 create a website with videos and text intended to show

ADVANCED TECHNICAL that building wind turbines off the coast of a tourist
destination would have many benefits and few risks.
 create a website to argue that the wind turbines would

COMMUNICATION have few benefits but many risks.

 persuade people to accept a point of view and
encourage them to act

Technical Communication UNDERSTANDING AUDIENCE

 When you communicate in the workplace, you have a
Technical information clear purpose (what you want to achieve) and a clearly
 communicated through documents (proposals, emails, defined audience
reports, podcasts, computer help files, blogs, and wikis.)  Sometimes, audience members share the same
 Documents and process: key components of technical purpose, but not always.
communication  It’s possible, that a piece of technical communication will
 writing and reading tweets and text messages have multiple audiences with different purposes.
 participating in webinar or videoconference exchanges  Academic writing; audience: instructor, purpose: show
with colleagues. your instructor that you have mastered some body of
information or skill.
Technical communication  Technical communication; audience:
 encompasses a set of activities that people do to peers/supervisors/people outside company; purpose:
discover, shape, and transmit information.
 When you produce technical communication, you use  a journal article for other scientists
the four basic communication modes  a press release to distribute to popular print and online
 Listening publication
 Speaking  an infographic for use in doctors’ offices
 Reading  an animated blog post for your agency to share on social
 Writing media
**In each of these documents, you present the key information in a different
Biggest difference: technical communication has a way to meet the needs of particular audience.
somewhat different focus on purpose and audience.
Importance of learning the difference: The Challenges of Producing Technical
 should continue to prepare in college by studying Communication
essays.  most challenging activities: communicating your ideas to
 need to prepare for jobs. audiences; communication is a higher-order skill that
 need to write memos, letters, and reports. involves many complex factors which are:
Technical Writing versus Academic Writing AUDIENCE-RELATED FACTORS
 False: Most people assume that a technical writer is, in  What problem or problems is your audience trying to
fact, an academic writer as well. solve?
 Both require excellent writing skills, the key differences  Does your audience know enough about your subject to
are the audience and purpose of writing. understand a detailed discussion or do you need to limit
the scope, the amount of technical detail, or the type of
Academic Writing graphics you use?
 form of writing used in academic disciplines  Does your audience already have certain attitudes or
 Target audience: scholars expectations about your subject that you wish to
Technical Writing reinforce or change?
 form of writing mostly used in technical disciplines.  Does your audience speak English well, or should you
 Target audience: maybe laypersons present the information in more than one language?
 Does your audience share your cultural assumptions
Creative Writing versus Technical writing about such matters as how to organize and interpret
documents, or do you need to adjust your writing
Creative Writing approach to match a different set of assumptions?
 enthrall, entertain and arouse a certain felling in a reader  Does your audience include people with disabilities (of
vision, hearing, movement, or cognitive ability) who have
Technical Writing requirements you need to meet?
 show the viewers with the factual knowledge and is
launched in a logical technique. PURPOSE-RELATED FACTORS
UNDERSTANDING PURPOSE  Before you can write, you need to determine your
 Technical communication begins with identifying a purpose:
problem and thinking about how to solve it.  what do you want your audience to know or believe or
do after having read your document
Communication that helps others learn about a subject,  Do you have multiple purposes? If so, is one more
carry out a task, or make a decision. (Directive) important than the others?
 make a video that explains to citizens how to use a  Help people perform tasks
website to manage their Medicare benefits.  (Branding) Creating an image that helps customers
 explain to employees why management decided to distinguish the company from competitors
phase out production of one of the company’s products.
 produce a grant proposal to submit to a philanthropic Most companies hire community specialists as technical
organization in hopes of being awarded a grant. communicators…
 publicize new products and initiatives and respond to
Communication that reinforces or changes attitudes questions and new developments.
and motivates readers to take action.  manage all of the organization’s documents
(Persuasive/Argumentative)
SETTING-RELATED FACTORS
 What is the situation surrounding the problem you are  how-to-pieces are written to help users understand and
trying to solve? operate products correctly.
 Is there a lot at stake in the situation, such as the  requires clear and concise instruction,
budget for a project, or is your document a more routine  important to create content that breaks down
communication? technological terms to layman‘s terms.
 What is the context in which your audience will use your
document? a. User Help Guides
 Will the ways in which they use it — or the physical or  When software product users have questions that needs
digital environment in which they use it — affect how specific answers, they turn to user help guides
you write?  written to provide clear and sensible answers to
 Will the document be used in a socially or politically common questions that may develop as use of software
charged setting? programs continue.
 Does the setting include established norms of ethical  broken down into sections depending on the type of
behavior? help needed
 Is the setting formal or informal?  allowing users to read ahead or re-read information to
**Settings can have a great deal of influence over how make their understanding of a product stronger.
audiences think about and use technical communication.
b. Product Manuals
DOCUMENT-RELATED FACTORS  Small booklets that highlight a product ‘s main features,
general maintenance, and basic operation.
 What type of content will the document include?
 contains written guidelines informing the audience how
 How will the content aid problem-solving?
to use a certain product.
 Does your subject dictate what kind of document (such
as a report or a blog post) you choose to write? c. Assembly Guidelines
 Does your subject dictate what medium (print or  tell users how to physically set up a product,
digital) you choose for your document?  technical writers are responsible for writing clear and
 Do you need to provide audiences with content in more user-friendly, step-by-step instructions
than one medium?  written in a way that ensure users can accurately
 If you’re using a document template, how should you assemble products.
modify it for your audiences and purposes?
 Does the application call for a particular writing style 3. Technical Marketing Content
or level of formality?  Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach
focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant,
PROCESS-RELATED FACTORS and consistent content
 What process will you use to produce the document?  attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and,
 Is there an established process to support the work, or ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
do you need to create a new one?  Primary Goal: convince the reader to buy a product or
 Do you have sufficient time for planning tasks, such as service.
analyzing your audience and purpose, choosing writing
tools, and researching and reading background 1. Brochures
information?  take users to a deeper level of understanding and appeal
 Does your budget limit the number of people you can through clear descriptions, functions, and uses of a
product.
enlist to help you or limit the size or shape of the
document?  provide customers with additional information on
