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What is technical writing
It is basically straight forward writing. For example a manual or instructions are a form of technical writing. The true definition is: A technical writer creates documentation for a field or technology. Their responsibility, like a graphic designer's, is to effectively communicate a message. A technical writer is responsible for writing text that is helpful to his or her intended audience that is accurate, readable, and accessible. The entire point of Technical writing is to communicate and disseminate useful information. Technical communications are created and distributed by most employees in service organizations today, especially by professional staff and management. Writing well is difficult and time-consuming, and writing in a technical way and about technical subjects compounds the difficulties. To be useful, information must be understood and acted upon. Fortunately, tools and techniques are available to make writing more accessible and easy to understand.
Technical writing is a profession where very technical material, with specific terminology and complex ideas, is taken and re-written in a clear, concise manner that is readable by a non-technical audience, such as workers or office staff.
The sorts of documents technical writers produce can include tender documentation, user guides, reports or procedure manuals, among others. Technical writers have usually studied English or journalism, or in my case, linguistics.
Purpose of Technical Writing
Every type of writing has a goal. There are some forms of writing that are geared to telling a story and there are other forms of writing that are geared to expressing opinions.
The main purpose of technical writing is to provide sometimes complex information. This is the type of writing that will:
- Assist a person with understanding more about a particular item, such as a computer or a new drug or a new piece of technology.
- Explain how an object works or how to complete a project. Technical writing is targeted to readers who are looking for information on a particular topic. The goal in targeting this group is to make sure that the information provided is clear, concise and easy for anyone to understand.
This type of writing is somewhat difficult for some people as it requires that you are able to translate information that is sometimes hard to comprehend into terms that anyone will be able to read and follow along with, without an issue. While there are different types of writing that are informative, technical writing is the type that most clearly focuses on presenting information in a specific way so that people can use the information for a variety of purposes.
Characteristics of Technical Writing
Technical writing, just as any other form of writing, has certain characteristics which distinguish it from other types of writing. It is very different from writing opinion pieces, essays, prose, non-fiction or fiction.
- It is clear and straight forward. If you are interested in technical writing for professional purposes, it is very important to know that this type of writing require that the writer stick to the subject matter and relay information in a clear and concise manner.
- The language is very direct and straight to the point. The writing will avoid words that people do not understand and will avoid an eloquent writing style.
- It is very detailed and informative. The perfect example of technical writing is a textbook. The written contents of most textbooks is geared to providing information by describing the subject matter as fully as possible.
- It is very structured. This type of writing has a very obvious composition that makes it easy for the reader to follow along. Solid structure is needed with technical writing as it allows the audience to easily access the information as needed. Clarity It is essential that the technical writer understands the reader's background and needs. Making the documentation too technical can confuse the reader. The document is meaningless if the intended audience does not understand what the writer wants to communicate. Writers who are well aware of their audiences are in a position to give a solution to their problems. The profession of technical writing demands simplicity of language and clarity of expression. One must avoid unnecessary words that may put the readers in a quandary. The written document must be clear and concise so that the text becomes easier to grasp and understand.
Descriptiveness Electronic products such as digital cameras or VCRs often come with manuals that tell how to operate it. As the customers may come from a non-technical background, care must be taken that the manual is not difficult to understand. Certain key concepts to operate the product must be explained as easily as possible for the targeted readers. Explaining the product in layman's terms is absolutely necessary. Good technical writing conveys ideas in the most effective manner. A well-written technical document always contains answers to anticipated problems in the product or application. This aspect of technical writing is commonly seen in articles that are related to troubleshooting a particular software or product.
Accuracy Accuracy is an important characteristic of any technical document. A slight mistake can have grave consequences. For instance, if you forget to mention some important features of a new mobile phone, the customers may think that there is nothing special in that phone and will not prefer to buy it. Effective communication requires quality content and language that is accurate and readable. Technical writing does not mean that you translate information unquestioningly. In this profession, one must know for whom the document is being written and whether it is accurate.
Correctness The grammatical structure of your technical document should be correct and free from any kind of ambiguities. The intended meaning will not be communicated to the reader if the document has ambiguous sentences. A well-organized document that makes use of headings and sub-headings is not only pleasing to the eye but will also helps the reader to find specific information in a short time.
Uses of Technical Writing
The basic aspects of technical writing that I adhere to are listed as follows:
- Meet the needs of your readers. 2. Conduct thorough and accurate data research. 3. State the main point clearly and maintain focus throughout. 4. Use graphics to support concepts or be very visually descriptive when the use of support graphics isn't possible. 5. Write in a convincing style without being repetitive.
