Lecture 2 for research methodology and technical report writing.pptx

Technical Writing
IE 5772
Rehman Akhtar, PhD

What is technical writing?
Technical writing transfers information
about a situation, product, service, or
concept, by written, oral, or visual means,
to audiences of varying levels of technical
knowledge, so that each member of the
audience clearly understands the message.
Source: http://www.calpoly.edu/~mdemerit/definition.htm

What is technical writing?
“Newspaper reporters and technical writers
are trained to reveal almost nothing about
themselves in their writing. This makes
them freaks in the world of writers, since
almost all of the other ink-stained wretches
in the world reveal a lot about themselves
to the reader.”
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Technical writing?
Deals with topics of a technical nature
Science, engineering, and technology
Deals with an object, process, system, or
abstract idea
Utilitarian
Stressing accuracy rather than style
Objective tone
Technical content
Not the author’s feelings about it

Purpose of technical writing
Transmit technical information accurately
Different from
Popular non-fiction (entertainment)
Advertising (sell)
Sacrifice style and grace
For clarity, precision, and organization

Good Technical Writing is:
Technically accurate
Useful
Concise
Complete
Clear
Consistent
Correct in spelling, punctuation, and grammar
Targeted
Well organized
Interesting

Principles of Technical Writing
Use the active voice.
Passive: Dolphins were taught by researchers in
Hawaii to learn new behavior.
Active: Researchers in Hawaii taught dolphins to
learn new behavior.
Use plain rather than elegant or complex language.
Elegant: The corporation deemed it necessary to
terminate Joseph Smith.
 Plain: Joseph Smith was fired.

Delete words, sentences, and phrases
that do not add to your meaning.
Wordy: It is most useful to keep in mind that
the term diabetes mellitus refers to a whole
spectrum of disorders.
Concise: Diabetes mellitus refers to a whole
spectrum of disorders.

Use specific and concrete terms rather than vague
(unclear) generalities.
Use past tense to describe your experimental work
and results.
Use present tense in most other writing.
Know your reader.
How much do you have to explain?
Can you say “operating system” or do you need to define
it?
Break your writing into short sections.

Keep ideas and sentence structure parallel.
Nonparallel: Please sign the proposal, date it,
and it must be sent to me.
Parallel: Please sign the proposal, date it, and
send it to me.
Avoid terms like
Whereof, Thereby, Inasmuch as, enclosed herewith

Know your audience
A hospital administrator’s definition of
catchment area is probably different from a
civil engineer’s definition
Selection board example
Do not invent words
Signage for signs

Big Words
Avoid if possible
Use only if commonly used in technical Conversation
Try to use a shorter word that means the same
Use for utilize
Idea for concept
Ease or simplify or help for facilitate
Use Wordy Phrases
Many for a large number of
Generally for as a general rule
At the time or now for at this point in time

Redundancies
New innovations
First and foremost
 Current status
An honor and a privilege
Consensus of opinion
Past history
Personal opinion

Overblown phrases
I’m sure you can appreciate
Note how this matter will be handled
When time permits
By virtue of
Deemed it necessary
Under separate cover

Types of Technical Writing
Letters, memos, e-mails
Reports and journal articles
Thesis, dissertation

Technical Reports
and Journal Articles
Required elements
 Introduction
Body
Theory
Experimental process
Results
 Conclusions
References

Technical Reports
Longer reports also have the following
At the front
Cover page and title page
Table of contents
At the back
appendices

Technical Reports
Abstract
Almost always needed
Appears at front of report or article
Summary
Allows someone to understand what you did and your
conclusions
Typically not longer than 300 to 500 words
Often shorter
Long abstract often called
Executive Summary

Technical Reports
Journal article
Peer reviewed
Edited
Widely available
Technical reports
Typically reviewed by client only
Often not distributed beyond client
Can be much longer than journal article

Reference
Gary Blake, Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical
Writing, Macmillan, 1993.

Lecture 2 for research methodology and technical report writing.pptx

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