Professional technical writing

Professional technical writing

 · Here are its main characteristics: Purpose: Getting something done within an organization (completing a project, persuading a customer, pleasing your boss, Your knowledge of the topic: Usually greater than that of the reader Audience: Often Professional, Technical Writing These OWL resources will help you conduct research and compose documents for the workplace, such as memoranda and business letters. This section also includes resources for writing report and scientific abstracts

Technical Writing: Definition and Observations

Technical writing is a specialized form of exposition : that is, written communication done on the job, especially in fields with specialized vocabularies, professional technical writing, such as science, engineering, technology, and the health sciences.

Along with business writing, technical writing is often subsumed under the heading of professional communication. The Society for Technical Communication STC offers this definition of technical professional technical writing "the process of gathering information from experts and presenting it to an audience in a clear, easily understandable form.

In an influential article published inWebster Earl Britton concluded that the essential characteristic of technical writing is "the effort of the author to convey one meaning and professional technical writing one meaning in what he says.

Here are its main characteristics:. The "Handbook of Technical Writing" describes the craft's goal this way: "The 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 than the writer's voiceprofessional technical writing, technical writing professional technical writing uses an objective, professional technical writing, not a subjective, tone.

The writing style is direct and utilitarian, emphasizing exactness and clarity rather than elegance or allusiveness. A technical writer uses figurative language only when a figure of speech would facilitate understanding. Mike Markel notes in "Technical Communication," "The biggest difference between technical communication and the other kinds of writing you have done is that technical communication has a somewhat different focus on audience and purpose.

In "Technical Writing, Presentational Skills, and Online Communication," computer science professor Raymond Greenlaw notes that the "writing style in technical writing is more prescriptive than in creative writing. In technical writing, professional technical writing, we are not so much concerned about entertaining the audience as we are about conveying specific information to our readers in a concise and precise manner.

People can study technical writing in college or technical school, though a student doesn't have to earn a full degree in the field for the skill to be useful in his or her job.

Employees in technical fields who have good communication skills can learn on the job through feedback from their team members as they work on projects, supplementing their work experience through taking occasional targeted courses to further develop their skills. Knowledge of the field and its specialized vocabulary is the most important piece for technical writers, just as in other niche writing areas, and can command a paid premium over generalist writers.

Share Flipboard Email. English English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing. Richard Nordquist. English and Rhetoric Professor. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. our editorial process. Cite this Article Format. Nordquist, Richard. Technical Writing. copy citation. Graphics in Business Writing, Technical Communication, professional technical writing.

How to Use English Grammar for Writing Instructions. Paragraph Length in Compositions and Reports, professional technical writing. Using Informal Style in Prose Writing. Outlines for Every Type of Writing Composition. Definition and Examples of Rhetorical Stance.

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An Introduction to Technical and Professional Writing

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Professional, Technical Writing Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab

 · Here are its main characteristics: Purpose: Getting something done within an organization (completing a project, persuading a customer, pleasing your boss, Your knowledge of the topic: Usually greater than that of the reader Audience: Often Professional, Technical Writing These OWL resources will help you conduct research and compose documents for the workplace, such as memoranda and business letters. This section also includes resources for writing report and scientific abstracts