Technical Report Writing Today

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9780618140169
• ISBN10: 0618140166
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-05
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Technical Report Writing Todayprovides thorough coverage of the technical writing basics, techniques, and applications students are likely to encounter in both their academic courses and their future careers. Its practical presentation of varied examples and exercises helps students internalize the skills necessary to produce clear and effective documents and reports. Annotated student examples--more than 100 in all--illustrate different writing styles and approaches to problems. A chapter on Developing Web Sites introduces students to the basics of effective web site creation by presenting professional and student examples and references to current practices.

Table of Contents

Technical Writing Basics

Definition of Technical Writing

Technical Writing Is Audience-Centered

Technical Writing Is Presentational

Technical Writing Is Responsible

Defining Audience

An Example of Technical Writing

How Much Does Your Audience Know About the Topic

What Is the Audience's Role in the Situation

What Are the Audience's Community Attitudes

What Consequences Will Occur from This Idea

The Technical Writing Process

An Overview of the Process

Planning Your Document

Drafting and Finishing Your Document

Technical Writing Style

Write Clear Sentences for Your Reader

Write Clear Paragraphs for Your Reader

Choose a Tone for the Reader

Technical Writing Techniques

Researching

The Purpose of Research

Questioning--The Basic Skill of Researching

Collecting Information from People

Collecting Published Information

Summarizing Summarizing

Designing Pages

Design for Readers

Learn the Elements of Page

Design Use Basic Design

Guidelines Develop a Style Sheet

Using Visual Aids

The Uses of Visual Aids

Creating and Discussing Visual Aids

Using Tables Using Line Graphs

Using Bar Graphs Using Pie Charts

Three Principles for Manipulating Graphs

Using Charts

Using Illustrations

Defining Creating Formal Definitions

Creating Informal Definitions

Developing Extended Definitions

Planning Your Definition

Describing Planning the Mechanism

Description Writing the Mechanism

Description Planning the Process

Description Writing the Process

Description Planning the Description of a Human System

Writing the Description of a Human System

Sets of Instructions

Planning the Sets of Instructions

Writing the Set of Instructions

Field-Testing Instructions

Article Instructions

Technical Writing Applications

Memorandums and Informal Reports

The Elements of Memos

The Elements of Informal Reports

Types of Informal Reports

Developing Web Sites

Basic Web Concepts

Planning a Web Site or Web Document

Drafting Testing

Formal Reports

The Elements of a Formal Report

Front Material

The Body of the Formal Report

End Material Works Cited

Recommendation and Feasibility Reports

Planning the Recommendation Report

Writing the Recommendation Report

Planning the Feasibility Report

Writing the Feasibility Report

Proposals

The External Proposal

Planning the External Proposal

Writing the External Proposal

The Internal Proposal

Planning the Internal Proposal

Writing the Internal Proposal

User Manuals Planning the Manual Writing the Manual

Oral Reports Planning the Oral Report

Organizing the Oral Report

Presenting the Oral Report Effectively

Professional Communication

Letters

The Three Basic Letter Formats

Elements of a Letter Planning

Business Letters

Types of Business Letters

Job Application Materials

Analyzing the Situation

Planning the Reacute;sumeacute; Writing the Reacute;sumeacute;

Planning a Letter of Application

Writing a Letter of Application

Interviewing Writing Follow-up Letters

Appendices

Brief Handbook for Technical Writers Problems with Sentence Construction Punctuation Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Numbers

Documenting Sources How Internal Documentation Works The APA Method The MLA Method Numbered References

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