The Art of Technical Writing

HSN7010
Technical Communication
The Art of
The Art of Technical Writing
Technical Writing
Dr. Rajlaxmi Chouhan
Assistant Professor
Rajlaxmi
Department of Electrical Chouhan
Engineering
AssistantJodhpur
Indian Institute of Technology Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur
2019
Writing: Creative vs. Formal
Creative Writing
A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to
pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of
Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was
supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned –
"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to
splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Formal Writing
Neville Longbottom, stationed at a nearby cauldron, was unable to
think clearly. This inability could be attributed to his lack of skill in the
subject of Potions, and was made worse by his immense fear of the
instructor, Professor Snape. While the expected color of the potion
was bright, acid green, the color of the potion prepared by Neville
was orange. Professor Snape expressed his disapproval by displaying
the color of the potion to everyone present.
3
What is Technical Writing?
What is Technical Writing?
Presentation of information that helps the reader solve a particular problem
Actual communication of information in a professional, formal setting
How is technical writing relevant to you?

Instructions and procedures, specifications, description
Proposals
Research articles
Emails and official letters
Résumés
Press releases
Technical reports
Case study
White papers
Websites
Planning: Before you begin
Identify your audience and their expectations

Planning / Rethinking
Know your purpose
Know your material
Understand the writing task at hand Revising Writing
Organize your thoughts and materials
Budget adequate time to write, review, revise and edit
Nicole Kelley, Sentence Structure of Technical Writing, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, MIT 2.671, Fall 2006
Research Articles/Reports
Research Articles / Report
Title Must be short and concise
Must contain the primary thesis
Abstract Avoid using non-essential words
Introduction / Motivation E.g. Avoid “A novel algorithm for…”

“An innovative technique of…”
Theoretical Background
Methodology / Proposed Algorithm
Results and Discussions
Limitations and Future Scope
Inferences / Conclusions
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title Short summary, usually 150-300

words
Abstract One line each of
Why?
What?
Introduction How?
What did you find?
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title
Abstract
Background
Introduction Literature Survey
Gaps in existing literature
Scope
Key contribution
Organization of the paper
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Optional
Usually contains
Theoretical Background terminologies or some
theory on which the paper is
Methodology / Proposed Algorithm based
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methodology / Proposed Algorithm Core Contribution

Steps of the algorithm
Description of variables
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Results and Discussions Findings

Figures, Graphs, Charts
Quantitative analysis
Qualitative analysis
Comparative characterization
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title
Abstract
Introduction

Shortcomings
Limitations and Future Scope Possible modifications
Future scope
References
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Limitations and Future Scope Summary of findings

Important inferences and their
Inferences / Conclusions reasons
Scope of application and future
References work
ResearchArticles
Research Article
Title List of references

Must be formatted in the
prescribed style. E.g. IEEE, APA
Abstract
Must contain ALL important and
Introduction relevant fields:
author, title, journal/conference
Theoretical Background proceedings book-title, volume,
issue, year, page numbers,
publisher, editor, etc.
Results and Discussions Citation in text

Three of more authors:
<first author’s last name> et al.
Two authors
Inferences / Conclusions <Last name> and <Last name>
References
Common ErrorsininTechnical
Common Errors Technical Writing
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Run-on sentence
Occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete
sentences) are connected improperly.
Examples
 The results of the study were inconclusive, therefore more

research needs to be done on the topic.
The results of the study were inconclusive. Therefore, more

 research needs to be done on the topic.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Run-on sentence
Occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete
sentences) are connected improperly.
Examples
 I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.
I love to write papers. I would write one every day if I had the time.
 I love to write papers; I would write one every day if I had the time.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Starting a sentence with ‘So’, ‘But’
Examples
 The denominator is complex. So it must be rationalized.
The denominator is complex. Therefore, it must be rationalized.

 The denominator is complex, and therefore, must be rationalized.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers
Examples
 Broken and dusty, the garage had an old computer that was found
by Clarence.
 Broken and dusty, Clarence found an old computer in the garage.
In the garage, Clarence found an old computer that was broken and
 dusty.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers
Examples
 They found out that the walkways had collapsed on the late evening
news.
On the late evening news, we heard that the walkways had
 collapsed.
 Having damaged the previous one, a new fuse was installed in the
car.
Because the previous fuse had been damaged, a new one had to be
 installed.
Having damaged the previous one, I had to install a new fuse in my
car.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Parallelism
Examples
Dialysis is a process that includes the removal of nitrogenous

 wastes and correcting electrolyte imbalances and fluid overloads.
Dialysis is a process that includes the removal of nitrogenous

 wastes and the correction of electrolyte imbalances and fluid
overloads.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
Examples
 Each of the steps in the process are treated in a separate chapter of

this report.
 Each of the steps in the process is treated in a separate chapter of

