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.
#31510
Little things mean a lot. Especially online. Microcontent—or the headlines, decks, subheads and other 'small' pieces of web copy—actually do most of the communicating on your web site. Handled poorly, microcontent can confuse and frustrate web visitors. Here's how to write microcontent to communicate to—instead of discombobulate—your readers.
Wylie, Ann. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Metadata
#29421
Sure, the economy's booming now, but as the Asian crisis becomes the North American crisis, it pays to remember Newton's famous law of gravity: what goes up must come down again. And, of course, when the economy comes down and pension fund managers start asking those awkward questions about why they should remain invested in your company's stock, managers have a lemming-like tendency to trim staff to make room for short-term profits and long-term plausible deniability. As a technical communicator, you're obviously well up on the hit list, which some might see as a bad thing--but there's a silver lining to every cloud (or, in our case, a copper lining; they don't pay us well enough for silver). In fact, the good news is that it's easy to ensure you're the first one fired, so you can leave before the job becomes mundane without looking like a quitter. Then there are all those perquisites (severance pay, a little downtime)...
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1999). Careers>Unemployment>Planning>Technical Writing
#28157
If you write documentation for products that can be dangerous if misused, ambiguity is scarier than rush hour traffic on I-40. If you already know what the sentence means, it's difficult to perceive that it could be taken to mean something else. By stringently applying rules of grammar, you help eliminate potential ambiguity even when you don't perceive it. Technical content is difficult enough to navigate; give the reader a clear path so he can focus on the journey instead of the road.
Wenger, Andrea. Carolina Communique (2006). Articles>Writing>Grammar
#24890
Downsizing Documentation: Meeting the Challenge 
The redesign of the Microsoft Windows operating system along with a shrinking page count and Help file-size allocation, presented Windows User Education with a unique opportunity. We not only redesigned our entire documentation model, we also changed and improved our authoring tools. And, along the way, we changed how we did our work.
Bloch, Peggy, Phyllis Levy, Kimberly A. Parris and Gayle Picken. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Minimalism
#29095
The article outlines the technical writing tutorial (TWT) that preceded an advanced ESL writing course for students of English Philology at the Jagiellonian University. Having assessed the English skills of those students at the end of the semester, we found a statistically significant increase in the performance of the students who had taken the TWT in comparison to the control group who spent the time of TWT doing more traditional exercises. This result indicates that technical writing books and journals should be considered as an important source of information for teachers of writing to ESL students.
Zielinska, Dorota. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2003). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
#19090
The Dual Mission of the Community College and Implications for Technical Writing Instruction 
Technical writing education in the community college is complicated by the need to serve multiple populations, including traditional college students, vocational/certificate students, and community businesses. At Heartland Community College (HCC), the Corporate Education Department serves the needs of businesses by providing workshops of varying lengths and content areas. At the same time, the Writing Program and the English Department serve the needs of traditional and vocational students through writing courses in composition, technical writing, and business writing. Since each department espouses different philosophies and is addressing the needs of a different audience, technical writing instruction varies across the College. Rarely does one course design affect the other, yet I believe that conversations between departments could help the College resolve some of the contradictions that accompany its dual mission.
Kratz, Stephanie. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
#25807
Some people ask me about the frustrations and difficulties involved in the business of technical documentation. As a reply, I tell them this joke.
Documentia (2003). Humor>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#24865
Never assume that describing something in basic, simple, fundamental terms will annoy your audience. Dumbing down is a form of distortion and possibly deception. Simplifying and clarifying are forms of altruistic communication. Find out more about the differences between "dumbing down" and simplifying and clarifying...and how to decide how simple an explanation should be.
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Business Communication
#27703
Dynamics of Iterative Reader Feedback: An Analysis of Two Successive Plus-Minus Evaluation Studies 
A brochure that had been revised on the basis of feedback from readers using the plus-minus evaluation method was evaluated again using the same method. This article compares the results of these two successive evaluation studies to examine the dynamics of evaluating and revising using a troubleshooting method based on verbal self-reports. The findings show that the plus-minus method does not necessarily lead to a decrease in the number of problems readers find in a revised document. But the types of problems readers find are significantly different. For example, after the brochure was revised, it had fewer clarity and structural problems, and readers could focus more on credibility issues.
de Jong, Menno D.T. and Rijnks, D. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2006). Articles>Writing>Assessment
#10790
E-Mail Tutoring, A New Way To Do New Work
Although writing centers have used computers for over a decade now, they have used them primarily in autotutorials (computer-assisted instruction) and word processing. These applications reflect the influence of the process movement in composition studies and the writing center's commitment to the individual writer. Yet as the field moves towards the social in its scholarship and its writing technologies, writing centers might look towards e-mail to seek out new forms of tutor-student collaboration. The essay describes an experiment with e-mail tutoring and explores implications of new working conditions for online tutors.
Coogan, David. Computers and Composition (1995). Articles>Collaboration>Writing
#19766
E-Mail, Acronyms, and Alphabet Soup 
Emoticons have become pretty complex, now including ones like :-# [lips are sealed], :-& [tongue tied], or :-'' [pursing lips].
