The document provides an introduction to technical report writing, emphasizing the importance of clarity, comprehensiveness, conciseness, and correctness in effective technical communication. It outlines various types of technical reports and offers practical writing tips, including the use of positive language, lists, and clear headings. Additionally, it highlights the significance of understanding the audience and maintaining professionalism and ethics in reporting.
The document provides an introduction to technical report writing, emphasizing the importance of clarity, comprehensiveness, conciseness, and correctness in effective technical communication. It outlines various types of technical reports and offers practical writing tips, including the use of positive language, lists, and clear headings. Additionally, it highlights the significance of understanding the audience and maintaining professionalism and ethics in reporting.
The document provides an introduction to technical report writing, emphasizing the importance of clarity, comprehensiveness, conciseness, and correctness in effective technical communication. It outlines various types of technical reports and offers practical writing tips, including the use of positive language, lists, and clear headings. Additionally, it highlights the significance of understanding the audience and maintaining professionalism and ethics in reporting.
The document provides an introduction to technical report writing, emphasizing the importance of clarity, comprehensiveness, conciseness, and correctness in effective technical communication. It outlines various types of technical reports and offers practical writing tips, including the use of positive language, lists, and clear headings. Additionally, it highlights the significance of understanding the audience and maintaining professionalism and ethics in reporting.
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Mechanical Engineering Techniques
An Introduction to Technical Report Writing What is Technical Writing (really)?
“Technical writing conveys specific information about a
technical subject to a specific audience for a specific purpose…The words and graphics of technical writing are meant to be practical: that is, to communicate a body of factual information that will help an audience understand a subject or carry out a task.”
- Michael H. Markel Director of Technical Communication, Boise State University Types of Technical Reports/Communication Examples are: • Annual Report • Books • Computer Hardware Guides • Magazines • Newsletters • Organizational Manuals • Scholarly Articles/Journals • Software Guides • Technical Reports Types of Technical Reports/Communication
Fig. 1: Different Types of Technical Reports
Characteristics of Effective Technical Writing
The four C’s:
• Clarity -- it is easily understood by your intended audience • Comprehensiveness -- all of the necessary information is present • Conciseness -- it is clear without excess verbiage • Correctness -- it is grammatical and follows conventions Writing • Write positive language. Don’t use: Access to student information is not authorized for any parties except Enrollment Services. Employees who have access to student information are not allowed to share that information with non- affiliated third parties if you have not authorized it. Do use: Access to student information is authorized only for Enrollment Services purposes. Employees who have access to student information are required to protect and keep it confidential.
• Don’t write in upper case for more than A WORD OR
TWO. Writing (cont.) • Use lists whenever possible.
• Use the title to define the task.
• Use headings and subheadings.
• Label segments in away that reflects how readers
are likely to think about the operation or procedure.
• Don’t use: Components
• Do use: How to Check the Components
Writing (cont.) • Provide only one way to do something within a step.
• Be precise with your instructions.
• Use warnings.
• Write a conclusion. Example: Congratulations! You’ve just created your first document!
• Don’t annoy the reader.
Writing
• Chunk your information.
• Keep your paragraphs short. • Less is better. • Control the text width by using columns. The Written Report: Why?
• You waste your time unless you can
communicate what you have been doing with it.
• The medium for most technical communication is
the written report, so you had better be good at it! Where to find materials to write the report? Examples are: • Documents related to the project / work currently being done • Google, Bing, Yahoo • Google hacks/scripts (filetype, intitle, inurl, site) • Journals (ex: Emeraldinsight.com, DOAJ.org, HighWire.stanford.edu) • Scitopia.org • Scirus.com • Wolframalpha.com • RSS readers – (Pageflakes.com) • Newsgroup (Google Groups, Yahoogroups) • Filesharing – Bittorent.com, Furk.net, Mininova.org • Social site – Facebook, Myspace, Friendster • Youtube.com, Metacafe.com etc. • Reference, bibliography – Bibme.com • Free Ebooks – Hongkiat.com - 20-best-websites-to-download-free-e-books. OPPapers.com – Research Papers and Essays Basic Technical Overview
• Professionalism and ethics in reporting
• Knowing your audience
• Outline writing
• Report writing (rigid structure)
Professionalism & ethics in reporting
• Different individuals have different
personalities, and different modes for communicating.
• If you apply a canned formula to your technical
communications, the result may be awkward.
• Within the general structure of formal technical
communication, there is room for your personality to show through. Knowing Your Audience
• At the very beginning… think about your likely
audience.
• The word selection, level of motivation, and
background required for a report (or a presentation) depends greatly on the background of the audience. Write the Report, but how long? • The length of your presentation - either written or oral - is often dictated by others.
• With respect to oral presentations, you will
often find yourself up against a strict time limit: Be sure that you can get your take-home message across without hurrying
