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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

I. What is technical writing?

II. What is a technical report?
III. Tips for technical writing
IV. Steps in writing a technical report
V. Ways to build better style

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Technical Writing
o a type of writing where author is writing about a
particular subject that requires direction,
instruction, or explanation
o often thought of as a way to communicate
complex information in a simple, easy-to-
understand, no-frills manner
o not just for scientific journals; can have many
applications e.g. policies and instructions
o has a very different purpose and
different characteristics than other writing styles
- creative, academic, or business writing

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Technical Writing
 straightforward, easy to understand
explanations and/or instructions dealing with a
particular subject
 an efficient and clear way of explaining
something and how it works
 subject can either be tangible or abstract:
Tangible - e.g. computer or software program,
or information on furniture
Abstract – e.g. steps required to complete an
office process

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Technical Writing
Examples:
1. Instruction manuals
2. Policy manuals
3. Process manuals
4. User manuals
5. Reports of analysis
6. Instructions for assembling a product
7. A summarization of a long report that
highlights and shortens the most
important elements

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Technical Report
o a formal report designed to convey technical
information in a clear and easily accessible
format
o divided into sections which allow different
readers to access different levels of
information

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Tips for Technical Writing
1. Know your audience.
Remember you are writing for the user or a
particular audience.
Think clear, concise communications aimed at
audience’s level of knowledge, vernacular, and
ability.
If vocabulary or context used is not understood,
you have already missed the goal of
communicating effectively.
Know your audience and be concise.

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Tips for Technical Writing
1. Know your audience.
An expert in the field will understand
certain abbreviations, acronyms, and lingo
that directly applies to such a field.
The novice will not understand in the same
manner and, therefore, every detail must be
explained and spelled out for them.

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Tips for Technical Writing
2. Use an impersonal style.
Write from a third person perspective, like
a teacher instructing a student.
In formal technical writing, using first
person (I, we, etc.) is discouraged.
Any opinions should be omitted.

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Tips for Technical Writing
3. Write in plain language
The writing should be straightforward, to the
point, and as simple as possible to make sure the
reader understands the process or instruction.
This at times may appear as simply a list of steps
to take to achieve the desired goal.
May be a short or lengthy explanation of a
concept or abstract idea.

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Tips for Technical Writing
4. Know how to research.
Gather information from a number of
sources.
Understand the information gathered so
that it can be analyzed thoroughly, and then
put the information into an easy to understand
format to instruct those who read it.
The more inexperienced your audience, the
more information you will need to gather and
explain.

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Tips for Technical Writing
5. Be thorough.
Describe and provide enough detail to
make your points.
But, you also have to consider that you
need to use an economy of words so that you
do not bore your reader with gratuitous
details.

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

1. Know Your Audience

2. Organization of a Technical Report
3. Style Formatting
4. Proper Citations and References
5. Proper Use of Tables and Figures
6. Appendices
7. Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of
Tables
8. Refining Your Work and Knowing When to Stop

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

1. Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is critical to writing

a good technical document, or any written
material.

If people think you do not understand who they

are and what they are interested in,
then: they simply won’t read your work.

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
1. Know Your Audience

Know your audience who will read that technical

report?
• Peers in your specific field?
• Peers in your general field?
• Technical people not in your field?
• A non-technical but professional
audience?

Decide who is your primary audience.

Understand who are your secondary audiences.

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
2. Organization of a Technical Report
Title Page
Abstract
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
List of Figures / List of Tables
Main Report
• Introduction
• Background or Literature Review
• Project Description
• Data and Discussion of Data
• Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
Appendix A. Acronym
List Other Appendices

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
2. Organization of a Technical Report
Title Page
Abstract
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
List of Figures / List of Tables
Main Report
• Introduction
• Background or Literature Review Work on
• Project Description these Sections
• Data and Discussion of Data
• Conclusion FIRST
Acknowledgements Work on these Sections
References as you develop the Main
Appendix A. Acronym Report
List Other Appendices

