How to Use Five Letterforms to Gauge a Typeface's Personality: A Research-Driven Method    

Technical communicators need to select typefaces that match the tone that they intend for a document. Rather than relying on intuition or personal preference, technical communicators can use a research-driven approach to analyze objectively the extent to which a typeface's personality meshes with the intended tone of a document. This study describes how technical communicators can analyze a typeface's uppercase J and its lowercase a, g, e, and n letterforms--letterforms that are dense with anatomical information-- to gauge the extent to which a typeface will contribute a friendly or a professional personality to a document. Technical communicators--both professionals and students--who are armed with this knowledge can move beyond "safe" typefaces like Times New Roman and Helvetica, selecting instead typefaces whose anatomical features generate different kinds of personalities.

Mackiewicz, Jo M. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2005). Design>Typography>Assessment

The Measurement Of Readability: Useful Information For Communicators    

Discusses the application of readability principles and formulas. It is based upon the survey of the literature presented in succeeding chapters, and represents an interpretation of these data.

Klare, George R. Journal of Computer Documentation (2000). Design>Typography>Assessment>Formulas

Typographic Design Patterns and Best Practices

To find typographic design patterns that are common in modern Web design and to resolve some common typographic issues, we conducted extensive research on 50 popular websites on which typography matters more than usual (or at least should matter more than usual). We’ve chosen popular newspapers, magazines and blogs as well as various typography-related websites. We’ve carefully analyzed their typography and style sheets and searched for similarities and differences.

Martin, Michael. Smashing (2009). Articles>Web Design>Typography>Assessment