination
The Chair of the NCA Publications Board shall function, whenever possible, as a
consultant to those submitting new journal proposals, clarifying procedures, as requested
by those submitting the proposals.
All new journal proposals and related reports from NCA Boards and National Office
members relevant to new journal proposals shall be submitted to the Chair of the NCA
Publications Board who shall, with the advice and consent of the other members of the
Publications Board, submit a final evaluation and set of recommendations regarding new
journal proposals to the NCA Administrative Committee for its evaluation and
recommendations. The NCA Administrative Committee shall submit its evaluation and
recommendations regarding new journal proposals to the NCA Legislative Council for its
final determination.

Official Name of the Journal:
Official Name of the Publisher of the Journal:
Name, Office, Address, and Telephone Number of the Person Completing this Application:
Annual Circulation of the Journal:
Individual Subscriptions:
Library Subscriptions:
Institutional Subscriptions:
Total Subscriptions From All Sources:
Publication Characteristics:
Total Volumes Published as of January 1, 1990:
Number of Issues Typically Published Per Volume:
Number of Articles Typically Published Per Issue:
Complete name, address, and telephone number of a person in your organization willing
to, and capable of indexing back issues of your journal as required by the format and
Editor of the Index.
Please enclose a formal statement indicating how your publication satisfies the six
criteria specified in the NCA "Journal Index Policy."
Please attach the most recent "Statement of Ownership, Management, and
Circulation" published in your journal.
Please enclose four (4) copies of the most recent issue of your publication. These
copies cannot be returned.

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