Technical writing

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Technical writing is the writing of technical content, particularly relating to industrial and other applied sciences, with an emphasis on occupational contexts.[1] The range of audiences for technical writing varies widely. By far, the most common form of technical writing is for procedural documentation (standardized, step-by-step guides). Procedural documentation is used in all types of manufacturing to explain user, assembly and installation instructions. In the software industry, procedural documents are commonly used to describe user operation and installations. In some cases, it is directed to people with specialized knowledge, such as experts or technicians.[2] In other situations, technical writers help convey complex scientific or niche subjects to end users who need a basic understanding of a concept rather than a full explanation of a subject.[3] Technical writing is the largest part of technical communication.[4]

Examples of fields requiring technical writing include computer hardware and software, architecture, engineering, chemistry, aeronautics, robotics, finance, medical, consumer electronics, biotechnology, and forestry.

Overview[edit]

Further information: Technical writer

Technical writing is performed by a technical writer (or technical author) and is the process of writing and sharing technical information in a professional setting.[5]: 4  A technical writer's primary task is to communicate technical information to another person or party in the clearest and most effective manner possible.[5]: 4 [6] The information that technical writers communicate is often complex, so strong writing and communication skills are essential. Technical writers not only convey information through text, but they must be proficient with computers as well. Technical writers use a wide range of programs to create and edit illustrations, diagramming programs to create visual aids, and document processors to design, create, and format documents.[7]

While technical writing is commonly associated with instructions and user manuals, the terms technical writing and technical documentation can cover a wider range of genres and formats. memos, reports, business proposals, datasheets, product descriptions and specifications, and white papers are but a few examples of writing that can be considered technical documentation.[8] And for highly technical jobs (e.g., engineering and other applied sciences), aspects of résumés and job applications can also be considered technical writing.

Technical writing is not always handled by dedicated technical writers. For example, engineers often need to write directly about their own work. On the business side, marketing materials or press releases are usually written by people in those fields, although a technical writer or other technical person may need to have input on any technical subject matter involved.

History[edit]

While technical writing has only been recognized as a profession since World War II,[9]: 2 [10] its roots can be traced to classical antiquity.[11]: 233  Critics cite the works of writers like Aristotle as the earliest forms of technical writing.[11]: 234  Geoffrey Chaucer's work, A Treatise on the Astrolabe, is an early example of a technical document.[12] The earliest examples of technical writing date back to the Old English period.[13]

With the invention of the mechanical printing press, the onset of the Renaissance and the rise of the Age of Reason, documenting findings became a necessity. Inventors and scientists like Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci prepared documents that chronicled their inventions and findings.[9]: 1  While never called technical documents during their period of publication, these documents played a crucial role in developing modern forms of technical communication and writing.[9]

The field of technical communication grew during the Industrial Revolution.[14]: 3  There was a growing need to provide people with instructions for using the increasingly complex machines that were being invented.[14]: 8  However, unlike the past, where skills were handed down through oral traditions, no one besides the inventors knew how to use these new devices. Writing thus became the fastest and most effective way to disseminate information, and writers who could document these devices were desired.[14]

During the 20th century, the need for technical writing skyrocketed, and the profession became officially recognized. The events of World War I and World War II led to advances in medicine, military hardware, computer technology, and aerospace technologies.[9]: 2  This rapid growth, coupled with the urgency of war, created an immediate need for well-designed documentation to support the use of these technologies. Technical writing was in high demand during this time, and "technical writer" became an official job title during World War II.[9]: 1 

Following World War II, technological advances led to an increase in consumer goods and standards of living.[9]: 3  During the post-war boom, public services like libraries and universities, as well as transport systems like buses and highways, saw substantial growth. The need for writers to chronicle these processes increased.[9]: 1  It was also during this period that large business and universities started using computers. Notably, in 1949, Joseph D. Chapline authored the first computational technical document, an instruction manual for the BINAC computer.[15]

