Nature of Technical Writing

Introduction

Technical writing introduce you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the world of
science, technology, and business. In other words, the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors,
computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other such people do as a part of their
regular work.

To learn how to write effectively for the world of work, you'll study common types of reports,
special format items such as lists and headings, simple techniques for putting graphics into reports,
and some techniques for producing professional- looking final copy.

However, the focus for technical-writing is not necessarily career as a technical writer but an
introduction to the kinds of writing skills you need in practically any technically oriented
professional job. No matter what sort of professional work you do, you're likely to do lots of writing
and much of it technical in nature. The more you know about some basic technical- writing skills,
which are covered in this guide and in technical-writing courses, the better job of writing you're
likely to do. And that will be good for the projects you work on, for the organizations you work in,
and most of all good for you and your career.

Characteristics of Technical Writing

Technical writing presents and explains a subject matter in a clear, objective, accurate, concise, and
unemotional manner. Technical writing uses a relatively high concentration of certain complex and
important writing techniques particularly description of a mechanism, description of process,
clarification, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, analogy and interpretation.

Technical writing highly utilizes technical vocabulary. It utilizes tables, graphs and figures to clarify
and support textual discussion. It uses the conventional report forms.

Purpose of Technical Writing

The following are the primary purposes of technical writing.
1. To inform
It is written to make another person understand or to do something. It is designed to fulfill a need
to tell and a need to know.

2. To analyze events and their implications

It will explain how certain systems failed. This system may include education, socioeconomic,
political and the needed change.

3. To persuade and influence decisions

It will show how a business or an industry succeeds.
Technical writing is ideally characterized by the maintenance of impartiality and objectivity, by
extreme care to convey information accurately and concisely and by the absence of any attempt to
arouse emotions.

Functions of Technical Writing

1. To serve as a basis for management decision
2. To furnish needed information
3. To give instructions
4. To explain techniques
5. To report achievements
6. To analyze problem areas
7. To determine design and system requirements
8. To serve as a basis for public relation
9. To provide report to stockholders of companies
10. To develop a product
11. To provide service
12. To record business through proposals
13. To procure business through proposals
Basic Principles of Good Technical Writing
1. Understanding the reader

2. Knowing the purpose of each article or report

3. Knowing the subject matter

4. Writing objectively

5. Using correct format

6. Adopting ethical standards

Understanding the Reader

A basic consideration in technical writing is to know the target audience. The technical writer
should know how to adapt his writings and terminologies of the type of the intended audience or
readers. Difficult technical terms used must be carefully defined so that the reader will easily
understand the information being presented. If the reader fails to understand what he reads, the
writer fails in his mission. The technical writers should know how important his readers are. The
target readers help the writer to know what to write about and how to write it.

Knowing the Purpose of Each Technical Report

The technical paper must be organized around a central theme. The reader should understand the
main purpose after reading the paper. The purpose maybe is to describe a thing, to report on a
specific problem or project, or to analyze and solve a problem.

Knowing the Subject Matter

A technical writer must have a thorough knowledge of the subject he is to write about. If the report
is on the result of a technical experiment, the writer who writes the report should explain what the
problem is all about, what causes the problem and how the problem is solved.

Writing Objectively
A good technical writer must emphasize the facts and the data. The impersonal style is basic to an
effective technical writer. He represents facts, figures and statistics skillfully woven around the
subject matter or central theme and written in an impersonal manner.

Using Correct Format

The format and style of a report attract the attention of the readers first. Companies require neatly-
typed communications, reports and project proposals and feasibility studies. The current trends
require that such communication be computerized or typed.

Adopting Ethical Standards

A technical writer should undertake comprehensive research work; accumulate the required data
through interviews, surveys, referrals and related publications. He must have to present facts and
figures as gathered and required, using only those that are pertinent to the report. A good technical
writer also acknowledges the help he receives from others and cities sources of reference materials.

Styles in Technical Writing

Style is the writer’s way of writing, a manner in which he expresses his thoughts and feelings in a
language. Below are guidelines for clear technical writing.

1. Be selective, focus on the essential information and the significant details.

2. Develop a clean, direct style; avoid inflated language and scrambling sentences.

3. Use examples and comparisons to clarify descriptions and explanations.

4. Repeat words and phrases for clarify or emphasis or to ease transitions, but avoid needless
repetitions.

5. Delete unnecessary words and phrases, but avoid short cuts that sacrifice meaning.

Sentence Structure and Length

Technical writing should use the natural word order, simple sentence structure and good short
sentences. Since technical subject matter requires the use of complex, technical vocabulary and the
expression of complex ideas, the use of shorter words and sentences, simple in structures, will help
a lot in the readability of difficulty material.
Paragraph Structure and Length
In technical writing, the topic sentence should come first in the paragraph or at the very latest part
after whatever transitional sentences appear. Sometimes the writer does the opposite by giving the
details at the beginning and then concludes by stating the main idea. The use of one or more very
short paragraphs achieves an especially forceful effect.

Scientific Attitude
Judicious weighing of evidence is very important in a technical report. The best evidence is one
which is the most ample, the most pertinent and the simplest in explaining the facts with the least
additional evidence and most in harmony with the rest of the available evidence. The conclusion or
recommendation should include all evidences in which the judgement is made.

The technical writer must know when he would say enough, and not overwrite. As a writer of his
materials, he should know what to present, what to amplify, what to rewrite and what to emphasize.

Generalization

When the technical writer makes generalizations, he is giving probable conclusions derived from
the observation of factors. Since the report is based on generalizations, it is necessary to describe
the circumstances surrounding the report. Provide enough evidence, data and samples to enable the
reader to evaluate the generalizations for himself. To be certain that you have followed ground rules
and not ‘Jumping to conclusions´, test the validity of your data and samples.

Here is the suggested checklist (Nem Singh and Calixihan 1994)

1. Can I prove its accuracy?

2. Can I show the direct bond between the facts and generalizations?

3. Is it fact and not opinion?

4. Do I have all the facts?

5. Are they up to date?

6. Is the generalization verifiable? Would I get the same result it I do it again?

7. Is it significant?

The principles to be observed in organizing the material as cited by Alvarez (1980) are as follows:

1. To organize the material of a subject, first break it down into the component aspects.

2. To organize a report or paper, choose a suitable approach and make an outline that implements it.

3. The basic unit of organization is the paragraph.

4. Use these paragraphs to present related data, graphs to show trends and visual to clarify
description. 5. Plan a report or paper thoroughly before starting to write it.

6. Gather the necessary data through basic library research and primary services.

7. Write a first draft.

8. Revise and rewrite as often as necessary

9. Write a final draft

10. Place footnotes to acknowledge references and include a bibliography at the end of a report or
paper.

The Technical Writer

The Role of the Technical Writer

A good technical writer possesses insights, perceptiveness, quick to determine probabilities and
the ability to adapt to requirements. He can identify developments that may affect his project. The
technical writer must understand the nature of his work. He should be able to help his principals
attain the target objectives. He must not only possess the technical writing ability and technical
expertise, he must also have the capability to grasp, analyze and interpret unexpected events and
situations that occurred during the writing of the technical report. The technical writer should have
the ability to state facts clearly and accurately to organize a variety of elements into a unified
structure, and to describe logical generalizations.

Hallmarks of an Effective Technical Writer

The hallmarks of an effective technical writer is represented by this acronym—REPORTER

(Mosura and Tenorio, 1999)

R - Resourceful

E - Energetic

P-Patient

O-Observant

R-Responsible

T-Trustworthy

E-Evaluative

R-Responsive