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

2. Organization of a technical report

• A technical report involves enormous amount

of detail in:
₋ the data (text, tables, and figures)
₋ the discussion
₋ the formatting of the material
• most important: the report can be easily
read, understood, and used by your audience
• Pay special attention to figures and tables,
and list of figures and list of tables

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

2. Organization of a Technical Report

• After Writing The Main Report:

₋ Conclusion
₋ Abstract
₋ Executive Summary

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Abstract

1. Key Issues/Scope of project/Experiment/

New Methodology
2. Two or three key findings
3. Must be brief

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Conclusion

If you have an executive summary

and abstract, keep the conclusion brief.

1. Highlight key points of the report

2. Make key recommendations
3. State limitations of your study
4. Suggest future work or study

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 Executive summary

For top executive who does not have time to

read the entire report

1. A condensed version of the report, about

10% of total page count, and hits all
important points and results of report
2. Where you make your major
recommendations; report to back up with
details and data

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

2. Organization of a Technical Report

Include in Appendices (or just after Table of

Contents) an acronym list.

• Format it in such a way that readers can

photocopy it and have it readily available as
reference while they read the report.
• A courtesy to the readers

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
3. Style Formatting

Create your own “style sheet”:

• As you begin to write, keep track of terms
you use for consistency
• Note when you first use an acronym
• If journal or proceedings does not have
instructions for headers, captions, or tables,
create in your style sheet the format you
plan to use.
• A customized style sheet can create a
consistent and professional look to the
documents you submit.
Once you make the rules, stick with them.

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
4. Proper Citations and References

Why is proper citation and referencing

important?

Ethics in publishing is as important when

submitting a technical report to a government
funding agency as when submitting a paper for
publication.

The difference is in the consequences for:

• poor research
• faulty data
• plagiarism
• authorship (publications or code)

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 What to cite:

 material reporting original research

findings or ideas that you have read
personally – primary sources

 citing material from secondary sources

discussing primary sources is hearsay

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 When to cite:

 you want to back up your own ideas/

hypotheses/results with those of others

 you want to discuss other viewpoints that

differ from yours

 you want to compare your work with those

of others in the field

 you want to demonstrate knowledge gap in

the field, justifying the reason for your work

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How to put together a reference list
correctly:

 ensure your citations match your

references

 do not add any other material to your list

other than what you cited

 follow the directions of style manual used

in your field, for correct format

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How to paraphrase and quote correctly:

 Make sure you acknowledge who you are

paraphrasing with a citation and reference

 Take some time to really think about what

you learned when reading the original material and
its relevance in your paper.

 If you only change a few words, and people

can recognize the original, then you are plagiarizing.

 You can have a mixture of paraphrasing and

direct quotation. When quoting, ensure that it
is inside quotation marks “…” and completely
accurate, including punctuation.

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

5. Proper use of tables and figures

• How do you know when to use tables?

• How do you know when to use figures?

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report

6. Appendices

Appendices can contain:

• acronym list
• raw data upon which the report is based
• consultant reports that feed into your report
• resumes
• vendor quotes

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
7. Table of contents, etc.

Do not forget to update your

• table of contents
• list of figures
• list of tables
• check that the right information is there
• check that all figures and tables are listed
• your readers use these to find information
throughout your report!

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
8. Refining your work

After writing, put the document away for a

couple of days.

Print it out, and use a pen to mark your work.

Make a checklist and go through report

several times for:
• flow of thought
• in-text citations and references
• grammar and punctuation
• equations, figures, and tables
• conformance to style guide

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Knowing When to Stop

• It could take a lifetime to learn the art of

knowing when to stop writing.

• There is a point in your writing or editing

where you must stop or risk having your
material degenerate.

How do you know when to stop writing for a

really big report?

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Steps in Writing a Technical Report
In conclusion,

• It is essential to pay attention to the

requirements of the agency who requested the
report.

• Technical reports are all about the details.

