Reporting Technical Information

* Each chapter ends with Exercises; Preface; 1. AN OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL WRITING; Some Matters of Definition; The Substance of Technical Writing; The Nature of Technical Writing; The Attributes of Good Technical Writers; The Qualities of Good Technical Writing; A Day in the Life of Two Technical Writers; Marie Enderson: Computer Specialist and Occasional Technical Writer; Ted Freedman: Technical Writer and Company Editor; PART I. FOUNDATIONS; 2. COMPOSING; Situational Analysis; Topic and Purpose; Audience and Persona; Discovery; Brainstorming; Using Arrangement Patterns for Discovery; Other Successful Discovery Techniques; Arrangement; Drafting and Revising; The Rough Draft; Revision; Editing; Checking Mechanics; Checking Documentation; Checking Graphics; Checking Document Design; Editing with Word Processing Programs; 3. WRITING COLLABORATIVELY; Planning; Drafting; Dividing the Work; Drafting in Collaboration; One Person Doing the Drafting; Revising and Editing; Revising; Editing; Collaboration in the Workplace; Collaboration on the Internet; E-Mail; FTP Sites; Synchronous Discussions; Group Conferences; Conference Behavior; Group Roles; 4. WRITING FOR YOUR READERS; Goals of Communication; The Planning Process; Determining Your Readers; Asking Questions to Analyze Your Readers; Determining Your Purpose; Understanding Your Role as a Writer; Planning the Content; Anticipating the Context in which Your Writing Will Be Received; Thinking about Your Readers: A Summary of Considerations; 5. ACHIEVING A READABLE STYLE; The Paragraph; The Central Statement; Paragraph Length; Transitions; Lists and Tables; Clear Sentence Structure; Sentence Length; Sentence Order; Sentence Complexity and Density; Active Verbs; Active and Passive Voice; First-Person Point of View; A Caution about Following Rules; Specific Words; Pomposity; Empty Words; Elegant Variation; Pompous Vocabulary; Good Style in Action; Choosing a Style for International Readers; 6. WRITING ETHICALLY; Understanding Ethical Behavior; What Makes an Act Unethical?; Why Should We Act Ethically?; Recognizing Unethical Communication; Plagiarism; Deliberately Using Imprecise or Ambiguous Language; Making False Implications; Manipulating the Data; Using Misleading Visuals; Behaving Ethically; Dealing with Unethical Behavior in Others; 7. WRITING FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS; Establishing a Perspective on International Communication; Understanding Readers from Various Cultures; Individualism versus Collectivism: Valuing Either Individuals or Groups; Separation of Business and Private Relationships; Power Distance between Social Ranks; Universal or Relative View of Truth; Whether the Entire Message Is Contained in the Text; Whether Uncertainty Is to Be Avoided or Accepted; The Power and Value of Time; Masculine versus Feminine; Considering Culture in the Planning Process; Example International Documents for Examination; Writing Business Communications to Readers in Other Cultures; Culture and Graphics; A Final Word; Guides to Doing Business in Cultures around the World; PART II. TECHNIQUES; 8. GATHERING, EVALUATING, AND DOCUMENTING INFORMATION; Asking the Right Questions; Looking for Answers; Interviews; Newsgroups; World Wide Web; Library; Evaluating Answers; Citing Sources; 9. PRESENTING INFORMATION; Chronology; Topical Organization; Exemplification; Analogy; Classification and Division; Definition; Sentence Definition; Extended Definition; Placement of Definitions; Description; Visual Language; Mechanism Description; Process Description; 10. ANALYZING INFORMATION; Classical Argument; Major Proposition; Minor Propositions and Evidence; Organization; Pro and Con; Induction and Deduction; Induction; Deduction; Logical Fallacies; Comparison; Alternatives; Criteria; Toulmin Logic; Applying Toulmin Logic; Arranging Your Argument for Readers; 11. DOCUMENT DESIGN; Understanding the Basics of Document