 Does your schedule limit how much information you can corporate offerings
include in the document?  used by sales personnel to persuade customers to
 Does your schedule limit the type or amount of purchase a product.
document testing you can do?  Also called as data sheet, product brief or solution brief
 describes the main features, specifications for its use
 Will the document require updating or maintenance?
 accompanied by either a picture of the product or an
architectural design, illustrating the solution.
**Every technical document you create involves a compromise.
**In technical communication, you do the best you can with your BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOOD TECHNICAL WRITING
resources of time, information, and money.
1. Always bear in mind a specific reader, real or
TYPES OF TECHNICAL WRITINGS imaginary; always assume that he is intelligent but
uninformed.
1. Traditional Technical Writing  who is going to read a user guide
 Broad; written for professional audiences.  the knowledge gap that the user guide is filling
 These experts rely on traditional technical writing for  the delivery method of the guide
targeted research papers, programming guidelines, and
repair manuals. Before you start to write, always decide what the exact
purpose of your report is
a. Science and Medical Papers  make sure that every paragraph, sentence, word makes
 scientists collaborate with technical writers to interpret a clear contribution to that purpose and makes it at the
and organize findings. right time.
 act as learning resources for practitioners to understand  the writer analyzes audience and identifies the
procedures and results. purpose for the document.
 technical writers ensure that proper credibility is given in
the text. The writer asks following questions about the audience:
• Who will read the document?
b. Professional Reports and Review • What are their biases?
 technical writers assist in creating reports for business • What are the ethical responsibilities when
growth and educational institutions. communicating this to audience?
 project and business status reports, legal case reviews,
and personnel activity reports. With regard to purpose, technical writers ask:
2. End-User Documentation • What should this document accomplish?
 • What should it do? people) or uses words expressing specialized meanings
• Should it: ✓ Inform ✓ Request ✓ Instruct ✓ Suggest or ideas known only to a specific set of people.
✓ Order ✓ Report ✓ Reply ✓ Analyze/critique ✓  Makes the technical work not readable to all types of
Compare? readers in this world,
 Have to include in your work non-prose materials like
Use language that is simple, concrete, and familiar. graphs to stress, clarify, simplify, or sum up ideas which
 Different types of writing have different audiences you textually present in your written compositions.
 each audience has its own linguistic needs, which the (Bertoline, 2009)
writer respects with tone and word choice. OBJECTIVE
Follow this principle  avoids revealing your individual thinking, personal
 At the beginning and end of every section of your report, meaning, or emotional attitude about your subject
check your writing according to this principle: “First you matter.
tell the reader what you‘re going to tell him, then you  Whatever understanding you have about your written
tell him what you‘ve told him” work comes from outside yourself; from the results of
your environmental observations or sensory
Make your report attractive to look at. experiences.
 How can I make my technical written work attractive?
 What are the features needed to make a technical You Attitude/Scientific Attitude
document accurate to its audience?  Avoiding to include in your technical paper, your inner
thoughts, sentiments or feelings
CHARACTERISTICS OR PROPERTIES OF TECHNICAL  Adopting an impartial or impersonal stand or attitude
WRITING towards what you‘ve written.
 Your focus is on your reader‘s point of view rather than
1. ACCURATE
on your views as the writer.
 it deals with the facts that are completely true, instead The following are some ways to maintain an objective or
of things whose identity, appearance, or measurements impersonal tone your technical written work.
are so difficult to determine. 1. Use passive voice instead of active voice
 uses words, sentences, numbers, or figures that exactly structures.
express what the written work intends to convey 2. Use third-person point of view by using words
(Bantin, 2008). like (his/her, they, or the user), instead of first-
 Avoids the frequent use of expressions for hedging person.
such as may, perhaps, maybe, seem, apparently, would, 3. Downplay the subject or personal nature of the text
etc. by avoiding the use of emotive words like
 Using an expression that conveys one and only one dissatisfied, uninteresting, or undignified.
meaning instead of an ambiguous term with multiple
meaning will help readers understand the whole Modern view of technical writing
CLEAR  humanizing technical writing
 feeling free to use personal pronouns to arouse the
 On one reading, your readers are able to get a quick
readers‘ involvement or interest in what they are reading.
understanding of the main message or point of the
whole composition. PRACTICAL
 Clear writing always results from clear thinking, as well  Results in a written output that you can apply, use, or
as from the use of simple, concise, specific, and carry out in your day-to-day living.
grammatically correct language structures.  with scenarios or situations that you can imagine or
 How the person around you expresses themselves or ponder on; things you can practice in your everyday life
how you express the ideas as they come to your mind situations
serves as your guide or pattern in writing things on the
paper. PROCEDURAL
 Apply in your work all the principles of good sentence  technical writing adheres to a particular course of
construction like parallelism, consistency of tense, writing acts.
dangling modifiers, split infinitive, choppy sentences,  presents facts and information in a systematic or
run-on sentences, comma splice, wordiness, and so on. methodical manner.
 Applying the qualities of a good paragraph writing  following a certain procedure or a step-by-step method
such as unity, coherence, and emphasis are likewise in proving your point about your subject matter.
essential to making your technical written work appear  Example: identify and analyze your problem → collect
clear to your readers. (Gustavi, 2008; and Marsh, 2005) data about it → present your conclusions, discoveries,
or findings about the object of your study.
FORMAL
 You cannot just write anything you like in any way you SPECIAL
want on your writing paper,  Cater to a specific set of people rather than to any
 Writing standards underlie the structure, pattern, format, group of people
and language of this kind of writing.  Using expressions familiar only to this specific set of
 Have to adhere to these agreed upon technical writing readers, not to all kinds of people,
rules  Inclined to be exclusive and selective of its topic,
 Readers judge the value or reputation of your output language, methodology, and readers,
based on the how you conform to the conventions  Special, unique, or extra different from the other modes
governing this kind of writing. of writing.
GRAPHICAL DIVERSIONARY
 Graphs like tablets, charts, figures, diagrams, maps,  On-the-job writing prone to extensive exposure to
pictures, and other illustrations are absolutely necessary multicultural clients, co-workers, cross-cultural or
in technical writing. multilingual communication brought about by
 This is so because this kind of writing deals with topics globalization through the internet or the Email
that are technical (appealing only to certain group of  Lead you to various topic, ideas, people, methodologies,
concerns, purposes, formats, language, etc
 Aspects/features that are as diverse or varied as the 12. Ability to conform to the code of ethics in the technical
different kinds of jobs available to all kinds of people writing professions
all over the world.
 intercultural communication : highest art and science
of human communication (Perkins, 2008)
 Acts must always sensitive to pitfalls or hidden
dangers arising from diversities in a multi-cultural
environment. (Canavor, 2010)

