CHAPTER 1

TECHNICAL WRITING
Technical writing is
communication in any field
whose primary aim is to
convey a particular piece
of information for a
particular purpose to a
particular reader or group
of readers.
It is objective, clear and
accurate, concise and
unemotional in its presentation
of facts. Special techniques that
the technical writer often uses
are definitions, descriptions of
mechanisms, descriptions of
processes, classifications and
interpretations.
LESSON 1

THE NATURE OF
TECHNICAL WRITING
 TECHNICAL WRITING
DEFINED
Technical writing may be defined
and described in the following
manner
(Mills & Walter, 1981):

1.Technical writing is exposition

about scientific subjects and about
various technical subjects
associated with the sciences.
2. Technical writing is characterized by
certain formal elements such as its scientific
and technical vocabulary, its use of graphic
aids and its use of conventional report
forms.

3. Technical writing is ideally characterized

by the maintenance of an attitude of
impartiality and objectivity, by the extreme
care to convey information accurately and
concisely, and by the absence of any
attempt to arouse emotion.
4. Technical writing is writing in which there is
a relatively high concentration of certain
complex and important writing techniques- in
particular, definition, description of
mechanism, description of a process,
classification and interpretation.
 Purposes of Technical
Writing
Technical writing has three important
purposes:

1.It gives information and decision

making and task accomplishments.

2.It analyzes events and their

implications, the failure of systems
(educational, socioeconomic, political,
etc.).
 It persuades and influences decision making.

Subject Matter of Technical Writing

All formal aspects of professional areas, data in business, science, industry, technology and
engineering are the subject matter of technical writing.

Characteristics of Technical Writing

1. Technical writing information flow easily and clearly.

2. Technical writing emphasizes objective reporting with no room for different interpretations (proper
words, specific, and concrete), sentence structure and paragraph organization, declarative sentence with
third- person pronouns.

3. Technical writing emphasizes factual data, statistics, and measurable elements (use of graphic
organizers).
 Basic Principles of Good Technical Writing

To achieve this, writers should focus their craft

on the five basic principles of good technical
writing namely:

1.Writers should always have in mind a

specific reader, real or imaginary, when
writing their report and always assume that
they are intelligent but uninformed.

2.They should decide on their exact purpose in

writing.
3. They should use simple, concrete and familiar language.

4. They should check/ review their writing from time to time.

5. They should make the paper as neat and as attractive as

possible.
LESSON 2
PROPERTIES OF TECHNICAL WRITING
Just as letters comprise words,
technical writing is composed of
properties
that serve as its building blocks.
Vicente, et. al. (1997) cite accuracy,
brevity, coherence, confidence,
dignity, emphasis, grammatical
correctness, honesty, illustrations,
judgment, knowledge, logic,
mechanical neatness, normal
procedure, objectivity, qualification,
straight sentences, thoroughness,
unity, veracity, viewpoint, word
choice, you- point and zest as the
properties of technical writing.
Accuracy in technical writing means the
use of precise words, coherent
sentences, well-developed paragraphs
and a balanced report.

Brevity means a concise straight-to-

the-point type of writing. Information
is delivered without mincing words and
zeroes in on the subject.
Coherence refers to the logical agreement of
sentences, paragraphs and groups of paragraphs.
Transition from one thought to the next is done
smoothly and consistently throughout the written
work.

Confidence is being an authority on the subject of

your report. You yourself must have a solid
conviction in your report; readers will sense sign
of credibility problem.
Dignity refers to terms used in technical
writing conveying formality. Ideas are well-
thought of and translated into writings using
succinct words. There is an air of authority, of
credibility in the work. Contracting words is
sacrilege because it takes away the dignity in
words.

Emphasis in technical writing means being

discriminating. As the writer of the report, you
act as the captain of the ship and the readers,
your crew. You steer them in the direction you
wish them to take by identifying the points you
want to stress.
Grammatical correctness is critical, not
only in technical writing, but also in
other writing activities. Incorrect
grammar is the bump that disturbs the
smooth flow of words and ideas in any
written work. Your target readers are
presumed to be aware of the basic rules
in grammar and if they see that you are
taking that into consideration, they
would be disappointed. If that happens,
you lose your readers and you become
less credible.
Honesty is acknowledging the use of the
work of other people because you know
that it is their intellectual property. They
spent considerable time researching and
writing their work, therefore, only they
can claim ownership of a particular idea
or concept. Honesty in technical writing
not only involves the work of other
people, but your own work, as well. Any
wrong or right thing you have made in
the conduct of your research, its
outcome and the subsequent report you
wrote should also be made known
because they may prove helpful to other
people who are doing, or who are
Illustrations include figures, graphs, charts,
diagrams, and photographs. These should be
labelled properly. Illustrations provide the
visual support the text needs: they aid the
readers in having a firmer grasp of the
material. Discussion regarding the illustrations
used should be incorporated within the text.

Judgement made by a writer either makes or

breaks his career. The writer must make sure
that the data he has gathered will hold up
under close scrutiny. It is not the quantity but
the quality of data that is important.
Supporting data should be concise, accurate,
sufficient and should blend in with the rest.
Knowledge is different from data. Data are just
bodies of information regarding a particular
subject. They may or may not be always factual.
Knowledge, on the other hand, involves the
interpretation of data. Two writers given the same
data might have two differing interpretations. The
interpretations of data might shed light on the
existing data or it may create new ones.

Logic is the systematic way of organizing the

different parts of the report. Sentences and
concepts must be in agreement. There is order in
the way things happen or how ideas are presented.
Each part should be clearly established but without
sounding stilted.
Mechanical neatness in a report means that
proper margins are observed with each word
neatly encoded. The use of headings,
subheadings and indentions delineates and
emphasizes the different parts of the report.
The neatness or untidiness of a report reflects
the personality of the writer, particularly his or
her attention to details.

Normal procedure refers to consistency in the

style or format used. Readers have come to
rely on this consistency, therefore, any
departure from the usual format will disrupt
their reading. This will make the readers
confused and disgruntled.
Objectivity involves the detached
approach of a writer to his subject. The
use of first person pronouns such as I,
my and me is avoided to avoid giving
the impression that the work is tainted
by the writer’s biased opinion rather
than by dispassionate interpretation of
data.

Qualification is determining the

validity of your report given a specific
time frame and the surrounding
circumstances. These will determine
the accuracy and duration of validity of
the writer’s work.
Straight sentences refer to the smooth flow
of sentences contained in a technical write-
up. Sentences and paragraphs are arranged
in such a way as to encourage the reader to
finish reading your work without requiring
much effort.

Thoroughness in one’s report leaves little

room for error because every step executed
has already been planned, analyzed and
reviewed . The writer constantly checks and
rechecks data gathered and their
subsequent interpretation to make sure that
there are no conceptual and grammatical
errors.