If you take a technical writing workshop, the materials will address numerous areas; some are very specific while others are more general in nature. A good starting point is to look at six principles of technical writing.
- Use Good Grammar
- Write Concisely
- Use the Active Voice
- Use Positive Statements
- Avoid Long Sentences
- Punctuate Correctly
Principle One: Use Good Grammar
Your readers expect technical documents to be written in standard English. Certain grammatical errors can actually cause your reader to misinterpret the information. However, because technical documents must be precise and accurate, readers expect documents to be professional, polished, and flawless. One grammatical rule to adhere to is subject-verb agreement. Note the choice of verbs below:
One employee is absent.
Two employees are absent.
This subject-verb agreement is easy to make because in each sentence, the subject is obvious: employee in the first sentence agrees with is and employees in the second sentence agrees with are. The real challenge is when the subject is not as obvious. If grammar is a weak area for you, purchase and use a good reference book.
Principle Two: Writing Concisely
In technical writing, clarity and brevity is your goal. Why take 32 words to express what could be stated in 14 or 15? The dictates of effective technical writing suggest that the average length for a sentence is 15-20 words. One of the best ways is to look for multiword phrases that can be replaced by one or two words. Similarly, when you streamline sentences, your readers don't have to wade through extra verbiage. By replacing wordy phrases with shorter ones and by pruning the deadwood from sentences, you are doing your readers a favor.
Principle Three: Using the Active Voice
Imperative sentences, or command sentences, are written in the active voice. The active voice is more natural to people when they speak, but technical writers often turn to the passive voice when writing technical documents. One of the main reasons you should use the active voice rather than the passive in technical writing is the active voice more closely resembles the way people remember and process information. Another reason to avoid the passive voice sentence is you run the risk of omitting the doer of the action. Note the absence of the "doer" in the following sentence:
Documented practical examinations will be given for backhoes of the same type
with different operating characteristics.
Your reader will probably wonder who will give the practical examinations. If the technical writer had used the active voice, the "doer" would be clear.
Principle Four: Using Positive Statements
Technical writers should word instructions as positive statements. Whenever possible, phrase commands in a positive manner. Compare the following:
Negative: Do not close the valve.
Positive: Leave the valve open.
Telling your readers what NOT to do is a negative statement. It is also abstract rather than concrete. One exception to this rule is when a negative statement is clearer than a positive one. Keep in mind studies show it is almost 50% harder for your readers to understand the meaning when you use negatives.
Principle Five: Avoiding Long Sentences
Short sentences are easier to understand than long sentences. For this reason, it is best to write your technical documents in short sentences. If you are asking your readers to perform several actions, begin the step with an active verb. This highlights the action itself.
Principle Six: Using Standard Punctuation
Your readers expect standard punctuation when they read your documents. Complicated or "creative" punctuation will confuse them. One suggestion is to select syntax that minimizes the need for punctuation. You may wish to divide compound or complex sentences into shorter sentences to avoid excessive or confusing punctuation. One example of this is deciding where to place your commas, periods, colons, and semicolons when using quotation marks.
Technical Writing Style:
Technical writing should be clear and concise. Flowery wording and complicated sentence structures lead to unreadable prose. Particularly apt images and elegant construction make reading a pleasure.
Technical style means putting words in the correct position within a sentence so that they reach their maximum effectiveness. When we read, we expect to find the subject at the beginning of the sentence. We expect the verb to come right after the subject. You’ll find writing much easier if you think of sentences as following this formula :
Subject + verb = sentence
“Subject + verb = sentence” is the writing equivalent of “2 + 2 = 4.” It works every time, without fail. In this formula, the subject is in the “subject position” and the verb is in the “verb position.”
Making People the Subjects of Sentences
Sentences are easier to understand when we write about someone doing something. Make people the subjects of sentences. We then call that subject an “actor.” Put the “actor” in the “subject position.
Use only the words readers really need. Many words appear as redundant pairs , two words that do the same work. Your course textbook has a list of redundant pairs. One of the biggest offenders in this category is “each and every.” These words mean the same thing, and they make sentences unnecessarily wordy.
Simple Language
Choose words all readers will understand. For example, rather than writing utilize, substitute use. They mean the same thing. Remember that there’s a human on the other side of the page. Think about how you’d say the sentence if you and your reader were talking to each other.
Positive Language
Readers understand positive language better than they do negative language. We want to tell readers what to do. We want to tell readers what something is rather than what it is not. Positive language doesn’t pertain to the words no, not, or never. We need those words to make ourselves understood. Instead, it means words that have negative connotations like chaos, misunderstanding, confusion, delay, unfortunately, disaster, and so on. As technical writers, we’re problem solvers. We want to focus on the solution. Most of the time, our reader is already aware of the problem.
