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Unit 2

The Seven Recommendations for Good Writing

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Technical Writing 

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Outline

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In this unit we will discuss the seven recommendations forgood writing:

Follow specifications

Get to the point

Be accurate

Be logical

Make your ideas accessible

Use lists

Format your pages carefully

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Follow Specifications

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Before writing, you should be aware of any specificationsyour document must meet.

This usually applies for project reports, technical papers,proposals, theses, and even memos.

Various document specifications exist: Such specifications may require the inclusion of sections

addressing certain topics.

A word limit is often placed on the length of the document or

its sections.

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Follow specifications

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Many documents have specifications for headings, spacing,margin width, fonts….etc.

Example:

“Each proposal shall consist of not more than five single

spaced pages plus a cover page, a budget page, a summarypage of no more than 300 words. All text shall be printedwith Times New Romans font of 12pt. size on A-4 paper withmargins of 2.5 cm on all sides.”

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Get to the point

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Your sentences need to be direct, short and clear.

There should not be any room for different interpretations ormisunderstandings.

State the most important information at the beginning.

Before reading the details, people need to know your keypoints, findings, conclusions or recommendations.

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Get to the point

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Not everybody would read all the details. Your mostimportant message may get lost in the details otherwise.

Examples:

Letter: Opening sentences

Memo: Subject line

Reports: Clear title + summary or abstract

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Be accurate

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Make sure that: All the technical details are correct.

All numbers, definitions and equations are correct.

All references to pages, charts, tables or appendices are correct.

All your references are cited correctly. Make sure to draw a clear line between facts and

opinions. Your opinions should be presented as suchuntil adequate evidence is provided to verify them.

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Be accurate

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Example:

Fact: “Diesel particulate filters have been proven to have a

filtration efficiency of over 91% under normal driving

conditions for particulates in the range of 0.1 – 1.0 m.”

Opinion: “Diesel particulate filters are the most effective

tool available today for eliminating particulate emissions.”

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Be logical

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You must organise your material so that each idea, point, andsection is clearly and logically laid out within an appropriate

overall pattern.

If there are a number of points that need to presented, start

with the most important to the least or vice-versa.

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Be logical

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The document may need to be arranged on the basis of:

Sequential order, such as in a progress report,

Difficulty level, such as in a tutorial or educational material,

Clear consecutive steps, such as in technical manuals.

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Make your ideas accessible

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The structure of a document can usually give an idea abouthow efficiently the material is presented at glance.(take a

quick look).

The two important factors here are:

The subdivision of the material into sections and subsections

Paragraph length

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Make your ideas accessible

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A system of headings and subheadings helps the reader toeasily access the report without getting lost in details.

It also shows the relationship between various parts of

information in your material.

Use boldface, italics or underlining to make your headings

stand out.

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Make your ideas accessible

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A numbered headings system gives an even easier referenceto different parts of a long report.

Example:

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Emission Control Strategies

1.1.1 Fuel modifications

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Make your ideas accessible

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Avoid dense text in page-long chunk.

It is discouraging and very difficult to absorb and access.

Always try to divide your material in digestible paragraphs ofno more than 12 lines.

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Use lists

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In many cases, a well organised list is the most efficientway to communicate information.

This becomes particularly significant in presenting steps

in a procedure, reasons for a decision, items to beconsidered…etc.

A numbered list is preferred when the data follows a

certain order, or if there is an order of importance.

Bulleted lists are also common when items in the list arein no specific order.

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Format your pages carefully

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Proper formatting can have a positive effect on the readerand can make your document appealing and visually

accessible.

Use professional-looking typeface such as Times New

Roman or Arial with a standard type size of 10 or 12 points.

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Format your pages carefully

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Leave a blank line between all paragraphs.

Leave a blank line before every heading or subheading.

Leave one or two blank lines between text and graphics or

lists.

Leave a blank line before and after every equation in the text.

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Format your pages carefully

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Make sure you leave ample margins around your text.

Standard margins are around 2.5 cm from all sides.

If the document is likely to be bound, it is recommended toincrease the left margin to 3 cm.

Make sure that the margins are consistent throughout thedocument.