STRAIGHTFORWARD
 Presenting knowledge or ideas honestly and directly.
X figurative language
X Metaphorical, idiomatic, or circuitous expression of ideas
has no place in technical writing; persuade your
readers to say ―yes instantly to what you have written
 Brings out things in a frank, unequivocal, or clear- cut
way.
 Language of your written work has to be direct,
specific, and simple enough to make you and your
readers come to terms with you immediately.
 The use of complex, highfalutin or pretentious words
demands longer time for the reader to think or decide
about the effectiveness of your offer.
 hampers or delays the decision-making power of any
person you want to agree with what you have written.
AUTHORITATIVE
 Clothed with full rights, powers, and influence to do a
thing, to command or be obeyed, or to enforce
something on any one.
 Form the fact that the contents of your output does not
mainly come from your own intelligence but also from
other people‘s expertise, knowledge, and
experience that could command respect or belief.

Proof of Authoritativeness
1. Properly cited and documented ideas of knowledgeable
writers of technical writing books in your work,
 in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographical entries
2. Reality that you are the creator of the paper,
 have an idea of the extent of its excellence
 have the full control over the quality, kind, or extent of
ideas to go into your paper
 the way you react to inquiries about your output.

PRESENTABLE
 The physical appearance mirrors the person who
produced such kind of paper.
 A dirty-looking technical written work diminishes its
power, influence or authoritativeness
 See to it that your written work is free from any
grammatical and typographical errors.
 Present it neatly (regardless if handwritten, typewritten,
or computerized)
 The layout, order, or placement of the various parts of
your work
 Focus your attention on these basic elements of a
written prosaic work; margin, spacing, punctuation
marks, size/style of the letter, and quality/size of the
stationery or bond paper

QUALITIES OF A TECHNICAL WRITER

1. Adequate knowledge of the subject matter.
2. Ability to compile information.
3. Ability to organize facts or ideas.
4. Ability to analyze and synthesize.
5. Ability to learn and use specialized vocabularies.
6. Ability to write at the reader’s comprehensive level.
7. Ability to use the inductive and deductive methods of
reasoning.
8. Accuracy of language.
9. Objectivity in presenting facts and issues.
10. Ability to write concise prose.
11. Ability to determine the effectiveness of words,
sentences, and paragraphs.
 Style in Technical Communication 1. Using umbrella terms (mobiles, laptops, iPads =
The theory of Jerome Borowick on technical writing has electronic devices)
five (5) hallmarks, to wit:
Example: All examinees are instructed to bring their receipt
 Objective
of examination fee and identification card on the day of
 Clear
board examination. They would not be allowed to enter the
 Concise, and
testing rooms if they do not have receipt of examination fee
 Convincing.
and identification card.
He believed that these hallmarks must be accomplished
Correct: All examinees are instructed to bring their receipt
when the style is descriptive and qualitative.
of examination fee and identification card on the day of
board examination. They would not be allowed to enter the
Paul M. Zall, in his book titled “Elements of Technical
testing rooms if they do not have these documents
Report Writing,” discussed the different characteristics of
well-written technical works. 2. Using pronouns to replace nouns
 He named these properties as the ABC’s of technical
writing. Example: The SHS principal has called a meeting at 2:00
pm. The venue is SHS principal’s meeting room.
1. ACCURACY
Correct: The SHS principal has called a meeting at 2:00
 presents facts that are completely true. pm. The venue is in her meeting room.
 misplaced decimal point of your grades, a misstated fact
could create misinformation. Using abbreviations for technical terms when used
 One error in calculation, one illogical statement can twice in statements.
make the whole report doubtful.
Example: The Dean of Student Affairs and Services said
 Must undergo copy-editing or proofreading to check
that the Electronic Voting Machines were bugged. However,
accuracy of statements, texts, numbers, and figures.
bugging an Electronic Voting Machines is highly technical
 Avoid frequent use for hedging such as may, perhaps,
and costly.
maybe, seem, apparently, among others.
Correct: The Dean of Student Affairs and Services said that
the Electronic Voting Machines were bugged. However,
 Come up with error-free written works;
bugging an EVM is highly technical and costly.
 have to demonstrate a strong “attention-to-detail”
skill. Cross out Redundancies
 ability to achieve accuracy and thoroughness when Example: Please meet me at 3 pm in the afternoon.
accomplishing a certain task. Correct: Please meet me at 3 pm.
 Read and re-read your work before submitting so
that your work will completely devoid of errors. Cut out lengthy phrases
 Spelling, grammar and punctuation. Example: The Office of the Dean of the Student Affairs and
Services is in close proximity to the Good Shepherd Chapel.
BREVITY Correct: The Office of the Dean of the Student Affairs and
 must be short or brief. Services is near the Good Shepherd Chapel.
 makes use of concise expressions.
 avoiding wordiness and repetition List of lengthy phrases and their corrections:
 arrive quickly of what you want to convey in a clear and 1. due to the fact that – because
understandable manner. 2. In accordance with – according to
 should begin with his/her main points and then show why 3. With regard to – regarding
