As a student, engineer or scientist,
you will be required to write technical reports as part of your degree as
well as throughout your career. Technical writing is found everywhere. There are a variety of different types
of writing which use a technical style. For example, instructions of all sorts are
a perfect example of technical writing. When you open up an instruction manual as
the reader, the goal is to be informed about the product so that you can
use it as efficiently as possible. Lab reports are another
example of technical writing. The main purpose of a lab report Is to
explain that occurrences in a lab so that others will be able
to gain information. Driving directions can be considered
as a type of technical writing as the goal is to clearly and efficiently provide instructions on
how to go from point A to point B. Overall, technical writing is
a very useful form of writing that is encountered by
everyone almost every day. Technical writing is targeted
to readers who are looking for information on a particular topic. The goal in targeting this group, is to
make sure that the information provided is clear, concise and easy for
everyone to understand. This type of writing is somewhat
more difficult for some people. As it requires that you are able to
translate information that is sometimes hard to comprehend, into terms
that anyone will be able to read, and follow along with without any trouble. While there are different types of writing
that are informative, technical writing is the type that most clearly focuses on
presenting information in a specific way so that people can use the information for
a variety of different purposes. The ability is to produce a clear,
concise and professionally presented report is
a skill you will need to develop in order to succeed both at university and
in your future career. While reports vary in the type
of information they present. For example original research,
the results of an investigative study or the solution to a design problem all share similar features that
are based on a similar structure. Thus technical reports are designed for quick and
easy communication of information. They are designed for selective reading. Different sections are used with
numbered headings and subheadings and all this technical documentation use
figures and diagrams to convey data. For many writers a technical report is the
longest document they have ever written. It normally involves massive research. The real focus is on how well adapted your technical writing is to specific audience,
how clear and readable, it is how it flows, how it is organized,
how much detail it provides. They writer's job now boils down
to define the report topic, the report audience,
the report purpose and it's time. The trick is you need to decide
the subject you are going to write on. Narrow it as much as possible. Besides, you need to define
a specific person, or group of people you are targeting. You need to define the circumstances
in which this report is needed. In addition, you need to define
what the report will accomplish. What needs of the audience
it is going to fulfill. And finally,
you have to decide on the type of report. For example, technical background report,
feasibility report, instructions, or some other. When you define your audience, you also
define who the readers are, what they know or don't know in relation to the topic,
what experience, background they have in relation to the topic, and why they
want, or might need this information. Sometimes this leaves
out a critical element. What are the circumstances that bring
about the need for this information? No matter what user you are writing for
there are certain attributes that all documentation should have
before it can be considered good. And roughly this order of importance, good technical documentation
must be correct, complete, usable, clear, consistent. Certainly, there are other important
characteristics of documentation, design and layout,
positive out-of-the-box experience, context-sensitivity and searchability. Every technical document
that gets into the job done has six major characteristics. It addresses particular readers,
knowing who the readers are, what they understand about the subject,
how well they speak English, and how they will use the document will help
you decide what type of document to write, how to structure it,
how much detail to introduce. And what sentence style and
vocabulary to use. It helps readers solve problems. It reflects the organization's goals and
culture. For example, many organizations
encourage their employees to blog about their areas of expertise to create
a positive image of the organization. It is produced collaboratively. No one person has all the information,
skills, or time to create a large document. You will work with subject matter experts,
the various technical professionals, to create a better document than
you have been working alone. You will routinely post questions to
networks of friends and associates both inside and outside the organization
to get answers to technical questions. It uses design to increase readability. Technical communicators use design
features such as typography, spacing and color to make a document attractive so
that it creates a positive impression, helps readers navigate
the document to understand it. It consists of words or images or both. Images, both static and moving can make a
document more interesting and appealing to readers and to help the writer communicate
and reinforce difficult concepts. Communicate instructions and
descriptions of objects and processes. Communicate large amounts
of quantifiable data. And communicate with nonnative speakers
