Technical Writing

1. Technical Writing Function

2. The purpose of having guidelines is to make the document more readable. Standard guidelines govern • Format – page layout, numbering conventions, etc. (the reason we use LaTeX) • Graphics – use of figures, graphs, charts, tables • Voice – appropriate use of active and passive voice • Verb tense – appropriate for and consistent within each section • References & citations – giving appropriate credit Technical documents have different guidelines than other forms of writing.

3. The document should have a clear focus. • Who is your audience? • What level of knowledge can be assumed? • What is the purpose of the document? • What specific information do you need to communicate? • How can you best achieve the stated purpose? • What is the most effective way to communicate the information? Words? Images? Graphs? Tables? Sound familiar?

4. Technical papers/reports often include some, or all, of the following sections. • Abstract • Introduction • Background (sometimes included with Introduction) • Theory • Design Decision & Criteria • Materials • Methodology • Results • Discussion • Conclusions

5. The Abstract is a brief summary that precedes the paper. • Very specific to the work done • Clearly state the scope of the work • Indicate the methodology used • Present the main findings and conclusions • No background, no fluff Past & present tense

6. The Introduction serves several purposes. • Clearly state the problem that was addressed • Define the scope of the work – explain the reasons and goals of the work • Tell why the work is important • Explain any limitations associated with the work done • Introduce the remainder of the paper Past & present tense

7. The Background provides context. • What problem is this research intended to address? (i.e. Why is this problem important?) • What related work has been done previously? • What were the findings of that work? • How is this work different? • What are the goals of the current research? Past & present tense

8. The Background provides context. • What problem is this design intended to address? (i.e. Why is this problem important?) • What other solutions, if any, are currently available? • What are the pros and cons of the available solutions? • What are the pros and cons of the new design? Past & present tense

9. The Theory provides the conceptual and mathematical foundation. • Explain the theory behind the research or design • Scientific principles • Engineering principles • Associated formulas …all with definitions and appropriate graphics Present tense

10. The Design & Decision Criteria evidences of the engineering design process. • The engineering design process is the outline for this section. • Clearly identify design specifications/criteria. • Primary design objective • Goals and constraints • Research • Details of design alternatives • Analysis & decision process Past & present tense

11. The Materials section is just that. • What specific materials – type and quantity – were required for the research? • What specific materials – type and quantity – are required for the prototype/final design? Past or present tense

12. The Methodology describes how the work was accomplished. • For research, the methodology should be sufficient to reproduce the experiment and data collection process. • For design, the methodology should describe the prototyping and testing process. Past & present tense

13. The Results presents research findings or design testing. • Visual representation of “processed” data • Graphs, tables, diagrams, charts • Explanatory text: • Points out the most significant portions of findings/testing • Indicates key trends or relationships • Highlights expected and/or unexpected findings Present tense

14. The Discussion puts the results in context. • Assesses and comments on results • Explanation for Results • Comments on unexpected results, offering hypothesis for them • Comparison to theory/literature • Does your research confirm theory and/or previous studies? Does your research deviate from them? • Explanation for how the information can be applied in a broader context Present tense

15. The Conclusions summarizes essential information. • Relate the findings back to the problem being addressed • Was the design objective met? • Does the end product satisfy the specified goals and constraints? • What are the limitations of the work/report? Present tense

16. The Recommendations state the next steps (in your opinion). • What recommendations can be made based on this research? • Should further research follow? If so, specify what should be included at the next stage? • Is the prototype ready for production? • Should further testing/modifications be made? If so, what’s next? Present & future tense

17. The Engineering Design Process might serve as a great outline for some papers. • Problem Definition (Introduction & Background) • Conceptual Design (Theory) • Preliminary Design (Theory, Design & Decision Criteria) • Design Decision (Design & Decision Criteria) • Detailed Design (Materials, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Recommendations)

18. Technical Writing Function