it is sound.
 Emphasizing the highlights of your work 3. COHERENCE
 Cutting out irrelevant comments and immaterializing  logical togetherness of the material.
excursions and meaningless statements  Sentences, paragraphs and groups of paragraphs hold
together by means of appropriate transitional devices.
Below listed are the ways on how to achieve brevity in
 essential quality of a good written technical work.
writing:
 Without cohesion, reader will not understand main
A. Using key words to hold attention points; hampers readability.
 helps the reader to skim for better information. Cohesion necessarily precedes coherence.
Example: My account balance got deducted because of
activation Spotify. I did not request for the subscription. (18 Cohesion: sentences are connected at the sentence level,
words) Coherence: ideas are connected.
Correct: Unauthorized subscription of Spotify caused  “clarity of expression.” Using simple transitions such as
balanced deduction in my account. (11 words)  in addition,
 additionally,
B. Stating important information first  furthermore,
 Readers get convinced when they have the reason first.  therefore,
 Bring ‘because’ part to the front; delete because; add ‘so’  thus,
to the last sentence  on the contrary,
Example: We need more classrooms because the  by the same token,
University’s enrolment is increasing.  at the same time,
Correct: The University’s enrolment is increasing. So, we  in other words, etc.
need more classrooms.
Other strategies are:
C. Delete over-polite phrases A. Write sentences that flow by varying the lengths and
Example: With due regards, we would like to state that the structures, the use of correct punctuation broadening
schedule of examination has been cancelled. your word choices;
Correct: The schedule of examination has been cancelled. B. Repeat your keywords but be careful of excessive
repetition
D. Delete repetitions
 We remove repetition through:
 C. Repeat sentence structures, which is used as a  When preparing bulleted or numbered lists use the same
rhetorical technique rather than cohesion to highlight word type (i.e., all nouns, all verbs) and maintain parallel
parallelism between sentences structure.
 If the listed items complete the introduction
D. CONFIDENCE grammatically, place a period at the end of every line.
 have to display a sense of certainty of the things you  Capitalize the first word in a bulleted or numbered list.
write and tell.
 not use “perhaps” and “maybe’s” and other forms of B. Subjects and Verbs
needless hedging and qualifying since you know more  essential and allow the reader to move through the text.
about your subject.  To ensure reader understands the intended meaning,
 If you are hundred sure, say it; if you are not, then go follow subject and verb rules and use the correct verb
back and analyze where the problem lies and correct it. tense.
C. Active and Passive Voice
E. DIGNITY
 Take responsibility by writing in active voice;
 need formality with respect to words and the way words  use passive voice only when it is appropriate for
are used. emphasis or when you lack information.
 quality of being honored, esteemed and worthy
 using straightforward expression with simplified, Active voice distinctly identifies the subject and the action
summarized and well-organized information. taken by the subject.
 Grammatical constructions should be complete.  Use it to create concise, energetic text.
 Pronouns like “which” and “that” should be used. Passive voice indicates that the subject receives, rather
 Don’t use contractions such as can’t or won’t than performs, the action.
 Used when an action is done to the subject.
Example: The CHED Commissioner informs students
that classes in higher education institutions will The sound’s reverberation struck the walls.
commence on September 15, 2020 The team finished the final project.
Corrected: The CHED Commissioner informs students
classes in higher education institutions will commence on
The walls were struck by the sound's reverberation.
September 15, 2020.
The final project was finished by the team.
F. EMPHASIS  Passive voice changes the position of the previous subject into an
 Stressing major points is major role of a technical writer. indirect object and focuses the sentence on what receives the action,
the walls:
 tell your readers what is important and lead him from
point to point D. Cases of Pronouns
 Using a straightforward style, plenty of guideposts and
transitional aids. 1. Nominative Pronouns: Used as a subject in the
G. FACILITY sentence (I, we, you, he, she, it, who, and they):
 Mary and I will attend.
 making the report easy to read.
 The guard who let us in checked our identification.
 should observe pacing, sequence, arrangement and
continuity.
2. Objective Pronouns: Used as objects of verbs or
prepositions (me, us, you, him, whom, and them)
Pacing
 He questioned Susan and me about the copyright.
 presentation of technical and unfamiliar information in
 Whom did you ask?
small segments, explained, defined or illustrated
before more of such information is presented 3. Possessive Pronouns: Used to show possession or
ownership (my, mine, our, your, his, her, theirs, its,
Sequence whose, etc.):
 leads reader from familiar to unfamiliar, simple to  The Swartz Company may lose its best customer.
complex, whole to parts
E. Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
Arrangement
 emphasizes and balances important parts to show
1. A pronoun and its antecedent must agree in number.
their proper relationship and importance
 The owner is concerned about sales, but they will
Continuity rebound.
 relation of one part to another, clearly stated,  The President or his advisers should devote part of their
illustrated, and emphasized time to this issue.

GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS 2. A parenthetical expression that appears between

 need to make your writing straightforward, logical and an antecedent and a pronoun does not influence the
clear. form of the pronoun used.
 Following the basic rules of grammar is equally  The accountant, rather than any of the other officers, will
important. be asked for his or her opinion of this purchase.

Technical Writing Guide of Michigan State University (2007).

3. If the antecedent is a collective noun that refers to
a group as a single unit, a singular pronoun is
A. Parallel Structure needed.
 Company names are generally considered to be
 using the same form for words that have the same level
collective nouns.
of importance in a sentence or for a list of items that are
 Stein & Smith has sold its Chicago properties.
joined by a coordinating conjunction, such as “and” or
“or.” 4. For clarity, make pronoun usage clear and
Example: The scientist collected, dried, and weighed the understandable by avoiding vague references.
samples.  I worked hard on the experiment, and it was difficult.
 Does the writer want us to consider the experiment as difficult, organization but is not actually a part of that
the work that was done as difficult, or that it was difficult to work organization's name.
hard?  Official Draft of the NBA; the Eastman Kodak Company
F. Compound Words 11. Do not capitalize classes, degrees, or seasons
 A compound word conveys a unit that is not as clearly unless in the beginning of sentences or in headline
conveyed by separate words.  classes (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior),
1. Use a hyphen to connect elements of compound  degrees (doctorate, doctor's, master's, bachelor's,
numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and in baccalaureate),
adjective compounds with a numerical first  seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter)
element.
 The hyphen not only unites but also separates the Readability studies have shown that text is more easily
component words. read when in lower case as opposed to all caps.
Example: 7-hour day, 3-inch ruler, eighty-five.  When too many words are capitalized, they lose their
importance.
2. Use a hyphen after the “e” to designate “electronic”  Emphasis is achieved more effectively by using various
Example: e-mail, e-commerce, e-article font styles and sizes.

