Scribd
Upload
27 views27 pages

The Technical Writing Process

Uploaded by

sfarrukhabbasz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
27 views27 pages

The Technical Writing Process

Uploaded by

sfarrukhabbasz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 27

The Technical

Writing Process
RECALL!
Technical Writing Process

“It’s a reconstruction of an
investigation.”
The Technical Writing
Process-TWP
TWP- Pre-Writing
Analyzing the purpose
Analyzing Audience
TWP- Investigation
TWP- Investigation-Determine the
type of data you need
TWP- Investigation-Secondary
Sources
► Technical reports (industrial/corporate/available in
company records)
► Research papers/articles (academic)
► Governmental reports and documents
► Newspaper
► Leading business/tech magazines
► Recognized business/tech blogs/podcasts/wikis
TWP- Investigation-Secondary
Sources
► Technical books
► Almanacs and statistical resources
► Interviews on TV, radio, etc
► Electronic databases
► Online databases
► Company websites
TWP- Investigation-Recognized
Research Journal Publishers
► IEEE
► ACM
► Sage
► Emerald
► Taylor and Francis
► Wiley
► Elsevier
► Routledge
► Springer
TWP- Investigation-NOTE

► Document your sources.


TWP- Investigation-Primary Data
collection methods
TWP- Investigation-Sampling

► For primary data, choose research participants


carefully.
► Your questionnaire must measure what it is
intended to measure.
► Define your target population.
► Draw a representative sample out of it if it is too
large.
► There can be two sampling methods
TWP- Investigation-Sampling
methods
TWP- Investigation-Data
analysis
TWP- Investigation-Data
analysis
TWP- Investigation-Data
Analysis
► Data have to be processed.
► Analyze data and extract relevant information and
find answers to the research questions.
► Separate main ideas from supporting evidences
and details.
► Assign headings to related information.
► Be objective and unbiased.
TWP- Investigation-Data
Analysis-Secondary data
You can use information from secondary sources
in three ways:
1. Quote a source (use quotation marks/indented
paragraphs for longer passages)
2. Paraphrase the material and mention the
source
3. Summarize-present the gist of the material in
your own words (give main ideas leaving out
supporting information)
TWP-
Investigation-Statistical
analysis
► Use statistical software
► Simple arithmetic analysis can also be done, like, mean,
median, mode, percentages, frequency
► Analyze the data to spot trends-any repeatable patterns
taking place over time, including growth, decline, and cyclic
trends
► Analyze causation (cause and effect relationship between 2
factors/variables)
► Correlation (simultaneous change in 2 variables that you are
measuring such as customer satisfaction drops when product
reliability drops)
TWP- The Road Map

► Arrange key facts and citations from the


literature into a crude road map/outline
BEFORE writing the first draft.
► Think in paragraphs and sections.
TWP- The Road Map

Write on the go!


► Work with take-home messages
► Organize your paper
► Visual aids for the collected data is suggested.
TWP- The Road
Map-Compositional Organization
► Similar ideas and paragraph should be grouped.
TWP-Drafting

► Don’t be a perfectionist!
► The goal of the first draft is to get the ideas in
complete sentences in an/a order/sequence.
► Writing the first draft is the hardest step for most
people. Minimize the pain by writing the first
draft quickly and efficiently!
TWP-Revision & Editing

► Read your writing out loud


► The brain processes the spoken word differently than the
written word!
► Edit for Style (SCOPE)
► Do an organizational review
1. In the margins of your paper, tag each paragraph with a phrase
or sentence that sums up the main point.
2. Then move paragraphs around to improve logical flow and
bring similar ideas together.
TWP-Revision & Editing

► Get outside feedback


► Ask someone outside your department to read your
manuscript.
► Without any technical background, they should easily
grasp:
► the main findings
► take-home messages
► significance of your work
► Ask them to point out particularly hard-to-read
sentences and paragraphs!

You might also like