THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TECHNICAL WRITING

There are five basic principles in technical writing (Mills and Walter, 1982).
1. Technical writing is written for a specific person or group of people, real or
imaginary, and they are assumed to be unintelligent but uninformed.
For example, the book of nursing is intended for nurses or students of
nursing. Likewise, the book of architecture is intended for architects or
students of architecture. Even the articles in magazines, journals, or
gazettes about a certain field or work are written for the same professionals
who are in the same field of work.

2. Technical writing is written for a purpose. All words in the sentence; all
sentences in the paragraph; all paragraphs in the composition must
contribute to the intended purpose.
Conciseness is one of the characteristics of technical writing. Any word,
sentence or paragraph that would only duplicate the same idea or has no relation
to the idea must be eliminated. It avoids redundancy and incoherence.

3. Technical writing uses simple, concrete, and familiar language.

• The readers of technical writing are usually busy and directly looking
for their specific purpose. They must not be burdened to unlock the
difficult words of the writer. They are after the information of the
contents, and they need concrete data. The communication would
be much more effective if the reader could easily grasp what the
writer means to say as it is written.
4. Technical writing should always have the three parts: introduction, contents
and conclusion.
In introduction, the writer should condition the mind of the reader of what
he is going to say. He introduces his topic and gives some background information of the
content he is about to tell. Then, he goes on to his content, the main discussion of his
composition. And finally, ends it up by recapitulating what he has discussed.
5. Technical writing must be presentable and attractive.
Like a person who does not want himself to be rejected because he is not
properly dressed and attractive, it is the same in technical writing. Besides, the
writing is the reflection of the writer. It is very embarrassing for the writer if his
report paper is full of defects and flaws. Physical appearance could add to the
interest of the reader. (Tendero, E.V. et al, 2010)