How To Be An Effective Technical Writer
How To Be An Effective Technical Writer
Abstract--This paper has focused on technical writing as a skill subject-specific prose writing. “Technical writing” is the
for engineers. It has sought to define technical writing and throw literature of science, technology, and systems development
light on the content and technique of writing the various and is different from journalism, fiction, advertising, essays,
components of successful technical reports (for example, articles, plays, poetry, and other nontechnical prose. Traditionally,
papers, or research reports, such as theses and dissertations).
technical writers were thought of as engineering writers.
Then, it has highlighted other special features and principles of
Technical writers continue to be employed in such
effective technical writing. The material in this paper is divided
into seven major parts. Part 1 (Technical writing for engineers) engineering-related industries as aerospace, defense, consumer
stresses that a successful engineering career requires strong electronics, chemical processing, pulp and paper, mining,
writing skills. Part 2 (How to write the major sections or elements construction, fiber optics, instrumentation and controls, and
of a report) describes the techniques of writing the abstract, many other fields. [1]
introduction, literature review, procedure/methods & materials,
results, discussion, conclusion, and recommendations. Part 3 Technical writing usually deals with an object, process,
(Special features of technical writing) brings into focus some of system, or abstract idea, and the language is utilitarian
the special features of technical writing such as tables & graphs (functional); it stresses accuracy rather than style. Good
in the text, graphics in instructions, team writing, ethics technical writing is technically accurate, useful, concise,
(plagiarism), document sources, three citation styles and IEEE complete, clear, consistent, targeted, well organized, and must
reference style. Part 4 (Technical usage) deals with writing
be correct in grammar, spelling and punctuation.
abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms, numbers, units of
The technical content (information/message), not the
measurement, and equations. Part 5 (Technical style) highlights
the imperative writing style and other features of technical writing style or author’s feelings toward the subject, is the
writing such as the use of active and passive voices, plain vs. focal point. It is different from ordinary prose writing.
complex syntax, avoiding redundant or superfluous expressions,
and vague generalities, using words or expressions with visual The skills and experiences of a composition teacher are
impact, the past tense to describe experimental work, the present useful to become successful as a technical writing teacher. The
tense to describe hypotheses, principles, theories and truths, and process approach used in teaching composition is the best way
breaking up the text of the report into short sections. Part 6 to teach technical communication, too. Second, both
(Document specifications) emphasizes the technical writer’s need composition and technical communication are essentially
to conform to such document specifications as word count, rhetorical. Both are based on the premise that communication
format, font, number of words per line of text imposed. Finally,
is addressed to an audience and intended to fulfil a purpose.
part 7 (Reader-friendly technical writing) suggests choosing the
Finally, both composition and technical communication focus
varied writing modes (patterns of organization of information) to
suit the technical writing task, checking for technical accuracy on persuasion. [2] Therefore, the transition from composition
and following three levels of editing to help increase the to technical communication cannot be so difficult.
readability of a technical text. However, although composition and technical
communication are both process-based and essentially
Keywords: effective technical writing; technical rhetorical, there are two main differences in terms of
communication; engineering; journal article; research emphasis. First, technical communication often leads
report. composition in the use of technology. Second, technical
communication focuses more on product: the size and shape of
I. INTRODUCTION
the finished document. Whereas the finished product in a
This paper defines technical writing and explores composition class is often an essay, the products in a technical
organizational schemes and techniques used to write effective communication class are more likely to have counterparts in
technical reports -- journal articles, conference papers, and today’s working world: sets of instructions, emails, reports,
research reports such as theses and dissertations. Technical and so forth. And these documents are likely to be formatted
reports are usually written by specialists for other specialists to include multiple columns, headings, bulleted lists, and
and report on the results of research and development. It is
graphs, figures and tables. All these formatting features are III. HOW TO WRITE THE MAJOR SECTIONS OF A
built into modern word-processing software. [2] REPORT
First, this paper throws light on the content and technique What are the typical sections or elements of a technical
of writing the various components of a successful technical report, especially a journal article, and research reports
report. Then, it highlights other special features and principles (including theses and dissertations)? Common sections or
of effective technical writing. elements of a technical report are shown in the table below:
[5]
