The Nature of

Technical Writing
Technical Writing
Defined
Technical Writing Defined

Technical writing may be defined and described in the

following manner (Mills and Walter, 1981):
 the exposition about scientific subjects and about various
technical subjects
 characterized by certain formal elements such as its
scientific and technical vocabulary, its use of graphic
aids, and use of conventional report forms
 maintenance of an attitude of impartiality and
objectivity, by the extreme care to convey information
accurately and concisely, by the absence of any attempt
to arouse emotion

 a relatively high concentration of certain complex and

important writing techniques--- in particular, definition,
description of mechanism, description of process,
classification, and interpretation
 It simply means a skill in writing since the word
technical was derived from the Greek word techne
which means “skill”

 Technical writing is a specialized and structured way

of writing, where information is presented in a
format and manner that best suits the cognitive and
psychological needs of the readers so they can
respond to a document as its author intended and
achieve the purpose related to that document.
 Functions of
Technical Writing
Functions Technical Writing

Technical writing has three important purposes:

 It gives information in decision-making and task
accomplishments.
 It analyzes events and their implications, the failure of
systems (educational, socio-economic, political, etc)
 It persuades and influences decision-making
Characteristics of
Technical Writing
Characteristics of Technical Writing
(Gordon H. Mills and John A. Walter, 1981)

1.Technical Writing is characterized by certain formal

elements such as:
a. its scientific and technical vocabulary;
b. its use of graphic aids; and
c. its use of conventional report form.
2. Technical Writing is ideally characterized by:
a. the maintenance of attitude of impartiality and
objectivity;
b. extreme care to convey information accurately and
concretely; and
c. absence of any attempt to arouse emotion.
3. Technical Writing has a relatively high concentration of
certain complex and important writing techniques such as:
a. definitions;
b. description of a mechanism;
c. description of a process;
d. classification and interpretation; and
e. comparison and contrast.
 Principles of
Technical Writing
1. Good Technical Writing Style

 Varies by audience; it considers the reader

and builds goodwill
 Maintains consistent and “good” style
 Is, above almost all, clear

Good technical writing style also

 Attends to visual impact
 Persuades
2.Build Goodwill: Use “You-Attitude”

 “You-Attitude” is a style of writing that

 Adopts the audience’s point of view
 Emphasizes what the audience wants to
know
 Protects
the audience’s ego (e.g. does not
use “you” to make accusations)
Build Goodwill: Avoid Bias
 Use nonsexist language that treats both
sexes neutrally.
 Job titles: Chairman vs. Chairperson
 Courtesy titles: Mrs. vs. Ms.
 Pronouns: The nurse and her patients vs. the
nurse and his patients
 Don’t make assumptions about your
audiences’ sexual orientation, gender,
marital status, etc.
 Use nonracist and nonagist language
 Give someone’s race or age only if it is
relevant to your communication.
 Refer to a group by the term it prefers.
 Avoidterms that suggest competent
members of a certain group are
unusual.
2. Half-Truths about Style

1. Write as you talk

2. Never use “I”
3. Never begin sentence with and or but
4. Never end sentence with preposition
5. Big words impress people
Write as You Talk: Yes . . . But
 Yes
 Do it for first draft
 Read draft aloud to test
 But
 Expect awkward, repetitive, badly organized
prose
 Plan to revise and edit
Never Use I: Yes . . . But
 Yes
I can make writing seem self-centered
I can make ideas seem tentative
I should never appear in a resume, but
it’s fine to use it in a cover letter.
 But
 Use I to tell what you did, said, saw—
it’s smoother
Never Begin Sentence with And or But

 And may make idea seem like afterthought

 And gives effect of natural speech
 But serves as a signpost, signals a shift
 But can make writing smoother
Never End a Sentence with a
Preposition: Yes . . . But
 Yes
A preposition may not be worth emphasizing this way
 Readers expect something to follow a preposition
 Avoidin job application letters, reports, formal
presentations
Big Words Impress People: Yes . . . But

 Yes
 You may want to show formality or technical
expertise
 But
 Big words distance you from readers
 Big words may be misunderstood
 Misused words make you look foolish
 Read widely; write a lot
 Study revised sentences
Ways to Build Better Style

