Jessica M. Scully

writer / editor / writing instructorjessica@jessicascully.comwww.jessicascully.com

Technical CommunicationImportance and challenges

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Technical communication skills matter for you now and in the future

Your grade in this class

Your grades in future classes

Getting a job

Technical communication skills matter for the public

Why is this presentation important?

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How well you communicate affects your career

Survey (Richard M. Davis) Successful engineers spent 25% of work week writing

Survey (Virginia Tech) Recruiters claim that engineers need more work on their writing

Survey (Wisconsin) Professional engineers found writing their most useful subject in college

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Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing

Subject Matter Writing Constraints

audience

purpose

occasion

Purpose of Writing

To inform

To persuade

[Franklin, 1952]

Writing Style

[Peterson, 1987]

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Scientists and engineers are called upon to communicate in many different situations

specifictechnicalaudiences

non-technicalaudiences

generaltechnicalaudiences

ReportsArticlesProposalsWeb Pages

ConferencesLecturesMeetingsPosters

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Structure in technical writing

All documents have a beginning, middle, and end

Each part has a specific function Length of each part varies by topic, format, and

occasion

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Beginnings include Title or subject line (should be precise) Abstract, Executive Summary, or Summary Introduction

Middles of documents include A clear and logical explanation of the topic

Endings include Discussion and/or Conclusion

Sections of Documents

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Sample memo (http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/memo-report.html)

Sample short lab report (http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/labreport2.html)

Sample longer lab report http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/labreport.html

Sample research report (ESC – UC Irvine)

Sample Documents

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Formats vary by constraints

Specific formats

Lab reports

Journal articles

Progress reports

Format in technical writing

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Style in technical writing Varies by constraints Formal documents do not use contractions

(don’t, can’t) First person (I, we) sometimes not used Work completed may be described in a specific

tense. Follow your instructor’s requirements. If not specified, use past.

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Writing for the correct constraints (e.g., correct level of formality)

Writing logically and following a clear structure Following the correct/expected format Writing clearly and directly (includes grammar

and punctuation)

Common challenges in technical writing

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Lack of parallelism Subject-verb agreement Dangling modifiers Unclear pronoun reference Wordiness Use of colon and semicolon

Common problems in grammar and punctuation

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Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students (www.writing.engr.psu.edu). Includes info on technical writing with samples and exercises

Purdue University’s Owl (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/). Includes grammar and punctuation handouts and exercises. Also has info on technical writing (e.g., http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/726/03/)

Monash University (www.eng.monash.edu.au/current-students/comm-learning.html). Detailed resources for writing in engineering.

Resources for more information