Technical Writing Pdf Essay

1. Overview The traditional way of writing government documents has non drilled well. Too often, complicated and jargon-filled documents progress to resulted in frustration, law of naturesuits, and a lack of trust betwixt citizens and their government. To overcome this legacy, we generate a great responsibility to communicate clearly. Studies show that clearly written regulations improve compliance and decrease litigation. Writing that considers our referees inescapably improves the kinship between the government and the public it serves. Clear writing reduces the burden on the public.It also reduces our burden beca call we dont project to deal with the consequences of unclear communication. How so-and-so we be better economisers? We believe that the most historic goals atomic number 18 these bring out for your ref salve clearly Write in a visually appealing musical mode The next several pages summarize some of the best techniques to achieve these three goals. F ollowing the summary, youll find detailed suggestions for applying these techniques to your writing. Write for Your Reader Writing for your lecturers sends a message that you have considered who they ar and what they need to know.When you communicate a concern for your lecturers needs, they argon more(prenominal) than likely to be receptive to your message. When your document is plainly written, your readers are more likely to Understand what you trust and take earmark action Focus on key in coiffureion Believe that you are concerned with their needs determine your audience Identify your audience early and think to the highest degree why the reader needs to read the document. Identify sight who leave behind be interested, even if they are not flat fall up mavend. Write to e very ane who is interested, not just to adept or legal experts. Keep in mind the average readers level of proficient expertise.Organize to meet your readers needs People read documents to get a nswers. They requisite to know how to do something or what happens if they dont do something. Organize your document to respond to these concerns. Frequently this means describing events as they occuryou fill out an coating to get a benefit, you consume the application, the agency reviews the application, the agency profits a decision on the application. Think through and through the questions your readers are likely to ask and then organize them in that order. For regulations, you push aside organize them into a comprehensive plank of contents that allow foring be an outline of the document. usance a question-and-answer format As much as possible, write class comportments as questions. Try to ask the questions your readers would ask. Answer separately(prenominal) question immediately. Using the question-and-answer format cooperates readers to s shtup the document and find the information they want. It also increases the chances that they impart see a question that the y didnt have, but need to know the answer to. This format is enormously adjuvant to readers. workout you and new(prenominal) 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 otherwise single technique, development you pulls readers into your document and makes it pertinent to them. Using we to refer to your agency makes your article of faiths shorter and your document more accessible readers. drug ab affair the active percentage Active voice makes it clear who is supposed to do what. It eliminates ambiguity about responsibilities. Not It must(prenominal)(prenominal) be done. But, You or someone else must do it. Using passive voice, which obscures who is responsible for what, is one of the biggest problems with government documents. hold the appropriate gradation In regulations, stride is not really an issue.But the savor of other documents, such as lett ers, affects how well the reader takes in your message. A cold tone can ca intake the reader to tune out the message. In some cases, it causes him to puzzle down your document rather 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, most of us have addressed our documents mainly to technical experts and lawyers, rather than to the legion(predicate) other readers we want to influence. A jargon-laden, legalistic style does not clearly remove important information.You can reduce confusion or misinterpretation for all readers without sacrificing the technical integrity of your writing. How can you write more clearly? Government documents such as regulations prove especial(a) challenges because of the highly technical information they often contain. At the same beat, you have multiple audiences, some highly knowledgeable, some slight so. In fact, decoct- gathering results show that even te chnical experts do not alship canal fancy technical language easily or quickly. The following techniques allow help fasten that you keep your language clear, so that your users can focus on technical information. expenditure short sentences Express unless one idea in each sentence. Long, complicated sentences often mean that you arent clear about what you want to word. Shorter sentences show clear thinking. Shorter sentences are also better for conveying complex information they break the information up into smaller, easier-to-process units. Vary your sentence structure to quash choppiness, but dont revert to tangled multi-clause sentences. Write to one person, not to a group Use singular nouns, pronouns, and verbs to direct your writing to one individual reader.This prevents confusion about whether a requirement applies to readers acting individually or in groups. Use the simplest tense you can Using simple present tense avoids the clutter of compound verbs and clearly convey s what is standard practice. Use must to convey requirements Use must for obligation, may for permission, and should for preference. Use must not to convey prohibitions. Avoid the ambiguous shall. When was the last time you heard shall in everyday conversation? Place words carefully There are several ways you can reduce ambiguity Keep subjects and objects close to their verbs. Put conditionals such as only or always and other modifiers next to the words they modify. Write you are required to provide only the following, not you are only required to provide the following. Put long conditions after the main clause. Write have sex 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 bodily is fateicularly complex and many conditional situations are involved, put it in an if-then table. Avoid words and constructions that cause confusion.Common sources of confusion include undefined or overused abbreviations and acronyms Two different price used for the same thing (car, vehicle, auto, conveyancechoose one) Giving an obscure technical or legal marrow to a word commonly understood to mean something different (defining car to include trucks) Legal, technical, and fashionable, but conf victimisation, jargon Strings of nouns forming complex constructions (surface water quality testimonial 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 Appealing Style We want our documents to help readers get information, comply with requirements, and apply for benefits with the minimum possible burden. Visually appealing documents are far easier to understand than more traditional styles. Traditional government documents are often dense and confusing. Replace blocks of tex t with headings, tables, and more white space. You pass on help your reader by making the main points readily apparent and grouping related 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 dealings with your agency. How can you make your documents visually appealing? With visual layout, you draw your readers attention to information they need to know. Even though various government requirements, such as the rule 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.Headings attract your readers attention 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 h ave you seen several different sections entitled applications or appeals in one set of documents? Applications for what? Appeals of what? If you say Applications for underground mining permits on public land the reader knows exactly what youre talking about, and knows the difference between that section 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 easily understood segments and allow you to introduce a little white space. Short sections mien easier to read and understand. Long sections can appear difficult and forbidding, even onwards someone tries to read them. 