The invention of the transistor in 1947 allowed computers to be produced more cheaply and within the purchasing range of individuals and small businesses.[9]: 3  As the market for these "personal computers" grew, so did the need for writers who could explain and provide user documentation for these devices.[9]: 3  The profession of technical writing saw further expansion during the 1970s and 1980s as consumer electronics found their way into the homes of more and more people.[9]

In recent years, the prominence of computers in society has led to many advances in the field of digital communications, leading to changes in the tools technical writers use.[9]: 3  Hypertext, word processors, graphics editing programs, and page laying software have made the creation of technical documents faster and easier, and technical writers of today must be proficient in these programs.[5]: 8–9 

Technical documents[edit]

Technical writing covers many genres and writing styles, depending on the information and audience. Some examples of commonly used technical documentation include:

  • API guides are written for the software developer community and are used to explain the application programming interface.
  • Assembly Instructions (AI) provide internal assembly line personnel procedures with step-by-step assembly instructions. Often the technical writer will include CAD explosions to simplify complex assemblies.
  • Case study is a published report about a person, group, or situation that has been studied over time; also a situation in real life that can be looked at or studied to learn about something.[16] For example, an individual's challenging situation at his or her workplace and how he or she resolved it is a case study.
  • Installation manuals (IM) use procedures to help the end-user install a product or software program.
  • Knowledgebase or Help centers are online help sites that provide users with technical information about products and services. They provide content as web pages that are viewed in a browser. The content may be created in an XML CCMS component content management system with HTML/PDF output.
  • Packaging list identifies the parts, packaging, and manufacturer's contact information.
  • User Manuals (UM) or Operation manuals are procedural directions explaining a product or program's operation. User manuals are written for a wide range of audience types, which may include engineers, scientists, and/or non-technical end-users.
  • Specifications or Specs are generally used in construction to outline installation minimum standards and requirements. Specifications are normally provided to the builder by a project manager and must be signed and accepted by the builder as part of the contract.
  • Specification sheet, or Spec Sheets, or Datasheets are generally one-page reference sheets, designed to provide a list of general product characteristics an end-user may require to make a purchase. Example specifications: maximum and minimum parameters, size and footprint, weight, connection type or interfaces, electrical requirements, speed, etc.
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are procedural steps military, manufacturing, and industrial safety personnel reference to accomplish ordered daily tasks or follow established steps in proper order.
  • Techncial content is information, normally written for marketing purposes. Techncial content is often used to help describe product information and specifications on sales sheets and websites.
  • White papers are marketing documents, often ghostwritten by technical writers and credited to experts in a field. All are persuasive in nature and present an argument promoting a product's application benefits or solution.

Tools[edit]

The following tools are used by technical writers to author and present documents:

  • Desktop publishing tools or word processors. Technical writers use word processors such as Scrivener, Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, and LibreOffice Writer to author, edit, design, and print documents. Since technical writing is as much about page layout as it is the written language, enhanced desktop publishing tools such as Adobe InDesign and LyX are also used.[17] These programs function similarly to word processors but provide users with more options and features for the document's design and automate much of the formatting.[18]
  • Help authoring tools. These are used by technical writers to create the help systems that are packaged with software products, delivered through web browsers or provided as files users can view on their computers. When writing instructional procedures to describe mechanical, electrical, or software programs, technical writers use these tools to assist them in simplifying assembly, operation, or installation processes.
  • Component content management systems. These are also used by technical writers to create help systems and documents. Component Content Management Systems (CCMS) allow writers to create similar outputs as help authoring tools, but they also provide content management features such as version management and built-in workflows.
  • Image editing software. Often, images and other visual elements can communicate information better than paragraphs of text.[5]: 306–307  In these instances, image editing software like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP are used by technical writers to create and edit the visual aspects of documents like photos, icons and diagrams.
  • Collaborative software programs. Because technical writing often involves communication between multiple individuals who work for different companies, it can be a collaborative affair.[5]: 57  Technical writers use Wiki Systems and shared document work-spaces to work with other writers and parties to construct technical documents.[5]: 74 
  • Web development tools. Technical writer jobs are no longer limited to just producing documents. They sometimes also produce content for a company's corporate and other professional websites. Technical writers might therefore be expected to be proficient in HTML/CSS and CMS tools like MadCap Flare, oXygen or Framemaker.
  • Text editors. Programs such as Microsoft Notepad, TextEdit, or Wordstar allow technical writers to edit plain text. Text editors can be used to change content such as configuration files, documentation files, and programming language source code. Text editors are widely used by technical writers working with online content.
  • Graphing software. To communicate statistical information such as the number of visits to a restaurant or the amount of money a university spends on its sporting programs, technical writers use graphs and flowcharts.[5]: 306–307  While programs like Microsoft Excel and Word can create basic graphs and charts, sometimes technical writers must produce more complex and detailed graphs that require functions not available in these programs and may need to turn to graphing and diagramming tools (e.g., Microsoft Visio).[19]
  • Screen capture tools. Technical writers frequently use screen-capture tools like Camtasia and Snagit.[20][21] When creating instructions for computer software, it may be easier for a technical writer to simply record a short video of their desktops as they complete a task than it would be to write a lengthy series of instructions that describe how the task must be performed. Screen capture tools are also used to take screenshots of programs and software running on user's computers and then to create accompanying diagrams.