Inoffensive Language
Choose words that include all readers, both male and female. Some readers will feel excluded if you use gender-specific terms.
Here’s an example of exclusionary language:
- Each student should discuss his degree plan with his adviser at least two years before his planned graduation.
What about all the females? Here’s a revision that includes everyone:
- Discuss your degree plan with your adviser at least two years before you graduate.
Sensitive to Reader’s Culture and Language
Idiomatic language (phrases that we use in everyday speech) can be particularly difficult for non-native English speakers. Here’s an example:
- It’s raining cats and dogs.
Idioms don’t translate well. Often, the literal meaning of an idiom doesn’t match the way we use it figuratively in our speech.
The writing process –
Prewriting
Prewriting is the first stage of the writing process, and includes all the things you do before you are ready to write out the first version of your text. If your teacher is setting the writing assignment, make sure that you understand exactly what you have to do. Otherwise, the best way to start is to ask yourself the questions listed below:
What shall I write about?
This is a question about the topic or theme of your writing. If you choose something that moves you in some way, your writing is more likely to be interesting to the reader.
Why do I want to write about it?
This is a question about the purpose of your writing, and it is linked to the first question. Here are some of the possible purposes you may have for a piece of work:
- to explain
- to inform/instruct
- to describe
- to narrate
- to persuade
- to move
- to amuse/entertain
What kind of writing shall I do?
This is a question about the genre of your work. Here are some of the genres you could choose from:
- short story
- poem
- letter
- narrative
- news story
- essay
- book/film review
- report
- biography
Who am I writing it for?
This is a question about the audience for your writing. For example: Will it be posted on a bulletin board? Do you want to publish it in a school magazine? Is it a letter addressed to the leader of the student council?
Outline
Definition: A plan for--or a summary of--a writing project or speech. An outline is usually in the form of a list divided into headings and subheadings that distinguish main points from supporting points. Most word processors contain an outlining feature that allows writers to format outlines automatically.
Whether they are called mind maps , concept maps , or just old-fashioned outlines , such tools help
the writer organize his/her material logically by helping him/her sort and classify the material
systematically. A secondary outcome of the process of sorting and classification is the ability to
see the relationships that exist between ideas in our writing. This insight helps the writer develop
a organized plan of presenting the material. Outlines, in all their forms, serve four basic functions:
to present a logical, general description, to summarize schematically, to reveal an organizational pattern, and to provide a visual and conceptual design of the writing.
An outline reflects logical thinking and correct classification.
Beginning an Outline
Before we begin to write an outline, we must have progressed far enough into our planning such
that we know the at least three things:
the purpose of our paper, the thesis of our paper, and our audience.
Then, we can brainstorm and list all the ideas you want to include in this writing, organize our
work by grouping ideas together that are related to each other, order our work by dividing the
material into groups ranging from the general to the specific, or from abstract to concrete, and label
the work by creating main and subtopic headings and writing coordinate levels in parallel form.
As shown below, an outline may be either informal or formal
Examples and Observations:
- Informal Outlines "The working outline (or scratch outline or informal outline) is a private affair--fluid, subject to constant revision, made without attention to form, and destined for the wastebasket. But enough working outlines have been retrived from wastebaskets that something can be said about them.
"A working outline usually begins with a few phrases and some descriptive details or examples. From them grow fragmentary statements, tentative generalizations, hypotheses. One or two of these take on prominence, shaping into the main ideas that seem worth developing. New examples bring to mind new ideas, and these find a place in the list of phrases, canceling out some of the original ones. The writer keeps adding and subtracting, juggling and shifting, until he has his key points in an order that makes sense to him. He scribbles a sentence, works in a transition, adds examples....
- The Outline as Draft " Outlining might not be very useful if writers are required to produce a rigid plan before actually writing. But when an outline is viewed as a kind of draft, subject to change, evolving as the actual writing takes place, then it can be a powerful tool for writing. Architects often produce multiple sketches of plans, trying out different approaches to a building, and they adapt their plans as a building goes up, sometimes substantially (it is fortunately much easier for writers to start over or make basic changes)."
- The Post-Draft Outline "You might prefer... to construct an outline after, rather than before, writing a rough draft. This lets you create a draft without restricting the free flow of ideas and helps you rewrite by determining where you need to fill in, cut out, or reorganize. You may discover where your line of reasoning is not logical; you may also reconsider whether you should arrange your reasons from the most important to the least or vice versa in order to create a more persuasive effect. Ultimately, outlining after the first draft can prove useful in producing subsequent drafts and a polished final effort." (Gary Goshgarian, et al., An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Addison-Wesley, 2003)
- Topic Outlines and Sentence Outlines "Two types of outlines are most common: short topic outlines and lengthy sentence outlines. A topic outline consists of short phrases arranged to reflect your primary method of development. A topic outline is especially useful for short documents such as letters, e-mails, or memos....
