Almost none of the content has references to original sources, and far too little theory is made explicit. The book is divided into logical sections that would make it easy to customize for a course if not for the problem previously cited of its being designed around a specific courses project. Further clarification is offered through examples/samples in the sections on emails, memos, outlines, cover letters, technical reports, and others. Each time you purchase a product, it usually comes with a set of instructions, an instruction manual, rulebook, definitions or other such manuals. It covers current topics and concerns, but also includes all the traditional topics expected for Technical Writing courses. 9.3 uses her/himself, s/he, and his/her.. First, chapters 1-8 and 10 are written in second person. In fact, this textbook constantly focuses on the specific introductory assignments and methods at Central Oregon Community College, so a more ambitious, advanced curriculum would directly contradict the information in the textbook. This text provides a solid basis for any course in technical writing, though. This is an area of strength for this publication, as it shapes very well around ideas for most proposal writers as well as the ethics of the field as we know it today. It is easy to use and access. <]>> The text does many things very well, but it is too uneven to be truly comprehensive. Like its prose, the grammar appears to be clean and normalized to American standard English. I would tend to put some basic information about what constitutes technical writing at the beginning, followed by some guidance around doing research and writing ethically, followed by chapters on different types of technical writing: texts, emails, case reports, letters, resumes, proposals, recipes, instruction manuals, position papers, abstracts, encounter notes from a visit or interview, letters to the editor, mini-biographies and autobiographies ("about the author"), annotations. Some of the sections are particularly long, and can be tiresome to scroll through. The text is presented in a neutral way with no offensive or insensitive words or examples. Primitive Stone Scraper All of the topics are presented in a logical and clear fashion. The text does not cover multi-cultural audience in any depth and does not consider disabled audiences (including visually impaired audiences). The content generally seems up-to-date, and the chapter organization and breakdown appear to lend themselves to easy updating. The book is highly modular and the chapters do not flow into one another. True, this is not an answer to a direct complaint. Its prose is clear and specific, and it follows the guidelines for writing technical prose that it presents to reader: clear, concise, and effective. I don't see any major inconsistencies. This is a very compact book, with easily managed lessons in basic concepts that are a quick and easy read for most students in the sciences and technology fields (STEM). The text is culturally appropriate and all example are relevant and inclusive. This is probably the case due to chapters being derived from other sources. 0000006932 00000 n It is particularly good at using graphics to shape ideas which is a factor in more and more writing courses. Interface - The images could be more ascetically pleasing to the eye. Heres an article on using lists correctly in technical documents that will help you avoid many common mistakes. The body of the text goes into an adequate depth in the explanation of key concepts. The following are links to the examples and models of the kinds reports, letters, and other documents discussed in this book. Grammar has no problem. The book does break some of its own advice in these sections with references to authors with no attribution. Cardiac Cycle Citations get embedded directly into the text. Another way to ruin a help topic is to add screenshots/images without proper text descriptions - these are very annoying to decipher. Good luck with your technical writing! The book is accurate, error-free, and unbiased. On page 12, for example, the authors declare, a good e-mail should get to the point and conclude in three small paragraphs or less. Really? Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems Table formats dont always fit on the page, and this requires left/right scrolling to access some of the columns. The sections about how to present information visually are helpful: contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity are given the unfortunate acronym CRAP (so no doubt the reader will never forget it!) The differences do not render the text unreadable, just lack cohesive than the average textbook. 0000007488 00000 n The textbook mentions purpose, almost in passing - the purpose of a memo, for instance, or a report. In this respect, the text works well as a modular book with distinct sections. It appears to focus a lot on the preparation of reports and print materials, but is a good basic resource in those areas. Video Edit Master: User Guide The content is accurate. Pages 15-16, on netiquette, uses headings, along with simply, un-bolded bullet points. to the writing of this paper. However, the point here is technical writing, format, organization, stylenot up-to-date technology. Chapter 9 is written partly in second person, partly in third person. xref Some of the content could be further updated, however. This may not be a serious concern as, especially in a digital format, the book can be navigated easily from topic to topic. This means that the content runs through different tests and it gets a readability score based on various algorithms (word length, sentence length, frequency of