BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOOD

TECHNICAL WRITING

By: Nancy Balea and

Ana Marie Prada

Content
There are five basic questions a technical writer has to ask
themselves when starting a new project who, why, what,
how and when. Answering these questions will allow the
technical writer to be able to develop the content for any
type of technical documentation.

Styleguide
Technical writers will more than likely use a company
styleguide (if there is one) to ensure that their
documentation has a structured and organized pattern so
that it gives consistency to their writing. A styleguide will
provide the document with continuity so that the audience
can comprehend the information. For example, technical
writers need to organise their ideas in a specific
chronological format because without a specific layout and
structure to the documentation it will be very confusing for
the reader to understand.

Writing Style
Technical writers will need to change their writing
style depending on the audience and situation they
are writing about. If they are writing technical
documentation then it needs to be formal and devoid
of any emotion as you get with creative writing.
Whereas, if say they were an email to one of the
senior managers involved in the project then their
approach would more casual than formal.

Accessing the information

Accessibility applies to the ease at which the intended
audience can gain access to the information they need
from the technical documentation. A technical document
must at least contain a table of contents, headers and
footers, list of illustrations/tables, page numbers, etc.

Grammar
A technical writer must adhere to all the rules of
conventional grammar. Also it is the technical writers
responsibility to proofread and edit their documentation to
detect and correct any errors in the writing, graphics,
typography and layout.

KINDS OF TECHNICAL
WRITING

By: Jamela Tingzon and

Airen Tamor

Conventional Technical Documentation

This type of technical writing is aimed at a specific
audience, so the writer has to know about the reader's
level of comprehension as well as the subject about which
they are writing. Repair and owner manuals, maintenance
guidelines, engineering specifications, technical manuals
and articles, research papers and reference works fall into
this classification.

Marketing Materials
Companies use technical writers to compose promotional
materials to market and sell their products. They rely on
these writers' expertise to describe products or services in
an appealing manner while incorporating facts into the
narratives. This category includes home pages for
websites, press releases, brochures, advertising copy for
audio, visual and written communications and product
descriptions for catalogs and online retail websites.

End User Instructions and Guidelines

Whenever you purchase a new software program, install a
new computer peripheral or buy a new technological gadget
or consumer appliance, it comes with hard copy instructions
or an instructional CD or DVD to explain how to use it.
Technical writers are relied upon to interpret data, often from
several foreign languages, and regurgitate it in a form that
employs user-friendly language that can be understood by
novices through professionals. In additional to user
instructions, writers in this division also compile
troubleshooting guides, lists of dos and don'ts, warranty
descriptions and legal disclaimers.

Report Writing
Although the original definition of technical writing
only included the aforementioned formats, in recent
years technical writers have found a niche in report
and policy writing. Organizations frequently gather
information from several departments or executives
that require organization and editing before it can
be published or distributed. Technical writers
perform these tasks in several categories.

Policies and Procedures

Both large and small companies must have policy and
procedures guidelines to govern their organization and
protect themselves against lawsuits from employees who
may claim they were not aware of certain rules and
regulations. Technical writers present these instructions in
clear, non-discriminatory terms and understandable
language.

Feasibility Studies and Corporate Reports

These documents require precise research and presentation
of facts that can be easily comprehended by several levels of
employees, executives and shareholders. They normally
include graphs and charts for comparative purposes in the
areas of economics, timelines and social or business
practicality along with narratives to explain the visual aids.

Technical Reports
In addition to instructions and guidelines, many technical
products include information on the products' history,
evolution or structural or operational revisions. Technical
writers organize the information and edit it for brevity and
accuracy.

Research Results
Products such as pharmaceuticals or medical devices are
required to include information on findings and
interpretations based on laboratory testing or field
research. Exemplary attention to detail is important in this
type of writing as it frequently includes facts on drug
interactions, side effects and other health-related issues
that could be life threatening.

Business Plans
Before lending institutions consider extending loans
to new or established businesses, they require a
detailed business plan. These documents require
research of economic trends and include projections
on expenditures, possible losses and profit margins
along with detailed background information on the
business owners' professional background and
financial stability.

