Technical Writing

Mobashir Hussain
Technical Writing
Technical writing is a type of writing where the author
is writing about a particular subject that requires
direction, instruction, or explanation.
Goals
To deliver technical information for readers in a
manner that is adapted to their needs, level of
understanding, and background.
•To communicate with specific audience, for a specific
purpose.
Conti…
Technical writing can be defined as art of presenting technical
information in such a way that the audience it is addressed to
can understand and use the information.
It conveys specific information about a technical subject to a
specific audience for a specific purpose.
It is an art of delivering technical information to a technical
and non- technical user in simple and easy to understand way.
Convert complicated subject matter and transform it to easy to
understand form for reader.
It is done in the workplace and centers around technical topics.
Technical Writing
Must be understood easily and quickly, includes:
memos
e-mail
Letters
Reports
Brochures and newsletters
The job search, web pages
Fliers
PowerPoint presentations , Graphics
Process of Technical Writing
Understanding Gathering
Audience Information

Publishing Designing
Document Document

Reviewing Creating
Document Document
What are key Concepts needed to create
an effective Technical Writing?
Key Steps
Know the intended audience.
Understand the goal of the document.
Follow the Pyramid Method of Writing.
Use an active voice when writing.
Use clear and concise language.
Use illustrations to help clarify meaning.
Prepare a draft and then a final copy.
Conti…
When a writer knows their audience they are better
positioned to suggest and implement solutions, by
using appropriate language and tone.
What are the readers positions and responsibilities?
What will the reader be expecting from the
document?
CHARACTERISTICS
Clarity– easily understood by intended audience
Conciseness – clear without excess verbiage
Specific Audience - targeted to particular readers Specific
Purpose- written for a specific purpose
Accuracy – is factual, correct and free from bias
Correctness – follows grammatical and technical
conventions
Comprehensiveness – contains all necessary information
Accessibility – includes Table of Content, headings,
subheadings, indexes
Format of the Report
The full format of a report can be as follows:
Title page
Summary/Abstract
Table of Contents.
Introduction/Scope
Procedure/ Body Text/Method
Conclusions
Recommendations.
References
Appendices.
The Title Page
The title page is the first page of the report proper
which the reader will see. It should contain
The title and author’s name.
The report reference number and date, if available.•
The company’s name and logo if desired.
The summary/Abstract
The Summary provides a brief overview of the substance of the report; usually no more
than half a page. It is not an introduction to the topic.
The summary should outline all the key features of your report, including the topic,
what you did and how you did it. The summary gives the most important findings of
your research or investigation.
Abstract will contain several key features;
Problem statement: Why is your research/argument important? What practical,
scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is your project filling?
Methods: What did you actually do to get your results? (e.g. analyzed 3 novels,
completed a series of 5 oil paintings, interviewed 17 students)
Results: As a result of completing the above procedure, what did you
learn/invent/create?
Conclusion: What are the larger implications of your findings, especially for the
problem/gap identified previously? Why is this research valuable?
Recommendations: What are your suggestions for the future, which needs to be
fulfilled. It well be useful for the reader to understand.
The Table of Contents
The contents page sets out the sections and
subsections of the report and their corresponding page
numbers. It should clearly show the structural
relationship between the sections and subsections.
A reader looking for specific information should be
able to locate the appropriate section easily from the
table of contents.
Number the sections by the decimal point numbering
system.
Table of Contents
Introduction/Scope
The introduction to your document should lead your readers
into your paper and give them an idea of what to expect.
The introduction begins by introducing the broad overall
topic and providing basic background information.
Introductions often do the following:
State the subject of your document as clearly as possible
Define the problem you are addressing, your approach to the
problem, and why this problem is important
State the purpose of your document
Define the scope of your document
Provide necessary and relevant background information
Methodology
The methods section will describe the research design
and methodology used to complete to the study.
It Includes:
How your data were collected.
Who the participants are.
Your corpus or materials.
The type of analysis you carried out (e.g., quantitative
or qualitative) and your procedure.
How you analyzed or coded your data.
Conclusion
Conclusion as the final part of the body of your
document.
Because some readers particularly do not read the entire
document but, instead, focus on the conclusion, this
part of the document should summarize all essential
information necessary for your audience's purpose.
In your conclusion: Relate your findings to the general
problem and any specific objectives posed in your
introduction.
Summarize clearly what the report does and does not
demonstrate.
Recommendations
Many types of scientific and technical documents
conclude by pointing to further action.
Research reports often recommend further studies to
confirm tentative explanations or to answer questions
presented in the discussion section.
Recommendations should always be specific and
appropriate to the document's audience.
Separate each specific recommendation.
Often authors present recommendations in bulleted
or numbered lists.
References
The research paper is not complete without the list of
references.
This section should be an alphabetized list of all the
academic sources of information utilized in the paper.
The format of the references will match the format
and style used in the paper.
Common formats include APA, MLA, Harvard and so
forth.
Appendixes
The following list presents some typical material that
is often included in an appendix.
Detailed explanations and elaborations too technical
for the main text
Additional diagrams
Additional tables summarizing data
Long lists
Experimental protocols or survey questions
What is Research?
Research is a way of finding out answers to questions
Research is a way of finding out answers to questions
Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze
information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue
Research can be defined as the search for knowledge or any
systematic investigation to establish facts
Research is applying a scientific method to investigate a problem
or phenomenon with the aim of finding an appropriate solution
Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze
information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue.
Research is an art of scientific investigation
Objectives or purpose of Research
To extend knowledge
To put light on hidden facts or mysteries.
Generalization of laws
To verify and tests the existing facts and theories
Finding solution to problem
Types of Research
Applied research:
In an applied research one solves certain problems
employing well known and accepted theories and principles.
Quantitative research
It is numerical, non-descriptive, applies statistics or
mathematics and uses numbers.
Qualitative research
It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning and uses
words. Its aim is to get the meaning, feeling and describe the
situation.
Conti…
Mixed research
Mixed research- research that involves the mixing of quantitative
and qualitative methods or paradigm characteristics. Nature of
data is mixture of variables, words and images.
Exploratory Research
Exploratory research might involve a literature search or
conducting focus group interviews for the exploration of new
phenomena.
Descriptive research
The descriptive research is directed toward studying Thus, it is
directed toward answering questions such as, “What is this?”.
Conti…
Explanatory research
Its primary goal is to understand or to explain
relationships.
Longitudinal Research
Research carried out longitudinally involves data
collection at multiple points in time.
Cross-sectional Research
Cross-sectional studies are those in which data is
gathered once, during a period of days, weeks or
months
Conti…
Action research
Fact findings to improve the quality of action in the
social world
Comparative research
To identify similarities and differences between units
at all levels
Causal research
It aims at establishing cause and effect relationship
among variable