Introduction to Technical Writing

Introduction to Technical Writing

Writing 101

5 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL TECHNICAL WRITING

• PREPARATION

• RESEARCH

• ORGANIZATION

• WRITING

• REVISION

I. PREPARATION: 4 MAJOR TASKS

• Establish your primary purpose. . .

• Assess your audience (or readers) and the context

• Determine the scope of your coverage

• Select the appropriate medium.

• 
  

CONSIDERING YOUR AUDIENCE

Conciseness, coherence, and clarity characterize good writing. Make sure readers can follow your writing, and say only what is necessary to communicate your message.

DETERMINING SCOPE

Determining your purpose and assessing your readers and context will help you decide what to include and what not to include in your writing. Those decisions establish the scope of your writing project. If you do not clearly define the scope, you will spend needless hours on research because you will not be sure what kind of information you need or even how much.

DETERMINING SCOPE

Given the purpose and audience established for the report on facility locations, the scope would include such information as land and building costs, available labor force, cultural issues, transportation options, and proximity to suppliers. However, it probably would not include the early history of the cities being considered or their climate and geological features, unless those aspects were directly related to your particular business.

SELECTING MEDIUM

Selecting the Medium. Finally, you need to determine the most appropriate medium for communicating your message. Professionals on the job face a wide array of options—from e-mail, fax, voice mail, videoconferencing, and Web sites to more traditional means like letters, memos, reports, telephone calls, and face-to-face meetings. The most important considerations in selecting the 

Multiple Choice

II. RESEARCH: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS PRIMARY RESEARCH SOURCE

• BOOKS

• MAGAZINES

• SURVEYS

• INTERNET ARTICLE

Multiple Choice

II. RESEARCH: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A SECONDARY SOURCE?

• NEWS REPORTS

• DIRECT OBSERVATION

• EMAIL DISCUSSIONS

• BROCHURES

Open Ended

BASED ON THE SHORT QUIZ, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIMARY RESEARCH AND SECONDARY RESEARCH SOURCE? TYPE YOUR ANSWER BELOW.

III. ORGANIZATION

METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT

-SEQUENTIAL

- CHRONOLOGICAL

-CAUSAL

SEQUENTIAL (IN ORDER)

IN ORDER FOR YOU TO RECEIVE A REFUND OF YOUR PAYMENT, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS:

1. PRINT OUT THE RETURN LABEL OUTSIDE THE BOX
2. PASTE THE RETURN LABEL ON TOP OF THE BOX
3. FILL OUT THE FORM IN THE RETURN LABEL
4. SEND THE PACKAGE TO THE NEAREST COURIER

CHRONOLOGICAL

THE ITEM WAS DELIVERED LAST THURSDAY (AUGUST 2) AND WAS RECEIVED BY MR. SMITH. THE DAY AFTER, WE RECEIVED THE COMPLAINT REGARDING THE MISSING PART OF THE ORDER AND WE AUTOMATICALLY CALLED OUR LOGISTICS TO CHECK WHAT HAPPENED. ON SATURDAY, WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE THE ITEM AND REQUESTED THE COURIER TO SEND IT TO YOUR ADDRESS.

CAUSAL

THE ITEM WAS DELIVERED INCOMPLETE DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF STOCKS. OUR WAREHOUSE IN DENVER IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING MASSIVE BACK LOGS ON THEIR ORDERS. THUS, WE WERE ABLE TO ALLOCATE AND DELIVER THE MISSING ITEM ON COMPLETELY ON TIME.

IV. OUTLINING

Please copy the link below and open it in a new browser:

https://quizizz.com/join?gc=824862

LET'S OUTLINE!

http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/NewOutlineMaker/NewOutlineMakerInput.aspx

OUTLINE THE ARTICLE BELOW USING THE CAMBRIDGE OUTLINE MAKER

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/giant-avocado-tesco-where-buy-cost-a9691941.html

V. WRITING

When you have established your purpose, your readers’ needs, and your scope and have completed your research and your outline, you will be well prepared to write a first draft. Expand your outline into paragraphs, without worrying about grammar, refinements of language usage, or punctuation. Writing and revising are different activities; refinements come with revision. 

VI: REVISING

Concentrate first on larger issues, such as unity and coherence; save mechanical corrections, like spelling and punctuation, for later proofreading. See also ethics in writing. 

PROOF READING MARKS

• http://www.biomedicaleditor.com/support-files/proofreadingmarks.pdf