Ray, Deborah S. TECHWR-L (1998). Humor>Writing>Correspondence>Email
#30484
Early Involvement: Writing at Product Design Time
Lead writing is a process that moves the information development cycle into the product development cycle. Writers and programmers work together from the beginning to produce both code design and supporting information. This process ensures that information developers can actively participate in design, and programmers can contribute to supporting documentation. Both groups gain an appreciation for each other's perspective, expertise, and skills, producing a more customer-oriented product.
Coppola, Carolyn M. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#20311
What happens when a technical communicator becomes a volunteer advocate for environmental protection? Professional skills like quickly learning new technical subjects, audience analysis, and recasting technical information for popular consumption are readily transferred to this arena. Team-building skills used both in STC and in industry are important to successful advocacy. New skills are called for in areas like public relations and fund raising. Long-range planning for environmental protection requires the participation of an informed and active citizenry. Technical communicators can be a critical link in that process.
Brock, Cynthia J. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Writing>Environmental>Community
#23923
La concision, c'est l'ergonomie de l'écrivain, c'est obtenir le même résultat informatif en moins de mots, en moins de phrases, moyennant moins de 'bruit' (au sens linguistique du terme).
#29521
Écriture Technique: Une définition et commentaires au sujet des offres d'emploi
L'ecriture technique est une limite qui represente un ensemble d'activites de plus en plus large qui sont concues pour communiquer l'information comprehensible qui peut aident a peuple soit productive. Le contenu cree par les auteurs techniques a traditionnellement implique des articles comme 'comment-' aux manuels, aux guides de reference et aux rapports de corporation. L'apparition de nouvelles technologies, de tendances et de coutumes nous incite a augmenter l'armature de la reference qui entoure les activites d'un auteur technique.
Je Ne peux pas Obtenir Édité (2007). (French) Careers>Writing>Technical Writing
#24046
Editing All the Legalese the Law Allows
Strictly speaking, legalese isn't intended for use outside a judicial context, but quasi-legalistic writing, with its officious tone, wordiness, and complex terms, percolates into business, government, and public interest documents. It's a parroting of the real thing -- which is already hard to swallow -- and there's a lot of it around. That kind of legalese demands to be edited, because people will do almost anything to avoid reading it.
Mayhew, Paul and Elizabeth McBurney. Editorial Eye, The (1997). Articles>Editing>Legal>Writing
#20188
Editing and Revising With Flair
Samuel Johnson wrote 'What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.' The wisdom contained in this pithy directive should serve as an excellent guide for writers who edit and revise documents to imbue them with a sense ofpanache. While proper syntax, diction, and usage are three primary elements in the editing and revising process, other important considerations include: (a) eliminating redundancies; (b) avoiding jargon; (c) cleaning bureaucratic expressions; (d) using active andpassive voice appropriately; (e) avoiding wordiness; and Gf) editing for slips in grammar, punctuation and mechanics.
Wadia, Mickey. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Editing>Writing
#10807
How to be politically correct without mangling the English language. The goal is that the reader should not notice the writing.
Weber, Jean Hollis. Technical Editors Eyrie (1998). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Gender
#32036
Editing Modular Documentation: Some Best Practices
Much has been said about the creation of modular documentation - from content management systems, to information architecture, to delivery forms, to the usability of modular content (content being easier to use, easier to understand, and easier to find), and so on. However, not much has been said about the editing of that content, and what the editor's role is in such an environment.
Corbin, Michelle and Yoel Strimling. WritersUA (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Technical Editing
#19682
Times are hard, and many former writers are pounding the dirt looking for work. Some who have extensive experience with peer review or revising documents are expanding their job searches to include careers as editors. However, new editors often face a barrier to entering the profession: the editing test. Rather than taking a chance on unproven candidates, publishers and other clients typically ask would-be editors to review short documents that test three main aspects of an editor’s skills.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2003). Articles>Editing>Writing
#19703
Editing to Help Students' Backs
Perhaps the worst way to condense a book is by using smaller or condensed type; you want to be especially careful that all fonts are legible. Neither should you save space by tossing out pictures or diagrams that clarify subjects. Some engineers cram paragraphs together, but paragraphs are valuable structural devices that can make subjects more clear. So the clue to successful condensation of text is not mechanical miniaturization but literary efficiency.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2003). Articles>Education>Writing>Minimalism
#24202
Editing Web Pages: A Second Look
How to edit Web pages--with revision tracking--using Microsoft Word.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Editing>Web Design>Writing
#21411
Editing Your Own Documentation 
Technical writers sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that the user is stupid. I have often heard technical writers say things like 'well, if the user can't figure that out, maybe he’s in the wrong job!'
Docsymmetry (2003). Articles>Documentation>Editing>Technical Writing
#30361
Here are some tips that helped me edit my own writing.
Leigh, Heather. Crazy for Words (2007). Articles>Editing>Writing>Technical Writing
#10796
This morning I woke up in a cold sweat -- which was odd, because I usually wake up in bed. In my dream, or rather nightmare, I was reviewing a manuscript that was due to be returned to a client that very morning. As I recalled the dream, I realized why I was sweating -- the manuscript had been edited by someone who combined the worst characteristics of every copy editor I'd ever known.
Mickle, Lee. Editorial Eye, The (1997). Humor>Writing>Editing
