In this article, I will tell you what a technical report is, why companies need it and how to write it. One suggestion is to select syntax that minimizes the need for punctuation. Further on, the paper focuses on the necessary stages that the production of a technical communication model must undergo: gathering, organizing, presenting and refining information. The subject of technical writing can either be: Tangible - Something that can be seen or touched, such as a computer or software program, or information on how to assemble a piece of furniture. This at times may appear as simply a list of steps to take to achieve the desired goal or may be a short or lengthy explanation of a concept or abstract idea. ScienceDirect is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Technical Communication as Strategic Communication. In the passive voice sentence, something is done to the subject. How do you achieve clarity and conciseness? 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. Whenever possible, phrase commands in a positive manner. Commas and periods always go inside the closing quotation mark. If you take a technical writing workshop, the materials will address numerous areas; some are very specific while others are more general in nature. Published by Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protcy.2013.12.545. Short sentences are easier to understand than long sentences. You must decide if the subject is either or levers . Look in the manual under "text messaging"; the directions are very clear. To enhance your computer's performance, follow the manual's maintenance program. Example of a sentence with multiple steps set apart: For Forte applications, perform the following steps: Another tip when separating steps into distinct bullet points is to make sure that the action verbs in each bulleted item are in the same tense. Certain grammatical errors can actually cause your reader to misinterpret the information. Use an impersonal style. One exception to this rule is when a negative statement is clearer than a positive one. These actors can deliver "box office hits": Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp. The active voice is more natural to people when they speak, but technical writers often turn to the passive voice when writing technical documents. Most corporations adopt the belief, "the customer is always right.". Technical writers should word instructions as positive statements. Many technical writing workshops focus on advanced topics, expecting participants to already be familiar with the basic tenets of good technical writing. If done well, technical writing is an exciting, fulfilling experience but if done poorly, it is frustrating, even harmful to career development. One example of this is deciding where to place your commas, periods, colons, and semicolons when using quotation marks. The writing should be straightforward, to the point, and as simple as possible to make sure the reader understands the process or instruction. The study focuses on the difference between expressive and strategic communication and sets the domain of technical communication into the sphere of the latter, while enumerating the criteria which must be taken into account when categorizing texts as belonging to the technical domain: audience, relationship, purpose and context. Compare the following sentences: Example of a sentence with multiple steps within the sentence: For Forte applications, create an empty workspace, populate it with application source code, and compile the workspace. It is also abstract rather than concrete. Another reason to avoid the passive voice sentence is you run the risk of omitting the doer of the action. NOTE: Answers: many, before, when tabulating, table 3 shows, can. Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Note the choice of verbs below: 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 . If the technical writer had used the active voice, the "doer" would be clear. Your readers expect technical documents to be written in standard English. An expert in the field will understand certain abbreviations, acronyms, and lingo that directly applies to such a field. Your readers expect standard punctuation when they read your documents. One example of this might be steps required to complete an office process. Know your audience. One grammatical rule to adhere to is subject-verb agreement. Challenge yourself to read and analyze other technical documents and ask yourself: What makes some documents a struggle to read while others are easy to comprehend? Your readers have to take time to think about what is true (positive) so they can determine what is NOT true (negative). Regardless of the type of document which is written, technical writing requires the writer to follow the properties of knowing their audience, writing in a clear, non-personal style and doing extensive research on the topic. Characteristics of good scientific writing. Copyright 2020 LoveToKnow. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. For example, if the first step was worded, "Creating an empty workspace ," then the next bullet would be, "Populating it with application source code ," and the third bullet point would be, "Compiling the workspace .". Any opinions should be omitted. Reviewing these basics can provide a great platform from which we can launch forays into specific areas of interest and documentation. Try replacing the multiword phrases below with a word or two. If you are asking your readers to perform several actions, begin the step with an active verb. The following indefinite pronouns are always plural: Just to keep your life interesting, the following pronouns can be either singular or plural. If you selected either as the subject and is as the verb, you made the correct choice. Clarity Technical document must convey a single meaning that the reader can understand. A list of indefinite pronouns that are always singular is listed below: Each, either, everybody, everyone, neither, one, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody. By replacing wordy phrases with shorter ones and by pruning the deadwood from sentences, you are doing your readers a favor. 