• Whether you continue with an academic

career or work for an organization, knowing how
to put together a good technical report is a
valuable skill.

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Ways to Build Better Style
Use the following tips as you:

• draft

• write and revise

• draft, revise, and form

paragraphs

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1. Use Accurate, Appropriate Words
Denotation
• Literal meanings; dictionary definitions
• Bypassing—two people using same word to
mean different things; causes mix-ups

Connotation
• Emotional association; attitude
- +
nosy curious
fearful cautious
obstinate firm

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2. Use Familiar Words
• Words most people know
• Words that best convey your meaning
• Shorter, more common words
• Specific, concrete words
• Simpler alternatives

Stuffy Simple
reside live
commence begin
enumerate list
finalize finish, complete
utilize use
3. Use Active Verbs (Usually)
Active — subject of sentence does action the
verb describes

Passive — subject is acted upon

• Usually includes form of “to be”
• Change to active if you can
• Direct object becomes subject

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 Active vs. Passive Verbs
P: The program will be implemented by the
agencies.
A: The agencies will implement the program.

P: These benefits are received by you.

A: You receive these benefits.

P: A video was ordered.

A: The customer ordered a video.

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 Active vs. Passive Verbs

Active verbs are better because—

• Shorter
• Clearer
• More interesting
Passive verbs are better to—
• Emphasize object receiving action
• Adhere to the standards used in more
conservative technical publications
4. Use Verbs to Carry Weight

Replace this phrase with a verb:

make an adjustment - adjust

make a decision - decide
perform an examination - examine
take into consideration - consider

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5. Eliminate Wordiness
Wordy — idea can be said in fewer words
Conciseness; a mark of good writing that
contributes to clarity

• Omit words that say nothing

• Put the meaning in subject and verb

 Omit words that say nothing

Cut words if idea is clear without them

. . . period of three months
. . . at the present time
Replace wordy phrase with one word
Ideally, it would be best to put the. . .
If possible, put the. . .
There are three reasons for our success. . .
Three reasons explain. . .

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Put meaning of sentence in
subject and verb

The reason we are recommending the

computerization of this process is because it
will reduce the time required to obtain data
and will give us more accurate data.

Computerizing the process will give us more

accurate data more quickly.

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6. Vary Sentence Length & Structure
Varying sentence length and structure helps
keep audience interest
Use short sentences when subject matter is
complicated
Use longer sentences to
• Show how ideas link to each other
• Avoid choppy copy
• Reduce repetition
 7. Use Parallel Structure

During the interview, job candidates will

• Take a skills test.
• The supervisor will interview the prospective
employee.
• A meeting with recently hired workers will be
held.

During the interview, job candidates will

• Take a skills test.
• Interview with the supervisor.
• Meet with recently hired workers.

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8. Begin Most Paragraphs with Topic
Sentence

Unity — paragraph discusses one idea; a mark

of good writing
Topic sentence — states main idea
• Tells what paragraph is about
• Forecasts paragraph’s structure
• Helps readers remember points

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9. Use Thesis Statements
Thesis - essentially a one or two-sentence
version of the analysis or argument
presented in a communication
Most reports should contain clear and concise
thesis statements
• Readers almost instinctively look to them
for guidance
10. Use Transitions to Link Ideas

Transition - signals connections between ideas

to the reader
• Tells if next sentence continues or starts
new idea
• Tells if next sentence is more or less
important than previous
• Don’t get stuck in the “however” rut;
there are plenty of lists of transitions
online
11. Cite, Cite, Cite

 Always cite your sources, and use the citation

style your audience prefers

 Citations lend credibility and can keep you out

of academic and legal trouble
Thank you.

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College of engineering resources for proposals, papers,
and reports [Link]
UNLV libraries guide to selected resources in engineering
and computer science.
Http://[Link]/[Link]?Pid=9413
UNLV writing center
[Link]
UNLV online writing lab
[Link]
UNLV downloadable writing tips
[Link]
purdue OWL
[Link]

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