1. Faculty of Computer
& Information Systems
Information Systems Department
CHAPTER 1
An Overview of Technical Writing
TEXT BOOK:
Reporting Technical Information
Oxford University Press, 2002

2. Why Technical Report Writing
Writing your C.V.
Acquiring a job
Documenting your work
2

3. Your C.V.
Mohammad Ali Omar
6 Mohammad Ragab St, Egypt.
E-mail : Eng.MAO575@hotmail.com
Mobile: 010 2244066
OBJECTIVE
I seek a challenging position with a reputable company
which deserve my experience in the field of information
technology.
graduation Year : 2007
……
3

4. Your C.V.
Mohammad Ali Omar
Address :6 Mohammad Ragab St, From Sahl
Hamza St, Fysal, Giza, Egypt.
E-mail : mal@menanet.net
Mobile : +2 010 2244066
OBJECTIVE
Looking for a chance for working in your
company, In the field of information Technology
where my skills and knowledge can be utilized
and developed
…..
4

5. Acquiring a job
Simply : How to sell you self
Writing good reports imply
excellent presentation for selling
yourself.
5

6. Documenting Your Work
Good programmer must write
– System Analysis
– System Design
– User manual
– Technical manual
– E-mails
– Memorandums
– Business Plan
6

7. Documenting your work cont.
Best programmers w/o documenting his
code
– Can not enhance his work
– Can not utilize his time effectively
– Can not work with others
– Can not improve his experience
– Can not make international contacts
– Can not get outsourcing contracts
– Can not build up his career
7

8. Levels of Retaining
People retain
– 20% of what you see
– 30% of what they hear
– 50% of what they see and hear
– 80% of what they see, hear, and do simultaneously
So, you can say that I 100% Learn any thing
new only if you:
– Know it
– see it
– do it
– teach it (writing)
8

9. Chinese Wisdom
I Read I Forget
I Write I Remember (Summaries & Mind-Maps)
I Do I Understand (Problem Solving ..)
9

10. Learning pyramid
Invent
Build
Analyze
Understand
Know
10

11. Course Objectives
After Finishing this course it’s expected to
know :
– What is a "Report" ?
– What is "Technical Report Writing" ?
– What is a "Presentation" ?
– How to make Composing Writing Collaboratively.
– How to write for different readers
11

12. Course Objectives Cont.
– How to achieve a Readable Style ?
– How to Write for International Readers ?
– How to Present Information in the way such that
they will be easily understood ?
– How to Design the Document effectively in the way
such that they will be easily readable ?
12

13. Definitions
A report is a written conveyed ( suggested )
message.
A technical report is a formal report designed
to express technical information in a clear
and easily accessible format.
13

14. Examples
Feasibility Study
“Reporting Technical Information” book
E-mail
Memorandums
14

15. Course Message
If you want one message to take from this
course, take this:
– The writing of a professional should be:
1. clear
2. complete
3. concise
4. Use suitable vocabulary
If your writing satisfies these four criteria, then
it deserves to be read.
15

16. Clarity
Avoidance of irrelevant, meaningless jargon
Highlighting of main ideas
16

17. Completeness
Contain all information intended to be
transmitted to the audience ,
Its contents bears upon the accomplishment
of the stated purpose (s).
17

18. Conciseness
The report is concise enough if it can not be
summarized without losing information.
18

19. Vocabulary
It has its own standard vocabulary
It is far from layman language
It assert s
– Objectivity
– Empiricism
– Reliability
19

20. Objectivity
Reasoning is essential (rationalism )
To be free from bias or injustice
Personal emotions or feeling must be
avoided
20

21. Empiricism
To deal with what is measurable, concrete,
testable or observable
21

22. Reliability
Ability to provide trustworthy findings
Ability to draw upon for further work
22

23. The process
Writing is a process of recording data, idea,..
Technical report writing is a problem-solving
(PS) process .
23

24. Problem solving process
A process to resolve a gap between :
• A present situation
• A desired situation (goal)
The path to the goal is blocked by:
• Known Obstacles
• Unknown Obstacles
24

25. PS Process Model Phases
PS process can have the following phases:
– Perceiving the problem
– Evaluating alternatives
– Selecting solution
– Implementing the solution
– Reviewing the solution and final modifications
25

26. Technical Writing Elements
Technical writing is a problem-solving process
involves :
• Technical Subject Matter
• Recognition of the communication problem
• Establishment of the role of
– The communicator
– The purpose
– The audience (s)
• Discovery of needed information and path
• Information arrangement and presentation
26

27. Technical Writing Headings
The Nature of Technical Reports.
The Substance of Technical Reports.
The Attributes of Good Report Writers.
T
The Qualities of a Good Report.
27

28. The Nature of Technical Reports
Technical Report Writing has a significant
differences from other writing due to its different
(mostly formal) nature
Shortly, we will discuss the Technical Report
Characteristics
28

29. Technical Report Characteristics
The technical report is likely to show the
following:
1. Its purpose should appear in the opening
paragraph(s).
3. Its contents bears upon the accomplishment of
the stated purpose (s).
5. The writing is marked by a no-nonsense
approach to the subject it treats.
29

30. Technical Report Characteristics Cont.
1. The vocabulary tends to be specialized.
3. Sentences are highly specific and fact filled
5. Graphs and tables may be used widely.
7. Signs, symbols, and formulas may pepper the
prose.
9. References should appear at its end
30

