Technical Writing, a form of technical communication, is a style of formal writing and business communication, used in fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology. Good technical writing clarifies technical jargon; that is, it presents useful information that is clear and easy to understand for the intended audience.
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A collection of links to hundreds of technical writing-related websites.
GaryConroy.com. Resources>Directories>Writing>Technical Writing
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Recruiting Spree for Technical Writers
I had a chance to interview three technical writers in Pune, the oasis of technical writers. All of them were techies doing technical writing. I am into EDA technical writing these days (one of the toughest areas of technical writing—this is rocket science, buddies!) and naturally technical acumen is a strength. All of them were new to technical writing (and perhaps even writing) as was evident from the fact that none of them brought in writing samples.
Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>India
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Un weblog qui cherche à servir de coin aux auteurs techniques.
Flacke, Marie-Louise. Rédacteur Technique, Le (2007). (French) Resources>Writing>Technical Editing>Technical Writing
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Reducing Complexity in Documentation 
With more emphasis being placed on customer satisfaction, technical writers need to focus on information strategies that will lead to happier customers. The complexity of the information is one common complaint of customers. Writers need to understand what customers think is complex. Then, writers need to develop strategies to combat these complexities.
Roscoe-Iverson, Ellen. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Minimalism
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Reflections of a GTA on the Teaching of Technical Writing
Though I have a degree in technical communication and have worked as a technical writer for four years, I still had no idea what should be taught in a technical writing classroom, or how one should go about teaching it. Before I ventured into the arena as an instructor, I wanted to find out what goes on in a technical writing classroom. Two types of practical research that I thought would provide some insight into technical writing instruction were: an observation of different technical communication classrooms; and a survey of various textbooks available for technical communication courses.
Anderson, Ginger. Michigan Tech University (1998). Articles>Education>TC>Technical Writing
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Review: Reporting Technical Information 
When I first picked up Reporting Technical Information, I thought from the title it was going to be a primer on writing technical reports. Instead, this book turned out to be a basic, though somewhat better than average, textbook on technical writing.
Coleman, Colleen. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Reports>Technical Writing
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Here you'll find links to various resources on the Internet and elsewhere that have to do with technical writing, tools, technical information, and occasionally absolutely nothing at all.
Write Thinking. Resources>Directories>Writing>Technical Writing
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Resources on Technical Writing
A categorized collection of links to technical writing resources and organizations.
Shankar, Kiruba. Kiruba.com. Resources>Directories>Writing>Technical Writing
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A case study of an experienced professor's comments on a design report in a first-year engineering class was conducted over the period of an academic year. When compared with the commenting styles of technical writing teachers, the engineering professor's comments were found to be highly directive, and thus at odds with the preference for facilitative comments that prevails in composition studies. However, differences in genre conventions explain much of the discrepancy.
Miller, Paul, Jaye Bausser and Audeen Fentiman. Technical Communication Quarterly (1998). Articles>Education>Engineering>Technical Writing
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Rethinking the Evaluation of Writing in Engineering Courses 
The objective of this paper is to bring about a reevaluation of writing assessment practices in engineering classes. The authors begin by drawing rhetoric (the knowledge base of effective technical communication) and engineering together, explaining how engineering work is rhetorical. From this theoretical vantage point, the authors argue for a change in engineering writing assessment practices. Specifically, they argue for an approach that favors formative assessment (focused on writing comments that lead to both better writing and better engineering) over summative assessment (which sees writing ability as separate from engineering design). The authors continue by revealing a scoring guide for the formative assessment of engineering reports, and detailing the process by which such a scoring guide may be created. Each criterion in the scoring guide is explained in terms of the rhetorical and engineering principles that it simultaneously addresses.
Swarts, Jason and Lee Odell. Rice University (2001). Articles>Education>Engineering>Technical Writing
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I am asking my program to incorporate more of the liberal arts into the course's title and course description to better appeal to (and serve) students in a liberal arts college. The course will have one or two new sophomore level iterations: as a technical/research writing course in which students complete a semester long service project, researching and writing a final report while focusing on writing, research, and mathematical skills, and/or as a technical writing/document design class where students focus on the document design and writing skills needed to produce items such as a resume, flyers, brochures, posters, and more.
Sehmel, Heather. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
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The Rhetoric of Critical Procedures
One important aspect of technical writing is the production and use of procedures. Though technical writing serves a variety of purposes, teaching, informing, persuading, and even questioning, one of its primary and most common purposes is the 'how-to' function of providing procedures. There is a great deal of information available on writing procedures, the vast majority of it focusing on software documentation and product documentation.
Boelter, Walter H. Orange Journal, The (2003). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
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Rhetorical Context and Process of Professional/Technical Communication
In professional/technical communication, the writer's purpose often relates to helping readers understand, evaluate, or use technology.
Henson, Darold Leigh. Southwest Missouri State University. Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
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In the age of the national information infrastructure, we are inundated with information from various sources. Each day, we come into contact with much more information than we can ever assimilate, and the amount of information that we have access to constantly increases. We generate more and more information daily, and with modern technology, such as Internet, we have immediate access to libraries and databases worldwide.
