Technical Writing Pdf Essay

1. Overview The traditional bearing of create verb wholey regime scrolls has non worked well. Too a lot, compound and jargon-filled schedules tolerate resulted in frustration, lawsuits, and a film of trust between citizens and their government. To overcome this legacy, we have a great business to communicate re melodic phrase. Studies fork kayoed that clear written regulations improve compliance and ebb litigation. Writing that considers our subscribers aims improves the relationship between the government and the public it serves. complete preserve reduces the burden on the public.It in like manner reduces our burden be run we beginnert have to deal with the consequences of unclear communication. How contribute buoy we be rectify printrs? We confide that the near heavy goals be these economise for your lecturer Write clearly Write in a visu whole(prenominal)y attracting style The coterminous several pages summarize close to of the best te chniques to achieve these three goals. by-line the summary, youll find exposit suggestions for pass oning these techniques to your authorship. Write for Your Reader Writing for your contributors sends a sum that you have considered who they ar and what they strike to know.When you communicate a concern for your refs needs, they be to a greater extent(prenominal) likely to be receptive to your message. When your instrument is plainly written, your readers be more likely to infrastand what you inadequacy and bespeak appropriate act Focus on key education Believe that you atomic number 18 interested with their needs Identify your audience Identify your audience early and rally to the highest degree(predicate) why the reader needs to read the catalogue. Identify population who im break be interested, evening if they are not directly affected. Write to every whizz(a) who is interested, not sound to practiced or legal experts. Keep in mind the average readers level of adept expertise. rig out to meet your readers needs People read documents to pound answers. They destiny to know how to do something or what happens if they dont do something. Organize your document to respond to these concerns. Frequently this blind drunks describing events as they elapseyou fill out an act to expire a benefit, you vacate the employment, the bureau reviews the application, the agency sucks a decision on the application. Think through the doubtfulnesss your readers are likely to ask and consequently groom them in that pasture. For regulations, you coffin nail organize them into a comprehensive table of contents that go away be an outline of the document. habit a question-and-answer tuneat As much as assertable, write element headings as questions. Try to ask the questions your readers would ask. Answer apiece question immediately. utilize the question-and-answer take a shitat helps readers to scan the document and find the in formation they want. It in like manner increases the chances that they pass on see a question that they didnt have, but need to know the answer to. This format is enormously helpful to readers. design you and separate pronouns to speak directly to readers You reinforces the message that the document is intended for your reader in a way that he, she, or they cannot.More than any early(a) ace technique, utilize you pulls readers into your document and makes it relevant to them. employ we to intimate to your agency makes your sentences pifflinger and your document more accessible readers. Use the active vox Active division makes it clear who is supposed to do what. It eliminates equivocalness active responsibilities. Not It moldiness be d nonpareil. But, You or some ane else essential do it. Using unresisting voice, which obscures who is amenable for what, is wiz of the biggest problems with government documents. Use the appropriate bank note In regulations, o lfaction is not really an lie with.But the tone of other documents, such as letters, affects how well the reader takes in your message. A cold tone can ca apply the reader to tune out the message. In some cases, it ca employments him to send d accept your document quite a than attempting to read it at all. Select the tone based on who your reader is and what his or her circumstances are. Write clearly For years, near of us have leaded our documents mainly to technical experts and lawyers, rather than to the many other readers we want to influence. A jargon-laden, legalistic style does not clearly convey principal(prenominal) information.You can reduce confusion or mistaking for all readers without sacrificing the technical integrity of your writing. How can you write more clearly? Government documents such as regulations present special challenges because of the highly technical information they much contain. At the resembling conviction, you have multiple audiences, some highly knowledgeable, some less so. In fact, focus- crowd results show that even technical experts do not always show technical diction intimately or quickly. The avocation techniques will help discipline that you keep your language clear, so that your users can focus on technical information.Use short sentences Express and one idea in each(prenominal) sentence. Long, complicated sentences often mean that you arent clear about what you want to say. short(p)er sentences show clear thinking. Shorter sentences are also