Technical writing

Technical writing is a specialized form of communication used in many of today's manufacturing, medical and research organizations. Organizations, such as these, rely on technical writing to accurately communicate complex information to customers, co-workers, engineers, and scientists using a mix of simplified grammar and easy-to-understand visual communication.

An example of an "exploded" CAD diagram. Explosions with callouts are common visual communication created by technical writers, from CAD models, to simplify technical writing.

Technical writing relies on a writer's ability to accurately research and interpret complex content; and then explain it in a format, style, and reading level the audience will easily understand or connect with. There are two main forms of technical writing. By far, the most common form of technical writing is procedural documentation written for the general public (e.g., standardized step-by-step guides and standard operating procedures (SOPs)). Procedural technical writing is used in all types of manufacturing to explain user operation, assembly, installation instructions and personnel work/safety steps. The software industry has grown into one of the largest users of technical writing and relies on procedural documents to describe a program's user operation and installation instructions.

In some applications, technical writing may be written for experts or fellow scientists within a field of work or study. In these applications, a "white paper" form of technical writing is used to describe a specialized topic and market a product/service or opinion/discovery to select readers. Organizations normally use the white paper form to publish technical writing as industry journal articles or academic papers. The white paper form is written to appeal to readers familiar with a technical topic. Unlike procedural technical writing, white papers often include unique industry terms and data. Sometimes called scientific technical writing, this secondary form of technical writing must show a deep knowledge of a subject and the field of work with the sole purpose of persuading readers to agree with a paper's conclusion. The majority of technical documents written for this application are ghost written by a technical writer for an organization's industry expert.

In most cases, however, technical writing is used to help convey complex scientific or niche subjects to end users in "laymen's" terms and includes purely factual content. Modern procedural technical writing relies on simple terms and short sentences, rather than detailed explanations with unnecessary information like pronouns, abstract words and unfamiliar acronyms. To achieve the right tone and simplicity. procedural docs are written from a third-person, objective perspective, with a formal tone. This writing style is very similar to the style used in print journalism. Although technical writing plays an integral role in the work of engineering, health care, and science; it does not require a degree in any of these fields. Instead, the document's author must be an expert in technical writing. An organization's Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), internal specifications, and a formal engineering review process are relied upon to ensure a document's information is accurate. The division of labor between technical writers and subject matter experts allows an organization to produce high-quality documentation. With these assignments, technical writers focus on drafting documentation in a standardized format with standardized grammar and style, while engineers and scientists review exclusively for accuracy. Most technical writers hold a liberal arts degree in a writing discipline, such as technical communication, journalism, English, technical journalism, communication, etc. Technical writing is the largest segment of the technical communication field.

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

Overview

Further information: Technical writer

Technical writing is most commonly performed by a trained technical writer and the content they produce is part of a well-defined process. Technical writers follow strict guidelines so the technical information they share appears in a single, popularly used and standardized format and style (e.g., DITA, markdown format, AP Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style). The authors of an organization's technical writing should be indistinguishable to the reader - with no variations in format, grammar, and/or style. A technical writer's primary task is to communicate technical information in the clearest and most effective manner possible. The subject matter a technical writer communicates 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 the latest graphics software. Technical writers use a wide range of programs to create and edit illustrations, diagrams, and CAD explosions. Proficiency in the latest graphics software is a requirement for most technical writers and designing and formatting documents is often a regular part of their work.

In some cases, engineers may provide the technical writing for the project they are working on, but this rarely occurs in large organizations where products must be released or revised weekly. On the business side, marketing materials or press releases are usually written by writers trained in a marketing field, although a technical writer may be relied upon to provide editing and other input on any technical content an organization may produce.

History

Like Ikea, ancient Egyptian technical writers relied purely on visual communication to explain a procedure.

While technical writing has only been recognized as a profession since World War II, its roots can be traced to ancient Egypt where visual communication was regularly used to explain procedures. In ancient Greek and Roman times, technical writing by the works of writers like Aristotle and Democratus are cited as some of the earliest forms of print technical writing. The earliest examples of what would be considered modern procedural technical writing dates back to the early alchemists. These early scientists developed what we now know as "recipes". Some of the earliest discoveries of written, procedural steps in Western Civilization date back to 1100 A.D. However, visual communication was used to describe procedures in ancient India and China much earlier.

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. 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.

The field of technical communication grew during the Industrial Revolution. There was a growing need to provide people with instructions for using the increasingly complex machines that were being invented. 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.