this report.
 Reversing the direction of currents through the wires change the

magnetic state of the core.
Reversing the direction of currents through the wires changes the
 magnetic state of the core.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Pronoun Agreement
Examples
Lasers have also been used to study the reaction by which nitric
oxide and ozone make nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and molecular oxygen.
 It plays an important role in the chemistry of the ozone layer that
surrounds the earth and protects us from the sun's harmful
ultraviolet radiation.
Lasers have also been used to study the reaction by which nitric
oxide and ozone make nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and molecular
 oxygen. This process plays an important role in the chemistry of
the ozone layer that surrounds the earth and protects us from the
sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Writing
Incorrect Grammar
Missing articles
Examples
In image set compression, clustering is applied to large dataset to
form different collections, each containing similar images.
 Then obtained sequence can be encoded using widely used video
compression standard H.264 or latest HEVC standard.
In image set compression, clustering is applied to a large dataset

to form different collections, each containing similar images.
 The obtained sequence can then be encoded using the widely
used video compression standard, H.264, or the latest HEVC
standard.
Writing
Language
Formal, not colloquial
No contractions  Don’t, can’t  Do not, cannot

Writing
Language Which That

Used when the clause Used when the
Formal, not colloquial following it does not clause following it
contain essential conveys essential
information (only information
No contractions additional
information)
Which vs. That
Our office, which has two lunchrooms, is located in New York.
Our office that has two lunchrooms is located in New York.
To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system which currently sustains life,
 although several other bodies are under investigation.
To our knowledge, it is the only body in the solar system that currently sustains life,
 although several other bodies are under investigation.
Writing
Language
No contractions Avoid Prefer
Which vs. That “Contact with a live “Contact with a live

765 kV conductor will 765 kV conductor
result in death.” may result in death.”
Will / Would / May
Writing
Language
No contractions
Which vs. That
Will / Would / May
Tense (Prefer present, past, perfect; do not using continuous)

Writing
Language
No contractions
Which vs. That
Will / Would / May
Tense (Prefer present, past, perfect; do not using continuous)
red in color
Redundant Words worst-case maximum possible error
introduced a new
Common
CommonErrors in Technical
Errors in TechnicalWriting
WritingCont.
Language
Voice and Person
Improper Adjectives  “… the application scope is limited.”
 “… the scope of application is limited.”

Common
WritingCont.
Language
Voice and Person
Improper Adjectives
Possessive apostrophe  It’s  Its

Common
WritingCont.
Language
Voice and Person

Avoid Jargon
Improper Adjectives For the first year, the links with SDPC and the
HAC were not connected, and all required OCS
input data were artificially loaded. Thus
Possessive apostrophe CATCH22 and MERWIN were not available.
Choice of words Because some of the links in the computer

system were not connected the first year, we
could not run all the software codes.
Common
WritingCont.
Language
Voice and Person
Improper Adjectives Define the unfamiliar
Possessive apostrophe Dynamic Stochastic Resonance (DSR) is a

counter-intuitive phenomenon of physics. In a
physical system DSR can be observed in a
Choice of words bistable system with signal and noise.
Common
WritingCont.
Language
Voice and Person
Improper Adjectives
Possessive apostrophe
Avoid ambiguity
Choice of words In low water temperatures and high toxicity
levels of oil, we tested how well the
Order of words microorganisms survived.
We tested how well the microorganisms

survived in low water temperatures and high
toxicity levels of oil.
Common
WritingCont.
Language
Voice and Person
Improper Adjectives
Possessive apostrophe
Choice of words
Commonly misspelt words
Order of words Accommodate
Vacuum
Spelling and Existence
Attendance
Typographical Privilege
Errors
Common
WritingCont.
Punctuation
Period Must be put only after a complete sentence
Important findings are summarized in the last section.
The steps performed in the study include

• Noting observations
• Analyzing results
• Drawing inferences
The steps performed in the study include:

• Noting observations,
• Analyzing results, and
• Drawing inferences.
Common
WritingCont.
Punctuation
Period
Comma
Common
WritingCont.
Punctuation
Period
Prefer sentence case in the title of a paper
If required, capitalize only important words (and not
Comma supporting words like ‘using’, ‘-based’, ‘by’, ‘and’, etc.)
Capitalization Capitalize proper nouns

Common
WritingCont.
Punctuation Hyphen (-)

Used to join two words to make one word
e.g. time-varying, statistics-based, frequency-
Period
dependent, award-winning, e-book
Comma En-dash (–)

Used to denote
Capitalization Range
pp. 221–225, January–December
Hyphen, En-dash, Em-dash Connection or conflict between two equals

current–voltage characteristics
liberal–conservative debate
Used as hyphen when the element itself is a

compound word or a hyphenated word
E.g. National Book Award–winning, e-book–
only website
Common
WritingCont.
Punctuation
Period
Em dash (—)
Comma Used
In place of comma
Capitalization E.g. And yet, when the car was finally
delivered—nearly three months after it was
ordered—she decided she no longer wanted
Hyphen, En-dash, Em-dash it.
In place of parenthesis
E.g. Upon discovering the errors—all 124 of
them—the publisher immediately recalled
the books.
Common
WritingCont.
Formatting of Mathematical Terms
Mathematical variables Always italicize mathematical variables.

