Meaning and Importance of Technical Writing

• A piece of writing is only important when it is easily understandable by the average reasonable person. This is
the purpose of technical writing. To make written material about otherwise complex fields such as science and
technology more accessible and easier to understand.
A Technical Writer.
He/she must be responsible for documenting a specialized field of technology.
He/she must be able to effectively translate technical information into something accurate, readable, and
accessible. (Riverside, Josh)
Important feature of a Good Technical Reports
charts, graphs, tables,And flow charts or other applicable visual aids.
One very important of a good technical paper is that it is written clearly, factually, accurately, and objectively.
The biggest blunder a technical writing can commit is when he fabricates data, miscalculate mathematical data, have
wrong grammar and spelling and mishandles the presentation of the data.
Goal of Technical Writing
Is to enable readers to use a technology or understand a process or concept. Because the subject matter is more
important the writer’s voice. Technical Writing style uses an objective, not a subjective tone.
Types or Classification of Technical Writing
1. Legal
2. Medical
3. Scientific
4. Mechanical
5. Business
6. Expository
7. Legal- refers to all legal documents and the fine print in binding contracts, such as agreements to be made
before installing software, agreements to pay for houses, cars, insurance, higher education and so on.
8. Medical- explains the instructions of software and hardware used to run a hospital, according to Wayne English,
Web developer and technical writer.
9. 3. Scientific – explains theories , hypotheses, experiments and their significance. Thesis papers and lab reports
are also considered technical writing, according to the Columbia University Department of Computer Science.
10. 4. Business- explain rules, regulations, and business plans, according to David Murray at Chemnitz University of
Technology.
Mechanical- involves instructions for how to build machines or use tools.

Lesson 2: Properties and Uses of Technical Writing

1. Accuracy
One of the essential characteristics of technical writing is maintaining accuracy
2. Clarity
Try cutting down on the use of jargons because this is going to confuse the reader.
3. Descriptiveness
be a descriptive in distinguishing the technical product as you can.
4. Correctness
Technical writing requires that you use correct grammar and sentence structure
Technical writing is commonly used to create brochures, pamphlets, instruction manual, reports used for specific and
various marketing and promotional materials.
Basic Principles
1. Use good grammar- readers expect documents to be professional, polished and flawless.
2. Writing concisely- clarity and brevity is your goal.
3. Using the Active Voice- is more natural to people when they speak, but technical writers often turn to the
passive voice when writing documents.
4. 4. Using positive statements- phrase commands are made in a positive manner.
5. 5. Avoiding Long Sentences- short sentences are easier to understand.
6. 6. Using Standard Punctuation- complicated or creative punctuation will confuse them.