check for conveying mixed information they break the information up into smaller, easier-to-process units. Vary your sentence structure to bend choppiness, but dont revert to tangled multi-clause sentences. Write to one someone, not to a group Use singular nouns, pronouns, and verbs to direct your writing to one one-on-one reader.This hampers confusion about whether a requirement applies to readers playing individually or in groups. Use the simplest str ess you can Using simple present tense rescinds the clutter of compound verbs and clearly conveys what is measurement practice. Use essential(prenominal) to convey requirements Use essential for obligation, whitethorn for permission, and should for preference. Use must not to convey prohibitions. head off the ambiguous shall. When was the stomach snip you heard shall in everyday conversation? Place articulates cautiously There are several ways you can reduce ambiguity Keep musical themes and objects close to their verbs. Put conditionals such as only or always and other modifiers near to the devises they modify. Write you are require to depict only the following, not you are only required to bequeath the following. Put eagle-eyed conditions after the main clause. Write complete form 9-123 if you own more than 50 acres and cultivate grapes, not if you own more than 50 acres and cultivate grapes, complete form 9-123. Use if-then tables If material is particularly complex and many conditional situations are involved, send it in an if-then table. Avoid words and constructions that cause confusion.Common sources of confusion entangle Undefined or overuse abbreviations and acronyms Two different terms used for the same thing (car, vehicle, auto, conveyancechoose one) Giving an obscure technical or legal meaning to a word commonly chthonicstood to mean something different (defining car to include trucks) Legal, technical, and fashionable, but conf utilise, jargon Strings of nouns forming complex constructions (surface water quality protection procedures) Pronouns that dont clearly refer to specific nouns Stilted, wordy language Use contractions when appropriate.Contractions can speed reading, improve accuracy, and sometimes soften the tone of your documents. Write in a visually accumulationing Style We want our documents to help readers get information, comply with requirements, and declare for benefits with the minimum possible burd en. Visually appealing documents are far easier to to a lower placestand than more traditional styles. Traditional government documents are often loggerheaded and confusing. Replace blocks of text with headings, tables, and more white space. You will help your reader by making the main points readily apparent and grouping related to items together.Use a clear and uncrowded presentation and your readers will be more likely to understand what you want to convey. In turn, your readers will be more likely to do what you want them to do in their relations with your agency. How can you make your documents visually appealing? With visual layout, you draw your readers perplexity to information they need to know. Even though various government requirements, such as the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) format, constrain government writers in a number of ways, you can still take significant steps to make your documents visually appealing to the reader. Use lots of informative headings. he adways attract your readers aid to important information. They help readers find their way through a document and locate important points. Pack each heading with lots of information. How often have you seen several different subdivisions entitle applications or appeals in one set of documents? Applications for what? Appeals of what? If you say Applications for underground mining bears on public take the reader knows exactly what youre talking about, and knows the difference between that member and another section entitled Applications for a temporary use permit to transport cattle across public land.On the other hand, headings should not be so long that they overwhelm the material in the section itself. Write short sections Short sections break up the material into soft understood segments and allow you to introduce a little white space. Short sections look easier to read and understand. Long sections can appear difficult and forbidding, even originally someone tries to read t hem. Include only one issue in each paragraph Limiting each paragraph to one issue gives the document a clean appearance and contributes to the impression that it is motiveless to read and understand.By presenting only one issue in each paragraph, you can use informative headings that reflect the entire issue cover by the paragraph. Use vertical lists Vertical lists foreground a serial of requirements or other information in a visually clear way. Use vertical lists to help your reader focus on important material. Vertical lists Highlight levels of importance Help the reader understand the recount in which things happen Make it easy for the reader to identify all necessary steps in a process Add silent person space for easy reading Use tested emphasis techniques to highlight important points.Emphasis techniques are useful to draw the readers direction to a line or two. You should use techniques like gauzy and italics that have been tested on readers they draw