 Use the following tips as you:

 Draft

 Write and revise

 Draft, revise, and form paragraphs
1. Use Accurate, Appropriate Words
 Denotation
 literal meanings; dictionary definitions
 Bypassing—two people using same word to
mean different things; causes mix-ups
 Connotation

 emotional association; attitude

- / +
 nosy / curious
 fearful / cautious
 obstinate / firm
2. Use Familiar Words
 Words most people know
 Words that best convey your
meaning
 Shorter, more common words

 Specific, concrete words

Use Short, Simple, Alternatives
 Stuffy Simple
reside live
commence begin
enumerate list
finalize finish, complete
utilize use
When you use jargon, consider your
audience
 Jargon—special terms of technical field
 Use in job application letters
 Use when essential and known to reader
3. Use Active Verbs (Usually)

 Active—subject of sentence does action the verb

describes

 Passive—subject is acted upon

 Usually includes form of “to be”
 Change to active if you can
 Direct object becomes subject
Passive vs. Active Verbs

 P: The program will be implemented by the agencies.

 A: The agencies will implement the program.
 P: These benefits are received by you.
 A: You receive these benefits.
 P: A video was ordered.
 A: The customer ordered a video.
 Active verbs are better because—
 Shorter

 Clearer

 More interesting
 Passive verbs are better to—
 Emphasize object receiving action
 Adhere to the standards used in more
conservative technical publications
 Avoid placing blame
4. Use Verbs to Carry Weight

Replace this phrase with a verb

 make an adjustment = adjust

 make a decision = decide
 perform an examination = examine
 take into consideration = consider
5. Eliminate Wordiness

 Wordy—idea can be said in

fewer words
 Conciseness; a mark of good
writing that contributes to
clarity
 Omit words that say nothing
 Put the meaning in subject and
verb
Omit Words that Say Nothing
 Cut words if idea is clear without
them
. . . period of three months
. . . at the present time
 Replace wordy phrase with one word
 Ideally, it would be best to put the. . . .
 If possible, put the…
 There are three reasons for our
success…
 Three reasons explain the…
Put Meaning of Sentence in Subject &
Verb: Example

 The reason we are recommending the

computerization of this process is because it will
reduce the time required to obtain data and will
give us more accurate data.

 Computerizing the process will give us more

accurate data more quickly.
6. Vary Sentence Length & Structure

 Varying sentence length and structure helps

keep audience interest
 Use short sentences when subject matter is
complicated
 Use longer sentences to
 Show how ideas link to each other
 Avoid choppy copy
 Reduce repetition
 Mix sentence structures
 Simple – 1 main clause
 Compound – 2 main clauses
 Complex – 1 main, 1 subordinate clause
7. Use Parallel Structure:
 During the interview, job candidates will
 Take a skills test.
 Thesupervisor will interview the prospective
employee.
A meeting with recently hired workers will be
held.

 During the interview, job candidates will

 Take a skills test.
 Interview with the supervisor.
 Meet with recently hired workers.
8. Begin Most Paragraphs with Topic Sentence

 Unity—paragraph discusses one idea; a

mark of good writing
 Topic sentence—states main idea
 Tells what paragraph is about
 Forecasts paragraph’s structure
 Helps readers remember points
9. Use Thesis Statements

 A thesis is, essentially, a one or two-

sentence version of the analysis or
argument presented in a communication
 Most reports should contain clear and
concise thesis statements
 Readers almost instinctively look to them for
guidance
10. Use Transitions to Link Ideas
 Transition—signals the connections
between ideas to the reader
 Tells if next sentence continues or starts new
idea
 Tellsif next sentence is more or less important
than previous
 Don’t get stuck in the
“however” rut; there are plenty
of lists of transitions online
11. Cite, cite, cite
 Always cite your sources, and use the citation
style your audience prefers
 Citations lend credibility and can keep you out of
academic and legal trouble
Technical Writing
vs Academic
Writing/Creative
Writing
 Examples of
Technical Writing
• Instruction manuals
• Articles found in technical books/journals
• Abstracts
• Proposals
• Contracts
• Brochures
• Pamphlets
• Memoranda
• Letter
• Research outputs
• Reports (Progress Report, Annual Report, Periodic, etc