HS 201 Technical Writing

HS 201 Technical WritingDr. Alya BadawiDepartment of Nuclear and Radiation EngineeringAlexandria UniversityWhy study technical writingIf you plan to work as an engineer, you will use technical writing in your life:Write reports as a studentWrite graduation projectWrite your CV and cover letter to apply for a jobWrite memos to interact with your colleaguesWrite work emails Write progress report, proposals, feasibility studies,Write different letters to your boss, colleagues, clients,

Course outlineWeekTopicWeekTopic1Introduction8Proposals2Ethical considerations9Progress reports3Technical definition10Feasibility and recommendation reports4Description of mechanism11Midterm 25Description of a process12Laboratory and project reports6Midterm 113Instructions and manuals7Proposals14Open discussion15Final examAssessment WeekPercentageMidterm 1616%Midterm21116%Attendance12%Homework16%Final exam1540%Course informationLectures

Textbook: Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Leo Finkelstein, Jr, 3rd ed, McGraw-Hill International edition, Singapore, 2008

Introduction What is technical writing:It is communication writing for and about business and industry. It focuses on products and services.All scientists and engineers use technical writing.It is also used by many people other than engineers.Technical writing is precise, objective, direct, and clearly defined.

Difference between technical and creative writingTechnicalCreative ContentFactual, straight forwardImaginative, metaphoric or symbolicAudienceSpecificGeneralPurposeInform, instruct, persuadeEntertain, provoke, captivateStyleStandardArtisticVocabularySpecializedGeneralOrganizationSystematicArbitrary, artisticSome characteristics of technical writingEverybody hates to write it,Everybody hates to read it,Almost nobody does read it(except if you do a bad job at it),It takes a HUGE amount of time to write,It are absolutely CRUCIAL to YOUR success in engineering!9Report writingReport writing is basically technical report writingTechnical reports are reports on technical subjectsTypes of technical reports:Progress Report Annual Report Recommendation Report Feasibility Study Damage Report Project Report Proposal

AbstractionIn technical writing we want to:use a low level of abstraction.be as specific as possibleBut dont be too specific you lose the meaning in details

This man is having an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons.This feeling is a result of tissue damage and is from pain-sensing neurons are called nociceptors, and virtually every surface and organ of the body is wired with them.I am in pain!Abstraction Ladder

Swingline Collectors Edition 747 Rio Red Business StaplerStaplerPaper-fastening deviceBusiness/academic office suppliesMechanical device

12 Example: Batman's Grappling Gun

13Batman's Grappling Gun: Abstraction LadderClimbing deviceSuperhero tools/devicesBatman's utility belt itemsBatman's Grappling Gunspecificabstract14The writing processThe writing process approach to writing requires the following sequence:PrewriteWriteRewrite

PrewritingWritingRewritingPrewritingPrewriting is the first stage of the process. It allows you to plan your communication.

The objectives of prewriting are:Examine your purposes and goalsConsider your audienceGather your dataDetermine how the content will be provided Audience and purposeHow well you write a technical document can be measured by:

How well the reader understands, precisely, your intended meaningHow well the understanding fulfills the purpose of the need at hand

Technical writing must be geared directly towards audience and purposeConsider your audienceWhat you say and how you say it is greatly determined by your audience.

You have to consider the readers knowledge, skill level, and specialization.

You must provide different information to different audience.

Examine your purposes and goalsSet the reasons for communications:Persuading an audience to accept your point of view.Informing an audience of facts, concerns, or questions you might have.Build relations between teams.

Characteristics of technical writingDeals with technical informationRelies heavily on visualsUses numerical data to precisely describe quantity and directionIs accurate and well documentedIs grammatically and stylistically correct

Deals with technical informationExample A computer is a machine which can take instructions and perform computations based on those instructions.

Example XOh, how could this be?!Never thought it would happen to me!My life has been smashed ... this dang computer crashed!

Relies heavily on visualsA visual is any pictorial representation that is used by the writer to clarify, explain, and support an idea.They include:PicturesGraphs Charts DiagramsIllustrationsTables

Uses numerical data to precisely describe quantity and directionExample The pressure of steam in a nuclear power plant can reach 155 bar. The temperature is about 320C

Example XThe pressure and temperature in a nuclear power plant is very high, much higher than that of air.

Is accurate and well documentedConclusions and judgments must be based on evidence or established expertise.

References, facts, laws and theories are used and mentioned to support the document.Is grammatically and stylistically correctAvoid grammar mistake.By style we mean:Using words efficientlyDo not use more words than you have toRemove redundanciesDo not go overboard with detailsDo not use complex words Avoid ambiguity

Effective Technical WritingThe four Cs:Clarity -- it is easily understood by your intended audienceComprehensiveness -- all of the necessary information is presentConciseness -- it is clear without excess verbiageCorrectness -- it is grammatical and follows conventions26Clarity and Conciseness1. Provide specific detailsUseInstead of A 5 gm sample was used a small sample was used We want three computerswe want computersLast Thursday recently, before

2. Answer reporter questionsMake sure you answer all the relevant questions: who, what, where, why, when.

Clarity and Conciseness (2)3. Use easy understandable words Avoid obscure words (e.g., later instead of subsequently) Do not use unknown abbreviations

4. Limit paragraph length A paragraph in a technical document should consist of:(a) no more than 4 6 typed lines, or (b) no more than 50 words

Clarity and Conciseness (3)5. Limit word and sentence length Limit words to about 15 - 20 words per sentence

6. Omit redundanciesDuring the year of 2007In the month of JuneThe results so far achieved areNeedless to say ComprehensivenessAll the information should be provided, Background must be described Clear description of any process, or method of carrying out a specific work.Include results, conclusions and recommendations.CorrectnessNo grammatical errors, No punctuation mistakesAppropriate format standard. If a report contains grammatical errors, the reader will doubt the accuracy of the information in the report. Example: The three persons: person 1, person 2 and person 3 attended a sessionThe three persons, person 1, person 2 and person 3 attended a session

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