Careers in Technical Writing

If you have a good eye for detail and the talent to explain
complex concepts in easily understandable terms, you may
have a lucrative career as a technical writer. To test your level
of talent, offer to do a few minor technical writing tasks at no
cost for a favorite charity or company and use their feedback
to ascertain if this is a good occupational avenue for you to
pursue, either as a freelance technical writer or as a staff
member of a company.

PROPERTIES OF
TECHNICAL WRITING

By: Rosilda Castillo

1. Accuracy
Unclear writing can cause many problems and even accuracy in the
report.
2. Brevity
Its easier to grasp the main idea of the report written if you have a
brief report.
3. Coherence
Logical togetherness of the material; use of traditional devices.
4. Confidence
The modest sureness on your part as the report writer.
5. Dignity
Formality with respect to words and the way words are used. Avoid
contracted word such as cant, havent, doesnt because it might give
other meaning.
6. Emphasis
Main point; separates major from minor issues.

FORMATS AND PARTS OF

TECHNICAL WRITING
REPORT

By: Jason Badilla

1 Introduction
A technical report is a formal report designed to
convey technical information in a clear and easily
accessible format. It is divided into sections which
allow different readers to access different levels
of information. This guide explains the commonly
accepted format for a technical report; explains
the purposes of the individual sections; and gives
hints on how to go about drafting and refining a
report in order to produce an accurate,
professional document

2 Structure
A technical report should contain the following sections;

By: Rona Verdeflor

3 Presentation
For technical reports required as part of an assessment, the following presentation guidelines
are recommended;

By: Sheina Jean Seludo

4 Planning the report

There are some excellent textbooks contain advice
about the writing process and how to begin (see
Section 16). Here is a checklist of the main stages;
Collect your information. Sources include laboratory
handouts and lecture notes, the University Library,
the reference books and journals in the Department
office. Keep an accurate record of all the published
references which you intend to use in your report, by
noting down the following information;

Journal article:
Journal article:
author(s)
author(s)
title of article
title of article
name of journal (italic or
name of journal (italic or
underlined)
underlined)
year of publication
year of publication
volume number (bold)
volume number (bold)
issue number, if provided
issue number, if provided
(in brackets)
(in brackets)
page numbers
page numbers

Book:
Book:
author(s)
author(s)
title of book (italic or
title of book (italic or
underlined)
underlined)
edition, if
edition, if
appropriate
appropriate
publisher
publisher
year of publication
year of publication

Creative phase of planning.

Creative phase of planning.
Write down topics and ideas from your researched material in
Write down topics and ideas from your researched material in
random order.
random order.
Next arrange them into logical groups.
Next arrange them into logical groups.
Keep note of topics that do not fit into groups in case they
Keep note of topics that do not fit into groups in case they
come in useful later.
come in useful later.
Put the groups into a logical sequence which covers the topic
Put the groups into a logical sequence which covers the topic
of your report.
of your report.
Structuring the report.
Structuring the report.
Using your logical sequence of grouped ideas, write out a
Using your logical sequence of grouped ideas, write out a
rough outline of the report with headings and subheadings.
rough outline of the report with headings and subheadings.

5 Writing the first draft

Who is going to read the report? For coursework assignments, the
readers might be fellow students and/or faculty markers. In professional
contexts, the readers might be managers, clients, project team
members. The answer will affect the content and technical level, and is
a major consideration in the level of detail required in the introduction.
Begin writing with the main text, not the introduction. Follow your
outline in terms of headings and subheadings. Let the ideas flow; do not
worry at this stage about style, spelling or word processing. If you get
stuck, go back to your outline plan and make more detailed preparatory
notes to get the writing flowing again.
Make rough sketches of diagrams or graphs. Keep a numbered list of
references as they are included in your writing and put any quoted
material inside quotation marks (see Section 11).
Write the Conclusion next, followed by the Introduction. Do not write the
Summary at this stage.