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. Good scientific writing is: clear - it avoids unnecessary detail;; simple - it uses direct language, avoiding vague or complicated sentences. Experts have found that there are two ways we lose our readers: using words with which they are unfamiliar and overly long sentences. All Rights Reserved, Woman Typing On Her Laptop As Definition of Technical Writing, Examples of Technical Writing Assignments. The active voice is more natural to people when they speak, but technical writers often turn to the passive voice when writing technical documents. Among the written models of communication we note the technical report, the laboratory report, the instruction manual, alongside with more general types of texts from the sphere of professional communication: the memo, the proposal, the formal letter, as well as the dissertation paper and the scientific article. Technical report is a document that describes the progress, process, or results of scientific Review the following examples: If grammar is a weak area for you, purchase and use a good reference book. A good starting point is to look at six principles of technical writing. Why take 32 words to express what could be stated in 14 or 15? How would you streamline the sentence below? Technicality in writing is based upon the following points 23. Populate it with application source code. A good technical writer can make a difficult task easy and can quickly explain a complex piece of information. The present paper is an introduction into the domain of technical communication; it presents the relationship between technical communication and general communication and introduces the main forms of technical communication, written and oral. This style of writing has a very different purpose and different characteristics than other writing styles such as creative writing, academic writing or business writing. This style of writing has a very different purpose and different characteristics than other writing styles such as creative writing, academic writing or business writing. Remember, when it comes to technical writing, audience analysis is essential and the foundational step to document development. In the active voice sentence, the subject acts. Write from a third person perspective, like a teacher instructing a student. It also lists the principles of a good technical text: technical accuracy, usefulness, conciseness, completeness, clearness, consistency, correct spelling, grammar and punctuation, a targeted audience, clear organization, interest. Abstract - Something that involved a series of steps that aren't related to a tangible object. In the process of tabulating ________________. Characteristics of the English Technical Discourse. Catherine S. Hibbard is a nationally recognized expert in business and technical writing. Gather information from a number of sources, understand the information gathered so that it can be analyzed thoroughly, and then put the information into an easy to understand format to instruct those who read it. Technical terms and jargon are used only when they are necessary for accuracy; On the other hand, semicolons and colons are always placed outside the quotation marks. The real challenge is when the subject is not as obvious. 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. Staff hours are calculated by the manager on the actual work load. By including these properties, the writer can create clear instructions and explanations for the reader. Examples of technical writing include instruction manuals, recipes, how-to guides, text books, multimedia presentations, and operating instructions. "To obtain maximum performance from your computer, you should endeavor to follow the maintenance program furnished in the manual accompanying your computer.". Some examples of technical writing include: A summarization of a long report that highlights and shortens the most important elements. Six basic properties of Technical writing 1. Complicated or "creative" punctuation will confuse them. Technical writing is a specialized type of writing. In technical writing, clarity and brevity is your goal. You may wonder how some pronouns can be both singular and plural. Be thorough in description and provide enough detail to make your points; but, you also have to consider that you need to use an economy of words so that you do not bore your reader with gratuitous details. Technical writing is straightforward, easy to understand explanations and/or instructions dealing with a particular subject. For this reason, it is best to write your technical documents in short sentences. This highlights the action itself. With a little bit of planning and adapting, it can guide you through the whole of document preparation, help you write more persuasive copy, and improve the end-goal outcomes of your technical writing. As you incorporate these and other sound writing techniques, your readers will benefit. However, because technical documents must be precise and accurate, readers expect documents to be professional, polished, and flawless. Keep in mind studies show it is almost 50% harder for your readers to understand the meaning when you use negatives. Know how to research. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Petru Maior University of Tirgu Mures. The dictates of effective technical writing suggest that the average length for a sentence is 15-20 words. Imperative sentences, or command sentences, are written in the active voice. Compare the following: Telling your readers what NOT to do is a negative statement. Copyright 2014 The Authors. Technical writing is performed by a technical writer (or technical author) and is the process of writing and sharing technical information in a professional setting. We are "struggling young artists," but we hope to become successful. Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation. 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