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.
Technology Transfer and the Intercultural Communicator 
For effective intercultural communication, technical writers and editors need to analyze documents for tone. Tone often reflects an ethnocentric attitude which can undermine intercultural communication. Through a reconceptualization of technology transfer, applied anthropology provides a means for eliminating an ethnocentric attitude. Technology transfer, viewed as an interactive negotiable process, suggests questions which may serve as a heuristic for evaluating tone in intercultural communication.
Perkins, Jane. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>International>Technical Writing
Technostyle is the journal of the Canadian Teachers of Technical Writing (CATTW) / Association canadienne des professeurs de rédaction technique et scientifique (ACPRTS). Technostyle presents articles and reviews of interest to teachers, practitioners, or researchers involved in technical, academic, professional, scientific, and governmental communication. We are pleased to announce an upcoming special issue of Technostyle on the expertise of professional writing and its development.
The TechScribe newsletter is designed primarily for purchasers and potential purchasers of technical writing services. It deals with legislation, new products on the market, new services, tools, hints and tips and other matters relating to documentation and a client's business. Of course, it will also keep you updated with what's happening at TechScribe.
TechScribe (2003). Resources>Mailing Lists>Documentation>Technical Writing
Offers Technical communication topics for technical writers, editors, indexers, teachers, students, and people interested in the technical communication field.
This new TECHWR-L archive format gives you complete access to TECHWR-L list messages--from the first messages posted in March 1993 to the current day's TECHWR-L postings. We've added this new format in response to site visitor feedback, which indicated a need for a complete archive that: returns focused results (minimizing irrelevant results; returns results quickly; minimizes forms; minimizes reloading pages; offers flexibility to search by topic, author, thread, or date. This new archive format provides full-text search capabilities through all 120,000+ (and growing) messages, as well as allows you to browse by month/year, thread, and author. Experiment with the new archive format, or find out more about it.
The TECHWR-L website periodically polls users' opinions about the current state of the field. Review the recent findings.
TECHWR-L: A History and Case Study of a Profession-Specific Listserv List

Until Spring 1993, technical communicators had few Internet resources of their own. They could find common ground in forums oriented toward specific word processing programs and other tools of the trade, but they had no place to discuss profession-specific, rather than tool-specific, issues. TECHWR-L was founded that spring, and the growth, development, and response to the list has been remarkable. Most significant, however, is the effect that TECHWR-L has had on individual technical communicators worldwide. It demonstrates that the Internet can and should be used to provide more focused and comprehensive resources to technical communicators in the future. This case study outlines the growth and development of TECHWR-L, discusses some of the more controversial aspects of the list, and outlines how TECHWR-L or some other focused forum could prove an even more valuable resource for the profession.
Ray, Eric J. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Collaboration>Mailing Lists>Technical Writing
Technical writing skills are now in great demand in business, industry, science and technology. Information contained here will assist you in gaining a faster appreciation of some of the skills required in this rapidly growing field.
Scott, George A. TechWriter!. Resources>Writing>Technical Writing
So, you're interested in technical writing tips. Perhaps you've never done technical writing and you're looking to get into the field or get some idea of what it's about. Or maybe you're already in the field and want to know what another technical writer has to say. Let me start with a brief introduction to myself and then I'll get into the tips.
Staffing services and placement agency for technical writers.
This is a site that permits ranting and raving about your favourite technical writing tool. Love/hate MS Word, FrameMaker, Interleaf etc? This is the place to complain and keep it off the other professional lists.
Ten More Errors in Technical Writing
So, well, here are 10 more errors. This time we will focus on grammar and punctuation. Most of these are simplistic and obvious. But then they are too common. As usual, I have slipped in some content for the advanced writers too. (This article is a follow-up to 'One Hundred Simple Tech Writing Errors .)
Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Editing>Grammar>Technical Writing
A Ten Principles: A Technical Writer's Primer

