Technical Writing Meaning Characteristics

1.
Technical writing is any written form of writing or drafting technical communication

used in a variety of technical and occupational fields, such as computer hardware and
software, engineering, chemistry, aeronautics, robotics, finance, consumer electronics,
and biotechnology. IT encompasses the largest sub-field within technical communication.
[1]
2. The Society for Technical Communication defines technical communication as 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 through
technology, such as web pages, help files, or social media sites; or (3) providing
instructions about how to do something, regardless of the task's technical nature.
3. Technical writing is sometimes defined as simplifying the complex. Inherent in such a concise
and deceptively simple definition is a whole range of skills and characteristics that address nearly
every field of human endeavor at some level. A significant subset of the broader field of technical
communication, technical writing involves communicating complex information to those who need
it to accomplish some task or goal.
4. Oxford Dictionaries Online (ODO) provides four definitions for the word technical, all of which
relate to the profession of technical writing:
a. of or relating to a particular subject, art, or craft, or its techniques

b. of, involving, or concerned with applied and industrial sciences
c. resulting from mechanical failure
d. according to a strict application or interpretation of the law or rules
While technical writing has only been recognized as a profession since World War II its roots can
be traced to classical antiquity.
Critics cite the works of writers like Aristotle as the earliest forms of technical writing.
Geoffrey Chaucer's work, Treatise on the Astrolabe, is an early example of a technical document
and is considered to be the first technical document published in English.
With the invention of the mechanical printing press, the onset of the Renaissance and the rise of
the Age of Reason, the need to document findings became a necessity, and inventors and
scientists like Isaac Newton and Leonardo Di Vinci prepared documents that chronicled their
inventions and findings.
While never called technical documents during their period of publication, these documents
played a crucial role in developing modern forms of technical communication and writing
The Goal of Technical Writing
Good technical writing results in relevant, useful and accurate information geared to specifically targeted
audiences in order to enable a set of actions on the part of the audience in pursuit of a defined goal. The
goal may be using a software application, operating industrial equipment, preventing accidents, safely
consuming a packaged food, assessing a medical condition, complying with a law, coaching a sports
team, or any of an infinite range of possible activities. If the activity requires expertise or skill to perform,
then technical writing is a necessary component.
Technical Writing Categories

Technical writing comprises the largest segment of technical communications. Technical writers work
together with editors, graphic designers and illustrators, document specialists, content managers,
instructional designers, trainers, and analysts to produce an amazing variety of deliverables, including:
Contracts Online and embedded help Requirements specifications
Customer Service scripts Policy documents Simulations
Demonstrations Process flows Training course materials
Design documents Project documents User manuals
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) Product catalogs Warning labels
How-to videos Product packaging Web-based Training
Instructions Proposals Websites
Knowledge base articles Release notes White papers
Reference guides
Technical writing follows a development lifecycle that often parallels the product development lifecycle of
an organization:
1. Identification of needs, audience(s), and scope
2. Planning
3. Research & content development
4. Testing / review and revision
5. Delivery / production
6. Evaluation and feedback
7. Disposition (revision, archiving, or destruction)
Characteristics of Technical Writing
Technical writing is an important part of everyone's career. Writing well is difficult and
time consuming and writing in a technical way about technical subjects even makes it
more difficult. People write to propose projects, to document their own actions, to help
other understand the research, to analyze and solve problems, to describe procedures
and objects. If done well, technical writing is an exciting, fulfilling experience but if
done poorly, it is frustrating, even harmful to career development. Technicality in
writing is based upon the following points
There are six basic properties of Technical writing
1. Clarity
2. Accuracy
3. Comprehensiveness
4. Accessibility
5. Conciseness
6. Correctness
1. Clarity
Technical document must convey a single meaning that the reader can understand.
Unclear Technical writing is expensive. They vital communication link among the
various employees is usually the report, if this link is weak, the entire project may be
jeopardized. Unclear technical writing can be dangerous e.g. unclear instruction on how
to operate machinery.
2. Accuracy
Unclear writing can cause many problems and even inaccuracy in the report. If you
mean to write 40,000 dont write 400,000. If you mean to refer to fig 3.1 dont refer to fig
3.2. Slightest error can confuse or even annoy the reader of the report. If the reader
suspects that you are slanting information they have the right to doubt the entire
document.
3. Comprehensiveness:
When writing technically, all the information should be provided, its background must be
described and clear description of any process, or method of carrying out a specific
work, should also be given. It also includes results, conclusions and recommendations.
4. Accessibility:
It means the ease with which the readers can locate the information they seek.
To increase Accessibility, include headings and lists in the report. A table of contents, list
of illustrations glossary and index are preferred.
5. Conciseness:
Technical writing is meant to be useful. The longer a document is, the more difficult it
gets to use it. Even it takes more of the user's time.
Conciseness works against clarity and comprehensiveness. Solution to this conflict is to
create a balance between the requirements of clarity, conciseness and
comprehensiveness. In short, in T.W every aspect of the subject is discussed in
optimized detail. Document must be long enough to be clear. It must give the audience
purpose and object but no extra details. Technical writing can be shortened 10-20% by
eliminating unnecessary phrases and choosing short words and sentences.
6. Correctness
Qualities of technical report writing also includes correctnes. Good technical report
must also be correct. It. Must be free from grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes,
and should have appropriate format standard. If a report contains grammatical errors,
the reader will doubt the accuracy of the information in the report. Technical writing is
meant to convey information and to persuade the audience. To accomplish these goals
it must be clear auccurate, easy to access and must be economical and correct.
If you mean to write "the three persons: person 1, person 2 and person 3 attended a
session" but you use commas instead of the colon, your readers might think 6 people

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1.

Technical writing is any written form of writing or drafting technical communication

a. of or relating to a particular subject, art, or craft, or its techniques

Technical Writing Categories

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