Table of Contents

1. Why Technical People Needn't Fear Writing
Writing in the Technical Workplace
Why Technical People Can Master Technical Writing
Attributes of Technical Writing
The Writing Process
Exercises: Writing in the Workplace
2. Technical Sentences
Introduction
Find the Real Subject
Find the Real Verb (Avoid Nominalizations)
Edit for Conciseness
Edit for Clarity
Check for Gender-Neutral Language
Check the Grammar and Mechanics
Exercises: Editing Technical Sentences
3. Technical Paragraphs
Keep Paragraphs Short
Begin Paragraphs with a Topic Sentence
Make Every Paragraph Unified
Make Every Paragraph Complete
Make Every Paragraph Cohesive
Exercises: Editing Technical Paragraphs and Reports
4. Parallelism, Lists, and Layout
Parallelism in Sentences
Lists
Headings
Exercises: Creating Parallel Sentences and Lists
5. Routine Correspondence
Letter Format
Memo and Email Formats
Email Etiquette ("Netiquette")
Professional Correspondence: Style and Tone
Exercises: Standard Correspondence
6. Technical Reports and Documents
Report Structure
Documents that Report on Past Events or Completed Tasks
Documents that Report on Ongoing Tasks: Progress Reports
Documents that Recommend Future Actions
Documents that Define Standards: Specifications
Exercises: Writing Different Kinds of Reports
7. Formal Reports
Parts of a Formal Report
Formal Report Pagination
Exercises: Formal Reports
8. Intercultural Communication, Collaborative Writing, and Document Control
Intercultural Communication
Writing in Teams
Document Sharing and Control
Exercises: Intercultural Considerations
9. References and Citations
The Common Knowledge Exception
Terminology
Types: MLA, APA, Turabian, Chicago, IEEE, ACS, Vancouver
Citing Sources
Creating References Sections
Autogenerating Reference Entries
Sample IEEE Reference Entries
Exercises: References and Citations
10. Technical Graphics
Types and Uses
Putting Graphics into Reports
Rules for Incorporating Report Graphics
Avoiding Graphical Misrepresentation
Exercises: Technical Graphics
11. Job Application Packages
The Myth of the Experience Trap
Résumés
Application Letters
Finding Job Openings
Exercises: Job Application Packages
12. Technical Definitions and Descriptions
Technical Definitions
Technical Descriptions
Exercises: Technical Definitions and Descriptions
13. Instructions, Procedures, and Manuals
The Introduction
The Step-by-Step Instructions
The Conclusion
Notes, Cautions, Warnings, and Danger Alerts
Usability
Manuals
Exercises: Editing Instructions and Writing Instructions
14. Oral Presentations
Planning the Presentation
Making Speech Notes
Using Presenter View
Designing and Using Slides
Practising the Presentation
Overcoming Stage Fright and Answering Questions
Exercises: Oral Presentations
APPENDIX A Punctuation and Grammar
Apostrophes
Colons
Commas
Dashes (En Dash and Em Dash)
Hyphens
Modifiers
Pronouns
Quotation Marks
Semi-colons
APPENDIX B Mechanics and Conventions
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Capitals
Numbers
Units of Measurement
APPENDIX C Ethics
Ethics in the Professions
Ethics for Students
Ethics in Technical Writing
Exercises
Glossary of Commonly Misused Words and Phrases
References
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Thorsten Ewald is a full-time technical communications instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) as well as a consultant and trainer in corporate technical communications. He holds a Master's degree in literature and rhetoric from the University of British Columbia.

Reviews

"I really appreciate the author citing real-life Canadian examples that explain why technical communications is so important in the workplace."
--Dylan Stephan Yanchynski, Red River College
"The writing style is very student-friendly. As such, it is less likely to intimidate the readers, and more likely to get the students to actually read the chapters."
--Paula Crooks, Conestoga College
"Because many of the students in my classes are engineering or computer science students, the inclusion of IEEE documentation style is extremely useful. . . . The chapters on writing techniques are excellent: they are thorough but concise. . . . The students really appreciate the detailed discussion of oral presentations, [which] incorporates every aspect of presentations they need to consider."
--Lisa Bryce, University of Calgary
"One of [this text's] strengths is that the documents it models and issues it discusses are relevant... A great example of the work done to support this is the instructor companion material in several chapters, which provides internet links to multiple resources. . . . Very useful."
--Shannon Smyrl, Thompson Rivers University