3. Omit the hyphen when words appear in regular order; H. Numbers as Words
causes no confusion in sound or meaning.
Example: palm oil, eye opener, living costs 1. Generally spell out isolated numbers from one to
4. Use a hyphen for clarification when four nouns appear ten.
in a row.  The discussion lasted for ten minutes.
Example: A sand-filtered purification system. The end-of-
2. Unless emphasizing them, spell out indefinite
year report
numbers that may be expressed in one or two
words.
G. Capitalization
 Approximately thirty appliances were damaged.
1. Name of a particular person, place, or thing, as well as
an adjective that refers to a specific name. 3. Spell out a number that introduces a sentence.
 Canada/Canadian, Tibetan Alpacas  If the number is long, recast the sentence to avoid
awkwardness.
2. Descriptive names that are substituted frequently for  Twenty people attended the lecture.
the real proper names.
 the Windy City, Honest Abe 10 4. Spell out common fractions that are used alone.
However, use figures in writing a mixed number.
3. Brand names and trademarked names.  He refused to accept his one-fourth share.
 Palmolive soap, Maxwell House coffee  The hike was 10 ½ miles long.
4. Noun that is followed by a number or letter used to
identify a unit or division. 5. When two numbers come together, express one in
 Lot 14, Tract 833, Volume III, Chapter 8, Policy No. figures and the other in words.
12345, Catalog No. 214.  As a rule, spell the first number unless the second
number is a significantly shorter word
5. Names of courses of study only if they are derived  Sixty $5 bills or 500 four-page booklets.
from proper nouns. 6. When rounding numbers, spell out million or billion
 English, shorthand, history, German, Business to make reading easier.
Mathematics 121  This tax legislation will increase revenue by $7 million.
6. Unless a comma intervenes, capitalize titles that H. Numbers – Text or Digits
precede names; generally, do not capitalize those
that follow names.
1. Generally use numerals to express all exact
 I have never met Congressman Nelson.
numbers above ten.
 I have never met our congressman, Tim Nelson.
 The corporate file has been missing for 31 days.
 Professor Swartz did the research.
2. Use the written form of a number for values 10 and
7. Name that indicates a family relationship, unless a
below.
noun or a pronoun in the possessive case precedes
 Use numerals always for numbers pertaining to:
it.
 Uncle Ralph, My aunt Millie, my mother market quotations, dimensions, temperature, decimals,
street numbers, pages and divisions of a book, time,
8. The names for the points of the compass and their weights and measures, and identification numbers
derivatives are capitalized when used to name  The experiment had three independent variables staged
regions, but not when used to indicate directions. at 5-, 10-, and 15-degrees Kelvin.
 This sweater was made in the East. 3. If several numbers in a sentence perform similar
 Turn west on M-20. functions, express them uniformly.
 If one is written as a figure, write all as figures. The
9. Name of the season or the word "nature" only if it inventory shows 21 ranges, 9 refrigerators, 37 washers,
is spoken of as if it were human. and 10 dryers.
 Old Man Winter left a foot of snow;  The 32 tables sold in five days. (The numbers do not
 our spring suits are on sale. perform similar functions.)
10. All words except articles (a, an, the), conjunctions,
and short prepositions are capitalized in names or I. HONESTY
titles that consist of more than one word. Do not  acknowledges the use of other’s information or work
capitalize "the" if it precedes the name of an either in footnotes or in text.
 involves reporting of your own mistakes and failures as  If you depart from the standard procedure, the reader
well as successes in the hope that it will provide a clue may find report confusing and unnerving and may be
for some researcher working on a similar subject from unsympathetic no matter how good the material is.
different angle.  If you want to deviate from standard, must re-educate
the reader and explain the change in the
J. ILLUSTRATION introduction, giving sound reasons for doing so.
 Illustrations (visuals or graphics in books) such as
P. OBJECTIVITY
charts, graphs, diagrams and photos
 to clarify or support the text, to summarize detailed and  Writer assuming a detached, impartial point of view.
complex data or to simplify a complicated concept.  It involves writing in the manner of a disinterested
 used to show a situation, a trend, or a movement. (not uninterested) second party.
 Avoid the use of person (I, me and my) except in short
Illustration aids informal reports.
 should be referred somewhere in the text  Indicates the work is team or company rather than
 should bear a caption referring directly to the discussion individual activity.
they are supporting.
Q. QUALIFICATION
 used for data visualization.
 People will understand the report easily by using then  explaining the circumstances surrounding your work
correctly. because they might have affected the results you are
reporting.
Example: pie graph is used for distribution and line graph  Modern scientific thinking is based on the concept of
is used to determine a trend. change – what is true at a given time may no longer be
true when that time has passed.
K. JUDGMENT
 As you report your results, you are saying “This is true
Evidence under the given condition.”
 the body of facts or gathered and used by the writer to  The scientific reader wants to know what these
develop a report. Best evidence is: conditions were because he would like to decide for
himself whether your work is valid or not.
1. Most ample  Should also describe constant and variable factors
2. Most pertinent
3. Most simple in explaining the facts with least additional R. STRAIGHT SENTENCES
evidence  Sentences carry full weight of meaning in report.
4. Most in harmony with rest of available evidence  Each paragraph begins with a statement of its subject
 Used as a basis for judgment (as in conclusions and (topic sentence).
recommendation) should be included in the report.  The succeeding sentences have direct bearing on the
first one.
L. KNOWLEDGE  All sentences proceed straight ahead, the subject
 The communication of knowledge is one of the chief coming first followed by the verb.
functions of report writing.  Limit a sentence to one idea or two closely related ideas
 Collection of data involves interpretation and the  Transitional aids from sentence to sentence will enable
formulation of conclusions. the reader to follow your thought and also provide
 Without interpretation, data could remain useless. straightforward movement leading him where you want
M. LOGIC him to go.
 The chief thing to strive for is movement so that
 Logic is thinking straight.
sentences move straight ahead.
 chiefly a process of classification, putting things in their
proper places. S. THOROUGHNESS
1. statements must not contradict each other;  Treating your subject fully for your report to have
2. words must be used in a consistent sense lasting value.
3. statements must make sense;  Extends throughout the report writing project from initial
4. judgments must not be based on too few data; thinking to final submittal
5. cause and effect should be clearly distinguished  You can achieve thoroughness by:
from simple sequence; 1. preparing a checklist of requirements in the
6. conclusions should not be inferred if they have no planning stage,
connection with the data; 2. marking off each requirement as it is fulfilled
7. an authority should not be accepted if he is biased 3. using the checklist again in the revision stage for a
and not an in particular field. final check.

