Techical Writing

8/7/2019 Techical Writing

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Presented byVINAY SHREYAS K.V.

Lecturer, Dept of EEE,

H.K.B.K.C.E, Bangalore 045.

1Introduction to Technical Writing Vinay Shreyas K.V.


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The fundamental purpose of technical writing isnot the mere presentation of information andthought, but rather its actual communication

An author might have converted all the correct datainto sentences and paragraphs, but what reallymatters is whether a large majority of the reading

audience accurately perceives what the authorhadin mind



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1. Planning

2. Clarity

3. Brevity

4. Simplicity

5. Choice of Words

6. Punctuation7. Understanding the process



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COMPONENT # 1

PLANNING

Introduction to Technical Writing Vinay Shreyas K.V. 4


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Identify your audience and their expectations

Know your resources

Organize your thoughts and resources Allocate adequate time to write, review, revise

and edit



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COMPONENT # 2

CLARITY



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Jargon: a vocabulary particular to a place of work(abbreviations, slang)

WrongThe server may require 100 gigs of additional memory

RightTh

e server may require100 Gigabytes of additionalmemory

Audience familiarity with the topic determinesappropriate use of jargon



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If you must abbreviate, define the term in itsfirst occurrence, and insert abbreviations in

parentheses

The prime objective of ISRO is to develop spacetechnology and its application to various nationaltasks. ISRO has established two major space

systems, INSAT

for communication, televisionbroadcasting and meteorological services, andIRS Satellites system for resources monitoringand management. www.isro.org



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Correct

The prime objective of the Indian Space Research

Organization (ISRO) is to develop space technology and itsapplication to various national tasks. ISRO has established

two major space systems, Indian National Satellite System

(INSAT) for communication, television broadcasting and

meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)

Satellite system for resources monitoring and management.



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Italicize the first occurrence ofunfamiliar terms anddefine them immediately

Before

The cache has proven to be extremely effective in manyareas of computing because access patterns in typicalcomputer applications have locality of reference

AfterTh

ecache

wh

ich

is a temporary storage area wherefrequently accessed data can be stored for rapid access has

proven to be extremely effective in many areas of computing because access patterns in typical computerapplications have locality of reference



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Avoid jargon

Define the unfamiliar

Italicize appropriately



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COMPONENT # 3

BREVITY



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According to the year 2008 estimates, India wasthe 12th largest economy in the world based onexchange rates; however, based on PurchasingPower Parity(PPP), which many economistsbelieve to be more realistic, Indias economy isbehind that of the USA, Japan and China, thusmaking it the fourth largest economy in the worldbased on PPP.



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India is the fourth largest economy in theworld based on Purchasing PowerParity(PPP). According to the year 2008estimates, India was the 12th largest economy inthe world based on exchange rates; however,based on PPP, which many economists believe tobe more realistic, Indias economy is behind thatof the USA, Japan and China.



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Combine overlapping sentences if possible

Before

Water quality in River A declined this month.This decline occurred because of the heavyrainfall this month. All the extra water overloadedthe water treatment plant.

AfterWater quality in River A declined this month

because heavy rainfalls overloaded the water treatment plant.



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Brevity

Summarize to begin with

Remove redundancy



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COMPONENT # 4

SIMPLICITY



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Many engineers, scientists and technologists

want to provide as much specific detail as

possible, but this can come at the expense ofreaders understanding of their main point



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Clarity

Avoid jargon

Define the unfamiliar

Italicize appropriately

Brevity

Summarize to begin with

Remove redundancy Simplicity

Balance detail and clarity



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COMPONENT # 5

CHOICEOFWORDS



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(already) existing never(before) present (time) none (at all) (basic) fundamentals now (at this time) period (of time) (empty) space had done (previously) mix (together)



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The population of Canada has increased by 40percent in the last decade aspeople from all overthe world are conveniently availing it's favorableimmigration policy.

The population of Canada has increased by 40percent in the last decade because people fromall over the world have conveniently availed it'sfavorable immigration policy.



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Do not overuse pronounsparticularly it and thisbecause it is difficult to identify the antecedent

It is also known as the land of the rising sun. It is thesecond largest economy in the world and is wellknown all over the world for its Bullet Train.

Japan is also known as the land of the rising sun. Itis the second largest economy of the word and is wellknown all over the world for its Bullet Train



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Minimize the use of needless words

Avoid Ambiguity

Do not overuse pronouns



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COMPONENT # 6

PUNCTUATION



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Colon :

Brackets []

Hyphen - Exclamation !



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A colon is generally used to introduce a set of

items after an independent clause

Example The five most populous countries in theworld are: China, India, USA, Indonesia and Brazil.

The first letter following the colon should always be uppercase

A colon is also used to define or declare a

hypothesis, a theorem or a definition Example Newtons third law of motion states :For

every action there is an equal and opposite reaction



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Avoid curly brackets in technical writing. Use

square brackets.

Brackets are used to Provide additional information

Provide the year of publication in citations [some

journal formats only]



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The tone of technical writing is formal

Anything casual in the write up should be

avoided. Exclamation marks should be avoided



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Used to join words and also to separate

syllables of a single word

Bangalore-based Infosys is the third largest ITcompany in India

Honda is well known for its state-of-the-art

technology

It is not un-common for temperatures to go below

zero in winters.



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COMPONENT # 7

Understanding that Technical Writing is a

Process



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Good writing does not happen overnight

It requires planning, drafting, rereading,revising, and editing

It requires learning and improvement on an

ongoing basis

Requires self-review, peer review, subject-

matter expert feedback, and practice



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Technical writing is a vast subject area and

requires considerable practice to master. However, there are a few changes which all of

us could incorporate which would make a

significant impact on the final write up

Thank you and wish you all the best


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Techical Writing