"For a large writing project, create a topic outline first, and then use it as a basis for creating a sentence outline. A sentence outline summarizes each idea in a complete sentence that may
- Know I'm going to score a goal
- Move smoothly, not awkwardly
- Get relief from pressure to do well
B. See world in freeze-frame
- See puck going into goal
- See other players and crowd
C. Feel momentary sense of power
- Do better than goalie
- Take ultimate mind trip
- Conquer anxiety
- Return to earth after a moment
Besides listing points in order of rising importance, this outline groups them under headings that show their relation to each other and to the thesis."
Form
The most important principle for an outline's form is consistency. An outline can use TOPIC or SENTENCE structure, but be consistent in form all the way through.
A TOPIC outline uses words or phrases for all points; uses no punctuation after entries.
Advantages — presents a brief overview of work; is generally easier and faster to write than a sentence outline
A SENTENCE outline uses complete sentences for all entries; uses correct punctuation
Advantages — presents a more detailed overview of work including possible topic sentences; is easier and faster for writing the final paper.
An outline can use either alpha-numeric (usually with Roman numerals) form or a decimal form. Alternating patterns of upper and lower case letters with alternating progressions of Roman and Arabic numerals mark the level of subordination within the alpha-numeric form of the outline. Progressive patterns of decimals mark the levels of subordination in decimal form of outlining. The decimal form has become the standard form in scientific and technical writing. For example,
The alpha-numeric form The decimal form
I. 1.
A. 1. B. 1.
- 1.2.
- 1.2. a. 1.2.2. b. 1.2.2.
Writing an abstract
An abstract is a concise summary of a research paper or entire thesis.
It is an original work, not an excerpted passage. An abstract must be fully self-contained and make sense by itself, without further reference to outside sources or to the actual paper. It highlights key content areas, your research purpose, the relevance or importance of your work, and the main outcomes.
It is a well-developed single paragraph of approximately 250 words in length, which is indented and single spaced. The function of the abstract is to outline briefly all parts of the paper.
Although it is placed at the beginning of your paper, immediately following the title page, the abstract should be the last thing that you write, once you are sure of the conclusions you will reach.
Why write an abstract?
Abstracts are important for both selection and indexingpurposes.
Selection: Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in the paper to quickly decide whether it is relevant to their purposes and whether they need to read the whole paper.
Indexing : Most academic journal databases accessed through the library enable you to search abstracts. This allows for quick retrieval by users. Abstracts must incorporate the key terms that a potential researcher would use to search.
When is it necessary to write abstracts?
Abstracts are usually required for:
submission of articles to journals
Types of abstracts
Abstracts can be informative and descriptive.
Descriptive abstracts describe the work being
abstracted. They are more like an outline of the work and are usually very short - 100 words or less. The majority of abstracts written at the University of Melbourne are informative. Informative abstracts act as substitutes for the actual papers as all the key arguments and conclusions are presented; specifically, the context and importance of the research, reasons for methods, principal results and conclusions.
Summarisation:
DEFINITION:
A summary is a shortened vesion of a longer text.
Somtime you need to read or listen to lengthy pieces of information, extract the main points in order to make a decision, then give an opinion or draw conclusions.
Summarising is an important skill that is often used when researching, gathering or presenting information. Agood example of summarising is preparing a curriculum vitae ( CV) although the term comes from latin and means ‘lifestory’ a CV should be a concise and ‘easy to read’ version of your main strengths, achievements and experience.
A summary should not contain unnecessary detail or be written like an essay.
TYPES OF SUMMARIES
As a writer, you should be aware of several different types of summaries, and their functions:
- Abstracts for published articles provide a brief summary of the contents of the article so that readers can decide whether or not to read further.
- Executive summaries at the beginning of long technical reports and proposals provide a brief overview of the entire document to help managers make decisions about a given project. In many cases, certain readers read only the executive summary, and leave more detailed sections of the report to experts in the appropriate area.
- Introductions at the beginning of short documents such as progress or status reports present the "bottom line" up front in one or two brief sentences. These paragraphs resemble executive summaries, though in short documents they are not labelled as such.
- Literature Reviews summarize current research on a topic to survey the issue and provide interested readers with a way to find more information. Literature reviews are typically longer documents that essentially combine and organize a series of abstracts.