6 Revising the first draft

This is the stage at which your report will start to
take shape as a professional, technical document. In
revising what you have drafted you must bear in
mind the following, important principle; the essence
of a successful technical report lies in how
accurately and concisely it conveys the intended
information to the intended readership.

By: Mark Ian Pearanda

During year 1, term 1 you will be learning how to write formal English for
technical communication. This includes examples of the most common pitfalls in
the use of English and how to avoid them. Use what you learn and the
recommended books to guide you. Most importantly, when you read through
what you have written, you must ask yourself these questions;

Does that sentence/paragraph/section say what I want

and mean it to say?
If not, write it in a different way.
Are there any words/sentences/paragraphs which could
be removed without affecting the information which I am
trying to convey?
If so, remove them.

7 Diagrams, graphs, tables and mathematics

It is often the case that technical information is most concisely and clearly conveyed
by means other than words. Imagine how you would describe an electrical circuit
layout using words rather than a circuit diagram. Here are some simple guidelines;

8 The report layout

The appearance of a report is no less important than its
content. An attractive, clearly organised report stands a
better chance of being read. Use a standard, 12pt, font,
such as Times New Roman, for the main text. Use different
font sizes, bold, italic and underline where appropriate but
not to excess. Too many changes of type style can look
very fussy.

9 Headings
Use heading and sub-headings to break up the text and to guide the
reader. They should be based on the logical sequence which you
identified at the planning stage but with enough sub-headings to
break up the material into manageable chunks. The use of
numbering and type size and style can clarify the structure as
follows;

By: Emily Mejica

10 References to diagrams, graphs, tables and equations

In the main text you must always refer to any diagram, graph or table
which you use.
Label diagrams and graphs as follows;
Figure 1.2 Graph of energy output as a function of wave height.
Figure 1.2 Graph of energy output as a function of wave height.
In this example, the second diagram in section 1 would be referred to by "...see
In this example, the second diagram in section 1 would be referred to by "...see
figure 1.2..."
figure 1.2..."
Label tables in a similar fashion;
Label tables in a similar fashion;
Table 3.1 Performance specifications of a range of commercially available GaAsFET
Table 3.1 Performance specifications of a range of commercially available GaAsFET
devices
devices
In this example, the first table in section 3 might be referred to by "...with reference
In this example, the first table in section 3 might be referred to by "...with reference
to the performance specifications provided in Table 3.1..."
to the performance specifications provided in Table 3.1..."

By: Grace Abanag

11 Originality and plagiarism

Whenever you make use of other people's facts or ideas,
you must indicate this in the text with a number which
refers to an item in the list of references. Any phrases,
sentences or paragraphs which are copied unaltered
must be enclosed in quotation marks and referenced by
a number. Material which is not reproduced unaltered
should not be in quotation marks but must still be
referenced. It is not sufficient to list the sources of
information at the end of the report; you must indicate
the sources of information individually within the report
using the reference numbering system.

12 Finalising the report and proofreading

Your report should now be nearly complete
with an introduction, main text in sections,
conclusions, properly formatted references
and bibliography and any appendices. Now
you must add the page numbers, contents
and title pages and write the summary.

13 The Summary
The summary, with the title, should indicate the
scope of the report and give the main results and
conclusions. It must be intelligible without the rest
of the report. Many people may read, and refer to, a
report summary but only a few may read the full
report, as often happens in a professional
organisation.
Purpose - a short version of the report and a guide
to the report.
Length - short, typically not more than 100-300
words
Content - provide information, not just a description

By: Michelle Ivan Nacario

14 Proofreading
This refers to the checking of every aspect of a piece
of written work from the content to the layout and is
an absolutely necessary part of the writing process.
You should acquire the habit of never sending or
submitting any piece of written work, from email to
course work, without at least one and preferably
several processes of proofreading. In addition, it is
not possible for you, as the author of a long piece of
writing, to proofread accurately yourself; you are too
familiar with what you have written and will not spot
all the mistakes.

15 Word processing / desktop publishing

Two useful tips;

Do not bother with style and formatting
of a document until the penultimate or
final draft.
Do not try to get graphics finalised until
the text content is complete.

Thank you for listening!