II. TECHNICAL WRITING FOR ENGINEERS Sections or parts of a technical report
A. A Successful Engineering Career Requires Strong Writing Front matter Body .
Skills ● title & title page ● introduction
● authorship and ● literature review
Most of the successful engineers have to write clear, well- affiliation ●procedure/method
organized memos and reports. Engineers who can’t write well ● abstract ● results,
are definitely held back from career advancement. Opinions ● keywords discussion
like this are common among engineering management. Many ● acknowledgements ● conclusion
● table of contents ●recommendations
engineers spend more than 40% of their work time writing,
● list of figures & tables ● suggestions for
and usually the percentage increases as they move up the ● definitions of terms future research
ladder. It does not matter that much of this writing is now sent ● list of symbols End matter
through electronic mail (e-mail); the need for clear and ● references
efficient prose is the same whether it appears on a computer ●appendices
monitor or a sheet of paper. The vast body of technical
information available in the world today has its genesis in the
writing and speaking of engineers, whether they work alone or Not each engineering document will require all of the
in teams. [3] sections or elements. Also, many companies require reports to
B. Engineers Write Many Kinds of Documents conform to a particular format or style. If you have to write a
report, check with your supervisor or technical publications
The list of all possible engineering situations and contexts department to see whether your organization has guidelines for
in which communication skills are needed is endless. Most
technical reports [1].
technical documents conform to one of the following
document types: memoranda, minutes of the meeting, These sections are typical, but the order may vary, and
literature reviews, reports, letters, proposals, press releases, one or more may be omitted, depending on the length and
specifications, documentation, instructions and procedures, complexity of the report. However, technical report writers
style guides, theses, oral presentations, résumés, and should familiarize themselves with the conventions of writing
notebooks. Electronic document types are: electronic mail (e- all the sections/elements in a report. In A Guide to Writing as
mail), websites and hypertext. [4] an Engineer, authors David Beer and David McMurrey (2005)
Although different people approach writing tasks in [3] describe a characteristic structure of the laboratory or
different ways, there are some guidelines that engineering field report.
writers should follow for writing efficiently and producing In the case of writing the laboratory and field reports
useful documents. These guidelines in general follow the which present not only the data derived from an experiment or
overall process used by successful engineering writers and survey and the conclusions that can be drawn from the data,
include all the factors writers should consider from the time but also the theory, methods, procedures, and equipment used
they first face a writing task to the point at which they have a in that experiment or survey. The laboratory or field report
final draft. [3] should enable readers to replicate the experiment so that they
can verify the results for themselves. Because of this dual
The following section of the paper explores what content,
requirement, laboratory and field reports have a “characteristic
skills and techniques go into writing each major section or
structure” such as the following:
element of common technical reports such as articles, papers,
or research reports (e.g., theses and dissertations).
● Introduction, background and literature review
● Theory, methods, procedures, and equipment
● Results, findings, observations, or data
● Conclusion, implications and further research. the body of knowledge – the correlations, contradictions,
ambiguities and gaps. Show the weaknesses of other work and
In Writing for Science and Engineering: Papers, techniques and provide a summary of available techniques and
Presentations and Reports, author Heather Sylin-Roberts materials. Show that your work will make an original
(2000) [5] describes a similar structure using the acronym contribution. A literature review is undertaken to identify
AIMRAD which stands for: methods and materials for the new study. [6]
D. Methods & Materials
● Abstract Describe your experimental procedure as precisely as possible.