31. Technical Report Users
Technical reports transfer among
– Superiors
– Subordinates
– Colleagues
– Customers
– ….
31

32. The Substance of Technical Reports.
Organizations produce technical reports for
both:
1. Internal uses.
3. External uses.
32

33. Internal uses
Memorandums ) Memo)
Feasibility studies
Technical notes
33

34. External uses
Business letters and reports of many kinds
that go to:
– Other companies
– The government
– The users of the company's products.
34

35. Example of external uses
User manual
Technical manual
Offers
Books
Brochures
Leaflets
Business Plans for funds
Curriculum vita (C.V.)
35

36. The Attributes of Good Report Writers
To write clear and effective reports, you
have to build upon the natural talents you
have in communicating ideas to others.
But how can you build successfully ? What
skills, characteristics, and attitude are most
value to the report writer ?
36

37. Report Writers Should
1. Carefully arrange required info and put a
plan.
3. Technical writers have to know well both:
– Audience
– Objectives
4. Then, adapt their style and Material
according to both of them.
4. Gain a working knowledge:
– Terminologies
– Relationships
37

38. Report Writers Should Cont.
1. Be Understandable for yourself first.
(Your Capabilities)
6. Try always to be:
– Clear
– Objective
– Simple
– Direct
– Concise.
7.ready to write!
38

39. Report Writers Should Cont .
1. Learn report types
3. Learn variations in format
5. Learn standards for abbreviations
7. Learn the rules that govern the writing of
numbers
9. Learn uses of tables and graphs
39

40. The Qualities of a Good Report
1. Arrives by its due date.
3. Makes a good impression.
5. Has clear purpose and scope.
7. Has clear essential information.
9. Has summary or conclusions (when needed).
11. Has a good readability for all users.
40

41. The Qualities of a Good Report Cont.
1. Has a good design (Table of contents,
headings, ...).
3. Reads coherently and cumulatively from
beginning to end.
5. Answers readers' questions.
7. Conveys an overall impression of authority,
thoroughness and soundness
41

42. Conveyed Impression
Authority >>>Power-ability - influence ‫مرجعية‬
Thoroughness >> Care- ‫تمكن‬
Soundness reliability – security- dependability
42

43. Question 1
What are the characteristics of a scientific
paper?
– Scientific Paper is introduced to journals or
conferences to be reviewed
– Its structure include
• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Set of sections
• Conclusions
• Reference
43

44. Question 2
Assume you are about to write an
approval as well as a disapproval of
a scientific paper in a certain annual
conference, How both can be
different, Why?
44

45. Answer 2: Approval
Approval is a kind of Good News, so, we should
represent it directly and our ideas should be
ordered as:
1. Subject : ABC conference congratulation
2. Body
Dear Dr. Adel,
We delightfully want to tell you about our approval of
your Excellent Paper, Please visit our homepage
www.ABC_Conf.com for comments of your paper &
registration procedure.
Best Wishes,
ABC Conference evaluation committee
45

46. Answer 1 Cont. : Disapproval
Disapproval is a kind of Bad News so, we should
represent it Indirectly & our ideas should be
ordered as:
1. Subject : ABC conference
2. Body
Dear Dr. Adel,
Thank you for delivering your paper at our conference whose topic this
year is so novel thus it takes the attraction of many researchers around,
since, we are only about to accept a limited number of papers, we
sorrowfully can’t accept your paper at our current conference, please visit
our homepage www.ABC_Conf.com for registration, hopefully, next year
we can have the chance with you
Best Wishes,
ABC Conference evaluation committee
46

47. Question 2
Mention True or False & justify your answer
for each of the following statement:
1. The purpose of the scientific paper should appear a
2. Graphs and tables should be used widely in scientif
3. The vocabulary of a scientific paper should tend to
4. References that are used in a scientific paper shoul
5. There are no differences between abstract & conclu
47

48. Answer 2
The purpose of the scientific paper should
appear at its conclusion part  False
 The purpose of the scientific paper should
appear at its beginning in the abstract part not at
its end at the conclusion part
Back
48

49. Answer 2 Cont.
Graphs and tables should be used widely in
scientific paper  True
 graphs and tables are considered one of the
ways that increase the clarity of any scientific
discussion specially the scientific paper since it
lets the paper to be easily understood
Back
49

50. Answer 2 Cont.
The vocabulary of a scientific paper should tend
to be generalized  False
 The vocabulary of a scientific paper should tend
to be specialized since the scientific paper is a
kind of argumentative writing in which the ideas
is reached point by point to an important
conclusion so, we have to avoid using
ambiguous & general vocabularies that might
have more than one meaning
Back
50

51. Answer 2 Cont.
References that are used in a scientific paper
should appear directly after its abstract part
part
False
 References that are used in a scientific should
appear directly after its conclusion part at its end
NOT at its beginning
Back
51

52. Answer 2 Cont.
There are no differences between abstract and
conclusion thus use either of them when you are
about to write a scientific paper  False
 Conversely, there are many differences between abstract &
Conclusions
Abstract Conclusion
Highlights the major points Summarizes the major point and
Role of the scientific paper results of the scientific paper
Aim Enables the interested Enables the interested reader to be
reader to decide whether sure of what he should get from this
the work as whole is paper since it Focuses more on the
worth reading contributions of the scientific paper
Place we should place it at the we should place it at the end of the
beginning of the scientific paper
scientific paper
That’s All
52

53. Problems
Apply the previous questions on the
following technical reports
– Research on specific topic
– PhD Thesis
– Report of Lab experiment
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54. 54