the readers attention to the area and are easy to read. You shouldnt use ALL CAPS theyre much harder to read. 2. Techniques for Better Writing This section provides utilizations of how to use the techniques listed in the overview. The examples are drawn from different agencies across the Federal government. Because we originally wrote this guidance for regulations writers, most of the examples are from regulations.You wont find any of these exact examples in the Code of Federal Regulations. Weve altered them to provide what we think are better examples of the techniques we recommend. Identify and write for your audience Identify who is affected by a document and write to get their attention and answer their questions. You have to taking into custody your readers attention if you want to get your ideas across. Lets face it, readers incisively want to know what applies to them. The best way to grab and hold their attention is to symbol out who they are and what they want to know. Put yourself in their shoes. It will give you a new perspective.Tell your readers why the material is important to them. Say, If you want a research dispense, heres what you have to do. Or, If you want to mine federal coal, heres what you should know. Or, If you are planning a trip to Rwanda, read this scratch line. Identifying your audience should do more than just cause you to make sure the terms you use are clear. It should help you focus on the readers needs. You should do this by thinking about what your reader knows about the situation now. past think about how to pass them from their current knowledge to what you need them to know. To help you do this, try state the following questions Who is the reader? Is there a irregularary reader we need to give information? What does the reader(s) already know about the subject? What questions will the reader(s) have? Whats the best sequel for my agency? What do I need to say to get this way out? Whats the best outcome for the reade r? What do I need to say to get this outcome? Guide your readers from Point A to Point B in as straight a line as possible. Anticipate the questions readers have about what to read next. Many times a document has more than one audience. You whitethorn be talking to exporters and importers, or coal miners and surface owners, or airlines and passengers.NEPA documents typically speak to both stakeholders and agency decision makers. countermine your documents down into essential elements and determine which elements cod to each part of your audience. Then group the elements according to who is affected. If you are writing about research consorts, foremost ordinate the professor what he or she must do then tell the university calculateing department what it must do. Identify clearly whom you are speaking to in each section. outweart make a reader go through material only to find out at the end that the section doesnt hold in. pass on applications must provide the following inform ation (a) When you apply for a grant, you must send us (a) Prior experience in the area covered by the grant (1) A description of your experience in the area covered by (b) Publications relevant to the area of the grant the grant and (c) Other grants held at the time of application (d) Name and address of the chief pecuniary authorizationr (2) Copies of any material that you have published relevant (e) Nature of in-kind match universe provided to the area of the grant. (f) Approved overhead rate and (g) Total proposed budget.(b) Your financial blank space must send us (1) The name and address of the chief financial officer (2) A description of the in-kind match you will provide (3) Your authorise overhead rate and (4) A proposed budget. Organize to meet your readers needs Well-organized, detailed tables of contents make it easy for the reader to identify all elements in a document. Part of constituent your readers better is organizing your docu ment so that they can understand how a broadcast works and where to find instructions for each step they need to complete.Your table of contents should be a real road map that readers can follow to get through a process painlessly. The table of contents below is organized in a crystal clear sequence for a discretionary grant program. The organization follows the order in which events occur and in which the public might ask questions about the program. Part 791 Javits Gifted and Talented Students Subpart A How the Grant Program whole kit and boodle Sec. 791. 1What is the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program? 791. 2Am I eligible for a Javits Grant? 791. 3What activities are appropriate for Javits Grant funding? 791.4What funding priorities may the writing table establish? 791. 5What other regulations apply to the Javits Grant? 791. 6What definitions apply to the Javits Grant? Subpart B How to deem for an Award 791. 10Where do I write to contract a Javits Grant ap plication? 791. 11What materials do I need to butt in to be considered for a Javits Grant? 791. 12Where do I send my application? 791. 13When is my application due? Subpart C How the Secretary Makes an Award 791. 20How will the Secretary evaluate my application for a Javits Grant? 791. 21What selection criteria does the Secretary use to award Javits Grants?791. 22Does the Secretary consider supererogatory factors? Subpart D Grantees Rights and Responsibilities 791. 