N. MECHANICAL NEATNESS T. UNITY

 involves putting the report in perfect shape – neatly  All details and facts in the report are clearly relevant to
typed and well marginalized. the main point under discussion.
 the use of frequent headings, subheadings and  Read critically read as you go along, asking “What has
indentations helps to make the organization of the this to do with the subject?”
content clear.  Draw a line from the subject of a paragraph to the subject
 should be free from typographical errors, crossings- of the next and succeeding paragraphs.
out, smudges and the like.  Prepare headings for each paragraph and then list them
 A clean report shows that you care enough to send the in outline form.
best.  A unified report satisfies the reader.

O. NORMAL PROCEDURE U. VERACITY

 Normal procedure is conformity to standard practices,  Veracity means truthfulness.
making the report easier to understand.  Truth is the soul of science.
 Report readers are used to finding information  good technical writing never misleads or mispresents.
presented in standard fashion. It sticks to facts.
 It does not indulge in evasion, equivocation, or shifting
the issue.
 It is chiefly concerned with reporting the facts, no more, C. Avoiding nominalizations or the use of
no less. “camouflaged or shun words” (words ending in –
sion or –tion), replace them with active words
V. VIEWPOINT
 Written from a certain viewpoint – that of reporter,
teacher, researcher, or the like.
 Viewpoint established with the first sentence and should
be maintained throughout the report.
 Thus, if you begin talking like a professor, stick with that
voice to the end.

W. WORD CHOICE
 Technical words may be used in technical report.
 must avoid pompous, ornate words, and specially vague
words. D. Omitting clichés, hackneyed, trite, old-fashioned,
 Be precise as you can; worn-out, expressions.
 “24 samples” not “a couple of dozen.”
 The part was rusted beyond use,” rather than “The part
was not used due to rust.”

X. YOU-POINT
 Should have an accurate knowledge of the reader’s
comprehension level, experience, needs and training
and think of pacing and timing.
 Present information in segments appropriate to the
reader’s knowledge and needs.
 Going from the simple to complex, from the known to the
unknown, the familiar to the unfamiliar, the nontechnical
to technical.
 Do not smother the reader with details, but show him
main ideas occasionally. E. Avoiding redundancies or words that say the same
 avoid overwriting. meaning

Y. ZEST
 Report writing involves thinking and working
 Write as though you were performing a service that only
you can perform
 Feel that you are writing something worth saying and
that you enjoy doing it.
 The report writing activity indeed should be
characterized by zest or hearty enjoyment.
 Work with a fresh mind that could help bring out the best
result.