word usage, quantity of terms in a text). For a technical writing example, the purpose is to provide complex or confusing information to help people understand better a certain item like a computer, a new technological device, a new drug, and so on. This happens because often many technical writers can be working on the same project and this can lead to diversity in texts. I read it but did not find any mistakes or inaccuracies. This becomes particularly obvious for writing instructors in parts of the book like chapter 14 that contend with genre, genre analysis, and genre systems but with no references to the writing scholars we attribute to genre studies (Miller, Bawarshi, Russell). The book is incredibly easy to navigate and use. Sentences over 30 words are to be mistrusted. Again, I wondered, Says who? Had the authors cited evidence a study finding that sentences over 25 words are ignored by readers, for instance the claim might be more compelling. [Home] and [Table of Contents] buttons are fixed on the right-hand side, allowing students to easily jump among sections. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive. We have become true friends. A significant amount of the length is dedicated to topics usually covered in other classes (including research, citations, outlining). The emphasis is on professional communication throughout so chapters are linked through that context. Clarity and intelligibility are essentials, and the text appears to work within those frameworks. The missing link is vital here since there are definitely different accounts of the underlying causes beyond the O rings. read more. Stance - how the writer feels about the topic versus how she expresses it through her tone - was not addressed at all. Reviewed by Pam Orel, Senior Lecturer , University of Maryland College Park on 2/1/18, This is a very compact book, with easily managed lessons in basic concepts that are a quick and easy read for most students in the sciences and technology fields (STEM). Is it percent of crop yield, compared to crops planted? In the section (2.1 types of audiences) about audience, an opportunity is missed by not getting into user profiles and usability theory. 0000001253 00000 n When the authors refer to student assignments, they might call them "assignments," not "papers." The expandable table is tricky to get used to because the hyperlink from the Chapter title goes to the chapter but the arrow on the right shows the subsections. With that said, additional work on representation could be added within the examples. Again, a question about prerequisite knowledge arises. First Telescope Purchase That format has its own specific netiquette rules, ethics, and audience considerations. Language is easy to understand but remains at a college student's level. Later chapters describe proposals and progress reports. The crossover between chapters could be stronger. [How to vote this image is on a blog that is CC-licensed but I dont think the author used the image with permission. I would have preferred to have more info about the modes typical to technical writing, but what the book has is useful. The book is clear and written with appropriate vocabulary for the typical student of technical writing. Reviewed by Christopher Schott, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Missouri - St. Louis on 4/23/20, This book really does cover a great deal of ground. Other textbooks, whether consistent or not, provide better examples of practices from many industries to help prepare students from writing after college. It would have been helpful to include URLs for the videos, so that students preferring a paper-based text could find and watch the videos while reading. Alas, the headings and sub-headings demarcate a haphazard arrangement of content. There is a detailed Table of Contents that lays out the subjects that are covered. The text contains no grammatical errors. read more. Further, students are seeing a poor example of a strong technical writing style because the sentences are written in a vague style that would lead to comprehension and translation errors. Text is user-friendly. The text offers consistency through the organization of the chapters and sections. It also includes a couple of sections I It isn't the most scintillating reading, but a book on technical writing clearly doesn't need to be! There were no interface issues as I reviewed the text. Otherwise there are no issues. Another issue with the book is the lack of writing exercises and assignments. The book's structure changes with each format. To learn how to master this skill, you should learn the right technical writing tips. The worst thing we can do in much scientific and technical discourse is build suspense and save the point, answer, or recommendations to the end. Veterinary assistant Any changes could be quickly made. Annemarie Hamlin, Central Oregon Community College, Chris Rubio, Central Oregon Community College, Publisher: The chart is entitled, simply, Success with Vegetables Grown. Potatoes account for 60 percent of vegetables grown; carrots for 23 percent. The text is remarkably approachable to its intended audience, those entering into the field of technical writing or those who will, by virtue of their technical positions, be required to compose technical artifacts. As some of the material includes elements remixed from other open texts, there are some differences in the language and layout of chapters. Accounting policies and procedures You will find the right way to succeed in studying. The digital nature of the textbook assures easy editing and the potential for long-term relevance. My author is a true professional with good