Technical Articles and Reports

In the U.S. and Canada, there are more than 6,000 business, technical, academic, scientific and trade publications, which among them publish several hundred technical articles a year. Technical publications are the vehicles through which engineers and scientists communicate with their peers in other fields. Academic journals are the vehicles they use to communicate within their own field.

Smith, Michael. York University. Articles>Writing>Engineering>Technical Writing

Review: Technical Communication  

Rebecca E. Burnett covers all the topics you'd expect in an introductory textbook for technical communicators. And she covers them thoroughly.

Campbell, Alexa. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Reviews>Textbooks>Technical Writing

Technical Communication and Programming: Using Writing Rules

This article is about better commenting practices for the purpose of—perhaps—helping some to better their programming practices. But before beginning, let me qualify the entire thing by saying that I am not a programmer—not the professional kind anyway. I have created small programs in the past for some of my employers, but that is not how I make my living. Therefore, I am not trying to teach principles of programming. I am only a writing teacher who happens to enjoy programming as a hobby. And while I cannot provide insight into better programming principles, I can offer guidance about writing those short pieces of text programmers always embed, but sometimes neglect. Helping students write better documents is, after all, my occupation; and believe it or not the principles I teach to write better papers are not that different from the principles needed to write better code.

Lanier, Clinton R. sense and usability (2008). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Methods

Technical Communicators - Experts or Laypersons?

Camille Johnson (CJ) in Forum 02/2000 (SA 16) indicates that a TC (Technical Communicator) can work on (almost?) any subject without any special training. I am dismayed by the frightening carelessness of this statement!

Fuckner, Ingrid. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Documentation Tips

How to write effective technical documentation.

Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Editing and Writing in the Future: What New Technologies Will Mean  

We're awash in technological innovation: what used to be difficult and expensive (e.g., color printing, presentation video, display-math typesetting) has become easy, relatively cheap, and inevitable for even modest publications environments. What's a technical communicator to do when the communication tools themselves are technically . . . intriguing? Do the new technologies make technical communicators more effective or merely irrelevant? The three presentations described below assume 'more effective,' but they take different cuts at the issue, reflecting three different approaches and three levels of success in trying to get a handle on new communication tools.

Clark, Beverly A., Michelle I. Hutchinson, Alan Reade, Ann Rockley, Kevin J. Schmidt and John R. Struck. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Reports for Quick Reader Comprehension  

A technique to conserve the time of scientists and engineers in report preparation, assure prompt reporting, and provide reports that meet user needs.

DITA Users (1961). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Reports

Review: Technical Style: Technical Writing in a Digital Age  

Haile argues that 'books on technical writing often ignore the problems writers face in presenting equations and the problems readers face in decoding them.' That's often true. And, just as Edward Tufte's books show a passion for truth in statistical charts, Haile's analyses and prescriptions demonstrate how much he cares about clearing away the clutter that stands between readers and the underlying science.

Price, Jonathan R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Support According to Dilbert

Help desks often follow written scripts based on how an application should work, but what if the user is faced with something out of the ordinary, and it’s something not written in the script? Software might not always behave as it’s supposed to; did a technical writer somewhere have to form a logical conclusion that might not have been correct?

Rosberg, Joe. TechRepublic (2008). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Translation: Craft, Not Commodity  

Describes the work of translators and suggests strategies buyers can use to find the best translator for their needs.

Cardillo, Louis M. Intercom (2004). Articles>Editing>Localization>Technical Writing

The Technical Writer as Software Evaluator

Technical writers are taking on more responsibilities. More and more, writers are being asked to participate in the design and review of a new product, or to help organize the efforts of a product team. Before you even begin evaluating software, resolve the following points in your own mind: Performing a comprehensive evaluation of a piece of software takes time, and chances are that no one product has all the capabilities you would like it to have, so be prepared to make concessions.

