Technical Writing
Read the lesson “Introduction,” “Myths about Technical and Business Writing,” and “Why Does it Matter” sections of the lesson.
Lesson 1
What Is Technical Writing?
Introduction: Connecting Your Learning
Syllabus Acknowledgement
Select the following link to submit the Syllabus Acknowledgement. When you have finished, you will need to close the browser window to return to your course. Please note that your submission of this statement indicates that you plan to participate in this course.
Think for a moment about the writing you have done as a student. If you’re like most students, you have written essays, poems, and perhaps even a story or song. How would you characterize each of these? What is classified as academic writing? What is classified as creative writing? What rules should be applied to each type of writing? What is the process for producing these types of writing? What is the purpose of academic writing versus creative writing?
You may be wondering what makes certain pieces of writing “technical.” Is it determined by the content or topic? Is it style? Does it have to do with the vocabulary used in the document? You may also be wondering why you should even take this class since you’re not planning to become a technical writer. Sound familiar?
This lesson will answer those questions and more.
Readings, Resources, and Assignments
Required Readings 1. Essay Writing
2. Creative Writing
3. MLA Undergraduate Sample Paper
4. Read the following poem, provided to you through the Rio Salado Library: Versimilitude, by Stanley Plumly, Atlantic Monthly, April 2011, vol. 307 issue 3, p 46.
5. Get Organized: Seven Ways to Better Sort, Store, and Search Your EmailMultimedia Resources 1. Video: Introduction to Technical Writing
2. Video: What is Technical Writing?Required Assignments Syllabus Acknowledgement
Create a four-column table in which you compare and contrast the language, audience, and format of academic, creative, and technical writing samples. Refer to the “Assessing Your Learning” section of the lesson for details on graded assignments.
Check Prior Knowledge
Consider whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Technical writing is named “technical writing” because it is about technical subjects.
True
False
2. When you do technical writing, you should write using technical terms.
True
False
3. Most people rarely read technical writing.
True
False
Focusing Your Learning
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Compare and contrast technical writing to other types of writing.
2. Identify the key characteristics of technical writing.
Key Terms
Key terms are important words for you to learn in this course. They will be defined in either your lesson or reading. Be sure to learn these by the end of the lesson and record them in your notes.
• Audience
• Purpose
• Academic writing
• Business and technical writing
• Creative writing
Instruction
Technical writing is a somewhat daunting label for writing that is purposeful. For example, the writing can explain how to install a stereo or software. It can communicate an open position at a company or explain the events leading up to an accident and the steps being taken to prevent future accidents from happening. As you can see from these examples, technical writing is about getting things done.
Technical writing is written for a specific purpose for a specific audience. You will now examine this statement closely. What is meant by “specific purpose?” Saying that technical writing has a specific purpose means that the writing is based on achieving a specific outcome. For example, a user manual for a cell phone is written with a specific outcome in mind: to teach people how to use the phone. In addition to purpose, technical writing is focused on a particular audience. Who would be the audience for the cell phone user manual? All cell phone users or only people who use that particular phone?
Myths About Technical and Business Writing
Myth 1: Technical and business writing is writing about technical subjects such as computer networking, brain surgery, and atomic fusion.
In spite of its name, technical writing is not focused exclusively on “technical” subjects like nanoscience or aeronautic engineering. Technical writing is specific to a particular situation or circumstance and includes explanations, recommendations, procedures, policies, and the like. Some examples of technical and business writing include user guides that come with toys, procedures provided by ATMs, résumés, proposals, and company vacation policies.
Myth 2: Good technical writing is not comprised of jargon and is not replete with multisyllabic, sophisticated terminology.
The best technical writing is simple and clear. If the goal is to help readers accomplish a particular task, communicating each step using straightforward language is best. Look at the language used to express myth #2; it is definitely not simple and clear. To make the language clear and concise, you could rewrite this myth as follows: Good technical writing uses the simplest language possible.
Myth 3: Grammar don’t matter in technical and business writing; if the information is correct, that’s cool.
If the purpose of technical writing is to explain something to the readers, you should do all you can to ensure understanding…including the use of correct grammar and spelling. Consider the way Myth #3 is written. Does the text seem reliable? Good grammar is one way to demonstrate authority and establish credibility with readers. Grammar matters in technical and business writing; if the information is correct but contains grammar mistakes, then readers won’t take the work seriously.