DO NOT italicize
• numbers
• mathematical operators
 y = log(x + 5) + cos(a+b) • mathematical functions
 y = log(x + 5) + cos(a + b) E.g. iteration count, n

the ith element of array y, yi
In-text reference of a variable maximum frequency, fmax
(in LaTeX)
Prefer \emph{F} over $F$  y = m(5x + c + 20)
 y = m(5x + c + 20)
 y = m(5x + c + 20)
Common
WritingCont.
Spacing and Formatting
Space is needed before ‘(’ and after ‘)’

E.g. … the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is …
The horizontal axis (iteration count) represents…
Space is needed after ‘:’ and (usually) not before

E.g. They are as follows: (a) vision (b) perception …
The horizontal axis (iteration count) represents…”
Space is needed after comma NOT before

E.g. The transformation, which decorrelates the data, is performed iteratively.
Space is needed between number and its unit

E.g. 10 V, 12 Hz, 0.05 m/s, 100 MB
Tips for Technical WritingWriting
Tips for Technical
Spell small numbers out. Avoid starting a sentence with a number.
Use correct SI unit symbol. E.g. SI unit of time is second (s)

10 s 
10 sec 
Use Details Wisely
Axes titles of plot should be of the style: Quantity (SI Unit symbol)
E.g. Output voltage (V), Iteration, n
Choose proper representation of specification:

E.g. a resistance of 10 ohms Ten battery sources of 3 V each …
a 10-ohm resistor Ten 3-V battery sources are connected …
Check your article for plagiarism using a plagiarism-detection software.

Tips for Technical
While using MS Word, insert equations using borderless tables for the ease
of alignment and numbering.
Tips for Technical
Tips for Technical
Tips for Technical
(1)
Tips for Technical
xn = x(n + a) (1)
Tips for Technical
xn = x(n + a) (1)
Tips for Technical
While writing formal letters and emails
Formal Letters
In reference to …
To,
With reference to your email dated …
Name
Designation/Post This is to bring to your notice …
This is to inform you …
Introduction of the context followed by

Recipient unknown Dear Sir/Madam,
‘In this regard, …’
Recipient known Dear Ms. Buffay, Personal introduction followed by

‘I am interested in a winter internship
Dear Dr. Geller, in the area of … under your guidance.’
Dear Prof. Dumbledore, please grant

kindly request
Dear Rachel,
Tips for Technical
While writing formal letters and emails
Signing off
I look forward to hearing from you. Looking forward to your response,
Sincerely, Yours faithfully,

Name Name
With warm regards, Signature

Best regards, Name
Position
Best,
Department
Thanks and best regards, Organization
Contact details
Signature is usually used in emails in place of letterhead.

Takeaway
An average technical write-up would have
No grammatical errors
No awkwardly constructed sentences
Appropriate words
Necessary transition words
Good readability
Format documents properly
An excellent technical write-up should have
Context and focus at the beginning of the paragraph

Flow of ideas avoiding logic gaps, and rewritten entire sentences
Passage with a central theme
ALWAYS
Proofread your
document.

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HSN7010

How is technical writing relevant to you?

Identify your audience and their expectations

Know your material

Understand the writing task at hand Revising Writing

Organize your thoughts and materials

Budget adequate time to write, review, revise and edit

Introduction / Motivation E.g. Avoid “A novel algorithm for…”

Methodology / Proposed Algorithm

Results and Discussions

Limitations and Future Scope

Title Short summary, usually 150-300

Methodology / Proposed Algorithm

Results and Discussions

Limitations and Future Scope

Results and Discussions

Limitations and Future Scope

Results and Discussions

Limitations and Future Scope

Methodology / Proposed Algorithm Core Contribution

Limitations and Future Scope

Methodology / Proposed Algorithm

Results and Discussions Findings

Methodology / Proposed Algorithm

Results and Discussions

Methodology / Proposed Algorithm

Results and Discussions

Limitations and Future Scope Summary of findings

Title List of references

Results and Discussions Citation in text

 The results of the study were inconclusive, therefore more

The results of the study were inconclusive. Therefore, more

Starting a sentence with ‘So’, ‘But’

 The denominator is complex. So it must be rationalized.

The denominator is complex. Therefore, it must be rationalized.

 Broken and dusty, Clarence found an old computer in the garage.

Dialysis is a process that includes the removal of nitrogenous

Dialysis is a process that includes the removal of nitrogenous

 Each of the steps in the process are treated in a separate chapter of

 Each of the steps in the process is treated in a separate chapter of

 Reversing the direction of currents through the wires change the

In image set compression, clustering is applied to a large dataset

Formal, not colloquial

No contractions  Don’t, can’t  Do not, cannot

Language Which That

Our office that has two lunchrooms is located in New York.

Formal, not colloquial

No contractions Avoid Prefer

Which vs. That “Contact with a live “Contact with a live

Formal, not colloquial

Which vs. That

Will / Would / May

Tense (Prefer present, past, perfect; do not using continuous)

Formal, not colloquial

Which vs. That

Will / Would / May

Tense (Prefer present, past, perfect; do not using continuous)

Voice and Person

Improper Adjectives  “… the application scope is limited.”

 “… the scope of application is limited.”

Voice and Person

Possessive apostrophe  It’s  Its

Voice and Person