Boston Broadside (1992). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Software

Technical Writer/Subject Matter Expert Interaction: The Writer's Perspective, the Organizational Challenge    

Almost a decade ago, Walkowski's (1991) study of the interaction between subject-matter experts (SMEs) and technical writers focused on the perceptions of software engineers toward technical writers. Her findings gave technical writers insights on how to improve critical relationships with these organizational colleagues. This study partially replicates Walkowski's (1991) study of technical writer-SME interactions, but instead of collecting data from SMEs, we surveyed technical writers themselves. We report perceptions collected from 31 technical writers and contrast them with Walkowski's original findings, offering interpersonal and organizational recommendations for addressing tensions between these groups. By examining both the SMEs' and the technical writers' perceptions of their relationship, we are able to provide a two-sided view of a dynamic and complex interaction. We also argue that participants in the SME-technical writer interaction cannot fully alter their relationship without the strategic supp

Lee, Martha F. and Brad Mehlenbacher. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Collaboration>Technical Writing>SMEs

Technical Writers and Interaction Design

Technical writers are oft-forgotten constituents in the product development cycle. Although they are rarely tasked with participating in product requirements definition and product design, technical writers are in a unique position to affect product design. However, they will find that subtlety and subterfuge are sometimes necessary to make a politically correct impact in an organization that has not embraced interaction design as a formal part of the development process.

Calde, Steve. Cooper Interaction Design (2004). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Interaction Design

Technical Writers Gain Control

In the field of technical writing the use of Controlled Language (CL) attracts more and more public interest. However, the merits of controlling language in the context of technical documentation are not uncontroversial.

Reuther, Ursula. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Language>Localization>Technical Writing

Technical Writers May Shape Future of American Lit

While American literature of the early 20th century was penned by journalists such as Ernest Hemingway or copywriters such as Sherwood Anderson, the next wave of American literature may be penned (or typed) by technical writers, a Utah Valley State College English professor says.

Hancock, Laura. Deseret Morning News (2007). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Writers of India: A Survey

Though the technical writing field in India is growing faster than ever before, no institution in the country imparts any kind of technical writing course or training. Some University courses include a paper in Technical Writing, but its scope is very limited. Also, no figures are available about the number of technical writers in India.

TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>India

Technical Writers' Mailing Lists

The TWIN (Technical Writers of India) mailing list has crossed 1,000. As the founder and owner, I wanted to stop the list a few years ago when it had touched 675, because I was afraid it would touch 1,000 within a few months. I had other reasons for wanting to stop the list. But the voice of the members prevailed and I handed over the list to the current owner. Why did I start the list? Well, I saw that Indian technical writers (and others), were making a fool of themselves on Techwhirl (a list with around 4,000 members then, today perhaps it has 8,000) and other lists. A professor from a reputed institute in Bangalore had asked about a problem of printing on the list. I was embarrassed. I said, why not restrict this ignominy to ourselves and started the TWIN list.

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Writing>Mailing Lists>Technical Writing

Technical Writing and Instructional Design Techniques  

Technical communicators and instructional designers use similar techniques in producing written documents. This paper discusses how the Perot Systems Instructional Design team creates its documentation in a similar manner as technical communicators. We start by discussing the use of the ADDIE model for developing documentation; 2) explaining how we implement our Word and PowerPoint style guides with a brief mention about our client-driven Training Engagement Methodology; and 3) ensuring copyrights are respected. The subject matter experts that we support as technical communicators and instructional designers sometimes view us as the documentation police because we constantly question the data and quotations.

Damrau, Jackie. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Writing and the Macintosh

Technical writing is one of those activities that historians of technology have almost completely ignored.

Stanford University (2000). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Macintosh

Technical Writing and the Pronoun Problem

Take the time to avoid gender-specific language in your business and technical writing. Given the consequences of being misunderstood, it is well worth the extra effort. Remember, anything that distracts the reader, detracts from your message.

Herron, Scott. Article Alley (1997). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Gender

Technical Writing Courses  

In the United States, many technical writing courses and degree programs exist for hopeful writers. Technical writers in other countries are not necessarily so fortunate. I don't know why this should be so, but I am happy to say that this situation is improving; more and more universities and colleges are offering technical writing degrees and certificates. Since the number of schools offering technical writing programs changes frequently, providing a list of them here would soon cause this page to become out of date. To find out what technical writing courses are available in your area, contact your local universities and colleges. If there are no classes offered in your area, some universities and colleges provide online degree programs that you can complete from anywhere in the world. Also, many private companies provide technical writing courses. You can find these by typing "technical writing courses" at the search engines. Even if your local university or college does not offer any technical writing courses, you can take other courses that will be beneficial when you apply for a job.

Docsymmetry (2003). Articles>Education>Technical Writing

Technical Writing FAQ

What are the primary skills of a technical writer? How do I become a technical writer?

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Technical Writing