Technical Writingfor Engineers

by

Dr. Aly N. El-BahrawyFaculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University

Engineers and Writing

• Engineers write a lot• Engineers write many kinds of documents• Successful engineers require strong

writing skills• Engineers can learn to write well

No one can be a good writer – only a good rewriter

Noise and the Communication Process

Mess-age

Encoder(sender)

Channel )speech,

writing, etc.(

Decoder )receiver(

Mess-age

Noise possibilities

Noise possibilities

Anything that causes reader to hesitate due touncertainty, confusion or frustrationis noise

Purpose

Readers

Research

Outline

InitialDraft

Mechanics

Grammar

Style

Content

Technical Writing Process

Planning Drafting Reviewing

Guidelines for Good English Writing

• Why you are writing?• Your readers• To the point• Document specifications• Accurate information• Logical material• Clear expression

Guidelinesfor Good English Writing

• Efficient wording• Accessible ideas• Information lists• Page formatting• Time management

Why you are writing?

• Purpose– Inform– Request– Instruct– Propose– Recommend– Persuade– Record

Your Readers

Consider their• Needs• Interests• Level of expertise• Possible reaction

They can be your• Peers• Supervisors• Subordinates

Bridging the Gap

Ask yourself questions

• Knowledge– Different field, different audience

• Ability– Level and vocabulary, unreasonable

expectations

• Interest– Purpose, level of detail, attitude

Document Specifications

• Length of document– Brief memo, specs, RFP

• Topic

• Editor requirements – No of words, format

To the Point

• Most important at the beginning

• Managers need the ‘bottom line’

• Kind of document– Letter)opening sentence(– Memo )subject line(– E-mail )concise subject heading(– Report )informative title, executive summary(

Accurate Information

• Errors make readers lose confidence

• Examples of errors– Incorrect reference, inaccurate directions,

claims true under certain conditions

• Difference between fact and opinion

Logical Material

• Chronological – progress of trip report

• From most to least important – no of points

• Order of familiarity or difficulty– Text book

• From general to specific– memo

Clear Expression

• Engineering is a precise discipline

• Sentence must convey a single meaning with no room for interpretation

or misunderstanding

• Pitfalls to avoid– Ambiguity, vagueness, coherence, directness

Clear Expression• Ambiguity

– Point to more than one referent in a sentence

• Vagueness– Words causing no useful meaning to reader

• Coherence– Paragraphs and documents should stick together and

be focused on subject

• Directness– Access to information should be quick and easy

Example of Ambiguity

• Before accepting material from the new subcontractors, we should make sure they meet our requirements.

• We should make sure the materials from the new contractors meet our requirements before accepting them.

Example of Vagueness

• The Robotics group is several weeks behind schedule.

• The Robotics group is six weeks behind schedule

Example of Coherence

• A significant advantage of the 125-H CRT is its high power consumption. The tube requires substantial power to produce the high voltages and currents that are necessary to drive and deflect the electron beam. The 125-H is inefficient – only about 10% to 20% of the power used by the tube is converted into visible light at the surface of the screen. The 125-H is poorly suited for portable display devices that run on batteries, where lower consumption is necessary. We should consider other options before committing to purchase the 125-H.

Example of Coherence

• A significant advantage of the 125-H CRT is its high power consumption. This tube requires substantial power to produce the high voltages and currents that are necessary to drive and deflect the electron beam. In addition, the 125-H is inefficient – only about 10% to 20% of the power used by the tube is converted into visible light a the surface of the screen. Thus, the 125-H is poorly suited for portable display devices that run on batteries, where lower consumption is necessary. Because of this drawback, we should consider other options before committing to purchase the 125-H.

Example of Directness

• After the long and difficult development cycle due to factory renovation, the infrared controller will be ready for production in the near future.

• The infrared controller will be ready for production March 4. Its development cycle was slowed down by the factory renovation.

Efficient Wording

• Cost to produce one written page )15-20$(

• Wordiness– Simplest and plainest word

‘Never utilize utilize when you can use use’– Let your writing ‘cool off’ for a while, then

come back to edit later

Example of Wordiness

• You may often find that there are a number of words contained in your writing that can be safely eliminated without any kind of danger to your meaning whatsoever

• Can you fix it?

Example of Wordiness

• You may often find that there are a number of words contained in your writing that can be safely eliminated without any kind of danger to your meaning whatsoever

• You may find words that can be eliminated without danger to your meaning

Examples of Wordiness

• I regret to say that at this point in time I basically do not have access to that specific information.

• I do not know.

• It is our considered recommendation that a new computer should be purchased.

• We recommend buying a new computer.

Wordiness Table )words(• commence• compel• comprises• employ• endeavor• fabricate• finalize• Initiate• optimal• prioritize

• start• force• is• use• try• make• end• begin• best• rank

Wordiness Table )phrases(

• a large number of • at this point in time• come in contact with• exhibits the ability to • in the event of • in some cases• in view of the fact that• in the neighborhood of

• many• now• contact• can • if• sometimes• because• about

Efficient Wording

• Redundancy– Using words that say the same thing

)e.g. basic fundamentals, connected together(

• Turning verbs into nouns– Wanting to write in the passive rather than the

active voice

)e.g. made a selection – selected,

investigation was undertaken – investigated(

Table of Redundancy

• alternative choices• actual experience• completely eliminate• Just exactly• exactly identical• prove conclusively• rectangular in shape• 12 noon• very best

• alternatives• experience• eliminate• exactly• identical• prove• rectangular• noon• best

Accessible Ideas

• Subdivision into sections and sub-sections– Hierarchical headings

FIRST Second (indent) Third

– Numbered headings1.0 1.1 1.1.1

– Paragraph lengthUnder 12 lines or less, avoid orphans and

widows

Information Lists

• Numbered– Order of importance, ≤ 7 items

• Checklists– All items must be tended to )usu. in order(

• Bulleted– No specific order

Information Lists

• Punctuation– Lead-in ends with a verb, use no colon

• Some of the main concerns of environmental

engineering are– air pollution– solid waste disposal– public water supply

– Lead-in is a complete statement, use colon• Some of the main concerns of environmental

engineering are as follows:

Information Lists

– Items are complete statement, use period.Otherwise, use no punctuation• The group accomplishments are as follows:

– Logic design was completed.– Final simulations were run.– Test patterns were debugged.

– Consistent capitalization

• Grammatical parallelism– Same beginning )verb, noun, etc.(

Page Formatting

• Readers like visually pleasing print

• Margins– One inch all around, ragged right-hand

margin, extra left margin for binding

• White space– Provides ‘breathing room’

Page Formatting

• Typeface– Serif )larger quantity of text( and sans serif

)headings(• The electric car prototype has regenerative

braking, which recharges the supply while decelerating the vehicle.

• The electric car prototype has regenerative braking, which recharges the supply while decelerating the vehicle.

Time Management

• Finding and using time– breaks, laptops in waiting rooms, hotels, at

airport, on trains, etc.

• Outlines, deadlines, and time lines

• Collaborative writing– Team writing is not easy )divide work among

persons, finish and pass to the next, or assign each person a different task(