List of associations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "What is Technical Writing? - Tech Writer Today".
  2. ^ Hamlin, Annemarie; Rubio, Chris; Desilva, Michele (2015). "Audience Analysis".
  3. ^ Marshall, Carrie (2018). Technical Writing For Business People (1st ed.). Swindon UK. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Technical Communications - What is it? - Tech Writer Today".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Mike Markel (2012). Technical Communication 10th Edition. Bedford/St. Martins.
  6. ^ "Technical Writers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics". www.bls.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  7. ^ Johnson, Tom (December 19, 2011). "What Tools Do Technical Writers Use". I'd Rather Be Writing. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  8. ^ Perelman, Leslie C.; Barrett, Edward; Paradis James. "Document Types". The Mayfield Handbook of Technical & Scientific Writing. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k O'Hara, Fredrick M. Jr. "A Brief History of Technical Communication" (PDF). Montana State University Billings. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  10. ^ Alamargot, Denis; Terrier, Patrice; Cellier, Jean-Marie, eds. (2007-10-01). Written Documents in the Workplace. doi:10.1163/9789004253254. ISBN 9780080474878.
  11. ^ a b Doody, Aude; Follinger, Sabine; Taub, Liba (February 8, 2012). "Structures and Strategies in Ancient Greek and Roman Technical Writing: An Introduction" (PDF). Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. 43 (2). University Of Cambridge: 233–236. Bibcode:2012SHPSA..43..233D. doi:10.1016/j.shpsa.2011.12.021. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  12. ^ "The Way to the Stars: Build Your Own Astrolabe". Saint John's College. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  13. ^ Hagge, John (July 1990). "The First Technical Writer in English: A Challenge to the Hegemony of Chaucer". Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. 20 (3): 269–289. doi:10.2190/vwcw-xkmv-949f-vlf7. ISSN 0047-2816. S2CID 170879476.
  14. ^ a b c Crabbe, Stephen (2012). "Constructing a Contextual History of English Language Technical Writing" (PDF). University of Portsmouth. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  15. ^ "History of Technical Writing". Proedit. 14 September 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  16. ^ "Dictionary and Thesaurus". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  17. ^ Johnson, Tom "What Tools Do Technical Writers Use". I'd Rather Be Writing. December 19, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  18. ^ "What is LyX". LyX. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  19. ^ Hewitt, John (January 18, 2005). "How Technical Writers use Microsoft Visio". Poe War. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  20. ^ Brierley, Sean (2002). Screen Captures 102 (PDF). STC Carolina (Report). pp. 5–8. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  21. ^ Johnson, Tom (December 19, 2011). "What Tools Do Technical Writers Use". I'd Rather Be Writing. Retrieved May 4, 2014.

External links[edit]

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