Technical Writing - Types of Technical Reports

Technical writers at the start of their careers often find themselves confused as to what constitutes technical writing in the first place. There are many different applications for the new author and they may often find that not all of those are truly "technical". So for the new professional here's a quick list of some common documents they may be asked to create and what they are for.

Background Reports

Unless you work for the CIA this doesn't usually mean a report about a person and their life and habits. A background report is normally a brief (1 or 2 page) study into the application of a specific aspect of technology (for example the use of photovoltaic cells in solar energy transfer). Usually these reports are generated for a specific (and paying) audience and are singular in their application rather than generic.

Technical Writing - Types of Technical Reports

Instruction Sets

More commonly known as user guides or manuals, these are the staple product of many a technical author and self-explanatory. They are the "how to do x, y and z" of a product or service.

Feasibility Studies

These studies examine whether undertaking a specific project or task is possible and/or advisable within a specific business environment.

Recommendation Reports

This report is usually a comparison of 2 or more alternative actions that a business might choose to pursue, with a concrete recommendation of which avenue is deemed to be best at that moment.

Evaluation Reports

Here the technical author will examine the outcome of a particular project and make a determination as to the benefits and return on investment. Often called assessment reports, they are a key part of the project life cycle and can inform future projects and investments.

Research Report

These are usually scientific in nature and outline the results from a range of tasks such as lab experiments or market surveys. The focus of these reports is not just the outcome but also the methodology under which the results were created.

Functional Specification Documents

This document is normally associated with a new product and in particular software. You are trying to capture the full functionality of the offering, in as much detail as possible. Functional specifications are often dense and a poor test of a writer's skill as they tend to deliver wordy descriptions which encapsulate all requirements.

Proposals

A proposal is a suggestion for a project, and can run into thousands of pages for highly complex work. The author's job is to create a platform on which the proposal can be evaluated and will usually need to conform to industry and organisational guidelines.

Technical Writing - Types of Technical Reports
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Technical Writing - Definition of Foreword, Introduction, and Preface

Definition of foreword, introduction, and preface OK, let's get started. Easy enough to say, but what do we start with? What comes first, a foreword, an introduction, or a preface? The best way to approach the subject is to look at what they do.

A foreword, if we follow the generally accepted definition in publishing, is an introduction to a book by someone other than the author. It comes right after the Table of Contents, and the pages are numbered with lower-case Roman numerals, e.g., i, ii, iii, etc., rather than the Arabic numerals used for the text of the book.

Ideally, it's written by an expert on the subject of the book who says that the author did a good job writing about the subject. The foreword generally speaks well of the author.

Technical Writing - Definition of Foreword, Introduction, and Preface

A foreword, as the spelling indicates, is a word that comes before. It's not a forward, which is a direction, or a foreward, which is a misspelling.

A preface is usually written by the author of a book and often gives an overview of how the book came to be written, its intended purpose, and to what extent it covers the topic. It may come before or after the foreword, but it usually comes after and follows the same page numbering system. The preface may also include acknowledgements.

An introduction is also written by the author (or, sometimes, the editor). It's an essay that sets up the full topic of a book. It states what the author's point of view is and may indicate what the reader's point of view should be. After reading the introduction to find out what's in the book, the reader can decide whether or not to read it. Since it's part of the text, the pages are numbered with the same numbering system as the text.

Technical Writing - Definition of Foreword, Introduction, and Preface
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Technical Writing - Definition of Brainstorming

Good tech writers bring more to the table than the ability to create documents that fulfill the client's objective. Very often, the writer is part of a team that develops concepts and whole campaigns. The writer is expected to take an active role in the process.

One opportunity for participation is being in a brainstorming session. Some people confuse a brainstorming session with a bull session when people sit around and say whatever comes to mind. There are big differences between the two. The biggest difference is that brainstorming is intended to produce valuable ideas. It's not a time for expressing random thoughts and telling stories.

A brainstorming session is a group of people who are involved with or interested in a specific topic. They gather to present ideas and - most importantly - to build on the ideas of others in the session. The value of the exchange is that ideas generate other ideas. Directions that none of the participants thought of individually become clear when the input of many people is stimulated and enlarged upon by the discussion. The objective of a brainstorming session is to develop a few, workable ideas that can be turned into the basis for dealing with a situation or going forward with a project.

Technical Writing - Definition of Brainstorming

Unlike a bull session, a brainstorming session has structure and clear rules. They both have to be understood and followed by everyone. If there's any doubt that they're not understood by all the participants, they should be presented either orally or as a handout before the session starts. Then, they must be enforced during the session. It's a free-form brain dump, but it has structure and rules.

The structure

· Brainstorming sessions work well with five to ten participants. Too few and there's not enough input. Too many and there's not enough time for everyone to participate.

· There should be a stated time limit for the session. Small groups can often accomplish a lot in an hour or so. Even with large groups, though, three hours is pretty much the upper limit.

· One person is designated as facilitator. The facilitator states the purpose of the session and sets up the guidelines. It's also this person's responsibility to keep the session moving along on time and on track.

· One person is designed the scribe. It's this person's responsibility to capture all the ideas and write them down.

