GENERAL CONVENTIONS OF TECHNICAL STYLE FOUR PRINCIPLES AND TWENTY CONCEPTS

1. GENERAL CONVENTIONS OF TECHNICAL STYLEFOUR PRINCIPLES AND TWENTY CONCEPTS Adapted from Pattow and Wresch, Communicating Technical Information (2ed), 1998.

2. TECHNICAL WRITING INFORMATION  PRESENTATION  AUDIENCE  Fundamental Considerations: FACTUAL OBJECTIVE SPECIFIC

3. PRINCIPLE ONE: INVOLVE READERS.

4. INVOLVING READERS 1. ADDRESS READERS DIRECTLY MORE LIKELY TO READ, UNDERSTAND, & RESPOND • The student should take…  • You should take…  • Take... 

5. INVOLVING READERS 2. USE ACTIVE VOICE CLEAR & DIRECT: EMPHASIS ON SUBJECT PERFORMING ACTION, NOT OBJECT OF ACTION • The microscope slide should be washed… • Biology students should wash the microscope slide... 

6. RULE OF THUMB: Avoid linking verb constructions. EXCEPTION TO RULE: Use passive voice in special cases to describe events in exact terms; i.e., materials/methods sections of scientific reports. “Fly thoraces were homogenized…” In using active voice: Emphasis on action taken Why?

7. INVOLVING READERS 3. AVOID SEXIST or EXCLUSIVE LANGUAGE • chairman chair • mailman mail  carrier • manpower  work force • workmanship work • his prostate  the prostate • her pregnancy  the pregnancy

8. PRINCIPLE TWO: SELECT WORDS CAREFULLY.

9. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE I’ve been stretching my mouth to let those big words come right out…

10. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE • assistance  help • constitutes  makes • necessitate  require • approximately  about • cease  stop • originates  begins • terminate  end • comprises  makes up**

11. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE Verb Corollary 1: Don’t confuse phrasal verbs with “deflated” language. “makes up” [VERB —PARTICLE (adverb or preposition)] WHY?Because particles are idiomatic.

12. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE “drop off” The hill dropped off near the river. While doing his homework, he dropped off. Please drop this off at the post office. Dude, did you make the drop off? Idiomatic  Accurate

13. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE Verb Corollary 2: Don’t use abstract nouns in the place of action verbs. • Centrifugation of the sample was accomplished by… • The sample was centrifuged... COMMON INDICATORS OF NEARBY ACTION VERBS HIDDEN AS NOUNS accomplished, achieved, attained, conducted, effected, facilitated, indicated, obtained, performed, proceeded, required

14. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE Verb Corollary 3: Avoid linking verb constructions. Use passive voice in special cases to describe events in exact terms; i.e., materials or methods sections of scientific reports. “Fly thoraces were homogenized…” EXCEPT

15. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 4. AVOID INFLATED LANGUAGE In general: Use the simpler of alternative words, but maintain accuracy of writing at all costs!

16. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 5. AVOID JARGON SPECIALIZED WORDS USED OUTSIDE SPECIALTY BUG / VIRUS / WORM TO BIOLOGISTS BUG / VIRUS / WORM TO COMPUTER SCIENTISTS POT TO CRIMINOLOGISTS POT TO ELECTROCHEMISTS GOD TO SOCIOLOGISTS GOD TO MOLECULAR BIOLOGISTS PCR TO PSYCHOLOGISTS

17. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 6. DEFINE/EXPLAIN TECHNICAL TERMSWHEN NECESSARY • The defective gene was discovered by positional cloning--that is, by localizing its position on a particular chromosome.  • The unknown chemical was identified by mass spectrometry, a technique in which a substance is ionized and fractionated by a strong magnetic field. 

18. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 7. AVOID SLANG • The sample was filtered before centrifugation to avoid the hassle of contamination.  …to avoid contamination.  • The results suck.  The results are inconclusive.  • The results suck big time.  The experiment must be repeated. 

19. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 8. USE CORRECT WORDS SHOULD BE ACCURATE AND CLEAR. hammer vs. mallet. vs. gavel claw vs. pincer vs. cheliped vs. gnathopod gene vs. protein

20. SELECTING WORDS CAREFULLY 9. AVOID CLICHES • “in one ear and out the other”  AND AVOID RENOVATING CLICHES: • “in one ventricle and out the other” 

21. PRINCIPLE THREE: WRITE CLEAR SENTENCES.

22. WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 10. ELIMINATE EXTRA WORDS • a majority of  most • at the conclusion of  after • based on the fact that  because • due to the fact that  because • owing to the fact that  because • As can be seen in Fig. 1,…  Fig. 1 shows… • It is of interest to note that omit

23. WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 11. AVOID REDUNDANCY • on a daily basis daily  daily • during the course of during • few in number few • results so far obtained results • never at any time never • consensus of opinion consensus

24. WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 12. WRITE SHORT SENTENCES (<25 WORDS) • Employees are entitled to two weeks of vacation with pay any time during the calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls, three weeks of vacation with pay… • Employees are entitled to two weeks of paid vacation any time during the calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls. They are entitled to three weeks of paid vacation… 

25. WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 13. MAKE SURE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS ARE CLEAR Dogs stink, and their odors can be controlled. vs. Although dogs stink, their odors can be controlled. vs. Though their odors can be controlled, dogs stink. DOGS AND DOG ODORS

26. WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 14. REWRITE NEGATIVE SENTENCES AS POSITIVES • not until  only when • not unless  only if • not prevent  permit • not reject  accept • not disagree  agree • not illegal  illegal • not fail  succeed avoid inflated language  use simple words

27. WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 15. AVOID NOUN STRINGS • We purified the sodium salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid… • We purified the sodium salt of DNA…  • We purified sodium DNA…       We purified the deoxyribose nucleic acid sodium salt…

28. Idea one and Idea two , not Idea three . Idea one and Idea two . Idea three . (1) Idea one , (2) Idea two , and (3) Idea three WRITING CLEAR SENTENCES 16. UNTANGLE CONFUSING SENTENCES (1-2 IDEAS)  IF NECESSARY, USE A SERIES:  .

29. PRINCIPLE FOUR: CREATE NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS.

30. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 17. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION WHERE READERS EXPECT TO FIND IT READER SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO SEARCH !! When writing: Think of map reading. Think of speed reading. Think of studying from a textbook. • Place important information in readily distinguishable places in sentences. • Place important sentences in readily distinguishable places in paragraphs. • Place important paragraphs in readily distinguishable places in documents.

31. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 17. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION WHERE READERS EXPECT TO FIND IT Corollary 1: Topics or important information are typically placed first in a sentence, last in a sentence, or typographically distinguished* from other information. • The most prevalent cause of deaf-blindness is Usher syndrome. • Usher syndrome is the most prevalent cause of deaf-blindness. • Among the causes of deaf-blindness, Usher syndrome is the most prevalent. *Do not overuse italic or bold typography *Italic and Bold typically used to alert reader to nearby definition.

32. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 17. PUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION WHERE READERS EXPECT TO FIND IT Corollary 2: Avoid naked pronouns. Always follow pronouns with their antecedents. Use pronouns as adjectives only. • Usher syndrome involves deafness. This affects populations worldwide. • Usher syndrome involves deafness. This disease affects populations worldwide. 

33. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 18. USE HELPFUL TRANSITIONS DIRECT THE READER BETWEEN IDEAS. • IN THE SAME DIRECTION: In addition,… Also,… • IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION: However,… Although…, On the contrary,… • TOWARD THE END: Finally,… In conclusion,…

34. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 19. USE LISTS* TO PRESENT MULTIPLE ITEMS • A BULLET LIST • Genealogical research of the Usher syndrome population has established that most affected families • are descendants of Acadian ancestors • are related to families in the three-parish study region • are part of a large kindred descending from two emigrant French couples who arrived in Acadia in 1636 A TEXTUAL LIST Genealogical research of the Usher syndrome population has established that most affected families (1) are descendants of Acadian ancestors, (2) are related to families in the three-parish study region, and (3) are part of a large kindred descending from two emigrant French couples who arrived in Acadia in 1636. *Remember parallelism.

35. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 19. USE LISTS TO PRESENT MULTIPLE ITEMS • Employees are entitled to two weeks of vacation with pay any time during the calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls, three weeks of vacation with pay… • Employees are entitled to two weeks of paid vacation any time during the calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls. They are entitled to three weeks of paid vacation…  Employees are entitled to (1) two weeks of paid vacation any time during the calendar year in which their first employment anniversary falls, (2) three weeks of paid vacation… 

36. CREATING NAVIGABLE DOCUMENTS 20. USE INFORMATIVE HEADINGS • BREAKS DOCUMENT INTO MANAGEABLE CHUCKS • DIRECTS READER • ALLOWS READER TO FOCUS ON IMPORTANT MATERIAL

38. Where to begin when describing something new? • create list of accurate and useful words (nouns, adjectives, AND verbs) • find a logical focal point, and write outward from there, using it as a reference as necessary • organize flow