Technical Writing

Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies and Readings offers a flexible combination of instructional chapters and readings that reflect the variety of emphases in today's technical writing classroom.

Table of Contents:
Thematic Contents for Part 2 Readings Directory of Models Preface   Part 1 Technical Writing: Ways of Writing   1 Technical Writing on the Job     Writing in Organizations         Diversity in Technical Writing         Reader/Purpose/Situation     Writing as a Process         One Writer's Process         Stages of Writing     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   2 Collaboration and Ethics     Writing with Others         Writing with a Partner         Writing on a Team         Writing for Management Review         Writing for Multiple Reviewers         Writing with a Technical Editor     Writing Ethically         Plagiarism         Copyright         Web Logs     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   3 Audience     Analyzing Readers         Subject Knowledge         Position in the Organization         Personal Attitudes         Reading Style         Multiple Readers         International Readers     Finding Out About Readers         Informal Checking         Interviewing     Testing Reader-Oriented Documents         Readers Working as a Group         Readers Answering Questions         Readers Performing a Task         Readers Thinking Aloud     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   4 Organization     Sorting Information         Select Major Topics         Identify Subtopics     Constructing Outlines         Informal Outlines         Formal Outlines         Topic Outlines         Sentence Outlines     Developing Effective Paragraphs         Unity         Coherence         Development         Patterns for Presenting Information     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises    5 Revision and Style     Creating a Final Draft         Global Revision         Fine-Tuning Revision         Revising On-Screen     Making Global Revisions         Content         Organization     Making Fine-Tuning Revisions         Overloaded Sentences         Clipped Sentences         Lengthy Sentences         Passive Voice         Jargon         Sexist Language         Concrete Versus Abstract Words         Gobbledygook         Wordiness     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   6 Document Design     Understanding Design Features         Purpose of Design Features         Design Principles     Creating Graphic Aids         Purpose of Graphic Aids         Tables         Figures     Using Format Elements         Written Cues         White Space         Color         Typographic Devices     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises    7 Writing for the Web     Planning a Web Site     Organizing Web Pages         Home Page         Information Pages     Writing Effectively     Design Elements for Special Groups         Senior Users         Special Needs Users         International Users     Evaluating Your Web Site     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   8 Definition     Understanding Definitions     Writing Informal Definitions     Writing Formal Sentence Definitions     Writing Expanded Definitions         Cause and Effect         Classification         Comparison and Contrast         Description         Development or History         Etymology         Examples         Method of Operation or Process         Negation         Partition         Stipulation     Placing Definitions in Documents         Within the Text         In an Appendix         In Footnotes         In a Glossary     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   9 Description     Understanding Description     Planning Descriptions         Subjects         Kinds of Information         Details and Language         Graphic Aids     Writing Descriptions         Organization         Sections of a Technical Description     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises    10 Instructions, Procedures, and Process Explanations     Understanding Instructions, Procedures, and Process Explanations         Instructions         Procedures         Process Explanations         Graphic Aids     Writing Instructions         Readers         Organization         Details and Language         Narrative Style Instructions         Troubleshooting Instructions     Writing Procedures         Procedures for One Employee         Procedures for Several Employees         Procedures for Handling Equipment and Systems     Writing Process Explanations         Readers         Organization         Details and Language     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   11 Fomal Report Elements     Selecting Formal Report Elements     Writing Front Matter         Title Page         Transmittal Letter or Memo         Table of Contents         List of Figures         List of Tables         Abstract and Executive Summary     Writing Back Matter         References         Glossary/List of Symbols         Appendixes     Documenting Sources         APA System: Citations in the Text         APA System: List of References         Number-Reference System     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Models     Exercises   12 Short and Long Reports     Understanding Reports     Developing Short Reports         Opening-Summary Organization         Delayed-Summary Organization     Developing Long Reports         Planning Long Reports         Gathering Information         Evaluating Sources         Taking Notes         Interpreting Data         Drafting Long Reports     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Models     Exercises   13 Types of Reports     Understanding Conventional