Technical Communication

1. Technical Communication Importance and challenges

2. Why is this presentation important? 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

3. How well you communicate affects your career Survey (Richard M. Davis) Successful engineers spent 25% of work week writing Survey (Wisconsin) Professional engineers found writing their most useful subject in college Survey (Virginia Tech) Recruiters claim that engineers need more work on their writing

4. Writing Constraints audience occasion purpose Purpose of Writing Writing Style To inform To persuade [Peterson, 1987] Scientific writing differs from other kinds of writing Subject Matter [Franklin, 1952]

5. specific technical audiences general technical audiences non-technical audiences Scientists and engineers are called upon to communicate in many different situations Conferences Lectures Meetings Posters Reports Articles Proposals Web Pages

6. 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

7. Sections of Documents 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

8. Sample Documents • 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)

9. Format in technical writing Formats vary by constraints Specific formats • Lab reports • Journal articles • Progress reports

10. 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.

11. Common challenges in technical writing • 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)

12. Common problems in grammar and punctuation • Lack of parallelism • Subject-verb agreement • Dangling modifiers • Unclear pronoun reference • Wordiness • Use of colon and semicolon

13. Resources for more information • 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.