Abstract
Abstract--This paper has focused on technical writing as a skill for engineers. It has sought to define technical writing and throw light on the content and technique of writing the various components of successful technical reports (for example, articles, papers, or research reports, such as theses and dissertations). Then, it has highlighted other special features and principles of effective technical writing. The material in this paper is divided into seven major parts. Part 1 (Technical writing for engineers) stresses that a successful engineering career requires strong writing skills. Part 2 (How to write the major sections or elements of a report) describes the techniques of writing the abstract, introduction, literature review, procedure/methods & materials, results, discussion, conclusion, and recommendations. Part 3 (Special features of technical writing) brings into focus some of the special features of technical writing such as tables & graphs in the text, graphics in instructions, team writing, ethics (plagiarism), document sources, three citation styles and IEEE reference style. Part 4 (Technical usage) deals with writing abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms, numbers, units of measurement, and equations.Part 5 (Technical style) highlights the imperative writing style and other features of technical writing such as the use of active and passive voices, plain vs. complex syntax, avoiding redundant or superfluous expressions, and vague generalities, using words or expressions with visual impact, the past tense to describe experimental work, the present tense to describe hypotheses, principles, theories and truths, and breaking up the text of the report into short sections. Part 6 (Document specifications) emphasizes the technical writer’s need to conform to such document specifications as word count, format, font, number of words per line of text imposed. Part 7 (Reader-friendly technical writing) suggests choosing the varied writing modes (patterns of organization of information) to suit the technical writing task, checking for technical accuracy and following three levels of editing to help increase the readability of a technical text. Finally, in part 8 (Ethical/legal considerations for the technical writer), the authors suggest ways for the technical writer to overcome ethical/legal dilemmas on the job.
Highlights
This paper defines technical writing and explores organizational schemes and techniques used to write effective technical reports -- journal articles, conference papers, and research reports such as theses and dissertations.Technical reports are usually written by specialists for other specialists and report on the results of research and development
Technical writers continue to be employed in such engineering-related industries as aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, chemical processing, pulp and paper, mining, construction, fiber optics, instrumentation and controls, and many other fields. [1]Technical writing usually deals with an object, process, system, or abstract idea, and the language isutilitarian; it stresses accuracy rather than style
The following section of the paper explores what content, skills and techniques go into writing each major section or element of common technical reports such as articles, papers, or research reports
Summary
This paper defines technical writing and explores organizational schemes and techniques used to write effective technical reports -- journal articles, conference papers, and research reports such as theses and dissertations.Technical reports are usually written by specialists for other specialists and report on the results of research and development. Both composition and technical communication are essentially rhetorical Both are based on the premise that communication is addressed to an audience and intended to fulfil a purpose. Whereas the finished product in a composition class is often an essay, the products in a technical communication class are more likely to have counterparts in today’s working world: sets of instructions, emails, reports,and so forth. These documents are likely to be formatted to include multiple columns, headings, bulleted lists, and graphs, figures and tables. This paper throws light on the content and technique of writing the various components of a successful technical report. It highlights other special features and principles of effective technical writing
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