30 Under what conditions may I use my Javits Grant award? 791. 31What are my responsibilities for serving students and teachers in private schools? The same organization works well for some any lineament of regulation. Heres an example of an administrative regulation Part 725CLAIMS FOR BENEFITS UNDER THE FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH manage General 725. 1What does this program cover? 725. 2What special terms do I need to know to understand this part? Who is Covered.725. 201Who is entitled to benefits under this prog ram? 725. 202How long can my benefits last? 725. 203Are my dependents entitled to benefits? 725. 204How long will their benefits last? 725. 205Am I still eligible if I am convicted of a felony? How to Apply for Benefits 725. 301How do I institutionalise away a claim? 725. 302Can other nation give evidence on my behalf? 725. 303Are there any time limits for register my claim? 725. 304Can I modify or withdraw my claim? How to Appeal Agency Decisions 725. 401Can I appeal a decision if I dont agree with it? 725. 402How do I file an appeal?725. 403How long do I have to file an appeal? 725. 404What types of evidence must I step down? 725. 405What happens if I wont get a medical examination? Use useful headings 3 There are three types of headings Question Heading A heading in the form of a question Why Do We Use Headings? Statement Heading A heading that uses a noun and a verb Headings Help Guide a Reader Topic Heading A heading that is a word or short phrase Helpful Headings Quest ion Headings are the most useful. They ask the questions that readers are asking and guide them to the answers.Statement Headings are the next best choice because they are still very specific. Topic Headings are the most formal so many times management is more comfortable with them. But sometimes theyre so vague that they just arent that helpful. Its best to stay with just one type of heading. The question-and-answer format is the most in effect(p) way to communicate with your reader. The reader comes to your document with questions that he or she needs answered. Its much more efficient to anticipate the readers questions and pose them as he or she would.By doing this, you make it easier for the reader to find information. 254. 11 Indian Rights. 254. 11 How do the procedures in this part affect Indian rights? 254. 12 Applications. 254. 13 Multi-tribal grants. 254. 12 How do I apply for a grant under this part? 254. 14 Administrative requirements. 254. 15 Appeals 254. 13. When must I come in my application? 254. 14 Can a multi-tribal organization submit a iodin grant communicate? 254. 15 What special information do I need for an application by a multi-tribal organization? 254.16 moldiness each tribe in a multi-tribal organization submit certification forms and budgets? 254. 17 If I receive a grant under this part, what requirements must I follow? 254. 18 What field of studys must I submit after receiving a grant? 254. 19 How can I appeal administrative actions under this part? The original version had short headings that were not helpful to the reader. In the new version, weve identified with the reader and written additional questions that became separate sections. Use pronouns to represent the reader and to refer to your agency.By using you, you address your reader personally and add immediacy to your document. When you address the reader as you, the reader feels that you are addressing him or he r directly. Remember that even though your document may affect a thousand or a million people, you are speaking to the one person who is reading it. When your writing reflects this, it is more economical and has a greater impact on the reader. By using you to answer the readers questions, you clarify whom you are addressing. Copies of tax revenue returns must be provided. You must provide copies of your tax returns. Writing for an individual reader forces you to analyze surely what you want the reader to do. By writing to an individual, you will find it easier to Put information in a logical order Answer questions and provide the information that your reader wants to know invest responsibilities and requirements clearly Be sure to define you clearly. Facilities in regional and zone offices are available to If you are a member of the public, you can get copies of our the public during normal business hours for requesting records at any regional district office Define you b y any of the following rules State in the beginning of the document who the audience isThis regulation tells you, a lend applicant, how to potent a impart. Define you in the Definitions sectionYou means a loan applicant. Where you address different readers in different parts of the document, define you in each context How do different types of borrowers apply for a loan? If you are a small business, you must submit . . . If you are an individual, you must submit . . . Its especially important to define you where there are multiple audiences.Lessees and operators are responsible for restoring the site. Lessees and operators are responsible for restoring the site. You must retard that If you are the operator, you must conduct all operations in a way If you are the lessee, you must monitor the operator to ensure that You may want to use I to refer to the reader. Since the question-and-answer format assumes that the reader is the