experience! The terminology is internally consistent. Technically, This Is Technical (Writing) Technical writing is a type of writing that helps someone solve a problem or acquire necessary information about a specific subject. I am a procrastinator and always regret it. Content is current for the technical market. Ideally, the authors would employ a plain style to avoid usability problems for non-American-dialect users. Bats Roosting in Deciduous Leaf Litter, Design and Construction of a Single-Story Purple Martin Birdhouse This book really does cover a great deal of ground. Some of the information does seem to not work (some links, for example), which may hurt longevity, but the authors do note this might be a possibility when using the book. 2 Planning for the Document Introduction The key concept in technical communication is that audience and purpose determine everything about how you communicate on the job. There various types of technical writing, each having its own purpose. The text is quite modular, to the point that certain parts of it might be combined to keep from creating extremely short chapters or sections. The text clearly focuses on research and report writing in a business context. However, there was no section related to manuals or instructions, which is a large gap. The first section includes both platforms and genres. There are no grammatical errors in the text, which is what one would expect from a writing textbook. Converting a thesis or dissertation into a paper In a thesis or dissertation, you have There are places in the text that could benefit from utilizing new, innovative examples. The text introduces itself as an introductory text to technical writing (or communication), and provides a definition of technical communication They also expanded chapter 10, adding information about successful report design. Some links are broken. Many phrases such as "as seen in the last section," make it difficult for students to follow what's happening. Many would feel surprised to discover that technical writing has existed since the dawn of writing language itself. However, currently relevant platforms like Twitter are excluded from this section. The activity and try this in these chapters would be helpful in other chapters, too. Students should have no trouble identifying a reading assignment such as chapter 9, sections 9.1 through 9.3.. With regard to importance, technical writing is now at par with journalistic and creative writing. Also, ideas for inclusivity through accessibility in design of workplace documents might be added, too, as well as an updated discussion on gender in written communications beyond using Mr. or Ms. in the sections on email, cover letters, and audience. 0000000016 00000 n There were some fragments and sentences beginning with And or But, which I hope were stylistic choices. Some sections are very short (150-300 words max) while others are much longer, ranging in the 2,000-3,000 word range. I did not locate a glossary or index, and the book is not fully searchable in the web-native version because all sections can't be expanded onto one screen. The authors resist the temptation to use jargon, and they stick to simple sentence structures for the most part. Technical writing is the highest level of writing students receive before they enter their professional fields or transfer to four-year universities. The book has the potential to be quite good, but I don't think its yet ready to compete with the for-profit options. The textbook does contain self-referential content but overall the chapters could be used in a modular fashion to supplement other learning materials/readings in a technical writing course. Much of the advice will be appropriate forever: know your audience, know your purpose in writing, be respectful, be specific and clear rather than general and vague. It will work best as an introduction to technical communication and business writing. For example, chapter 12 discusses the idea of the cover letter being potentially outdated but then proceeds to offer guidance on writing one. I received praise from my professor. There is a useful section on information literacy and conducting research beyond the first items in a Google search. Content itself seemed accurate. But now I know that there is someone who will help me. The tone can be academic, but that is to be expected from a text used in an introductory classroom. Samples. The text does not have interfacing issues. The overall quality of editing is high. This is what I really needed. Sometimes the authors refer to specific genres (like reports, in section 5.1) in a way that would confuse students (because writers cite sources in proposals, memos, and presentations, not just reports), and those errors should be addressed lest the students be misled about the conventions of the genres. Cerebral Palsy and Its Treatments The textbook is comprehensive; however, it seems to cover both technical writing and professional or workplace writing. Our writers are developing their writing experience every day. . Thought was given to the order of the text and it is logical and predictable. 