● Introduction This will enable readers to judge the validity of your results in
● Methods & materials the context of the methods used. Describe your experimental
design. Write as many of the details as possible so that the
● Results
study can be replicated. [5], [3]
● Discussion
The following is a description of how to write these E. Results & discussion
major sections or elements of a technical report: This section presents experimental data, observations,
and results, along with a discussion of the meaning,
A. Abstract significance, and application of these results. The common
The abstract is important for understanding the whole approach is to present the data, often formatted into tables,
document. An abstract presents the overview to an expert graphs, or charts, without interpretive discussion. [5], [6]
audience. It is required in specialized documents such as The discussion should present the principles,
journal articles, conference papers and posters. A journal relationships, and generalizations supported by the results;
article or paper abstract generally contains a maximum of 300
point out any exceptions or lack of correlation; explain (if
words. [5], [6]
possible) why such exceptions or deviations occurred; and
B. Introduction show how the results compare with results achieved by other
You should succinctly describe the topic and define the researchers (results summarized in the review of literature). In
scope of the report. You should also give the reader a clear this section, the author of the research report provides answer
idea of what material to follow. The introduction is one place to the research question stated in the introduction, and
that needs to be tailored to your specific audience, because the explains how the results support the answer. This section will
interest of each type of audience in your work will come from help the author to draw his/her conclusions. [1]
a different viewpoint. Briefly, review the literature and show
the relationships between the various areas of work. Show the F. Conclusion & Recommendations
contributions of others, with correct reference citations of their Draw conclusions based on the data you have gathered
work and provide a context for the later discussion of the and explain why you think those conclusions are valid. Write
results. In longer research reports (theses and dissertations), a the conclusions as a series of numbered statements showing
separate chapter on the review of literature is required. [5], [6] how the results answered the questions raised. Do not
In a short document, elements such as background, theory, introduce new material in your concluding section. Your
objectives & literature review can be included in the concluding section should be “crisp and clear” – you want to
Introduction section. leave your readers with a solid understanding of what you
C. Literature review have been discussing in the report. [7] On the basis of the
The purpose of a literature review is to demonstrate you results & conclusions, the researcher can make
have a good understanding of the history and current state of recommendations about whether further research is needed or
the topic. Give a coherent account of the various areas of how the results can be applied commercially.
research relevant to your topic. Give a historical account of its To sum up, these sections or elements of the technical
development. Summarize each study under review; identify report are typical, but the order may vary, and one or more
the precise topic, methods/materials, results and may be omitted, depending on the length and complexity of
recommendations. the report.
Show that you know who has done the relevant work, by In the sections that follow, some special features and
citing names of the authors and the years in which the work principles that characterize effective technical writing will be
was published. Show the links between the various areas of highlighted.
to be relatively painless and very rewarding because as a team
you will be tapping into far more knowledge, skill, and
IV. SPECIAL FEATURES OF TECHNICAL WRITING creativity than you can bring to a project alone.
Technical writing is characterized by some special When you work on a team project, you should be
features such as use of tables and graphs, team writing, and prepared to demonstrate such attitudes as: communicate,
ethical considerations. The function and how to use them in
coordinate, collaborate, cooperate, and compromise. Although
your document is described here.
the list might seem obvious, many teams fail to reach their
A. Use Of Tables And Graphics potential because some members have difficulty following it.
When engineering writers write reports, they are likely to Beer & McMurrey (2005) suggest three practical ways of how
need tables, illustrations, photographs, diagrams, drawings, a team can produce a written document. The three methods,
charts, and graphs. Non-textual material like this inside the from the least preferable (but most commonly used) to the
text helps the writer present information more effectively and most effective, are as follows: [3]
gives a polished, professional look to the work. Tables, graphs
and charts enable the writer to show data and, in particular, to 1. Divide the length of the assignment by the
show comparisons of data or changes in data. Photographs, number of people involved, and get each to write
drawings, and diagrams are all illustrative graphics, intended his or her share.
to represent physical things. [3] 2. Have one person organize the material, write the
Graphics in written and oral reports are invaluable aids to entire draft, edit it, and pass the finished product
your audience because they condense text, clarify on to the next member of the team. This person
relationships, and highlight patterns. Good graphics display
will add, delete, rearrange, and re-edit as he or
the significance of your data (which may be more exactly
displayed in a table) and allow the reader to follow your she sees fit. The third member of the team will do
discussion. Drafting graphics may also be a very effective way the same, and so on down the line.
to help you draft a long written report or oral presentation. [4] 3. Assign each member to different tasks according
With the increasing power and ease of use of graphics to that member’s strength and weaknesses.