Jeansonne, Jerold. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>Assessment>Technical Writing
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Robert Pirsig’s Message for Documentation Quality
Teachers of technical communication frequently recommend that their students read Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) for his views on the complex relationships between technology and human values. As a former technical writer, Pirsig also offers some useful advice about Quality and its relation to the usability of technical documentation. Revisiting Pirsig’s works, including the more recently published Lila (1991), reveals concepts about Quality in documentation that are especially relevant to the usability testing of the documentation for today’s rapidly evolving technologies. This paper examines Pirsig’s views on the some of the characteristics of effective technical communication, and it offers advice to educators and trainers for incorporating Pirsig’s concepts about Quality into their teaching of techniques for the usability testing, and hence quality, of user documentation.
Shirk, Henrietta Nickels and Howard T. Smith. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Quality>Technical Writing
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Did you ever see the movie RoboCop? Do you remember the prime directives of RoboCop? As a technical writer, you have prime directives as well.
Taylor, Vicki M. Suite101 (2001). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
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Role of Technical Writers in Developing eLearning
Many companies are starting to use eLearning to train their workers, managers, customers and suppliers. Some of those companies want to use their internal technical writers or communicators to not only write the content, but also to develop the CBT or WBT.
Kurtus, Ron. School for Champions. Articles>Education>Online>Technical Writing
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The Role of the Editor in the Technical Writing Team
Editing today covers far more than printed materials. In this discussion, I am assuming a technical editor may be required to deal with: printed materials (for example, books, pamphlets, quick reference cards); electronic (for example, online documentation, online help, web pages); video scripts; computer-based training materials. I am also assuming that the audience for the material being edited is not comprised of other technical people; or if it is, the editor is not the person responsible for ensuring the technical accuracy of the material.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Editing>Collaboration>Technical Writing
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Romancing the Word: From Left Brain to Right Brain
Writing skills can translate to any format. Whether technical documents, media advertising, or fiction, the underlying techniques are the same. A logical approach complements the creativity of putting words on paper. As technical writers, we can expand our skills to storytelling with the same degree of competence we use in our day jobs. The leap from left brain to right brain is not as wide as it seems. This paper briefly discusses one aspiring author's journey, and explores the similarities between technical and fiction writing.
Haire, Susan M. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
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S1000D: A Standard for Technical Documentation
S1000D is a military standard for the creation and delivery of technical documentation. Many companies can benefit from its methodology. Review its history and principal concepts, and learn important information to keep in mind when applying the standard to your work.
Weidenbrueck, Dieter. Intercom (2006). Articles>Documentation>Standards>Technical Writing
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A PDF document intended as a resource for teachers who want help describing the memo to students. This (relatively lengthy) sample memo attempts to make an all-too-familiar document strange again by explaining what it is and how to use it.
Zuidema, Leah A. Michigan State University (2003). Academic>Course Materials>Writing>Technical Writing
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Scientific and Technical Communication
Effective communication skills in the workplace can prevent problems, streamline production, and determine who gets promoted and who doesn'ï¿t. This course will develop your use of several genres of scientific and technical writing, as well as teach you planning, drafting, and revision strategies that will dramatically improve the quality of your communication. A significant part of this course will be devoted to exploring new communication technologies, such as web design and presentation software and hardware. Graphics and document design have always been important elements of technical communication, but new technology has made them required features of workplace communication. In short, technical communicators are both writers and designers. As such, you must also regularly confront a range of ethical questions ï¿ from the political implications of the language you use to the decisions you make about the appropriateness or appeal of particular images. Throughout the semester, weï¿ll consider the ethical implications of what often seems to be (but isnï¿t) a straightforward, value-free form of communication.
Smith, Erin. Michigan Tech University (2002). Academic>Courses>Scientific Communication>Technical Writing
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Security Policy and Procedures Documentation
With the nation intensifying its homeland security and industry focusing on computer security, the experienced technical communicator can assist with documenting procedures.
Albing, Bill. KeyContent.org (2004). Articles>Documentation>Policies and Procedures>Technical Writing
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Seeing the World Through Different Specs: Or, How I Came to Love Writing Software Specifications
Much has been said and written about Object-Oriented Programming in the past few years, some of it even worthwhile. While not the panacea on which we've all waited, OOP is, however, changing not only our concept of software design and development, but is subtly re-shaping the way in which we see and know the world. For technical communicators, this epistemological change will radically affect not only the way we craft software specifications, but will permanently re-shape our worldview.
Weathington, Thomas L., Jr. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Specifications>Technical Writing
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Selected Readings for Technical Writing: Theory and Practice
The topics below are just some of the many possible topics for such a course. I have chosen some of the topics because they relate to my specific research interests, and I have chosen some of the topics because students have expressed a strong interest in acquiring more background in these areas.
Jones, Dan. University of Central Florida (2004). Resources>Bibliographies>Writing>Technical Writing
