Technical

Writing
Dr. Lola EL SAHMARANY, Assistant professor
E-mail: Lola.elsahmarany@gmail.com
Course Code: ENG 401
Credit Hours: 2 CR
Contact Hours: 2 Hrs
Time: Thursday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
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Grading

Assignements, Quizzes, attendance 20%

Mid-term 20%

Writing formal report 20%

Final exam 40%

Attendance : For every medical necessary absence from class, you

must make a reasonable effort to notify me in advance.

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Attendance Policy

Attendance and participation will be considered in the total grade.

If you are absent more than three (3) unexcused absences, you

will lose 2% of the credit each time.

If you miss class on a day when a homework or a project is due, and

you turn them in to me on the following class day, I will consider

them late and subject to the 5% penalty.

Late homework and projects will be accepted till the next day.
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Reason for this Course

When our students are employed and have

to write on the job, will they write essays?

No, but many of the writing skills already

teach are applicable to technical writing.

What takes the place of the essay?

Technical writing—memos, letters, reports,

e-mail, proposals, instructions, even web
pages. 4
Reason for this Course
Is technical writing a necessary component of every
employee’s professional skill?

Yes, the employers prefer to hire people who can

communicate effectively, both in writing and orally.

20% of time writing

Managers spend up to 50% of their time writing. 5
Objectives (1/2)

Demonstrate improved competence in

Standard Written English:

Grammar, sentence and paragraph

structure, and document design (including
the use of the visual);

Analyze a variety of professional

situations and produce appropriate
texts in response.

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Objectives (2/2)

Identify and practice the stages

required to produce competent,
professional writing through
planning, drafting, revising, and
editing;

Determine and implement the

appropriate research methods for
each writing task;

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Sources

Pocket Book of Technical

Writing for Engineers &
Scientists by Leo Finkelstein

Technical writing by a
practical guide for engineers
and scientists, Philip
A.laplante.
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Course description

Chapter One: Nature of Technical Writing

Chapter Two: Technical writing basics

Chapter Three: The Writing process

Chapter Four: Applications of Technical Writing

Chapter Five: Resume and cover letter

Chapter Six: Making poster

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Chapter 1

• Nature of Technical
Writing

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Who Writes Technical Documentation?

Engineers, scientists, architects, physicians, lab

technicians.

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Who Writes Technical Documentation?

Nurses, farmers, lawyers, and experts of all

types.

Product complaint letters, driving directions, and

recipes are all kinds of technical writing.
Therefore, everyone is a technical writer, at least
occasionally. 12
Technical writing: A definition (1)

Technical writing is not literature; it’s neither

prose which recounts the fictional tales of
characters nor poetry which expresses deeply
felt.

Technical writing is neither an expressive

essay narrating an occurrence nor an expository
essay analyzing a topic.

Technical writing is not journalism, written to

report the news. 13
 Technical writing: A definition (2)

Technical Writing is a broad term that encompasses a wide

variety of documents in science, engineering, and the skilled
trades.

Montgomery and plung 1988 14

Spectrum of technical writing

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Engineers' Guide to Technical Writing by Kenneth G. Budinski
Benefits of Technical Writing

The boss wants a report.

Forces analysis of work.

Completes a job.

Unreported work can be lost forever.

Necessary in global businesses.

Career advantages.

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The Boss Wants a Report
Most common reason for writing a report is that it is
an expectation of the job.

Many organizations use effective report writing as a

performance measure.

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Forces Analysis of Work

Report writing forces a systematic analysis of data

and organization of one’s thoughts on a project.

Collecting and organizing data into reports is a very

useful tool.
Writing a report is the best way to find out if you are done
with a technical study.

There are may be many things that you may not see
until you put pen to paper. 18
Completes a Job
Reports can be used to end a project.

Reports tells others what to do about a problem.

Future work may also be based on what you did.

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Unreported Work

Unreported Work Can Be Lost Forever.

If a report is not written on what was done, the
work may be unnecessarily repeated by others,
or, worse yet, it may be lost forever.
If a project is completed, work not documented
may be repeated by others who did not know the
work was done.
Enormous sums of money and significant lead
time can be lost to reports that are not written in
industry.
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Necessary in Global Businesses
Written documentation for contracts, procedures,
specifications is more important when dealing with
nonnative speakers of any language.

Being an effective writer is a must for doing

business on an international basis.
English is an acceptable language for business
communications*. 21
Career Advantages
Lack of communication skills can have a negative
effect on career because it is an expectation of most
jobs.

Effective writing skills are necessary for career

success in most fields.
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Features of technical writing

Technical writing has form and style requirements.

Technical writing does not employ humor.

Technical writing is objective oriented*.

Technical writing does not blame people.

Technical writing requires facts or data**.

Technical writing never hides facts.

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To remember…

No time to write is never a valid excuse. A motivated

person will find time for anything.

People want written documentation on work of

interest to them. They save them for future
reference.

Writing skills are acquired just like other skills—by

practice.
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To remember…

Writing enhances job security by increasing your

value to your employer. People with demonstrated
writing skills are preferred in hiring.

Computer mail is usually not the appropriate

medium for a technical report or document. E-mail
is usually not archival.

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To remember…

Writing technical reports and documents is the

most effective means for concluding a project and
transferring new information or knowledge.

If technical work is not documented in writing in a

timely manner, the work is often lost and may be
repeated by others.

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Thank you

See you next week 27

Assignment n°1

List your most prominent writing weaknesses

(two or three) and describe what you need to

do to remedy them.

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