software applications, engineering writers do not need to be Using this method, everyone on the team can bring
graphics professionals to create or adapt graphics for particular strengths to the task and play a significant role in
engineering reports or documents. However, when the writer
producing the document. Each person has direct access to the
incorporates tables and graphics into a report, he/she has to
pay attention to standard components, their placement, and document manager, knows what the others’ responsibilities
cross-references to them. The writers should familiarize are, and has the satisfaction of being uniquely involved in the
himself/herself with guidelines for designing and job. Whatever the situation, though, carefully planning and
incorporating tables and graphics into the text. Such guidelines assigning collaborative writing tasks to team members before
provide instructions for how to label them accurately, number the writing project begins will result in a more efficiently
them consecutively, and integrate graphics and text. produced document that is both coherent and useful. [3]
B. Graphics In Instructions
D. Ethics (plagiarism)
Graphics are usually essential in instructions. Sometimes
In engineering, ethics or code of conduct is an integral
words cannot convey enough detail about key objects and key part of the profession. In the short scope of this paper, we will
actions in a procedure. For example, just how does part A fit focus only on ethics as it applies to writing a technical report –
into part B? Make a list of the key objects and the key actions ethical use of the sources of information.
in your instructions, and identify those that readers might have If as an engineer you knowingly or unknowingly poach
trouble with. These are the ones for which you may need the language, ideas, thoughts, or graphics of others,
graphics. representing them as your own original work by failing to
acknowledge your sources, you are plagiarizing. You might
C. Team writing even be infringing on someone’s intellectual property rights,
and thus could open yourself up to the possibility of lawsuits.
Technical people work together as teams for research,
Plagiarism is frequently the result of ignorance or
design, development, and testing, and often find they must carelessness rather than dishonesty. Some writers and
team up to write proposals, manuals, completion reports, and a researchers simply get lazy: It is easier to replicate another’s
lot of other technical documents. [3] Team writing is not ideas or style than to think about what you have read and then
always easy, especially, when people with different degrees of put it in your own words and reference it. However, when you
writing ability or ego are involved, or when team members are do research, all information that you obtain from journals,
torn between team responsibilities and other duties. If your books, the Internet, and so on, must be fully documented –
that is, accompanied by references to the sources where you
group plans the team project carefully, however, it can turn out
obtained the information. Only your own ideas and opinions, in the text. Like the one in the CBE C-S system, the IEEE
plus “common knowledge,” need not be referenced. [3] reference list is arranged by the order of citation in the text,
not in alphabetical order. [4]
D1. Reference style: For both the “in-text” and “works cited
page” documentation, there are strict rules about what V. V. TECHNICAL USAGE
information to include, in what order it should be given, and
Technical usage implies knowing how to write
how it is to be punctuated. Although many researchers and
abbreviations/acronyms, numbers, units of measurement, and
writers seem baffled by these rules, the reason for this
equations in the technical report.
“pickiness” is to reduce confusion by having everyone
conform to the same conventions. Documentation rules A. Abbreviations
establish a uniform, universal format so a reader can quickly Abbreviations are necessary in technical communication
determine what type of source is being cited and, if desired, for the same reason valid technical jargon is. They refer to
track down the text. [6] concepts that would take a great deal of time to spell out fully.
D2. Which reference style to choose? Before you start Therefore, the technical report writer, should always spell
writing, it is a good idea to find out the recommended citation abbreviations out the first time he/she uses them unless they
style used in your profession. Different disciplines and even are too obvious.
different publications within a discipline vary in specific
stylistic details. The following three styles, however, provide B. Initialism & Acronyms
commonly used examples of each of these general formats. [4] Abbreviations can be subdivided into initialisms and
(1) Parenthetical short text references linked to a acronyms. Initialisms (sometimes called initializations) are
list of references formed by taking the first letters from each word of an
● American Psychological Association (APA) expression and pronouncing them as initials, for example,
style
GPA, IBM, LED, and UHF. Acronyms are also created from
● Modern Language Association (MLA) style
(2) In-text numbers linked to a list of references the first letters or sounds of several words, but are pronounced
● Council of Biology Editors (CBE) citation- as words: AIDS, FORTRAN, NASA, RAM, and ROM. Some
sequence system acronyms become so well known that they are thought of as
● Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ordinary words and written in lowercase: bit, laser, pixel,
(IEEE) reference style radar, scuba, and sonar. Many engineering writers no longer
(3) In-text numbers linked to footnotes or endnotes observe the distinction between the two, and call any
with or without a list of references
● Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) Note Format: abbreviation an acronym. [3]
the standard note system, which has been adapted Two usage pointers: Use the correct form of a/an before
for students by Kate Turabian in A Manual for initialism. Second, form the plural of acronym and
Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and initializations by a lowercase s. Only put an apostrophe
Dissertations. between the abbreviation and the s if you are indicating a
possessive form, for example,
D3. IEEE reference style: The technical writer must
familiarize himself/herself with the reference style
recommended in his field or organization. IEEE reference ● We ordered three CRTs.