Design; Know What Decisions You Can Make; Choose a Design That Fits Your Situation; Plan Your Design from the Beginning; Reveal Your Design to Your Readers; Keep Your Design Consistent; Designing Effective Pages and Screens; Leave Ample Margins; Use Blank Space to Group Information; Set the Spacing for Easy Reading; Use a Medium Line Length; Use a Ragged Right Margin; Choosing Readable Type; Choose a Legible Type Size; Choose a Typeface (Font) That Is Appropriate for the Situation; Use Special Typefaces Sparingly; Use Highlighting Effectively; Use a Mixture of Cases, Not All Capitals; Use Color Carefully; Helping Readers Locate Information; Write Descriptive Headings; Design Headings to Organize the Page; Use Page Numbers and Headers or Footers in Print Documents; Appreciating the Importance of Document Design; 12. USING ILLUSTRATIONS; Choosing Illustrations; Consider Your Purpose; Consider Your Audience; Consider Your Audience Again; Consider Your Purpose Again; Creating Illustrations; Designing Tables; Designing Bar and Column Graphs; Designing Circle Graphs; Designing Line Graphs; Designing Illustrations Ethically; PART III. APPLICATIONS; 13. CORRESPONDENCE; Determining Your Purpose; Analyzing the Audience; Composing Letters, Memos, and E-Mail; Finding the Appropriate Style; Direct vs. Indirect Style; Conversational Style; Special Considerations for E-Mail; Special Considerations for International Correspondence; Keeping Copies of Correspondence; 14. THE STRATEGIES AND COMMUNICATIONS OF THE JOB HUNT; Preparation; Self-Assessment; Information Gathering; Networking; The Correspondence of the Job Hunt; Letter of Application; The Resume; Follow-Up Letters; Interviewing; The Interview; Negotiation; Before and After the Interview; 15. PROPOSALS AND PROGRESS REPORTS; The Relationship between Proposals and Progress Reports; Proposals; The Context of Proposal Development; Effective Argument in Proposal Development; Standard Sections of Proposals; Progress Reports; Physical Appearance of Proposals and Progress Reports; Style and Tone of Proposals and Progress Reports; Other Forms of Proposals and Progress Reports; 16. RECOMMENDATION REPORTS; An Informal Report: The Church Repair Project; The Situation; Important Features of Report; A Formal Report: The Oil Spill Problem; The Situation; Important Features of Report; A Feasibility Report: Department Store Location; Logic of the Feasibility Study; Preparation of the Feasibility Report; The Situation; Important Features of Report; A Final Word; 17. EMPIRICAL RESEARCH REPORTS; Audience Adaptation; Introduction and Literature Review; Statement of Objectives; Choice of Materials or Methodology; Rationale for Investigation; Verb Tense in Literature Reviews; Materials and Methods; Design of the Investigation; Materials; Procedures; Methods for Observation, Analysis, and Interpretation; Voice in Materials and Methods Section; Results; Discussion; A Final Word; 18. INSTRUCTIONS; Situational Analysis for Instructions; What Is the Purpose of My Instructions?; What Is My Reader's Point of View?; How and Where Will My Reader Use These Instructions?; What Content Does My Reader Really Need and Want?; How Should I Arrange My Content?; Possible Components of Instructions; Introduction; Theory or Principles of Operation; List of Equipment and Materials Needed; Description of the Mechanism; Warnings; How-To Instructions; Tips and Troubleshooting Procedures; Glossary; Accessible Format; Reader Checks; 19. ORAL REPORTS; Preparation; Delivery Techniques; The Extemporaneous Speech; The Manuscript Speech; Arranging Content; Introduction; Body; Conclusion; Presentation; Physical Aspects of Speaking; Audience Interaction; Visual Aids; Purpose of Visual Aids; Criteria for Good Visual Aids; Visual Content; Visual Presentation Tools; Appendix A: Handbook; Appendix B: Formal Elements of Document Design; Report Format; Letter and Memorandum Format; Documentation; Designing a World Wide Web Site; Outlining; Chapter Notes; Index