The Art and Science of Technical Writing

Presented for: HS 63002 class of Spring 2012 (Chakraborty & Singh)

Technical/Scientific Writing

In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.
- Sir Francis Darwin

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Presentation Objectives
Importance of Scientific Writing Key Principles

audience occasion purpose

Impact of Career

How well you communicate affects your career

Successful scientists spent 25% of work week writing (Davis 1997) Professional scientists found writing their most useful subject (University of Wisconsin) MSU CANR Alumni need most work on their writing (Suvedi, 2001)

Impact on Others

Explosion was caused by failure of O-rings in the solid rocket boosters Engineers knew of O-ring problems well before fatal launch Engineers failed to communicate seriousness of problem

Space Shuttle Challenger (January 28, 1986)

A Matter of Difference
1. Subject Matter 2. Writing Constraints

audience occasion purpose

3. Purpose of Writing 4. Writing Style

To inform To persuade

Communication Needs
Reports Articles Proposals Web Pages Conferences Lectures Meetings Posters

specific technical audiences

general technical audiences

non-technical audiences

Writing Stages
1. Getting in the Mood 2. Writing the First Draft

3. Revising, Revising, Revising

4. Finishing

In the Beginning

Begin by analyzing your constraints

Audience

Who they are What they know Why they will read How they will read Format Formality Politics and ethics Process and deadline To inform To persuade

Occasion

Purpose

Aspects Affecting Reader

Content

Style

Form

Style What You Control

words wordswords wordswordswords wordswordswordswords wordswordswords wordswordswords wordswordswords wordswordswords

Illustration Structure

Language

Broad Content Issues

Check your use of supporting evidence. Check your use of sources. Check to see that you achieve your purpose. Check your attention to audience. Check for overall impression.

Organization & Presentation

Check the overall organization. Check sentence structure and style. Check paragraph structure. Check format. Check documentation.

20 Most Common Errors

1. Missing comma after an introductory element.

Frankly, we were baffled by the findings. In fact, agricultural education Determined to get the job completed, we worked all weekend. Though I gave advice for revising, his draft only became worse.

20 Most Common Errors

2. Vague Pronoun Reference

Transmitting radio signals by satellite is a way of overcoming the problem of scare airwaves and limited how, they are used.
the airwaves

Company policy prohibited smoking, which many employees resented. a policy

20 Most Common Errors

3. Missing comma in a compound sentence

, We wish dreamily upon a star and then we look down to find ourselves standing in mud. , The words I do may sound simple but they mean a life commitment.

20 Most Common Errors

4. Wrong word

their The Pacers played there best, but that was not good enough. allusions Paradise Lost contains many illusions to classical mythology.

20 Most Common Errors

5. Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element.

Susan, who was the president of the club,was first to speak. Johns first doll, Malibu Barbie is still his , favorite.

20 Most Common Errors

6. Wrong or missing verb ending

uses Ernesto use feline imagery throughout the poem. dropped The United States drop two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.

20 Most Common Errors

7. Wrong or missing preposition.

on in We met in Union Street at San Francisco. off Who called the game yesterday?

20 Most Common Errors

8. Comma Splice

for I was strongly attracted to her, she had special qualities. Having They always had ham for Easter, this was a family tradition.

20 Most Common Errors

9. Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe.

AEE is pleased to announce its new graduate its students.

20 Most Common Errors

10. Unnecessary shift in tense

Abby laughs until she cried during the class. cries Brian is in charge of finance; he will always keep his office locked. keeps

20 Most Common Errors

11. Unnecessary shift in pronoun

When one first sees a painting by Cathy, you are impressed by a sense of power. one is

20 Most Common Errors

12. Sentence fragment

was The old aluminum boat sitting on its trailer. We returned to the drugstore. Where we waited for our parents.

20 Most Common Errors

13. Wrong tense or verb form

Luke Reese has broke many soccer records. broken had By the time Jim arrived, Mikel left.

20 Most Common Errors

14. Lack of subject-verb agreement

A central part of my life goals have been to has go to graduate school.

20 Most Common Errors

15. Missing comma in a series

AEE Graduate students study mostly teaching, methods, writing, and other research activities.

20 Most Common Errors

16. Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent

Neither Nadja nor Kari felt that they had been she treated fairly.

20 Most Common Errors

17. Unnecessary comma (s) with a restrictive element.

People, who wanted to preserve wilderness areas opposed the plan to privatize national parks.

20 Most Common Errors

18. Fused sentence

He . The current was swift he could not swim to the shore.

20 Most Common Errors

19. Misplaced or dangling modifier.

She had decided she wanted to be an agriscience teacher when she was ten years old. When she was ten years old, she had decided she wanted to be an agriscience teacher.

20 Most Common Errors

20. Its/Its confusion

Its its The car is lying on its side in the ditch. Its a white 2000 Audi.

Select a Writing Mentor

Review Journals for writing style. Identify a writing mentor to assist with thinking through and reviewing paper.

Final Thoughts

Our greatest battles are that with our own minds. - Jameson Frank Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire. - William Yeats There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo

SOURCE : www Stevensons Strategies for Engineering Communication - John Wiley

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THANK YOU

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