style is a very well-known and widely used one. The Institute ● We weren’t satisfied with the performance of the
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is one of the latest CD-ROM.
largest professional organizations in the world, and it oversees
numerous journals and regularly publishes its own Letters, C. Numbers
Transactions, and Proceedings of the technical conferences it The field of engineering involves using a great deal of
sponsors. IEEE reference style guide -- IEEE Transactions,
numbers. Frequently, this is where a lot of “written noise”
Journals, and Letters: Information for Authors (2006) -- is
available online. occurs due to typos, incorrect or inexact numbers, and
[http://www.ieee.org/portal/cms_docs/pubs/transactions/auinf inconsistencies. To avoid noise from inconsistent use of
o03.pdf.] numbers, Beer & McMurrey (2005) provide some guidelines
(such as the following) that engineering report writers should
The guide includes a brief but concise outline of the follow: 1. Numbers are expressed as words or numerals.
IEEE reference style, which is a variation of the CBE Citation- Cardinal numbers are written as one, two, three, etc. Ordinal
Sequence (C-S) system. IEEE style, like CBE style, uses a
single sequentially ordered note number to cite all references numbers are written as first, second, third, etc. It is a good
idea to write the cardinal numbers from one to ten as words “You should check the temperature of the….”) In this “in-
and all other numbers as figures (numerals). When more than your-face” style of writing, the author addresses the readers
one number appears in a sentence, write them all the same. directly and gets their full attention, and is straightforward
Also, use numerals rather than words when writing time, about what they are supposed to do. [3] Further, for effective
money, or measurements. 2. If a number begins a sentence, communication of information, writers should take into
spell it out (as a word). 3. When expressing very large or small consideration certain other principles of technical writing:
numbers, use scientific notation. [3] using the active voice [although technical writers generally use
the passive voice sentences]; using plain rather than elegant or
D. Units Of Measurement
complex language; deleting words, sentences, and phrases that
Although the public in the US is still not committed to do not add to your meaning; using specific and concrete terms
the metric system, in general, the engineering profession is. rather than vague generalities; using terms your readers can
Two versions of the metric system exist, but the more modern picture; using the past tense to describe your experimental
one, the SI (Fr. Système international) is preferred. The vital work and results, and the present tense to describe hypotheses,
rule is to be consistent. Do not mix English and metric units principles, theories, facts and other truths; keeping ideas and
unless you are forced to. Be sure to use the commonly sentence structure parallel; making the technical depth of your
accepted abbreviation or symbol for a unit if you do not write writing compatible with the background of your reader (so
out the complete word, and leave a space between the numeral they can understand you); breaking up your writing into short
and the unit. sections; and so on. [3]
When working with very large or very small units of
measurement, you will need to be familiar with the designated
SI (Fr. Système international) expressions and prefixes. VII. DOCUMENT SPECIFICATIONS
A recent dictionary of scientific terms will guide you if you For publication of engineering documents, various
are unsure of the correct spellings or symbols of the units you are specifications apply. They not only come from editors but also
using. from organizers of technical conferences. Such specifications
E. Equations may require you to provide sections addressing certain topics
in your report, such as experimental problems, environmental
Equations can communicate ideas far more efficiently impact, decisions reached, budget estimates, and so on. The
than words can at times – consider the ideas represented by E editors of an engineering journal may put limits on the number
= mc², for example. However, formulae and equations slow of words and the number of graphics for the technical paper. A
down your reader, so use them only when necessary and when word limit is frequently placed on the length of a proposal for
certain audience can follow them. Many word processing a research grant, or an abstract as well as other sections of a
programs now make it easy to write equations in text, but if document. Many reports have specifications that include
you have to write them in longhand, do so with care to ensure requirements not only for their length but also for such matters
both accuracy and legibility. An illegible or ambiguous as headings, spacing, and margins. Some government
equation is hardly going to communicate data effectively, and agencies, for example, require that proposals they receive be
an error in an equation could be grave. In other words, make written in specific formats, in certain fonts, and even with
sure your equations are noise-free. restrictions on how many letters are permitted in each line of
Eventually, you may have to incorporate multiline the text.