This booklet contains ten proven principles of technical writing dealing with issues ranging from the challenges of existing documentation, to dealing with technical gurus, to how to ask the right questions at the right times.
Davis, Randy. GR Davis Media Services (2005). Books>Writing>Technical Writing
Testing the Role of Technical Information in Public Risk Perception 
Through experiments with simulated news stories about hazardous materials release, this study finds that providing technical detail about health effects may be less useful than keeping citizens current on the agency's strategies for dealing with problems and other behaviors by officials.
Johnson, Branden B., Peter M. Sandman and Paul Miller. Franklin Pierce Law Center (1992). Articles>Risk Communication>Technical Writing
A blog about clearly communicating your message.
Casey, A. Blogspot (2001). Resources>Writing>Technical Writing>Minimalism
That's Not In My Job Description! 
Small companies ask writers to handle an incredible range of tasks, requiring writers to dynamically manage their work load. This paper reviews scheduling guidelines and tips for survival and success.
Smith, Elizabeth Walker. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Writing>Planning>Technical Writing
The Evolution of Search Engine Copywriting
How copywriting for websites has evolved and now has become more complex while pleasing the visitor and the search engines.
Thackston, Karon. Search and Go (2005). Articles>Internet>Technical Writing
Review: The Nurnberg Funnel by John M. Carroll 
In the Nurnberg Funnel: Designing Minimalist Instruction, John Carroll presents some helpful ideas based on some useful research on how the initial self-instruction (often called 'tutorials') should be developed and written.
Horn, Robert E. DITA Users (1999). Articles>Reviews>Technical Writing>Minimalism
A hypothetical 'technical writing machine' was created as an aid in teaching writers how to develop troubleshooting procedures. Students use a schematic diagram of the 'machine' to determine possible faults and their causes. They learn to consider factors such as reliability and support equipment requirements as they determine a fault isolation strategy and presentation format. The 'machine' eliminates the need for students to have specific system technical knowledge and allows them to concentrate on the techniques of writing troubleshooting procedures.
Moran, Thomas E. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
For starters, many people working on large Web sites hold more than one of these identities or have held more than one of these roles in their career to date, so it makes little sense to limit one's goals to one of these titles.
Kelleher, Liz Hines. ADE Bulletin (2001). Careers>Web Design>Writing>Technical Writing
Theory and Practice of Technical Communication
The aim, or purpose, of this course is to prepare you for a variety of job-related writing tasks. Success in technical writing, however, requires that you first know for whom you are writing and why. Consequently, this course will stress audience awareness and purpose in written communication. The course will also help you select the appropriate materials for a writing assignment and arrange the material in a logical and appropriate sequence. Additionally, you will learn to evaluate your products (and those of others) before submitting them for approval. In other words, you will develop your writing processes, much as you are developing other problem-solving tools necessary for success in your career. You will learn to anticipate the needs of your audience, to select materials and their arrangement to best meet those needs, to prepare the final product, and to analyze and revise until you achieve professional-quality work ready for submission to your audience.
Applen, J.D. University of Central Florida. Academic>Courses>Undergraduate>Technical Writing
They'll Thank You for Sharing: Make Those Reports, Memos and White Papers Clear and Readable
Words, words, words. It seems as if we're being asked to write something every minute for every need and occasion. Your boss wants a report; your colleagues need a memo explaining a procedure; your clients send e-mails that need to be considered and answered; your company's products or services should be described in a descriptive white paper, and on and on. How can you deal with all that? Are there any general writing rules that apply to business writing of all sorts?
Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
Thinking Outside the (Tech Docs) Box: Structured Authoring as Competitive Advantage
There was a time when technical writing was seen as a cost center—a necessary function, but hardly a key lever for competitive advantage. This is quickly changing as globalization and hyper-competition put customers in control and organizations scramble for new and different ways to strengthen relationships.
Sorofman, Jake. Content Wrangler, The (2008). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
Thirteen Tips on How to Tech-Talk to Non-Techies
Here are some tips to keep in mind while constructing articles for the beginner to intermediate user of computing technology.
Chander, Hasmita. Writing World (2002). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
Throwing the Bones to Certification 
The more I think about certifications and the issue of 'specialist vs. generalist' I just have to wonder if it would be better to just get a bag of shiny new dice and start rolling one's own.
Berger, Jenny L. Creative Tech Writer, The (2003). Careers>Certification>Professionalism>Technical Writing
There are 11 readers currently online: 1 registered user and 10 guests. Register.

![]()
![]()


![]()
![]()
![]()