Technical Writing: Organisation and drafting of a document

Technical Writing: Organization
and drafting of documents
Compiled by Ahmad Hussain, Department of English
Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan

Basic Organization for Any Document
 Despite their differences with other writings, technical
documents usually have something important in common.
 They typically include an introduction, body, and conclusion.
 Introduction—The introduction of your document needs to
tell readers what you are writing about and why you are
writing about it.
 Body—The body of your document presents the content
that your readers need to know to take action or make a
decision.
 Conclusion—The conclusion of your document wraps up
your argument by restating your main point(s)

Organizing and Drafting the Introduction
 When organizing and drafting your document, you should
yourself in your readers’ place. If you were the reader, what
information would you want to know up front?
 What is this document about?
 Why did someone write this for me?
 What is the main point?
 Is this information important?
 How is this document organized?
 When an introduction answers these questions, readers are
better able to understand the rest of the document

 Six Opening Moves in an Introduction
 These kinds of questions translate into six opening “moves”
made in an introduction:
 Move 1: Define your subject: Tell readers what your
document is about by defining the subject.
 Example: Flooding has become a recurring problem in Darbey, our
small town nestled in the Curlew Valley south of St. Louis.
 In some cases, to help define the boundaries of your subject,
you might also tell readers what your document is not going
to cover.

 Move 2: State Your Purpose: Tell readers what you are trying
to achieve.
 Your purpose statement should be clear and easy to find in
the introduction. It should plainly tell your readers what the
document will do.
 Example: This proposal offers some strategies for managing flooding in
the Darbey area.
 You should be able to articulate your purpose in one
sentence. Otherwise, your purpose may not be clear to your
readers—and perhaps not even to you.

 Move 3: State your main point: Tell your readers the key idea
or main point that you would like them to take away from
document.
 Example: The only long-term way to control flooding around Darbey is
to purchase and restore the wetlands around the Curlew River, while
enhancing some of the existing flood control mechanisms like levees and
diversion ditches.
 Move 4: Stress importance of the subject: Make sure you
give your readers a reason to care about your subject.
 You need to answer their “So what?” questions if you want
them to pay attention and continue reading.
 Example: If development continues to expand between the town and
the river, the flooding around Darbey will only continue to worsen,
potentially causing millions of dollars in damage.

 Move 5: Provide background information:
 Typically, background information includes material that
readers already know or won’t find controversial. This
could be historical, or it could stress a connection with the
readers.
 Example: As we mentioned in our presentation to the city council last
month, Darbey has been dealing with flooding since it was founded.
Previously, the downtown was flooded three times (1901, 1922, and 1954).
In recent years, Darbey has experienced flooding with much more
frequency. The downtown was flooded in 1995, 1998, 2010, and 2013.

 Move 6: Forecast the content: Forecasting describes the
structure of the document for your readers by identifying the
major topics it will cover.
 Example: In this proposal, we will first identify the causes of Darbey’s
flooding problems. Then we will offer some solutions for managing
flooding. And finally, we will discuss the costs and benefits of
implementing our solutions.
 Forecasting helps readers visualize the organization of the
of the document by listing each major section of the
document. Normally, forecasting is only used in longer
documents like proposals and analytical reports.

Organizing and Drafting the Body
 The body of the document is where you are going to
the content that readers need to know. Here is where you
give them the information they need (facts, details,
and reasoning) to understand your subject and/or take
 Carving the Body into Sections
 The bodies of larger technical documents are typically
into sections. In many ways, sections are like miniature
documents, needing their own beginning, middle, and end.
They typically include an opening, body, and closing

 Opening An opening is usually a sentence or small paragraph
that identifies the subject and purpose of the section. The
opening usually includes a claim or set of claims that the rest of
the section will support.
 Results of Our Study
 The results of our study allow us to draw two conclusions about
the causes of flooding in Darbey. First, Darbey’s flooding is
mostly due to the recent construction of new levees by towns
farther upriver. Second, development around the river is taking
away some of the wetlands that have protected Darbey from
flooding in the past. In this section, we will discuss each of
causes in depth.

 BODY The body of a section is where you will offer support for the
claim you made in the opening.
 The body of a section can run anywhere from one paragraph to
paragraphs, depending on the purpose of the section.
 For example, if you are discussing the results of a research study,
your Results section may require three or more paragraphs in the
body—one paragraph per major result.
 CLOSING (Optional) A large or complex section might need a brief
closing paragraph to wrap up the discussion. A closing usually
restates the claim you made in the opening of the section. It might
also look forward to the next section.
 In sum, these two causes will likely become only more significant over time.
As upriver towns grow in population, there will be more pressure than ever
to build more levees to protect them. Meanwhile, if development
in the available wetlands around the Curlew River, Darbey will find that
some of its last defenses against flooding have disappeared.

 Organizing and Drafting the Conclusion
 An effective conclusion rounds out the discussion by bringing readers back
the subject, purpose, and main point of your document.
 Five closing moves in a conclusion
 Like the introduction of your document, your document’s conclusion will
a few predictable moves expected by your audience:
 Move 1: Make an obvious transition: By using a heading such as “Final Points”
or a transitional phrase such as “To sum up,” you will signal to the readers
you are going to tell them your main points. Here are some transitions that
will get their attention:

 Move 2: Restate your main point: In the conclusion, you need to
restate your main point one more time to drive it home. After
your readers now have all the facts, so they should be ready to
make a final decision.
 If Darbey is to survive and thrive, we need to take action now to address its
increasing flooding problem. By restoring wetlands, developing greenways,
and building levees, we can begin preparing for the flooding problems that
almost certainly a risk in the future.
 Move 3: Re-emphasize the importance of the subject:
 Sometimes readers need to be reminded of why the subject of
your document is important to them.
 If we can reduce or eliminate flooding in Darbey, we will save our citizens
millions of dollars in lost revenues and reconstruction. Moreover, Darbey will
be viewed as a place with a future, because flooding will not continually undo
all our hard work.

 Move 4: Look to the future: Looking to the future is a good way to
end any Document. A sentence or paragraph that looks to the future
will leave your readers with a positive image.
 When we have effectively managed the Curlew River, the city of Darbey and
surrounding area will likely see steady growth in population and industry. Once
reputation for flooding has been removed, people and businesses will likely
to this area for its riverside charm and outdoor activities. The town will
a true revival.
 Move 5: Say thank you and offer contact information: You might
end your document by saying thank you and offering contact
information.
 We appreciate your time and consideration. If you have any questions or would
like to meet with us about this report, please contact the task force leader, Mary
Subbock, at 555–0912 or e-mail her at msubbock@cdarbey.gov.
 This kind of thank you statement leaves readers with a positive
feeling and invites them to contact you if they need more
information

Technical Writing: Organisation and drafting of a document

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