Design specification format

I'm looking for a general format for a technical design specification. I read somewhere that the IEEE proposed some formats for what to document in a design document however, I can't find any information on the ieee.org site. Can anyone propose a good general template I can use to document the design and specification of my project? I could also use some information about a good requirements document format. Even a recommended book would help.
Thanks in advance.

the book by ian somerville on " requirement engineering " is considered as very good book. I think he has written two books on the said subject.
IEEE has got various standards on software engineering & software project management, which are not availble online.
canadian tresury board have developed some templates . I am not getting the link now. it can give very good overview.
plus , military site is good for the things you require. I feel so. I may be wrong.
i hope this helps.
[ May 25, 2002: Message edited by: shailesh sonavadekar ]

Originally posted by Robyn Haas:
I'm looking for a general format for a technical design specification. [...] Can anyone propose a good general template I can use to document the design and specification of my project? I could also use some information about a good requirements document format.

Whom are you producing the documentation for? What do they need to know? How much of this information can be communicated using more informal communication channels?
The answers to these questions, besides others, will heavily influence which documentation format will be appropriate - I don't think there really can be a sensible generic answer.
So please elaborate on the specifics of your needs.
Taking a look at http://www.agilemodeling.com might also help...