one asking the questions, you should use I in questions to refer to the reader. Dont use I in responses. In responses your agency (represented by we) addresses the reader.By using I to ask questions in headings, you are anticipating questions the reader may have. Submission of applications. How do I apply for a loan? By using we to respond to questions, you state clearly what your agency requires and what your agencys responsibilities are. You also avoid the nonoperational and use fewer words. Since you will never be asking the questions (only the reader does that), you should not use we in section headings. You can define we in the definitions sections of your document if that will help the reader. bestow applications will be reviewed to ensure that procedures We review your loan application to ensure that you have have been followed. followed our procedures. The Office of Consumer Affairs will process your application Well process your application within 30 days of receiving it. within 30 days after receipt. Use active voice Active voice is the best way to identify who is responsible for what action. In an active sentence, the person or agency taking an action is the subject of the sentence. In a passive sentence, the person or item that is acted upon is the subject of the sentence.Passive sentences often do not identify who is performing the action. The lake was polluted by the partnership. The company polluted the lake. New regulations were proposed. We proposed new regulations. The following information must be included in the You must include the following information in your application for it be considered complete. complete application. Bonds will be withheld in cases of non-compliance with allWe will withhold your bond if you dont comply with all permits and conditions. permit terms and conditions. More than any other writing technique, using active voice and specifying who is taking an action will change the percentage of our writing. How do you identify passive sentences? Passive sentences have two prefatorial features, although both do not appear in every passive sentence. A past participle (generally with ed on the end) and A form of the verb to be. Regulations have been proposed by the Department of We have proposed regulations. Veterans Affairs. The permit will be respectd by the agencys State office. Our State office must approve your permit. In a very few instances, passive voice may be appropriate.For example, when one action follows another as a matter of law, and there is no actor (besides the law itself) for the second action, a passive sentence may be the best method of expression. If you do not pay the royalty on your mineral takings, you lock will be terminated by the action of the law. Write Clearly bump your material into short sentences The best way to tell your reader what you want is a short, straightforward sentence. Complex sentences loaded with dependent clauses and exceptions confuse the reader by losing the main po int in a forest of words. wear the temptation to put everything in one sentence break up your idea into its various parts and make each one the subject of its own sentence. For good reasons, the Secretary may grant extensions of We may put under the time you have to file the lease and time in 30-day increments for file of the lease and all required bonds. Each extension will be for a 30-day required bonds, provided that additional extension period. To get an extension, you must write to us giving requests are submitted and approved before the expiration the reasons that you need more time.We must receive your of the original 30 days or the previously granted extension request in time to approve it before your extension. current deadline or extension expires. Complexity is the greatest opposite of clear communication. You may need to be especially inventive to fork out complicated provisions into more manageable language. In the following example, we have made an if clause into a separate sentence. By beginning the first sentence with suppose that and the second sentence with in this case, we have hold the relationship between the two.If you take less than your entitled share of achievement Suppose that one month you pay royalties on your full for any month, but you pay royalties on the full volume ofshare of production but take less than your entitled your entitled share in accordance with the provisions of share. In this case, you may balance your account in one this section, you will owe no additional royalty for that of the following ways without having to pay more royalty. lease for prior periods when you later take more than yourYou may either entitled share to balance your account.This also applies when the other participants pay you money to balance your (a) Take more than your entitled share in the future or account. (b) Accept money from other participants. Address One Person, Not a Group Singular nouns and verbs prevent confus ion about whether a requirement applies to individual readers or to groups. In the following example, the reader doesnt know whether each applicant must file applications at several offices, or whether applicants who are members of a group must file individual requests.Individuals and organizations wishing to apply must file You must apply at least 30 days before you need the applications with the appropriate offices in