TECHNICAL WRITING Definition of Technical Writing Technical writing is a written communication about a scientific or technical subject to a specific reader

or group of readers for the purpose of giving certain information. It is usually directed or addressed to a specific reader, intelligent enough to grasp the specific information given. Oral Communication/Speaking S setting (when and where) P participants (who) E end (why) A act (how) K key (how formal) I instrument (medium used) N norm (what) G genre (which kind) Written Communication/Writing W width (to what extent) R register (what language) I intention (why) T tenor (what conditions) I information (what) N needs of the reader (who needs/what needs) G genre (which kind) Qualities of a Technical Writer T technology-driven E effectual C curious H honest N neutral I intelligent C careful A active L - logical W workmanly R resourceful I interesting T thorough E ethical R responsible

Technical vs Literary Writing

Point of Contrast Subject Readership Purpose Language Style Point of view Emotionality Objectivity Form/format Technical Writing Scientific/technical Specific Informative/persuasive Literal/denotative Impersonal Usually third person Unemotional Objective/neutral Formal Literary Writing Non-specific/non-technical General Entertaining Figurative/connotative Personal First person Emotional Subjective/biased Informal

Properties of Technical Writing Accuracy an effective technical paper is accurate and devoid of errors. Its every word should be precise. Brevity it should be brief and short Coherence refers to sticking together of idea Directness direct to the point Emphasis highlights main ideas and downplays subordinate ones Factual information that the paper contains should be based on facts Grammaticality grammatically correct Heaviness an effective technical paper is heavy and substantial Intelligible even if the paper contains technical and scientific terms, it must be easily understood Judiciousness has ability to discriminate between fact and opinion Keenness it should be sharp Logicality conforms to principles of logic and reasoning Mechanical correctness conforms to various rules of mechanics (punctuation, indentation, et.al) Neutrality it should not be biased; not partial Order it should be orderly; sequenced in a way that the though flows smoothly Personality should reflect the writers personality Quality lives up to standers and possesses only the positive traits Reader-friendliness adapted to the readers need, interest and knowledge Specificity written by s specific writer to a specific reader for a specific purpose Thoroughness must not miss anything essential Unified has consistency in purpose, idea, subject, voice, mood, number, person, etc. Veracity should present information coming from reliable sources Worthy valuable to reader or to a group of reader as it satisfies the readers need for information X-Factor has a unique factor which makes it distinct from other papers to the extent that it stands out. Yuppy characterized by newness or freshness Zeal eager desire or enthusiastic diligence

Basic Techniques in Technical Writing In technical writing, the techniques basically employed are definition, description, classification, partitioning or analysis, causation (causal analysis), comparison, contrast, and interpretation. DEFINITION Technical writing is replete with technical terms that need to be defined. It is a must to define scientific terms to allow for better comprehension. These difficult words may come in the form of known words used in a differently new scene (as fly-over), new words for already known things (as somnambulist for sleepwalker), and new words for unknown things (as schizophrenia) When one defines, he gives the meaning of a certain term. The writer may define a word in any of the three ways: informal (word or phrase) definition, formal (sentence) definition, and amplified (extended or expanded) definition. Informal Definition Comes in the form of word or phrase oftentimes called a synonym. For example: seism is defined by giving earthquake as an appositive remuneration may be defined as compensation or simply pay inundation may be defined by mentioning flood Formal (Sentence) Definition As the name suggests, is in the form of a sentence with these three elements: species, genus, and differentia/e. The species is the term defined; the genus is the class or kind to which the term belongs; the differentia/e are the distinguishing characteristics that make the term different from other terms of the same class A A A A somnambulist is a person who walks while asleep. somniloquist is a person who talks while asleep. thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature. barometer is a instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.

Amplified (extended or expanded) Comes in the form of additional sentences that support a formal definition which becomes the topic sentence of a paragraph with definition as method of development.

Amplification (extension or expansion) is done in any of the following ways: 1. function use of the thing defined; 2. location placement or position of the thing defined; 3. physical description physical traits; 4. further definition definition of words in the formal definition of the thing defined; 5. causation causes or effects of the thing defined; 6. comparison similarities of the thing defined with another thing 7. contrast differences of the thing defined from another thing; 8. exemplification concrete examples of the thing defined; 9. etymology/word derivation words from which the thing defined was derived 10. analysis parts of the thing defined; 11. basic principle law or principle governing the thing defined; and 12. negation negative statements about the thing defined Problems of Definer Placement of definitions He can choose from among these alternatives: In the text (most common), in footnotes, in glossary, and in a special section in the introduction (least common). Word choice he has to select the appropriate words to make his meanings clear Ex 1: A square is a geometric figure which has four equal sides Ex 2: A square is a rectangle with four equal sides Repetition of key terms and the use of single example or instance to define something Ex 1 Fixed assets are assets that are fixed Ex 2 Volcanic eruption is what occurred to Mount Pinatubo two decades ago DESCRIPTION Besides definition, description is a useful technique in technical writing. A writer may describe a mechanism, a process, or even a person. When he describes a mechanism or a machine, he makes use of the following outline: I. Introduction A. Definition of the machine B. Description of the machine C. Function of the machine D. Main parts of the machine

II. Part-by-part description A. Main Part 1 1. Subpart 1 2. Subpart 2 B. Main Part 2 1. Subpart 1 2. Subpart 2 III. Conclusion/summary of the main points A. Operation of the machine B. Description of how the machine operates In writing the description of each main part, subpart, or sub-subpart (if there is any), the describer cites the parts color, size, dimension or other specifications. Process Description is simply describing a series of steps/stages or a series of actions. Unlike a mechanism description which makes use of spatial or logical order, a process description always uses chronological order. Steps are sequenced based on the time or order of occurrence. The process description may be arranged using the outline: I. Introduction A. Definition of the process B. Doer/Agent of the process C. Purpose of the process D. Purpose of the process E. Point of view of the process description F. Main steps in the process II. Body/Step-by-step description A. Main step 1 1. Substep 1 2. Substep 2 B. Main step 2 1. Substep 1 2. Substep 2 III. Conclusion/Summary of the Main Points