1. Technical Writing is a form of technical communication. It is a style of writing used in fields as diverse
as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry the aerospace
industry,robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology.
The Society for Technical Communication (STC) defines technical writing as a broad field that includes
any form of communication that exhibits one or more of the following characteristics: (1) communicating
about technical or specialized topics, such as computer applications, medical procedures, or
environmental regulations, (2) communicating by using technology, such as web pages, help files, or
social media sites, or (3) providing instructions about how to do something, regardless of how technical
the task is, or even if technology is used to create or distribute that communication.
Technical writing is accomplished by technical writers, who may be professionals or amateurs. Such
writers ideally begin by forming a clear understanding of the purpose of the document they will create.
Technical writers then typically gather information from existing documentation and from subject matter
experts. A subject matter expert (SME) is any expert on the topic that the writer is working on. Technical
writers are often not SMEs themselves (unless they are writing about creating good technical
documentation). Workers at many levels, and in many different fields, have a role in producing technical
communications. A good technical writer needs strong language and teaching skills and must understand
the many conventions of modern technical communications.
Advanced technical writers often move into specialized areas such as API writing, document architecture,
or information management.