0000003242 00000 n These two are used by all team members, and they ensure there are no noticeable differences in style throughout the whole documentation project. If you wanted to teach your students to write proposals, you would be better off with online examples of successful proposals and top-of-the-head commentary than this textbook. Documents like instruction sets are mentioned but only in passing. Things in that field are always changing, but the authors could provide information about where to find the most up-to-date recommendations on inclusive language, such as the acceptability of "they" as a singular personal pronoun for gender nonbinary people, and what language is appropriate to describe ethnic groups etc. It also includes a couple of sections I Based on the Table of Contents, all subject areas mentioned there were covered adequately. The expandable table is tricky to get used to because the hyperlink from the Chapter title goes to the chapter That is why you get quality assistance and fast online support. While its cover and design are unassuming which, for a text on technical writing, might be a drawback its content is erudite and targeted to its primary audience and purpose. Consistency. In this context, questions of comprehensiveness arose almost immediately. she Employ small chunks of text, bullet point lists, and hyperlinks. Quartz etch rate project The materials are logically arranged and easy to understand. (Some of the items are excerpts.) The text introduces itself as an introductory text to technical writing (or communication), and provides a definition of technical communication that is limited to the types, content, and coverage of texts created. I look forward to seeing subsequent editions. Traditional search conventions, such as double-quotes to find phrases, work as expected. Science writer, editor, researcher Our writing company is a place where you are always welcome. The interface for the Web version of the book is clear, simple, and unobtrusive. Written especially for an academic setting, this book provides readers with guidance on information literacy and documenting sources. These are appropriately and adequately covered. New chapters are simply tacked on at the end. Although an index/glossary is not provided, the Table of Contents organizes the material and allows for readers to see the breadth of areas and subjects within the Technical Writing textbook. Bad user manuals look and feel inconsistent. It is noteworthy that it does not have questions in the back of each section, so its not designed for, say, test development or study for exams. This is especially problematic given the texts emphasis on longer documents, such as the progress reports, which require consistent formatting throughout. The text gives full explanation of the content. The book's organization is solid and clear. It will work best as an introduction to technical communication and business writing. Employee Wellness Program The text is adequately consistent from beginning to end, but at times the sections feel disconnected. Other sections, like the ones on audience and ethics, will not need updating. At least one other reviewer has noted that there are inconsistency issues across various formats in which the book is offered. Among the genres that are discussed, accuracy falters due to a handful of random, undocumented prescriptions. The text has no grammatical errors. The visual weight of Chapter Attribution Information, which is currently the same as chapter titles, should be reduced. Handbooks Chapters and sub-units within this text are clearly labeled. I would love to see this text updated with more sections. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction to what comes in the sections included in the chapter. Each writer has a Master's degree and at least five years of writing experience. However, the table of contents is accurate and helpful. I did not expect to find an open textbook as useful or well-constructed as this is. Each larger unit is broken into smaller, easily understood and relevant sub units. The online interface I used was generally very easy; with both arrows and a table of contents, writers can easily move to where they need to get their information. The pie chart doesnt say. I worry that this textbook potentially does a disservice to the technical communication field as well as to open-access materials, which should be of high quality and represent best practices based on an awareness of the range of communication tasks working professional undertake. The book's format changes occasionally, probably owing to the various authors involved, but it is not especially noticable and does not affect the book in a negative way. Otherwise the flow and structure are generally logical. In terms of usability in relation to comprehensiveness, the table of contents is nicely detailed, but no index appears so locating overlaps of information among and between chapters would not be as simple or straightforward as it could be. The order process starts with the form, where you need to specify the type of assignment, academic level, and deadline. It is an important document that would be used by your review committee to evaluate your research readiness to complete. Report on Light Water Nuclear Reactors, Film production There is some redundancy - for example, the issue of audience is addressed repeatedly without adding anything new on the subject. The writing in section 5.2 needs editing. In this context, questions of comprehensiveness arose almost immediately. For example, the section on texting would not have appeared in earlier editions of this text, while the section on memoranda feels somewhat dated in paper-less or paper-reduced workplaces. While some of the linked material may change over time, that isnt the fault of the authors. However, the book is arranged in a logical progression through the different aspects of research and writing the formal report. Those sections are adequate, but I would like to see more content in general. It is absolutely appropriate for a comprehensive service course, but the authors should consider another title. Furthermore, while conciseness is an essential feature of technical and professional writing, establishing