Why Does it Matter?
Now that you have a better understanding of what technical writing is and is not, you will further explore one of the questions at the beginning of this lesson: If I know I am not going to be a technical writer, why do I need to learn about technical writing?
The answer is…writing is a part of almost every professional working environment.
Think about a doctor’s office. Your doctor, nurse, physician’s assistant, receptionist, and records administrator all interact with your personal health information in writing. Writing clearly and correctly to document patient health and treat patients is extremely important.
Consider your enrollment in college classes. People write the course descriptions for the catalogs, the fields on the forms you complete, the text on the parking tickets you may receive, and your course syllabi. If the writing is not clear, this can lead to frustration, wasted time, or even worse consequences.
Putting It All Together
Sometimes the best way to understand a concept is to look at related ideas to see how they are both similar and different.
Academic Writing
Read the pages about academic writing at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Academic writing is the type of writing you did in English 101 and English 102. It is organized into paragraphs and may contain vocabulary associated with a specific discipline.
This type of writing uses the language of learning and may be more sophisticated than the language used in technical and professional writing. The audience for academic writing may include students, scholars, and professors. The format follows a standard style guide such as the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA).
Creative Writing
Read the pages about creative writing at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Creative writing is focused more on feeling and description than on fact and research. Creative writing includes poems, songs, and stories.
In creative writing, the language is often more creative and fanciful. You may get the sense that the writer is using words as a literary sort of paintbrush. The audience for creative writing varies based on the content or style of the writing. The format will also vary; after all, it is creative writing.
Technical and Business Writing
Read the pages about business and technical writing at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Technical and business writing is focused on accomplishing tasks. These tasks could include using a device, processing a transaction, or obtaining a job.
Technical and business writing uses simple and direct language with little ornamentation or dramatic effect. The audience for technical writing depends on the purpose of the communication. A user manual for an iPod is written for iPod consumers. A résumé is written for the hiring committee of a specific company. The audience for an email might include your boss and others to whom it could be forwarded. The format for technical communications is also determined by the purpose of the communication. For example, a user manual is usually written in steps, which are accompanied by visuals to enhance meaning. Résumés are created in a standard résumé formats.
When you look at the resources from the Purdue Online Writing Lab, notice the differences between the final product of each type of writing (essay, poem, fiction) and the characteristics of each type of writing. You may want to take notes as you read to help you complete the assignment for this lesson.
Assessing Your Learning
Syllabus Acknowledgement. Submit the syllabus acknowledgement form to your instructor. Please note that your submission of this statement indicates that you plan to participate in this course.
Submit Syllabus Acknowledgement.
Graded Assignments
Lesson 1 Assignment: Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer (30 points)
For this week’s assignment, you will complete a graphic organizer in which you identify and analyze the characteristics of three types of writing. You will read a poem, an essay, and a technical document and compare their language, audience, and format in the following graphic organizer. Select the link associated with each title in the graphic organizer to read that section.
Selection Language Audience Format
Verisimilitude
MLA Undergraduate Sample Paper
Get Organized: Seven Ways to Better Sort, Store, and Search Your Email
Look for differences in the type of vocabulary in each selection. Identify specific words of interest and explain why they’re important. Write your observations in the Language column next to the title of each selection.
Next, determine who the audience is for each selection. You may not be able to be precise, but there is enough information in each selection to infer something about the intended audience of each one. Write the intended audience and those clues you have to support your assertion in the Audience column.
Finally, consider the format of each selection. Each is structured differently. Determine what the format is and why that particular format is well suited to the selection. Document your findings in the Format column.
You may copy the existing table or create a similar table with a column for language, a column for audience, and a column for format. If you would like to practice creating tables in Word, click on Insert/Table, then select the number of rows and columns you need. If you need additional guidance, you can press F1 to access help in any Microsoft Office product.
Check your work against the following grading rubric before submitting it to your instructor.
Characteristic Points
Submission is in the form of a four-column table. 5
Each element (language, audience, format) contains an assertion and supporting evidence. 25
Total Points 30
Submission Instructions
When submitting your homework, be sure to include your name, the lesson number, and the writing topic at the top of your first page. Follow these Formatting Guidelines.To submit the assignment, you will attach your file within the assignment submission window at the following link: Lesson 1 Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer.
If you need help attaching your file to the submission window, refer to Attaching Files to Assignments in RioLearn.