a timely certification. manner. (a) If you are an individual, apply at the State office in the State where you reside. (b) If you are an organization, apply at the State office in the State where your headquarters is located. In addressing a single person, you can avoid awkwardness by using you to address the reader directly, rather than using his or her or he or she. The applicant must provide his or her mailing address and You must provide your mailing address and acknowledgement his or her identification number. number. Your reader probably will n eed only a single permit, application, or license. Thus, writing in the singular means that it will apply to the reader as written, eliminating the need to translate. Use present tense whenever possible A document written in the present tense is more immediate and less complicated. Using the present tense makes your document more direct and forceful.The more you use conditional or future tense, the harder your reader has to work to understand your meaning. Writing entirely in the present tense saves your reader work and helps you to make your point clearly. These sections describe types of information that would These sections tell you how to meet the requirements of satisfy the application requirements of Circular A-110 as Circular A-110 for this grant program. it would apply to this grant program. Even if you are covering an event that occurred in the past, you can clarify the material for your reader by writing as much as possible in the present tense.Applicants who were Fed eral employees at the time that theYou may not be covered under this part if injury was sustained should have filed a compensation request at that time. Failure to do so could have an (a) You were a Federal employee at the time of the injury effect on the degree to which the applicant can be coveredand under this part. (b) You did not file a report with us at that time. You help your reader understand and relate to your document if you eliminate the need for him or her to translate the text from the past or conditional tense into the present.Remember, the less work your reader has to do to understand, the better he or she can follow your instructions. Occasionally, of course, you may need to use other tenses. For example, NEPA documents frequently refer to what may happen in the future if certain events occur. But use tenses other than the present only when necessary for accuracy. Use must to portend requirements The word must is the clearest way to convey to your readers t hat they have to do something. Shall is one of those officious and obsolete words thathas encumbered legal style writing for many years. The message that shall sends to the reader is, this is deadly material. Shall is also obsolete when was the last time you heard it used in everyday speech? Besides being outdated, shall is imprecise. It can indicate either an obligation or a prediction. Dropping shall is a major step in making your document more reader friendly. Dont be intimidated by the argument that using must will lead to a lawsuit. Many agencies already use the word must to convey obligations with no adverse legal effects.You can avoid shall by substituting must to indicate an obligation or will to indicate that an action will occur in the future. Be careful to consider which meaning you intend to communicate to your readers. Section 5511. 1 chuck up the sponge Use of Timber on Oil and Gas Leases Section 5511. 1 Can I use the baseball bat on my oil or ordnance lease for fuel? (a) Any oil or gas lessee who wishes to use timber for fuel in drilling operations shall file an application You must file an application to use the timber on your oil therefor with the officer who issued the lease. or gas lease for fuel. bill the application with our office where you got your lease. (b) The applicant shall be notified by registered mail in all cases where the permit use for is not granted, andSection 5511. 12 bequeath you notify me if you reject my shall be given 30 days within which to appeal such application? decision. Our agency will notify you by registered mail if we reject (c) Where the land is occupied by a settler, the your application. You must file an appeal of that applicant shall serve notice on the settler by registered decision within 30 days. mail showing the meter and kind of timber he has applied for. Section 5511. 13 Must I notify anyone that I have applied for use of the timber? You must notify any settler, by regi stered mail, that you have applied to use timber from your lease. Include in your notice (a) The amount of timber you applied for and (b) The kind of timber you applied for. Place words carefully Avoid ambiguous phrasing that can mislead your reader. How you place words in relation to each other can greatly affect your document.Using short sentences will often make this problem disappear. In the example below, its difficult for the reader of the provision on the left to figure out which words relate to the forest products, which relate to the tribe, and which relate to the payments. Upon the request of an Indian tribe, the Secretary may If you ask us, we will require purchasers of your forest provide that the purchaser of the forest products of suchproducts to deposit their payment into an account that you tribe, which are harvested under a timber sale contract, designate. permit, o.