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. 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.

Following World War II, technological advances led to an increase in consumer goods and standards of living. 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. 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.

The invention of the transistor in 1947 allowed computers to be produced more cheaply and within the purchasing range of individuals and small businesses. As the market for these "personal computers" grew, so did the need for writers who could explain and provide user documentation for these devices. 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.

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. 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.

Technical documents

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

• API documentation: Used exclusively in the web development field to document the operation and installation instructions for an application programming interface. API documentation tools (e.g., Swagger, Postman, etc.) include editing and uploading components for "Git" repository storage. API documentation is generally written or converted into a standardized "markdown" format.
• Assembly Instructions (AI): Provides 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: 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. In large organizations, technical writers only provide copyediting or ghostwriting services for case studies. Management-level authorship is generally required to meet national standards and codes.
• Installation manuals (IM): Procedures designed to help the end-user install a product or software program in the field.
• Knowledgebase or Help center: Online help sites that provide users with technical information about products and services. They provide an online database of technical writing content. The content may be created in SGML, XML, or XHTML. Technical writing Content management systems are used to manage and upload these websites.
• Packaging list: Identifies the parts, packaging, and manufacturer's contact information.
• User Manuals (UM) or Operation manuals: Procedural instructions for a product or program's operation.
• Specifications or Specs: Used in the construction industry 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/Spec Sheets or Datasheets: One or two-page reference sheets, designed to provide a list of general product characteristics an end-user may require to make a purchase or ensure proper assembly. Example specifications: maximum and minimum parameters, size and footprint, weight, connection type or interfaces, electrical requirements, speed, etc.
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Procedural steps military, manufacturing, medical, and industrial safety personnel reference to accomplish assembly, processing, or any other work task that must be physically completed in proper order.
• Technical marketing content: Information written exclusively for marketing purposes. This content is often used to help describe product information and specifications in marketing materials and on product/service web pages. Traditionally, writers specializing in marketing are hired for this work.
• White papers: Marketing documents, often ghostwritten by technical writers and credited to experts in a field. All white papers have a persuasive subject and present an argument for the author's conclusion.

Tools

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

• CAD rendering: Technical writers working in mechanical engineering often use CAD rendering tools to "explode" CAD designs so they visually help explain assembly/disassembly procedural instructions. Common tools for technical writing included SolidWorks Composer, CREO Illustrate and Solid Edge.
• Desktop publishing tools or word processors: In the 1990s, most technical writing was performed with tools like Microsoft Word, PageMaker, or Framemaker. These early programs allowed technical writers to author, edit, design, and print documents from a computer. White paper authors generally still rely on Microsoft Word and enhanced desktop publishing tools such as Adobe InDesign and LyX for desktop publishing.
• Content Management Systems (CMSs): Modern technical writing requires tools like CMSs and CCMSs to author, edit, store, and publish online "knowledgebase" help systems for organizations. In addition to basic editing features and web uploading, a CMS also provides content management features such as version management and built-in systems to maintain large workflows. Most CMSs are SGML, XML, or XHTML based.
• Graphics software: Images and other visual elements are used in technical writing to help communicate information in simpler terms than printed text can accomplsh. In these instances, graphic software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Visio and Corel Draw are popularly used in technical writing to create and edit the visual elements of documents (e.g., photos, icons, diagrams, etc.)
• Collaborative software programs. Because technical writing often involves communication between multiple individuals who work for different departments, technical writing is often a collaborative form of work. Technical writers use Wiki Systems such as Confluence and shared document workspaces to work with other writers and parties to construct technical documents.
• Graphing software. To communicate statistical information, technical writing often includes graphs and flowcharts. Programs like Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Visio are commonly used to create basic graphs and charts. Occasionally, technical writing must provide more complex and detailed online graphs (e.g., SQL-Tableau, SQL-Power-BI, etc).
• Screen capture tools. Technical writing frequently includes screen captures, which are captured using tools like Camtasia and Snagit. 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

• Association for Business Communication
• Czech Society for Technical Communication
• European Association for Technical Communication
• IEEE Professional Communication Society
• Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators
• International Association of Business Communicators
• SIGDOC
• Society for Technical Communication

External links

• Technical writing at Curlie
• Technical Writing Education Programs - Los Angeles Chapter, Society for Technical Communication (LASTC)
• IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
• Technical writing courses from Wikiversity