- "Overview" slides at the beginning of a presentation orient listeners and prepare them for what's coming; this preparation is particularly important in verbal communication where people can't flip pages back and forth if they miss something - knowing what's coming helps people focus more effectively.
In addition, keep in mind that you have two other important "tools" for summarizing information for your readers throughout a document:
- Headings at the beginning of sections identify the type of information contained in the section - i.e. they summarize the topic covered.
- Topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph summarize the main point of the paragraph and enable readers to skim a document effectively.
- Lists (bulleted or numbered) can quickly and concisely highlight key points (results, factors, criteria, etc.) that subsequent paragraphs elaborate on.
Description of Mechanism
“Technology involves physical devices called mechanisms.” Writing mechanism descriptions is a critical ability of an engineer.
The engineer creates a mechanism description to document and specify the device so =the customer can decide if it fulfills their needs.
What is a Mechanism??
“ Mechanism descriptions are precise portrayals of material devices with two or more parts that function together to do something.” Range in Complexity A pair of pliers A bicycle An automobile A jet plane like the Boeing 787 The space shuttle
now we are about to describe the bed. The first problem is to tell the reader what the bed is. The general procedure will be – as before – to define the part, to state its purpose, to indicate its general appearance, and finally, if necessary, to divide it into subparts. What is done to the principal parts is also done to the subparts. In other words, the mechanism as a whole is progressively broken down into smaller and smaller units until common sense says it is time to stop. Then, each of these units is described in detail. The value of this system is for general policy, it is simply not true that all description should be handled in this way. Sometimes, for example, instead of giving a preliminary statement of all the subparts that will be described in a given section of the description, it is desirable not to mention a certain minor subpart at all except when it is actually described. Aspects of the mechanism that needs careful attention when describing in detail a subpart of the mechanism:
Shape ,size Methods of attachment Material Finish
Writing Mechanism Description
Being able to describe something accurately, in a way that your reader can understand, is an essential skill for a technical writer. Sometimes you will have to describe a thing — this is called a mechanism description.
A mechanism is a device with at least two parts that work together to do something. Some things are quite simple, while others are enormously complex. To describe a mechanism, first provide a technical definition and state the mechanism's purpose:
A cooling fan is an electromechanical device that uses an electrically-driven propeller to move air. Today, many devices, including personal computers, generate substantial amounts of heat during operation. The heat must be dissipated in some way, and the most common way to move heat out of a computer system is active air cooling using a fan.
Then focus on its physical attributes: size, shape, color, and material. You may use visuals to help you. For example:
A typical cooling fan is square in shape and measures 92mm diagonally. The housing is made of black injection-molded ABS plastic. Each corner has a mounting hole, allowing the fan to be installed into a chassis with the help of screws or rubber stems.
Next, list its parts in the order you wish to describe them. Then, describe the first part, and follow the pattern you have established with all the remaining parts. Summarize the mechanism's function in a conclusion. Most descriptions of mechanisms contain many labeled visuals to help the reader follow the text.
Process Description
At other times you will have to explain the steps in a process — this is called a process description. Often you will have to do both. Let's review some of the strategies technical writers employ when they write descriptions
Processes are events that occur over time and have an outcome. Technical writers often have to describe a process. Doing this differs from the preparation of a mechanism description. In a process description, we focus on what a mechanism does. Again, we begin with a technical definition of the process:
Active cooling is based on forced heat transfer, i.e. passing cool air over a heat-generating component(s), as opposed to passive cooling, where the heat is dissipated by pure convection only. Air is moved through the system by a cooling fan.
Then, describe the function of the process. List the steps on the process. Then, beginning with step one, describe each of the steps in the process in chronological order. Practicing effective techniques for describing mechanisms and processes will help you throughout your career.
What is a Report?
First, let’s look at the definition of a report. According to the Oxford English Dictionary a report is “ a statement of the results of an investigation or of any matter on which definite information is required. ” and, importantly, it is designed to help others. It is likely that you are very familiar with the most commonly produced reports i.e. those that appear in newspapers detailing what has happened that day, but most people don’t even recognise them as reports. And, if you have ever told a friend about a recent night out, you’ve also given a verbal report. Once you understand what a report is, it’s easy to see that they are not just for high-flying executives. In reality, anyone, in any profession may need to write one. Here’s an example: you work in a shop and your employer wants to find out the split between male and female customers visiting the premises. He gives this task to you and, after gathering the required data, you need a way to organise and present it in a logical manner – a report fits the bill perfectly.
What kinds of Report are there?
There are lots of different kinds of report, such as: routine – occurring on a regular basis special – those that are required to cover a specific subject or task technical – these cover complex technical issues
