Basic Principles of Good Technical Writing (Mills & Walter, 1981, p.
16)
Identify a specific reader whether real or imaginary.
Types of readers According to Purpose:
A. The Primary readers – are those who have requested the document and will
probably use the document as a basis for decisions or actions.
B. The Secondary readers – are those who will carry out the project, who will
advise the primary readers about their decisions or actions.
Basic Categories of Readers:
A. The Expert- understands the theory and practical applications as well as the
specialized terms related to the subject.
B. The Semi-Expert - knowledge of a subject may vary a great deal in how
much they know and why they want information.
C. The Non-Expert (General reader)- sometimes called the layperson who
reads out of curiosity or self-interest. They are non-expert readers since
they have no specialized training or experienced in a subject.
Identify exactly the purpose of the document and make sure every part contributes to the
purpose.
Common Purposes of Technical Documents
To instruct
To record
To inform (for decision making)
To inform (without decision making)
To recommend
To persuade
To interest
Use simple, concrete, and familiar language.
Follow the principle of “First you tell your readers what you’re going to tell them; next, you
tell them, and lastly you tell them, what you have told them.”
Make your technical documents presentable.
Characteristics of a Good Technical Writing
Markel, 1992 Finkelstein, 2005
Is clear, well- organized, and reads naturally; Deals with technical information;
Is concise, keeping it brief and to the point; Relies heavily on visuals;
With no wasted words but keeping the essential Uses numerical data to precisely describe
ones; quantity and direction;
Is accurate; Is accurate and well documented; and
Is comprehensive; and Is grammatically and stylistically correct.
Uses correct grammar and punctuation usage.
STYLE in Technical Writing
Is a manner by which the writer expresses his/her thoughts and feelings in language that is
direct and objective and has no room for different interpretations; it is readable, straightforward
and easy to follow and understand. It requires correct grammar and punctuation usage.
Working PRINCIPLES to Achieve a Good Technical Writing Style
1. Good Technical Writing is Clear.
How to Achieve Clarity?
A. Use variety of sentence types
B. Keep sentences short and simple
C. Focus on the real subject
D. Focus on the real verb
E. Express parallel elements in parallel structure
F. Avoid misplaced and dangling modifiers
G. Avoid unclear pronoun references
H. Avoid obscure and pompous words
2. Good Technical Writing is Concise.
How to Achieve Conciseness?
A. Avoid needless phrases
B. Eliminate redundancy
C. Avoid shun words (words that end in –tion or sion shun sound)
D. Avoid camouflaged words (at a later moment (later), thank you in advance (thank
you), make an amendment (amend)
3. Good Technical Writing uses Active voice and Passive voice appropriately.
4. Good Technical Writing avoids Sexist Language (refers to words or phrases that indicate a bias
against women in terms of importance or competence).
How to eliminate sexist language?
A. Use more descriptive or inclusive compound word (businessman-business person,
stewardess-flight attendant)
B. Bypass the problem of gender whenever possible; use imperative, first person
plural, use second person
C. Avoid singular pronouns; instead, use plural nouns and pronouns
D. Avoid pronoun completely if possible
E. Use gender specific pronouns only to identify specific person.
5. Good Technical Writing is Accurate.
How to Achieve Accuracy?
A. Distinguish facts from opinion;
B. Include obvious qualifying statements when needed;
C. Use absolute words carefully (Pfeiffer, 1997).
D. Proofread (Gerson & Gerson, 1997)
TASK
Directions: Sentences below need improvement; follow each instruction given.
A. Revise the sentences to make coordinate sentences parallel.
1. The evaluator should indicate the quality of the job done, the amount of time in which
the job was completed, and how much the job cost.
2. The seven steps in selling are (1) opening, (2) present merchandise, (3) handling, (4) to
complete the sale, (5) suggesting, (6) record made of the sale, (7) finalize sale.
B. Rewrite each sentence to make this concise
1. Bothered by allergies, a condition that made them sneeze, some of the children had
rhinitis that caused them to miss several days in nursery school this summer.
2. My friend, who is employed as a nutritionist at St.Luke’s Medical Center recommends
the daily intake of megadoses of Vitamin C.
3. Mr. Cruz was really late to his board meeting due to the fact that he had to finish his
power point presentation.
C. Change the passive sentences to active sentences
1. When all work is completed, turn the blueprint off.
2. Overtime is mostly favored by hourly employees.
D. Improve the sentences to sound gender-neutral.
1. Every person is entitled to see his personal file.
2. The HR office decided to advertise for a department chairman in three national
newspapers.
3. The policeman should fill out the incident report.