an arbitrary sentence length may encourage students to emphasize conciseness at the expense of clarity and accuracy. The purpose of this textbook is to serve as an introduction to technical writing, and as such is designed to provide students with practical strategies for engaging in effective technical communication. Our mission is to let you set priorities so that you find education pleasant and fun. The book's primarily focuses on the proposal but also covers other traditional technical writing assignments such as the cover letter and resume. These inconsistencies model poor document design for students. The overall organization progresses logically from shorter forms of technical writing to longer, more complex ones. TECHNICAL WRITING FOR ENGINEERS Presented by Prof. Karim El-Dash 18-21/05/2014 . The texts interface is clean and clear. The book appears to be written for a course designed around a specific major project that asks students to write a proposal for a technical report and then to research and write the report itself. There is a technical error in the middle of the book, where the author refers to a graph about voting in Australia; that graph does not exist on the page but there is this editorial comment that was no doubt not intended for publication: Primary Research Reports For example, in the section on job materials, professional advice varies widely related to the design of resumes, but this text does not discuss any of the variety of advice. 0000003486 00000 n However, each chapter is broken into separate sections with descriptive titles and headings, so navigating to specific concepts and ideas is not difficult without the use of an index. The organization of chapters in the web-native version defies logic. Examples dont highlight a variety of backgrounds, but neither are they so pervasive that its a problem. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments. Changing Front Disc Brake Pads How to Raise Potatoes in the Home Garden Reviewed by Jennifer Barton, Advanced Instructor, Virginia Tech on 2/8/17, The book appears to be written for a course designed around a specific major project that asks students to write a proposal for a technical report and then to research and write the report itself. Our experts are ready to handle your problems and give you some special advice. Embedded videos appear to function as expected; the interface could benefit from a column-width inline viewer that would keep the video window from being narrower than the text columns. The organization of the textbook appears to be clear and clean, but gets difficult to manage once specific questions are asked, such as, "how should I assign readings to prepare my students for specific assignments?" As I mentioned above, the book starts by covering genres with relative swiftness, then it digs into essential writing topics, and then it covers larger genres in more detail. I plan to adopt this for my information literacy and writing course, and anticipate re-arranging sections to fit the course structure. This includes trade journals, something that WR 121 classes tend not to mention but are important for technical writing students. The book is relevant in a way that seems sustainable. Whether you are a high school, college, or university student, you can rely on our help. For example, not all chapters provide examples to illustrate concepts or discussion/reflection questions to encourage students to apply concepts to other situations. The book would also benefit from a section on presentations and a broader section on document design. Technical writing tools help to organize teamwork, reuse content with single-sourcing techniques, write help topics faster with powerful WYSIWYG editors. In fact, much professional writing starts with an abstract, executive summary, or cover sheet that obviates the need for a conclusion. Take, for instance, a textbook. It can be challenging to orient yourself in the text especially because there are many pages with minimal content. The two italicised words are important. The format of the content is very text heavy in paragraph structure, which is odd for a Technical Writing book because a general rule in Technical Writing is to use shorter, concise paragraphs with more lists, bullets, and tables for easy reading and referencing of the information. This book really does cover a great deal of ground. I see no issues here - it's quite objective overall. Reviewed by Erica Stone, English Instructor, Technical Writing, University of Missouri Kansas City on 6/19/18, The textbook is comprehensive; however, it seems to cover both technical writing and professional or workplace writing. Also missing from the text are generous examples of document types generated by technical writers, like websites, brochures and flyers, and other types of written communication. 901 0 obj <> endobj outlining) and genres to follow. Comparison of Nuclear Reactors, Industrial Robots There is no index or glossary. The book seems to have been designed for modular use, and indeed that is how I plan to use it in my future classes. Problems with organization: This is a very compact book, with easily managed lessons in basic concepts that are a quick and easy read for most students in the sciences and technology fields (STEM). But this relationship is impossible to discuss with this text, since overarching concepts and conventions are never introduced. In this book, short chapters are split up into tiny subparts, and navigation between them is tricky in the web-native version. In the chapter dedicated to "Progress Reports," the first section offers "functions and contents of progress reports" that has just two bullet lists.