The following techniques on using the right language for

producing effective technical reports: F. Avoiding expletives or sentences with no true
subjects like sentences beginning with There is,
1. Practice Conciseness There are, Here is, It is, It has been, and many more
 expressing oneself in the fewest number of words at
the same time retaining completeness
A. Shortening words/phrases

G. Cancel or drop extra words

Do not say:
1. Allowing the agent’s request means the showing of all
B. Substituting long and complex words with short confidential documents.
simple 2. I think that the checking of all records is important.
3. It is necessary for the customers that they have to
surrender the receipts to the officer in charge of the day
in order to get a refund.
Say:
1. Allowing the agent’s request means showing
confidential documents.
2. I think checking of all records is important.
3. The customers have to surrender the receipts to the
officer to get a refund.
2. Express your ideas in active voice rather than in
passive voice.

ACTIVE VOICE
 stress the doer of the action; emphasize the actor
 many technical writers find the use of active voice better
this clearly recognizes the identity of the person
answerable for the act (Pearsall, 2010).
 when a particular action is required of someone
 when the user/writer is expected to complete a particular
action
5. Avoid using jargons, gobbledygook, horse-and-
PASSIVE VOICE buggy, verbal dead words
 the receiver of the action; emphasize the action  expressions are long, pretentious, and high-sounding;
 some prefer to use passive voice to prevent the frequent  words that have no significant or necessary place in
use of “I” the sentence.
 the repeated use of this personal pronoun somehow  Appearing complex, they hide the meaning of the term
indicates self-centeredness, monotony, or or make the writer sound learned or professional.
repetitiveness.  Eliminate these vogue expressions by substituting
 when it's less important who or what completed the them with simple and easier terms.
action; more important that the action was completed.
One good rule of thumb in technical writing is: write to
According to Vanhauss (2005), technical writing should be express, not to impress.
an “action-oriented style,” rather than be one with a great  you have to write the way you speak
deal of “hidden words.”  use a conversational or casual language you often use
in you day-to-day interactions with people.
Active voice: The cat sat on the mat.
 Actor: The cat Jargons
 Verb: sat  technical terms commonly used by people belonging to
 Target: the mat the same field of profession.
 used by a specific set of persons like the lawyers, the
Passive voice: The mat was sat on by the cat.
physicians, the engineers, or the businessmen,
 Target: The mat
 these terms do not sound familiar or understandable to
 Passive verb: was sat
ordinary persons in society.
 Actor: the cat
 the use of it exclude laypersons from knowing what are
happening in a company of experts or specialists or of
3. Use non-sexist instead of sexist language by
people belonging to one field of profession.
expressing yourself in the following ways

A. Use plural pronouns instead of single pronoun

The technician has to show his I.D. card to the guard.
 The technicians have to show their I.D. cards to the
guards.
Each reporter should submit his monthly report on time
 Reporters should submit their work on time.

B. Using 2nd person point of view instead of 3rd 6. Give careful attention to words and phrases that are
person point of view. commonly misused and misspelled

She presented her proposal report on time. Accept – to take something seriously
 Present your proposal report on time. Except – to exclude a rule or statement from a list
The customer showed his receipt to the guard. Let him accept those tools except the one with a red mark.
 Show your receipt to the guard.
Adapt – to adjust or to be in harmony with somebody.
C. Using expressions like He or She – him or her. Adopt – to make a person own a thing belonging to another
 Avoid using a slash mark – He/She – him/her. person.
 Others however find He or she – him or her wordy If you are familiar with their culture, you can easily adapt
 prefer using the plural form – their, or the 2nd person yourself to their cultural practices and will eventually make
point of view – you you adopt every aspect of their lifestyle in your long
exposure to this cultural group.
The customer explained her point to the manager.
 The customer explained his or her point to the manager.
Already – by this time or before a particular moment
 The X-ray technician affixed his signature to the All ready – state of being fit or balanced for an immediate
document. The X-ray technician affixed his or her action or use
signature to the document. The company secretary has already sent a notice of
meeting to all members who seem to be all ready in
4. Avoid using words that explicitly favor one gender discussing salient points in the general assembly.

Between – a preposition for only two persons, things, or

places
Among – a preposition for three or more persons, places,
or things
Among all the imported products, the Japan-made item
placed between two big boxes appear qualitative.

Affect –having an influence on another person or thing

Effect – a result coming from a cause
The manager’s resignation will not affect the company’s
business reputation, but may have an effect on the
economic standing of his family.

Differ from – not the same in observation

Differ with – not the same in opinion
As to size, the two differ from each other; as to their
usefulness, the prospective buyers of the machine differ
with one another