· The facilitator and scribe are both part of the discussion.

The rules

1. Quantity, not quality, of ideas is the aim; as many ideas as possible from all participants.
2. Ideas should be short and simple enough to be easily understood and written down.
3. Everyone must have an equal opportunity to express ideas.
4. No judgment or criticism is ever made about an individual who expresses an idea.
5. No idea is rejected regardless of how silly or far out it may seem.
6. No idea is criticized during the session, not even by looks, groans, or laughs.
7. Ideas are not discussed as they're generated.
8. All ideas are written down on a surface everyone can see.
9. Different ideas, no matter how similar, are written down.
10. Only ideas on the stated topic for the session are allowed.

After the session, ideas that are similar can be resolved into one idea, and then they can be ranked by preference. The pros and cons of the top ideas can be discussed until the most workable ideas are settled on

Technical Writing - Definition of Brainstorming
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The Format To Follow While Writing A Whitepaper

Writing a whitepaper is easy What you must first decide is whether a whitepaper the right solution to your problem or not. You should know what you want to talk about. Only if you have a certain level of expertise in the area, can you succeed in telling people about it in detail.

Setting the right objective

Before you start writing one, ask yourself that why are you writing it? Is it to demonstrate your knowledge to the world about a certain technical issue/trend, or to influence your prospective customer's purchase decision about your product? The reasons could be numerous. But it should be absolutely clear in your mind. Unless you know the objective of writing it, the right tone of voice will never come and it will not generate the desired effect on the reader.

The Format To Follow While Writing A Whitepaper

Target your audience Your audience will read your paper only if it has some value. You are not writing to bore them. Would the content of the paper give the reader something to chew on? Would he be excited to know about the technology/product you are writing about? Does the reader really care about the topic? It would help if you could do a small research to find out the need of the paper. Once you are sure that there is a need for the whitepaper, think about the questions that are generally raised in that area. Will your paper answer/discuss them? Would it give the reader something to take home?

Now that you are clear about the topic of the paper, its objective and the target audience, you need to take a deep breath and start writing it. Remember that your paper should contain something new and worthwhile. It should make sense in the mind of the reader.

Making a framework First, make a rough draft of all the content you need to cover in the paper. You don't have to write all that you know in just one paper. Cover only one topic at a time, so that the message in the paper is singular and the reader does not get confused. Once you are ready with the framework of the paper, you should go through it carefully to see that the thought sequence is correct. Do your arguments follow the logical way of reasoning? If yes, then you are ready to go on to the next step of writing, lest you need to structure it to suit your audience. If you are facing difficulty doing this, then read the already published articles/papers in your subject and see how your competitors have framed it. Take the best of all worlds and structure your article. But, do not copy anybody - use your own flow of thought, as you know the best about what you are writing.

Now, you can start writing the main content of your paper!

The title Title is the most important part so do not make it generic. It should mention exactly what you are talking about. You can also give a short sub-title to give the reader a benefit to go ahead and read it. For instance, "Undisclosed techniques of digital watermarking - robust and flexible ways to secure your critical digital data."

The introduction The introduction/abstract should exactly give out what is to follow. Do not summarize your index of content here. Give a brief outline of the topic and intent of writing the whitepaper. You can also write about who the whitepaper is written for. Remember this is what will urge the reader to go on. If you are not confident about what you should write here, then wait and write the intro at the end of the paper. It is often a good idea, as by the time you reach the end you get a clear idea of what it should be.

The main content Being the subject matter expert you would know about the latest trends and frame your content appropriately. Your matter should be fresh as nobody reads an old newspaper.

Compartmentalize Divide your writing in sections. Give headlines and sub-heads. Highlight/bold the sequence of thought, so that even if a person just scans through your paper, he gets a perfect idea of what it is about. Be clear, concise and correct about what you write. Do not make your paragraphs too long. Put some most important thoughts in highlighted boxes.

The writing style Following correct English and grammar usage is a requisite. If you have problems with it then take professional help. Incorrect language is the biggest turn-off for an intelligent reader. It shows that you are unprofessional in your approach - especially when you are trying to sell your product through the whitepaper. Follow the active and positive style of writing. Don't be too complex in your writing. It should be written keeping an intelligent reader in mind who already has a certain idea about the subject, but is not a scientist. If you use technical terms, then please be kind enough to explain them once when you use them for the first time in the document.

Write what you want to write about While writing for the web, you should not fill in stuff which is not directly related to the topic. It makes sense to identify some keywords and use them constantly throughout your writing. This would also help your paper rank high on the search engines.

Give visual relief The paper should not be a line of ants walking after the other. Be imaginative and give some visual relief through the use of landscape contouring, i.e., using sections, headings, sub-headings, diagrams, bulleted/numbered lists in the whitepaper. Illustrate with examples, give diagrams/charts - use these as an aid to demonstrate your point. Don't shy away from using illustrations - they make it easier for the reader to understand. Use as many as possible - nobody is interested in a flat land, try to make your paper attractive, even if it's boring technical discussion.

