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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It is important to offer the information that is needed by the user rather than focusing on the product and covering each function without regard to the user.
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How to write effective technical documentation.
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
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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
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English 5373 covers the management and production of forms of print and online manuals, including software and hardware manuals, instructions, and performance support. Students will learn how to manage projects, and how to address issues of user analysis, text design, graphics design, task orientation, and translation. Class activities will include exercises and presentations focused on student project work.
Barker, Thomas. Texas Tech University (2003). Academic>Courses>Documentation>Technical Writing
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This outline is provided to help introduce the Technical Report and to clarify the acceptable format and level of achievement that is considered essential for successful completion of the Technical Report.
Scott, George A. TechWriter!. Reference>Style Guides>Reports>Technical Writing
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Technical Report Writing Resources
Provides links to online resources such as directories, web sites, chat forums, journals, associations, and conferences. It also has 18 tips for technical writers.
Halligan, Nancy. Technical-writing-course.com (2002). Resources>Directories>Reports>Technical Writing
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The assignment in this unit is to learn about technical reports, their different types, their typical audiences and situations, and then to plan one of your own. Specifically, your task in this unit is to pick a report topic, report audience and situation, report purpose, and report type.
McMurrey, David A. Illuminati Online (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Reports>Technical Writing
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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
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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
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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
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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
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A hypertext encyclopedia entry about technical writers, with links to many related topics.
Wikipedia. Reference>Encyclopedias>Writing>Technical Writing
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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
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Technical Writer Career Information
Technical writers put scientific and technical information into easily understandable language. They prepare operating and maintenance manuals, catalogs, parts lists, assembly instructions, sales promotion materials and project proposals. Technical writers also plan and edit technical reports and oversee preparation of illustrations, photographs, diagrams and charts.
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Technical Writer Career Information
What does a technical writer do? A technical writer prepares information that helps users.
Farbey, David. ISTC (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing
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A collection of links of use to technical and professional communicators.
Mink, Rebecca. Rebecca Mink's Write-Line. Resources>Directories>Writing>Technical Writing
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A Technical Writer's Chicken Soup Recipe
This is my humble attempt to write a recipe in software manual style. The recipe makes store-bought canned chicken soup -- any brand -- taste almost as good as homemade.
Citron, David H. TechWriter.info. Humor>Documentation>Technical Writing
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A Technical Writer's Guide to Industrial Journalism 
Though the need for brevity, clarity, and audience awareness is shared by technical writing and industrial journalism, the form and content of news and features, especially within the corporation, make different demands on their authors. Nobody has to read news or features. Writers must engage the audience through a combination of human interest and narrative style. Since they usually have only a single interview to collect the direct quotes that bolster their stories, they must adopt a different, more carefully planned interview style. Throughout, they must be an advocate for their sources and an effective corporate spokesperson.
Dowd, Charles. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Writing>Journalism>Technical Writing
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Technical Writer's Reference Page
This web site provides reference material for experienced technical writers, but also includes information for beginners and for tech writers looking for a job. This site includes links to various types of reference material, including HTML instruction pages, style guides, technical writing sites, tech writing tools, dictionaries, etc. My goal is to help (English-speaking) persons who are in the business of writing and formatting technical documents. I've reviewed quite a few of the sites to which this page is linked, and have used some of the tools listed.
TComm WebRing, The. Resources>Directories>Writing>Technical Writing
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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
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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
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Technical Writers Club of Ukraine
An Ukrainian community of technical writers. The club is headquartered in the city of Kharkiv, the second largest Ukrainian city.
TWCU (2007). Organizations>Writing>Technical Writing>Ukraine
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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
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The main aim of this group is to interact with all the technical writers working in India. This is a forum to support for the cause of writing for different mediums and exploring various genres of writing.
Prabhakar, Rahul. Yahoo (2004). Resources>Mailing Lists>Technical Writing>Usability
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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
