Miss Afsheen Zehra- PNEC

1. 9/24/11 - Technical Writing Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 1
Technical Writing basics
Technical Definitions
Ethical considerations

2. 9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 2
Tech Writing/Definitions/Ethics
 What is technical writing
 Technical Definitions
 Ref: Finkelstein – Chapters 1, 2, 3

3. 9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 3
Technical Writing
 What is technical writing?
 Writing (communication) is an essential skill for
all professionals
 Technical writing is the writing of those involved
in the technical fields, i.e., science and
engineering.
 In science and engineering
 Write technical reports
 Write technical proposals
 Various forms of technical communication

4. What is technical writing
 For some things it is easier to say what it is
not.
 What type of writing is this?
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 4
It was a dark and stormy night. The wind was howling, the shutters were banging against
the house, the rain was beating down, and a dog howled in the distance. The …..

5. What is technical writing
 For some things it is easier to say what it is
not.
 What type of writing is this?
 Creative writing – It describes a storm, is
descriptive, but also often evokes emotion.
 Often creative writing is seen as imaginative and
“fun”.
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 5
It was a dark and stormy night. The wind was howling, the shutters were banging against
the house, the rain was beating down, and a dog howled in the distance. The …..

6. Technical versus creative
 Technical writing lacks the emotional impact
 Technical writing avoids use of rich
metaphors and figures of speech.
 Typically sentence structures are simple and
direct.
 “Technical writing is precise, objective,
direct, and clearly defined.”
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 6

7. The level of abstraction
 Technical writing describes items precisely, i.e.,
a low level of abstraction
 A 33K ohm, one-watt carbon resistor
 This a low level of abstraction
 The level of abstraction can be varied
 Resistor
 Circuit component
 Electrical Device
 As the level of abstraction increases the level of
precision of detail decreases
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 7

8. Audience
 Always must consider your audience
 Quality of writing measure – two metrics
 How well the reader understands, precisely, the
intended meaning
 How well the understanding fulfills the intended
purpose
 “THERE IS ALWAYS A SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENT FOR WHAT IS BEING
WRITTEN.”
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 8

9. Audience and Purpose
 Almost always known
 Typically know who the audience is
 Typically know why you are writing the
document and what the required content is
 Technical writing is usually very visual
 With today’s computer assisted writing, in-
line pictures/figures are expected.
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 9

10. 9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 10
Tech Writing/Definitions/Ethics
 What is technical writing
 Technical Definitions
 Ref: Finkelstein – Chapters 1, 2, 3

11. Technical Definitions
 “In technical writing, definition is the process
by which one assigns a precise meaning to a
term.”
 Term = Classification + Differentation
 Example:
 A stall is a flight condition in which the lift
produced becomes less than the weight of the
airplane, and the airplane stops flying.
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 11

12. Differentiation
 Stall has meaning based on the context.
 In flying the definition was just given
 In driving, a stall is an operating condition in
which a sudden and unexpected loss of power
occurs.
 In farming, a stall is a single, three-sided
compartment that is designed to shelter and
animal in a barn or stable.
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 12

13. The audience
 For technical definitions who the audience is
matters
 Consider:
 In water softening, zeolite is an exchange resin that
releases sodium ions while gaining calcium and
magnesium ions.
 In water softening, zeolite is a special material that
releases sodium into the water while absorbing
calcium and magnesium from the water.
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 13

14. Technical Definition challenges
 Often need further definitions
 To define one term introduce several others
 Circular definition structurre
 One term introduces another and so on until you
are back at the original term
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 14

15. Technical definition checklist
 On Page 34 of the Text
 All questions here are important
 Two are common mistakes
 Define term using the same term
 Define term using terms that also need definition
 More information on Technical definitions is
contained in the Technical Definition lecture.
9/24/11 - Technical
Writing
Copyright 2011 - Joanne DeGroat, ECE, OSU 15