Conclude with credibility Oftentimes, people use similar content for the introduction as well as conclusion. The beginning and the end of a story could never be the same. Frame your conclusion based on what has happened in middle of the story. Give the reader a thought to take home.

Always give references/sources of the data used from elsewhere and provide copyright information and your own contact information.

In the end, thoroughly proofread what you have written. Move sections to make the sequence of thought logical if required. Ask a friend to critically examine it. Once you are done with the first cut, give your brain some rest and let the document lie for a while. You are sure to refine it in a much better way while reading it for the second time. Finally, edit it. Cut out all the irrelevant words/sections. A whitepaper does not have to be 10+ pages long. It should just give out your message powerfully.

Go ahead now, select your topic, and start writing!

The Format To Follow While Writing A Whitepaper
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Good Feature Writing Examples Get You Closer To Your Byline

It is the dream of many of us that write to be featured above the fold on a leading publication, website or newspaper. For many it remains a dream, but for others who turns dreams into action it can become a reality.

Gone are the days when few of us had a voice. Today, with the Internet, blogs and other news gathering sites, we can quickly and easily become published feature writers, although getting paid for it is another matter. The good news is that having your blog featured on Feedburner, or your article on the front page of Digg or Netscape will generate so much traffic and word of mouth that paying for the same advertising would be akin to buying commercial time on the Super Bowl, and beyond the reach of most.

A feature article can be about anything at all, but it helps if it is newsworthy. I have written an article or two about my dog, and while it brought personal fulfillment, it did not generate much traffic. In the newspaper field (and true also on the Internet) the headline "Dog Bites Man" garners little attention since it is an everyday occurrence, while the title "Man Bites Dog" makes us all sit up and take notice.

Good Feature Writing Examples Get You Closer To Your Byline

If you are going to write a feature article on anything, give it a unique perspective, and do not copy and paste something you read. That would be plagiarism, and the search engines tend to ignore what they identify as duplicate content.

Case studies are often provide very good feature articles examples, especially if the study concerns something or someone that could affect all our lives or the economy. When Alan Greenspan, head of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006, made a statement people around the World took note. Was it because he was a great writer? Rather it was because what he said affected the lives of millions, billions around the world.

Choose what you want to write about, write it well, but be certain you have an audience. If someone can read your feature article, and find it improves their life or teaches them something they did not know before, you have the very real possibility of achieving "above the fold" placement.

A proven successful feature article model is the "How To" article. Some examples are:

"How To Lose Weight and Keep It Off"

"How To Make So Much Money Even Your Mother-in-Law Will Think You Are Made Of Gold"

"How To Live To One Hundred and Remain Healthy and Fit"

When Winston Churchill uttered the famous words, "Never, never, never give up" he was talking about World War II. But the same holds true in getting your first featured article published. Never give up: if your article is rejected, revise it, write another one, or submit it to somewhere new. Rejection is part of life, and certainly part of any writer's life.

Know your market. This sounds simplistic, but it is crucial. Do not submit your articles to publications or websites about dogs if your article is about cats. Despite your talent, your work must fit the market where it is submitted or publication will be an elusive dream.

If you are a writer, then you have the potential within to be a feature writer. Research, refine, then listen if you get a rejection notice: often those editors will guide you toward ultimate success.

Good Feature Writing Examples Get You Closer To Your Byline
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Technical Writing - What's a Copyright and How Long Does it Last in Technical Documentation?

There'll be many times when as a technical writer you'll be using text and images created by others. In order not to violate anybody's intellectual property rights, you need to know the different types of copyrights that exist (at least in the United States).

The standard copyright is expressed either with the word "Copyright" or the universal copyright symbol "©" (letter "c" inside a circle). Best information on U.S. copyrights is available at U.S. Copyright Office (at copyright-dot-gov).

The interesting thing about a copyright is that an original intellectual property, like this very article for example, has copyright protection the minute it is created. However, if there were a law suit, those technical documents officially registered with the U.S. Copyright Office has a better chance of winning the case. Copyright registry is voluntary but is the only sure-fire way of claiming ownership of an intellectual product.

Technical Writing - What's a Copyright and How Long Does it Last in Technical Documentation?

In general, copyright of a technical document created after January 1, 1978, lasts as long as its author is alive, plus 70 years after his or her death. For example, if someone registers a user manual with the U.S. Copyright Office on January 1, 2009 and then dies in 2010, the work would still be copyrighted until 2080.

Once you copyright-register your technical document, you do not need to renew the registration again.

One thing you should know as a technical writer: all text and images created and owned by the U.S. government have no copyrights for the U.S. citizens. They are in "public domain." Why? Because if you're a U.S. citizen, you have already paid for it through your taxes. But still you have to be careful not to use public domain work in a libelous manner.

NOTE 1: If you're a technical writer working for a company, the copyright of the work you are creating almost always belongs to the company and not to you as an individual writer.

NOTE 2: All the information quoted in this article was correct when the article was written in December 2008 but it may have changed by the time you're reading this. Please consult copyright-dot-gov and your attorney before making a decision on all copyright matters.

Technical Writing - What's a Copyright and How Long Does it Last in Technical Documentation?
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