equations into your technical papers and reports, where they Knowing precisely what is expected before beginning to
will read just like sentences. No material is too complex to be write will prevent wasted time and give the document better
presented clearly in a flowing, natural manner. Further, chances of success.
punctuation, transitions, accurate grammar, and mechanics are
all indispensable tools for conveying highly technical
information in a comprehensible manner. VIII. READER-FRIENDLY TECHNICAL WRITING
To get results, your communication must bridge the gap
between you and your target audience. This gap is likely to be
VI. TECHNICAL STYLE
caused by variations in knowledge, ability, or interest. As an
What constitutes technical style? Technical writing engineer, you may find yourself writing to a variety of people.
usually follows the imperative writing style in which many Sometimes you will write to your professional and technical
sentences use the imperative form (for example, “Press the peers, sometimes to your superiors, and other times to those
Enter key”) or are phrased with the word “you” (for example,
below you. In all these writing situations, inadequate audience punctuation and typos. At this level, you can use a good word
analysis will inevitably result in noise (confusion), since processing program to provide you with suggestions on syntax
different readers need different kinds of data. [3] and spelling. You as a writer must make the final choices on
As a writer, you must organize your material so that each many of these options. Or, ask a friend or colleague who is
idea, point, and section is clearly and logically laid out within well grounded in the basics of English. Level 2: Look at your
an appropriate overall pattern. There are several ways in which paragraph, sentence length and structure, possible verbiage,
the reader-friendly quality or readability of a document can be and precise word choice. Is the tone of your document
achieved. appropriate? Have you used the active voice where possible?
First, as always, think before you write, and keep your How about transitions, parallelism, and emphasis where called
readers firmly in mind. If your readers want to know what for. Level 3: This final level is the more global level of editing
progress you have made on a project, what you did on a trip, of the document, where you check the overall format,
or how to carry out a procedure, obviously they will expect organization, and appearance. Is the work arranged the way it
your material in chronological order. If they are expecting the should be? Are specifications (if any) followed? Is it the right
description of a piece of equipment or of the layout of some length? Have you used the best font size, margins, and
facilities, they should be provided with a description that spacing? Are headings, subheadings, lists, and graphics used
logically moves from one physical point to another. On the effectively and consistently? Is the title page attractive? How
other hand, if you have a number of points to make, such as about the packaging of the document, such as the quality of
five ways to reduce costs or six reasons why a project must be paper used, the binding, and the covers? [3]
cancelled, present those points from the most important to the These are some of the features and principles of effective
least important, or vice versa. technical writing.
Second, perhaps your material needs to be presented in In short, this paper has focused on technical writing as a
order of familiarity or difficulty, as when you are writing a skill for engineers. It has sought to define technical writing
tutorial or textbook. Or you may want to move from the and throw light on the content and technique of writing the
general to the specific, as when you write a memo first stating various components of successful technical reports (for
that more stringent safety regulations are needed at your plant example, articles, papers, or research reports, such as theses
and then providing examples of current unsafe practices. and dissertations). Then, it has highlighted other special
Third, there are other modes (patterns) of writing such as features and principles of effective technical writing. The
problem-solution, process, comparison and contrast, and so authors maintain that, for a journal article, conference paper,
on, that a technical writer should consider using. and research report to be effective, the writer must not only
Fourth, other readability factors involve techniques of: master the competence (skills and strategies) to write each of
● making your ideas accessible (hierarchical headings, the sections or components of a technical report but also be
numbered headings, and paragraph length), able to incorporate some of the special features and principles
● using bulleted lists for some information, elaborated on in the paper.
● formatting pages carefully (margins, typeface, and white
space),
● expressing clearly (ambiguity, vagueness coherence, REFERENCES
directness),
● using efficient wording (wordiness, redundancy, turning [1] Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical
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Engineering: Papers, Presentations, and Reports. Oxford:
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[7] Patrick McDonagh & Jack Bordan (2000). Form & Style:
[December, 2011]
The Guide to Writing a Technical Report for Students in