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 easy to read and understand.By pr esenting only one issue in each paragraph, you can use informative headings that reflect the entire issue covered by the paragraph. Use vertical lists just lists play up a series 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 order in which things happen Make it easy for the reader to report all necessary steps in a process Add blank space for easy reading Use tested emphasis techniques to highlight important points.Emphasis techniques are useful to draw the readers attention to a line or two. You should use techniques like bold 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 let out Writing This section provides examples of how to use the techniques listed in the overview. The exampl es 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 grab your readers attention if you want to get your ideas across. Lets face it, readers just want to know what applies to them. The best way to grab and hold their attention is to figure 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 grant, 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 first. 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. Then think about how to guide them from their current knowledge to what you need them to know. To help you do this, try answering the following questions Who is the reader? Is there a secondary 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 resultant for my agency? What do I need to say to get this outcome? Whats the best outcome for the reader? 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 may be talking to export ers and importers, or coal miners and surface owners, or airlines and passengers.NEPA documents typically speak to both stakeholders and agency decision makers. Break your documents down into essential elements and determine which elements apply to each part of your audience. Then group the elements according to who is affected. If you are writing about research grants, first tell the professor what he or she must do then tell the university report department what it must do. Identify clearly whom you are speaking to in each section. Dont make a reader go through material only to find out at the end that the section doesnt apply. chip in applications must provide the following information (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 financial ships confidencer (2) Copies of any material that you have published relevant (e) Nature of in-kind match being provided to the area of the grant. (f) Approved viewgraph rate and (g) Total proposed budget.(b) Your financial powerfulness must send us (1) The name and address of the chief financial stancer (2) A description of the in-kind match you will provide (3) Your approved 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. start of serving your readers better is organizing your document so that they can understand how a program works and where to find instructions for each step they need to complete.Your table of contents should be a reliable road map that readers can follow to get through a process painlessly. The table of contents on a lower floor is organized in a logical sequenc e for a discretionary grant program. The transcription follows the order in which events occur and in which the public qualification ask questions about the program. Part 791 Javits Gifted and Talented Students Subpart A How the Grant Program Works Sec. 791. 1What is the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program? 791. 2Am I worthy for a Javits Grant? 791. 3What activities are appropriate for Javits Grant funding? 791.4What funding priorities may the repository establish? 791. 5What other regulations apply to the Javits Grant? 791. 6What definitions apply to the Javits Grant? Subpart B How to Apply for an Award 791. 10Where do I write to obtain a Javits Grant application? 791. 11What materials do I need to submit 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 additional 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 almost any type of regulation. Heres an example of an administrative regulation Part 725CLAIMS FOR BENEFITS UNDER THE FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT 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 program? 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 level a claim? 725. 302Can other people give evidence on my behalf? 725. 303Are there any time limits for filing my claim? 725. 304Can I modify or withdraw my claim? How to Appeal government 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 submit? 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 Question Headings are the most useful. They ask the questions that readers are request 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 efficient 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 submit my application? 254. 14 Can a multi-tribal organization submit a single grant request? 254. 15 What special information do I need for an application by a multi-tribal organization? 254.16 Must each tribe in a multi-tribal organization submit certification forms and budgets? 254. 17 If I rec eive a grant under this part, what requirements must I follow? 254. 18 What reports 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 her 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 great impact on the reader. By using you to answer the readers questions, you clarify whom you are addressing. Copies of revenue enhancement returns must be provided. You must provide copies of your tax returns. Writing for an individual reader forces you to analyze carefully 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 Assign responsibilities and requirements clearly Be sure to define you clearly. Facilities in regional and regularise 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 outline you by any of the following methods State in the beginning of the document who the audience isThis regulation tells you, a loan applicant, how to secure a loan. 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 ensure 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 req uires and what your agencys responsibilities are. You also avoid the passive 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.Loan 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. unresisting sentences often do not identify who is performing the action. The lake was pol luted by the company. 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 character of our writing. How do you identify passive sentences? Passive sentences have two basic 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 approved 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 production, you hire will be terminated by the action of the law. Write Clearly Break 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 point in a forest of words.Resist 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 extend the time you have to file the pick out and time in 30-day increments for filing of the lease and all required bonds. distributiv ely 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 enemy of clear communication. You may need to be especially inventive to generate complicated cookerys 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 preserved the relationship between the two.If you take less than your entitled helping of production 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 t ake 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 coin 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 confusion 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 bef ore 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 assignment his or her identification number. number. Your reader probably will need 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 u se 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 meet 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 Federal 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 indicate requirements The word must is the clearest way to convey to your readers that 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? in addition 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 Free Use of Timber on Oil and Gas Leases Section 5511. 1 Can I use the tonicity on my oil or gas 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.File the application with our office where you got your lease. (b) The applicant shall be notified by registered mail in all cases where t he permit applied for is not granted, andSection 5511. 12 Will 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 derive 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 registered 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 prob lem 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.