Report Types     Writing a Feasibility Study         Purpose         Organization     Writing and Incident Report         Purpose         Organization     Writing an Investigative Report         Purpose         Organization     Writing a Progree Report         Purpose         Organization     Writing a Trip Report         Purpose         Organization     Writing a Proposal         Purpose         Organization     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Models     Exercises   14 Letters, Memos, and Email     Understanding Letters, Memos, and Email         Letters         Memos         Email     Developing Effective Tone         Natural Language         Positive Language         You-Attitude     Organizing Letters, Memos, and Email         Direct Organization         Indirect Organization         Persuasive Organization     Writing Memos         Memos from Managers         Memos from Subordinates     Selecting Letter Format         Dateline         Inside Address         Salutation         Body         Close         Signature Block         Notations         Second Page         Envelope     Selecting Memo Format     Selecting Email Format     Using the Fax     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   15 Career Communication and Workplace Strategies     Looking for a Job     Writing Resumes         Traditional Resumes         Scannable Resumes         Email Resumes         Web-Based Resumes     Writing Job-Application Letters     Writing Other Job-Related Letters         Follow-Up Letters         Answer to a Job Offer     Understanding Workplace Culture         Communication Etiquette         Coworker Etiquette         Business Lunch Etiquette     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Models     Exercises   16 Oral Presentations     Understanding Oral Presentations         Purpose         Advantages         Disadvantages         Types of Oral Presentations     Organizing Oral Presentations     Preparing for Oral Presentations     Delivering Oral Presentations         Rehearsal         Notes and Outlines         Voice         Professional Image         Gestures         Eye Contact         Questions     Using Visual Aids         Equipment         Presentation Software     Preparing Minutes of Meetings     Joining a Team Presentation     Facing International Audiences     Chapter Summary     Supplemental Readings in Part 2     Endnotes     Exercises   Part 2 Technical Writing: Advice from the Workplace   Bagin, C.B., and Van Doren, J. "How to Avoid Costly Proofreading Errors" Barefoot, D.K. "Ten Tips on Writing White Papers" Caher, J.M. "Technical Documentation and Legal Liability" Doulton, M. "Working in Global Teams" Garhan, A. "ePublishing" Hart, G.J.S. "PowerPoint Presentations: A Speaker's Guide" National Association of Colleges and Employers. "How to Behave in a Behavior-Based Interview" Humphries, A.C. "Business Manners" International Association of Business Communicators "Code of Ethics for Professional Communicators" Jones, S.C. "A Cautionary Tale" Nielsen, J. "Guidelines for Visualizing Links" Nielsen, J. "Use Old Words When Writing for Findability" Rasberry, T.W. "The Buck Stops Here" "ResumeMaker's 25 Tips--Interviewing" Robinson, J. "Six Tips for Talking Technical When Your Audience Isn't" Schafer, R.R. "Ten Tips for Writing Better Web-Based Survey Questions" Smith, G.M. "Eleven Commandments for Business Meeting Etiquette" Weiss, E.H. "Taking Your Presentation Abroad" Wicclair, M.R., and Farkas, D.K. "Ethical Reasoning in Technical Communication: A Practical Framework"     Appendix A: Guidelines for Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics     Grammar         Dangling Modifiers         Misplaced Modifiers         Squinting Modifiers         Parallel Construction         Pronoun Agreement         Pronoun Reference         Reflexive Pronouns         Sentence Faults         Subject/Verb Agreement     Punctuation         Apostrophe         Colon         Comma         Dash         Exclamation Point         Hyphen         Parentheses         Question Mark         Quotation Marks         Semicolon         Slash     Mechanics         Acronyms and Initialisms         Brackets         Capital Letters         Ellipsis         Italics         Measurements         Numbers         Symbols and Equations   Appendix B: Frequently Confused Words   Appendix C: A Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism     What is Plagiarism?         Significance of Intellectual Honesty         Intentional Plagiarism     Documentation: The Key to Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism     Identifying Sources and Information That Need to Be Documented     Documenting Sources in a Works Cited List         Constructing a Works Cited List in MLA Style     Using Material Gathered from Sources: Summary, Paraphrase, Quotation     Creating In-Text References         Using an Introductory Attribution and a Parenthetical Reference         Identifying Material by an Author of More Than One Work Used in Your Paper         Identifying Material That the Source Is Quoting     Using Correct Grammar and Punctuation to Blend Quotations into a Paper         Using a Full-Sentence Quotation of Fewer Than Four Lines         Introducing a Quotation with a Full Sentence         Introducing a Quotation with "That"         Quoting Part of a Sentence         Using a Quotation That Contains Another Quotation         Adding Information to a Quotation         Omitting Information From Source Sentences         Using a Quotation of More Than Four Lines     Is it Plagiarism? Test Yourself on In-Text References         Plagiarism Example 1         Plagiarism Example 2         Plagiarism Example 3     Evaluating Sources     Avoiding Plagiarism: Note-Taking Tips   Credits Index